Albania: PACE official to join political deadlock negotiations

19/02/2010

TIRANA, Albania -- Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Mevlut Cavusoglu will head a delegation to assist President Bamir Topi in mediating political negotiations between the government and the opposition in the ongoing boycott of parliament. Cavusoglu's delegation will support the process to restore political dialogue in Albania, the office of the Council of Europe in Tirana announced on Thursday.

In other news, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Joao Soares is urging the opposition Socialist Party (SP) to end the parliamentary boycott. Soares has welcomed the idea of setting up a parliamentary commission to investigate alleged irregularities in the June 2009 general elections. Soares made the statement in Vienna, after meeting on Thursday with Albanian Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli and SP leader Edi Rama.

Albania: "“Monitoring organizations of Albania elections have reconfirmed their positive assessments of June 28 elections and consider them free and fair. "

Rama: The opposition will continue to protest for ballot

“Monitoring organizations of Albania elections have reconfirmed their positive assessments of June 28 elections and consider them free and fair. The international factor has called on the Albanian opposition to take its seats in the Parliament within the Constitutional deadline."

In a statement published by the Council of Ministers of Albania, Premier Berisha states that "Mr. Joao Soares, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President, fully refers to the conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR final report on Albania elections; he reiterates his appeal to the Albanian opposition to put an immediate end to the boycott and take its seats in the Parliament. Likewise, President Soares welcomes the ruling majority and opposition willingness for setting up of a Parliamentary Investigative Commission for fully investigating the elections, in complete respect of the country Constitution and the important rulings of the Constitutional Court."

Anyway, the opposition leader Edi Rama, declared today that "the protests of Albanian opposite will continue until the ballot will be open".

Albania Press Review

Tirana | 19 February 2010 |

SHEKULLI

Secret talks between the Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the opposition Socialist Party continue with the mediation of the country's president. The talks aim to find common ground and resolve Albania’s political stalemate.

SHQIP

The Albanian government’s project to begin redistributing arable land for rent to farmers who agree to cultivate the land could create social tensions in rural areas.

METROPOL

The OSCE declaration on Albania’s parliamentary elections fuels the already heated dispute between the opposition and the government over the poll results.

Greek Turkish ulterior developments

Greek Turkish ulterior developments

Turkish Provocations Continued

Yesterday Turkey managed to create another tense day by sending its fighter jets into a Greek firing range. There was more however. Ta Nea newspaper reported that Turkey also interfered with yet another FRONTEX mission. This time the target was a Lithuanian helicopter which was patrolling an area in the northern Aegean for illegal immigrants.

Everyone should remember that FRONTEX is the same organisation which is in talks with the Turks in order to find a way to “cooperate”. And these talks are anything but in Europe’s interests. Turkey is using these talks as yet another way to get its military to have a say in the Aegean.

New Incident Involving the Turkish Air Force

Several sources report on an incident that happened today during which Turkish fighters entered the area of the Andros firing range where a Greek Navy Frigate was conducting live fire exercises. The Frigate was practicing against an aerial towed target when the Turkish aircraft entered the area.

DefenceNet goes as far as to report that some of the fire nearly hit the Turkish aircraft.

The exercise was halted and the hotline between Larissa and Eski Sehir was activated to deescalate the tension caused. Greek fighters were scrambled to intercept the Turkish aircraft.

Note that the recently uncovered Turkish Military lot against the Islamist government mentioned plans to provoke the shooting down of a Turkish Air Force aircraft by the Greek side in order to rally the people behind the Turkish armed forces.

One Year after Obama: What Has Changed on Our Issues?

Greek News

Editorial by: Nick Larigakis

It has been twelve and a half months since President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. In that time what, if anything has changed regarding our core issues affecting U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus? Well, let’s see.

• Cyprus continues to be illegally occupied by over 40,000 Turkish troops, now into their 36th year;

• Provoking tensions in the Aegean, Turkish military aircraft continue to violate Greek national airspace almost daily. And Turkey continues to threaten Greece with war (casus belli) and promotes claims that are unfounded and devoid of any legal basis as it relates to the Aegean Sea;

• The Halki Patriarchal School of Theology remains closed and the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s rights, freedoms, and security continue to be threatened;

• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is continuing its intransigent and provocative actions against Greece refusing to negotiate in good faith to resolve the name issue; and

• Greece is still not in the Visa Waiver program....

