Albania's parliament votes to oust top prosecutor
The Associated PressPublished: November 5, 2007

PRISTINA, Serbia: Parliament voted Monday to oust Albania's top prosecutor for allegedly violating the country's constitution and failing to fight organized crime.

Lawmakers voted 77-37 to dismiss Prosecutor-General Theodhori Sollaku — a decision that must be ratified by President Bamir Topi in order to take effect.

Opposition parties had boycotted most of the impeachment process, accusing Prime Minister Sali Berisha's Democratic Party of trying to seize control of the judicial system.

In Monday's vote, lawmakers backed the findings of an investigation by a parliamentary committee. It found Sollaku had failed to cooperate international law enforcement agencies, approved the release of 22 convicted criminals without proper cause, and failed to act in serious criminal cases.

Sollaku, who was once Berisha's legal adviser, rejected the allegations and called the effort to oust him "a subversive act and an institutional coup."

Corruption and organized crime are rife in Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries. President Topi, who took office in July, is likely to back the top prosecutor's removal.

The Northern Epirus Forum and Himara Community protests in front of Albanian Embassy in Greece at November 5, 2007


The violation of Human Rights, the assimilisation process of lands and proprieties of Greek Community occupied from Albanian Mafia, the abusive decisions of fascist Albanian tribunals against the interest of Greek Community, the vandalism against Orthodox Churches, the prohibition of Greek Masmedia and TV stations for Greek Community who lives in Northern Epirus (Southern Albania) are the must important issues of massive protest against the Albanian government.

Violence possible after Kosovo talks, intelligence
Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:32 PM

AP. BELGRADE, Serbia-Serbia's intelligence agency warned Thursday of possible unrest in Kosovo when talks end in December about the separatist province's future status.

Rade Bulatovic, the head of Serbia's Security Information Agency, told a parliamentary committee that "protests, unrest and even Serb-Albanian conflicts are possible" in the U.N.-run region.

Bulatovic said the instability was "particularly expected" if Kosovo declares independence from Serbia following a Dec. 10 deadline set by international mediators in the negotiations.

Kosovo is formally part of Serbia, but its majority ethnic Albanian population are seeking independence. Belgrade strongly opposes the idea.

Internationally-brokered negotiations on the province's status have produced no agreement so far. The U.S., Russian and EU mediators have set the Dec. 10 deadline for any deal to be reached.

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have threatened to unilaterally declare independence if the negotiations fail to produce a result. Serbia has said it would never recognize Kosovo's independence.

There was no immediate comment from the U.N. authorities in Kosovo to Bulatovic's statement. U.N. and NATO officials have pledged to maintain peace and stability.

A 1998-99 war between ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbian security forces in Kosovo left thousands dead and ended when NATO air attacks forced Belgrade to pull out of the province.