Albania to back Kosovo independence

Albania has said it wants to be the first country to recognise an independent Kosovo. The declaration came in a speech by president Bamir Topi on his first visit to the breakaway province since taking office last July. Kosovo's declaration of independence is only a question of time - diplomats believe it could come in February or March.

According to prime minister Hacim Thaci, it could be a matter of days.On a visit to Brussels, he has been holding talks with a number of senior figures including EU foreign policy envoy Javier Solana and NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Both NATO and the EU plan to send extra peacekeeping troops to Kosovo once independence is declared.Still a part of Serbia, Kosovo has been run by the UN since 1999, when NATO bombs drove out Serb forces, putting an end to the killing of ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of the population. Washington and Brussels are expected to recognise independence, overruling opposition from Serbia and its Russian ally.

FIFA threatens to suspend Albania over alleged interference

Photo: “NOT ONLY SPORT” …The National Stadium of Albania “Qemal Stafa”

TIRANA, Albania - FIFA has threatened to suspend Albania from international matches because of alleged government interference with the country's national soccer federation. In a Jan. 21 letter to the government, world soccer's governing body gave authorities a month to cancel an audit of the Albanian Football Association, or FSHF.

A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press. "If FIFA and UEFA do not receive the requested written confirmation within the given deadlines ... FIFA and UEFA administrations will have no other options but to forward a report for the next meetings of the FIFA and UEFA Executive Committee to take the necessary steps, which may lead to the suspension of the FSHF," it said.

Photo: The President of UEFA Platini with the President of AFF Duka.

The letter was signed by FIFA's general secretary Jerome Valcke and UEFA counterpart David Taylor and was sent to Albanian sport minister Ylli Pango.

The audit was ordered amid an ongoing dispute between the government and soccer federation.
In December, Pango asked UEFA to investigate alleged match fixing involving Albania's last two European Championship qualifiers against Belarus and Romania. He implicated FSHF president Armand Duka in the alleged scandal.

Photo: Sotiris Ninis soccer of Panathinaikos and Greece National Football team was born in the Albanian town of Himara (Northern Epirus). The Albania Football Federation “FSHF” warned to take Ninis by Greece for his National Team but their efforts resulted failed..

Last december, the Albanian authorities have called on European football's governing body UEFA on Wednesday to investigate its side's last two Euro 2008 qualifiers, accusing the chairman of the Albanian football federation of having rigged the results.

"There are clear suspicions that both matches might have been sold by the president of our National football federation," Ylli Pango, Albania's Sport and Culture Minister, said in a letter to UEFA.

Albania's national side lost two Euro 2008 qualifiers, 4-2 against Belarus in Tirana last November and 6-1 against Romania in Bucharest last month.

On the way to conquest the Northern Epirus lands…

Photo: Albanian police special forces against the rights of propriety owners of Kakomea, Himara Region.

"Albania must stopped on the way to EU and NATO if the lands are not come back to the legitimate owners of Himara`s people"

The Coast Ionian owners and Himara`s Community against the Republican Politic Party and the Albanian government - writs the newspaper “Koha Jone” on January 21. The Himara`s Community has strongly opposed the proposal of the head of Parliamentary Republican party Group Arian Madhi, who lately asked the Government to identify and make available the physical compensation those coastal lands which “are nobody`s and are not I use”.

The Himara`s Community which presents the legitimate owners of the elite tourist area of Ionian Coast line known as the beautiful are Vlora Saranda who lives the oldest Greek Community very rich with Byzantine and monasteries church, addressed a public letter to Madhi warning him of abusing with the duty and the confidence of people.

‘We sent this public letter to you to wanr you of abusing with the duty and with the confidence of people who have voted for you” says over alls the letter. Through this letter the Association underscored that “By embracing this ant owner political line constantly you, de facto are preventing the normal process of Albanian`s membership to NATO and EU and we must said: “NO ALBANIA TO NATO AND EU ORGANISATION SINCE THE PROPRIETY DOES NOT GO TO OWNERS”

One month ago during the visit of Albanian President Bamir Topi in Athens the Greek counter part Karolos Papulias asked Topi if the “Albanian government is making efforts about the propriety rights of Greeks in Albania as the positive way to joint Albania to Euro Atlantic organizations Topi expressed his responsibility to make pressing to Albanian plitic parties to resolve soon as possible the propriety issue of greeks who live in Albania..