See more: http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=11974

Albanians in Macedonia mark Kosovo independence

Leaders of the parties of ethnical Albanians, present and former politicians, former commanders of the National Liberation Army marked 2 years anniversary of Kosovo independence, AFP informs.

The ceremony was attended by the leaders of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) Ali Ahmeti, leader of the New Democracy Imer Selmani and Kosovo Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Fatmir Lima.

According to Minister Lima “Albanians have never been as united as they are now. Оur dream has always been all Albanians to unite but it is just an ideal.”
The ceremonies were held under a billboard of the killed legendary commander of the National Liberation Army Adem Jasari.

The new Albanian patriotic song “Skopje, Tirana, Pristina- the right man in the right place” was presented in front of the monument of the Albanian hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg.

Newborn missing from maternity hospital found in Egaleo home, woman arrested

ANA-MPA/A newborn infant that went missing at dawn from the Elena maternity hospital in central Athens was found a few hours later in a woman's house in the western Athens suburb of Egaleo, and the woman was arrested.

The infant has already been returned with a police patrol car to the hospital and is with its mother. The baby's parents are Albanian nationals.

A new-born infant was abducted at dawn Thursday from the Elena maternity hospital in downtown Athens, and health minister Mariliza Xenoyiannakoupoulou immediately ordered an urgent sworn administrative inquiry (EDE) on the incident.

The infant, which was born on Wednesday, was sleeping in its bassinette beside its mother, when at around 5:00 a.m. the mother heard someone leaving the room and started screaming.

Police were immediately informed and turmoil erupted in the hospital. Police officers blocked the hospital exits and began a search of the premises to locate the missing baby girl.

The police juveniles protection squad is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

The EDE will investigate the circumstances under which the infant went missing, and ministry secretary general N. Polyzos rushed to the hospital early in the morning and was briefed by the doctors, nursing staff and hospital administration.

"This is a distressing incident and will be immediately investigated in-depth. An urgent EDE has already been ordered by minister Xenoyiannakopoulou, and responsibilities will be attributed. We are strict on this. All the necessary measures will be taken so that such an incident is not repeated," Polyzos told reporters.

The hospital room from which the infant disappeared is a three-bed room, and had currently two mothers that had just given birth. The Elena, like most public maternity hospitals in Greece, allows the infants to be in the room with the mothers throughout the night in order to promote breast-feeding.

Tirana, the next provocation against the people of Himara

While Berisha's government is legalizing thousands of houses built on lands looted mostly by the population came from northern Albania, the Supreme State Control, is seeking to penalize the Himara Mayor and President of "Omonia" (ethnic Greek minority in Albania) Vassilios Bollanos and members of Municipal administration.

The next challenge comes from the inspectors of the High State Control, which for two months, last year blocked the work of the Municipality of Himara, to find " violation of the laws by Municipality".

In essence, it is clear that the Government of Sali Berisha, is using courts, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office and State Control, to attack politically the Mayor of Himara V. Bollano, passing simultaneously Albanian political crisis to another crisis, that escalating to ethnic provocation in South of Albania.

Anyway, the Discrimination is showing open, while the Berisha government has approved laws that conflicts with ethnic owners in the region of Himara, does not allow the latter to build on their land, claiming Vassilios Bollanos has given permission for construction of houses in contravention of the laws in Albania.

This count is done in parallel at a time that Berisha government has approved a series of decisions where thousands abusive home go to legalize, even the lands looted by supporters of his electorate, from northern Albania.

According to analysts, this may create a precedent that alarming situation against the ethnic Greek community in the south of the country, since the laws adopted by the Albanian government and parliament, are composed by "ethnic-political discrimination" against Greeks of Albania, also using the whole arsenal of institutions such as courts and the case of the High State Control.

Europe warns deadlocked Albania to put political house in order

Ambassadors have told Albania that its prospective membership of the EU is threatened by a political stalemate that has crippled the country’s parliament. A delegation is set to visit Tirana to help find a solution.

Ambassadors from across Europe have warned Albania that its application to join the EU is in jeopardy unless a damaging political crisis is resolved.

