VILLAGERS IN NORTHERN EPIRUS PROTEST AGAINST TOURISTIC RESORT

Protest Over Albania's Club Med Resort of Kakome Bay

07 November 2008 Nivitsa- Saranda.

Nearly one thousand villagers blocked fresh efforts to start construction on the Club Med resort in southern Albania’s Kakome bay on Thursday, local media report. After three years of legal headaches and protests from local villagers, Club Med had announced in July of moving forward with its project to build a tourist village in the picturesque bay. The French hospitality company said at the time that it has reached an agreement with local villagers, who claimed ownership of the land, to become a stakeholder in the project.

However in September, the Agency for the Restitution and Compensation of Property had denied the claims of ownership from the villagers as not valid, which seems to have reworked the company’s pledge to share part of the stock with the residents of the nearby village of Nivica.

The resort will be built by the Albania construction company Riviera and operated by Club Med. The villagers of Nivitsa, Municipality of Lukovo are Albanian citizen with old Greek origin. Most of part live in Greece. They have protested not only in Albania but also in Athens. Tow years ago they protested in Athens a front of EU Embassy calling "Kakomea is our land".

In Albania the crashes between the Greek community and Albanian authorities for the lands and properties issues have been debated in State Department and European Parliament. The Albanian laws and Tribunals often are instrument used by Albanian mafia supported as usually politically by authorities.