But according to information a list of project laws made by Albanian government headed by Sali Berisha, are waiting to approve by parliament under the “legalization Process” laws which favorites the Albanians to conquest proprieties of Greeks who lives in in Northern Epirus particularly to the Ionian Coast Line, known as the Himara region.

“WE TAKE NORTHERN EPIRUS TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO”

The Albanian Newspaper “STANDARD” on January 21, 2008, comments an article of Greek daily “Eleferotipia” about the new dimension of Albanian Greek relations regarding Kosovo and Northern Epirus.

Elefterotipia, referred to the high official of Greek Defense Ministry Dimitrios Georgiu, who proposes between the Northern Epirus and Kosovo Independence to be resolved under friendly agreement: “We take Northern Epirus to recognize your Kosovo Independence”.

According to “Standard” the article of Greek press is based to new escalation of Balkan Issue particularly for the Kosovo Independence and the position of Athens regarding a “positive reaction for Kosovo”, but firstly Tirana must know the autonomy of Northern Epirus.

Georgiu referred the international agreements about Northern Epirus such are ‘The Protocol of Corfu of 1914” which gives large autonomy of Greek in Albania, the “Peace Conference of 1919” and the “Peace Conference” of 1946 where the Great Powers decided to know the unification of Northern Epirus with Greece, after unification of tow German states.

The declaration of Georgiu actually is the first of high level of Greek authorities to be clear of new position to next developments regarding the Kosovo Independence and Northern Epirus. It’s very significative a protest which will demonstrate in center of Athens by Albanian emigrants proclaimed for January 27, for Kosovo Independence, when Tirana continues “to be indifferent” for every escalation of its national interests.

ΝΟΙΑΖΟΜΑΙ - ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΣ ΓΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΥ - ΜΕΤΑΚΙΝΗΣΗ

"THE PANDORA`S BOX"

After the Indipendence of Kosovo previsted on February 6, will open the way to the changes proces of Balkan Borders. An analisy of Le Monde Dilomatique claims the "Domino Effect" of next developments and balkan state implications after Indipendence of Kosovo self Declaration.

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ΝΟΙΑΖΟΜΑΙ - ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΣ ΓΕΝΙΚΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΥ - ΜΕΤΑΚΙΝΗΣΗ

FYROM, the Anti-Speed-Boat Law

By Plator Nesturi*

Weekly magazine “Klan” said in its issue (No: 545) that the smuggling of lambs or other far “more expensive” products is not a sufficient reason for the Skopia authorities to take such an extreme measure

The visa procedures for the Albanian citizens who want to travel to Macedonia will be the same with those of the EU countries. In other words, the chances of a common Albanian to go to Skopia will be the same with those of going to Italy while the queues in front of the embassies will complete one another.

All of a sudden, Albania, so much engrossed in being part of the EU integration, gets panicky of the free movement of its citizens.
What made Skopia towards which Albania has shown care, if not love, to take such an extreme measure which penalizes the free movement of Albanians? Albania is known as the first countries which recognized the new FYROM state. Moreover, in the time of Greek embargo to FYROM, the former Albanian President, Sali Berisha declared that he would put the Durres Port at the disposal of FYROM. Even later one, the cases when the official Tirana has helped in keeping the fragile state equilibriums of the Balkans have not lacked.

That’s why when Skopje has decided to show the door of embassy to the Albanians, it seems a wonder how the Albanian authorities were so much powerless to change this decision. What is ridicule is that instead of raising their voices, the Albanian authorities aim at raising the awareness about this issue through the protests of the Albanians in FYROM or through declarations of Albanian politicians there.

It has been often talked of the smuggling between the smuggling between the two countries. But neither the smuggling of lambs or other “more expensive” products is not a sufficient reason for the FYROM authorities to take extreme measures that impede the free movement of citizens between the two countries.

Note: Plator Nesturi is analyst for diplomatic and security relations in the albanian press.