Representatives for EU nations in Tirana met on Wednesday to call on the two main political parties to resolve a crisis that is preventing Albania's parliament from doing its work.

"The EU perspective for Albania is at stake," Spanish ambassador Manuel Montobbio de Balanzo warned both parties.

The country's socialist-led opposition, led by mayor of Tirana Edi Rama, has been boycotting parliament since elections were held last June. Socialist party members and supporters claim there was electoral fraud and are demanding a recount of votes and a parliamentary probe into the elections.

This has so far been ruled out by the country's Prime Minister Sali Berisha, whose conservative party controls 75 of the parliament's 140 seats.

Inability to pass new laws

The boycott means that parliament has been unable to pass new laws and adopt reforms for closer European integration.

A Council of Europe mission is due to visit Albania to discuss the crisis later this week.

On Wednesday Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme backed Tirana's bid to join the European Union. "We think Albania's adhesion to the EU is a key factor for stability in the Balkans," said Leterme, whose country is set to take over the European Union's rotating presidency in July.

The Albanian criminals in the focus of the Greek public opinion

It is inexcusable that precisely now, when after working a few years, while the Greek policy is making all efforts to integrate the Albanian immigrants in European life, the Albanian organized crime in Greece, is open to confront criminally with Greek security authorities.

In particular, the Greek police, has identified a group of Albanian terrorist related with criminal organizations operating in Greece, while in quartier of "Virona" case, has been an investigation of persons who according to investigations of security forces, as brought occurred in the organization criminal.

Meanwhile, the victim's family of the citizens from the North Epirus has take high considerations by the Greek President, Karolos Papoulias.

EU says political crisis harms Albania's integration

17 February 2010

(TIRANA) - European Union ambassadors on Wednesday warned Albania that a month-long political stalemate was endangering the country's European ties.

"The EU perspective for Albania is at stake," said Manuel Montobbio de Balanzo, the ambassador of Spain, which currently holds the EU rotating presidency.

The EU ambassadors in Tirana met Wednesday to boost Albanian political leaders' efforts to end the political stalemate.

The socialist-led opposition has been boycotting parliament ever since June after they contested the results of parliamentary elections. The boycott means that many much needed reforms are blocked for the time being.

The socialists are demanding a parliamentary probe into the elections, including a recount of votes, but Prime Minister Sali Berisha's ruling coalition have rejected this.

Albanian President Bamir Topi has pressured Berisha and opposition leader Edi Rama to try to find a solution but both leaders are sticking to their positions, according to sources from the two parties.

A Council of Europe mission is expected in Albania in the coming days to discuss the political crisis, diplomatic sources in Tirana said.

Ta Nea: The extra measures that Brussels wants from Greece caused shock, horror


Athens. The burden of the extra measures that Brussels demanded the Greek government to introduce to save another EUR 3 billion have caused shock and horror, the Greek Ta Nea comments.

Despite the increase of the value added tax (VAT), the excise duty for fuels, the tax on luxury goods and the removal of the 14th salary, Brussels will most probably ask for job cuts to be made in the public sector.

In fact, undertaking extra measures is obligatory, because if Greece does not do it itself, the measures would be imposed on it by the EU Finance Ministers Council, which is to be held in March, when Athens will not even have the right to express its opinion.

Meanwhile, the supervision on Greece will start in the next few days, when a team of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund will arrive in Greece, the newspaper reads further.

Albania PM Greets Kosovo Anniversary

Tirana | 17 February 2010 |

Sali Berisha and Hashim Thaci

Albania Prime Minister Sali Berisha greeted the second anniversary of Kosovo’s independence in a letter sent to his Kosovo counterpart, Hashim Thaci, on Wednesday.

“The celebration of the second anniversary of Kosovo’s independence is a historic event for the whole [Albanian] nation,” Berisha wrote. “Today, a free and independent Kosovo resonates peace and stability, not only within its borders but also in the region and beyond,” he added.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo’s parliament unanimously endorsed its declaration of independence.

The move has been bitterly opposed by Serbia, which has lobbied countries not to recognise Kosovo and secured a hearing at the International Court of Justice last year over the legality of the declaration. The court's decision is expected this summer.

Two years after its declaration of independence, Kosovo is now recognised by 65 countries, including 22 European Union members, the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Albania was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo as an independent state and since then has been engaged diplomatically in efforts to further the international recognition of Kosovo.

Ambassador: Greece won't recognize Kosovo

Source: Beta

BELGRADE -- Greek Ambassador Dimosthenis Stoidis has denied that his country would recognize the unilateral declaration of independence made by Kosovo's Albanians. The top Greek diplomatic envoy in Belgrade was reacting to a recent statement coming from Skender Hyseni, appointed by the government in Priština to be its foreign minister. "It isn't clear to me what the source of Hyseni's information is, or his precise statements. Greece's stable, principled stance on the issue is known," Stoidis said in an interview for Vienna's Der Standard newspaper. He also said that Greek PM George Papandreou recently confirmed this position in his meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadić. Papandreou was in Belgrade in early January when he said that the complex issue of Kosovo should be solved based on the UN Charter and respect of international law.

Vladimir Putin encourages George Papandreou on economic situation in Greece

Vladimir Putin encourages George Papandreou on economic situation in Greece

The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin played down the importance of the economic difficulties faced by Greece, stressing the Greek counterpart George Papandreou and that the U.S. is better off than Greece, in curbing public debt and finance.

"As we all well-known global financial crisis began in Greece, either in Russia or in Europe. moved to us from across the ocean, "said Putin in Papandreou, making indirect reference to the U.S..

"And there (in the U.S.) we can see similar problems-massive foreign debt, budget deficit," said Putin, proposing the two countries-Greece and Russia to focus their efforts on "real economy" as a sufficient method to circumvent the economic crisis. Both the Greek, and Russian officials denied that the subject matter of the contacts between the two leaders appeared that whatever financial aid, while Russian President Dmitry Mentvientef recommended to the Greek prime minister to refer to the IMF or the World Bank, help.

«I think we get out of this situation even more powerful than they are today, "said the part of George Papandreou.

Two Years In, Kosovo Albanians More Sober on Independence

Three-quarters believe independence was a good thing, down from 93% in 2008

by Viktor Damjanovic and John Chapman....http://www.gallup.com/poll/125978/Two-Years-Kosovo-Albanians-Sober-Independence.aspx

BRUSSELS -- On the second anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, a look at the latest Gallup Balkan Monitor survey conducted in September 2009 showed Kosovo Albanians are less positive toward independence. Seventy-five percent of Kosovo Albanians said independence was a good thing, down from 93% who said so in 2008. One in five Kosovo Albanians said they did not have an opinion. Furthermore, in 2009, 80% of Kosovo Serbs believed that independence was a bad thing, statistically unchanged since 2008.

Annyversary of Northern Epirus Astronomy in USA and Greece

Annyversary of Northern Epirus Astronomy in USA and Greece

Eoρτασμός της Αυτονομίας της Βορείου Ηπείρου στην Αθήνα

Με πανηγυρική Δοξολογία και κατάθεση στεφάνου εορτάζεται την προσεχή Κυριακή 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2010 και ώρα 11:00 π.μ. η επέτειος των 96 ετών από την ανακήρυξη της Αυτονόμου Πολιτείας της Βορείου Ηπείρου 1914. Όπως είναι γνωστό, το Φεβρουάριο του 1914 οι Βορειοηπειρώτες, αρνούμενοι να υπαχθούν στο νεότευκτο αλβανικό κράτος, επαναστάτησαν, ανακήρυξαν στο Αργυρόκαστρο την Αυτόνομο Πολιτεία της Βορείου Ηπείρου και σχημάτισαν κυβέρνηση με Πρόεδρο τον Γεώργιο Ζωγράφο και μέλη τους Μητροπολίτες Δρυϊνουπόλεως Βασίλειο, Κορυτσάς Γερμανό και Κονίτσης Σπυρίδωνα. Αποτέλεσμα του Αυτονομιακού Αγώνα ήταν το Πρωτόκολλο της Κερκύρας (17 Μαΐου 1914),που υπογράφηκε από τις κυβερνήσεις των Μεγάλων Δυνάμεων, της Αλβανίας και της Βορείου Ηπείρου και παρείχε καθεστώς Αυτονομίας στου Νομούς Αργυροκάστρου και Κορυτσάς. Είναι σήμερα επιτακτική ανάγκη, ενθυμούμενοι τον ηρωισμό και την αυτοθυσία των Βορειοηπειρωτών του 1914, να τιμήσουμε όπως αξίζει τους ήρωες του 1914 και να γνωρίσουν οι νεότερες γενιές των Ελλήνων τους μεγάλους αγώνες του Βορειοηπειρωτικού Ελληνισμού για να παραμείνουν Έλληνες στις πατρογονικές μας εστίες. Ο Ελληνισμός της Βορείου Ηπείρου δεν μπορεί να συρρικνωθεί και να χαθεί σήμερα σε καιρό ειρήνης και δημοκρατίας. Πρέπει σύσσωμος ο Ελληνισμός να διατρανώσει με την παρουσία του στην σημαντική αυτή εκδήλωση μνήμης και τιμής την απόφαση μας να παραμείνουμε και να αναγεννηθούμε στις πατρογονικές μας εστίες με ελευθερία και ασφάλεια, διατηρώντας τα ήθη και τα έθιμα της Βορειοηπειρωτικής Κοινότητας με εφαρμογή των διεθνών συνθηκών και του πρωτοκόλλου της Κερκύρας του 1914, για τον Βορειοηπειρωτικό Ελληνισμό.

“Cantonal division of Kosovo is solution”

The Modern Peace and Conflict Studies founder Johan Galtung said that "Serbia, Kosovo and Albania will form a confederation".

According to the 79-year-old Norwegian mathematician, sociologists and international mediator in some 40 conflicts around the world, such a scenario will come to pass in the next 50 years, writes Belgrade daily Politika.

Galtung said that the future of Kosovo lies arranging the territory according to the cantonal Swiss model.

He said that a majority of the cantons would be Albanian, while at least three would be Serb – one around Priština, and two in the north..............

more see: www.b92.net

Crash between Albanian bandits and Greek police

One citizen killed and two policemen injured is the result of actual combat in Athens throw grenades and shoot-out between police and bandits Albanians.

In particular during operation of the Attica Police to arrest bandits who lived in an apartment in the area, the officers asked the suspects once came to surrender.


They responded by firing five or six grenades from which exeragisan fortunately only two. The police responded with barrage of shots.

The unlucky citizen from Northern Epirus working in an adjacent building, finds himself mortally dead in the crossfire.

The perpetrators are Albanian citizen wanted for bank robbery and, according to reports, it is conceivable to be related to recent events in Athens.

One was arrested on the spot while the other tried to escape by resorting to a nearby bakery on the Life Giving Fountain.

After a while though and he was arrested.

The injured have been hospitalized.

Papandreou: Greece seeks political, not economy support by the EU and international community

Greece aims and is able to solve its issues by itself, we want political, not economy support by the European Union and the international community. This is what Greek Prime Minster Georgiou Papandreou said in an interview with Russian Itar-Tass news agency, cited by Elefterotypia newspaper.

Papandreou pointed out that Greece hadn’t sough economy support neither from the international community nor the EU.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister insists for coordinated respond of the EU on the stock exchange “jobbing”.

Conference on Western Balkans in March?

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton supports Slovenian PM Borut Pahor’s intention to organize an international conference on Western Balkans in March.

The Slovenian PM has launched the initiative together with Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor and this should be the first meeting of all political leaders from the region after 18 years.

The conference would be organized by Slovenia, Croatia, the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

Representatives of Kosovo, which would be “represented in an appropriate way”, should also attend the conference.

According to a statement from Pahor, the goal of the gathering would be to look for solutions for some of the open issues in the region, but he added that expectations should be “well measured out”.

K. Albanians optimistic about Greek recognition

VIENNA -- The Kosovo Albanian government in Priština foreign minister says that Greece is "moving toward recognizing Kosovo's independence". Skender Hyseni (FoNet, file) Skender Hyseni was also quoted as saying that after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in the Kosovo case, "a series of countries who have not done so will recognize Kosovo as an independent state". The ICJ is deliberating the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration made two years ago. Belgrade has rejected the proclamation as an illegal act of secession, while Greece is one of five EU members that have not recognized it. Now Hyseni told Vienna's Der Standard newspaper that authorities in Belgrade have been "destabilizing the region", and that "Kosovo's independence cannot be annulled by any kind of negotiations". He went on to warn the five EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo – Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Romania – that "they can expect friendly pressure to do so" from other member-states, and singled out Greece as "particularly moving in that direction", As for Serbia, Hyseni objected to its moves by saying it was "wasting its own and Kosovo's time and opening up space for all kinds of insane scenarios in the region". "Anyone seeking new negotiations at a time when Kosovo has built state institutions and after it was recognized by 65 countries shows that they are either ignoring the facts, or it's something worse – they are the ones trying to destabilize the region," said this ethnic Albanian politician. According to him, Serbia "cannot on the one hand seek EU membership, and on the other be a destabilizing factor in the Balkans". "Serbia is behaving in a very European manner in Brussels, but in the Balkans it is acting not at all in a European way," said Hyseni. He also announced that Priština would "try to win over those countries that have not recognized Kosovo to enable it to sign the SAA", and boasted the territory's progress when it comes to legislature and reforms, "which are not much different that in Serbia". For all these reasons, Hyseni concluded, he expected "Kosovo to join the EU before 2020"

Albania says it's ready to join EU visa-free regime

Albania meets criteria for non-European Union member states to join the 27-country bloc's visa-free regime, following progress made in recent months, Foreign Minister Ilir Meta said.

“Albania today meets all the criteria set by the European Commission for visa liberalisation and we hope for a positive evaluation soon,” Meta told a news conference during a visit to Slovenia.

“What we have been doing so far grants us that Albania will get a positive evaluation soon, and hopefully Bosnia will get it too,” he added.

European foreign ministers in November agreed that Albania had made major progress and should be considered for official EU candidate status, a key step forward in the Balkan country's membership drive.

High-level Turkish gov't delegation receives ethnic Greek reps in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (ANA-MPA / A. Kourkoulas) -- Representatives of the local ethnic Greek communities met here with a 12-member delegation comprised of local government officials as well as foreign affairs and interior ministries' officials.

Both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the ethnic Greek community representatives characterised the meeting as "very important" and a "development of a symbolic nature".

The meeting reportedly focused on all issues raised by representatives of the now tiny ethnic Greek community.

Turkey's ambassador to the EU, career diplomat Volkan Bozkir, who headed the 12-member delegation, pledged that he will do everything in his power to solve the problems, adding however, that he does not have a "magic wand to provide solutions to everything".

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the secretariat that coordinates negotiations with the EU, and was held within the framework of the initiatives undertaken by the Turkish government aimed at dealing with minority issues.

A recent Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) report has called on Greece and Turkey to handle minority issues in their true dimension, such as human rights and individual liberties issues.

The report also suggested that minority issues should not fall under the jurisdiction of the ministries of foreign affairs as if they concern nationals of a foreign country. A similar appeal has been made repeatedly by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Kosovo population census in 2011

Next census on population, households, dwellings in Kosovo, is to take place in mid of 2011, say the officials at the Ministry of the Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo, which also has been strongly recommended by many international organizations. Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Rifat Blaku told RadioFreeEurope that the Republic of Kosovo Government has taken seriously the recommendation of the European Commission and EUROSTAT, two major sponsors of the project, which have recommended that the census of population of Kosovo should occur at the same year as in the other Europea states in 2011. "It is a requirement of EUROSTAT and all organizations dealing with the population census. It should not look as single-dimensional, because with this Kosovo, as a new state, will permanently join all European states, which in every ten years organize the population census." said Blaku. Current statistics show that Kosovar population living in Kosovo and those living overseas is well over 3 million, with Kosovar Albanians making over 97%. The Republic of Kosovo has the highest birthrate in Europe.

A painting, shows more than a formal meeting

"Albania is in deep political crisis after 1998, this is the message of European and American institutions. But otherwise think Albanians in their country, everything will pass as always, peace between policy will decide by outside intervention.

But what IS falls more in the eye in a very important meeting for political compromise in the country, is a painting located in the office of talks mediated by President Topi.

In this painting assumed a new union of Albanian, to show that the reason of political agreements, is more important for the country's national interests.

Comment is not necessary, the painting shows that Albania is in deep political crisis and the country risks instability and integrity in Albanian politics divided into two parts, waiting to achieve consensus in March ...