VASSILIS BOLLANOS NEW ELECTED OMONIA`S PRESIDENT




Vassilis Bollanos the Mayer of Himara Municipality is elected the Head of Greek Ethnic Minority of Albania (Northern Epirus). Bollanos elected by majority votes of greek represent of Albania.

Bollanos will head Omonia for some months until general elections including all northern epiriotes to vote under the system "One member one vote".

Greece blocks Macedonia NATO membership, Albania is waiting.....

March 06, 2008 12:16 PM

BRUSSELS, Mar 6, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Greece on Thursday refused to invite its neighbor Macedonia to join NATO due to a decades-old name dispute.
"As far as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is concerned, I stressed to our allies that unfortunately, the policy that was followed by the government of our neighboring country ... does not allow us to take the same positive stance as in the case of Croatia and Albania," Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni told reporters after a meeting with her counterparts of NATO members.

Together with Croatia and Albania, Macedonia is one of the hopefuls to be invited to join NATO at the military alliance's summit next month in Bucharest, capital of Romania but its bid has been overshadowed by the issue of the country's name.
Greece has long argued that Macedonia implies territorial claim to a northern Greek province which bears the same name as Macedonia.
The dispute began in 1946 when the People's Republic of Macedonia was established as part of Yugoslavia and escalated when the republic announced independence in 1991.
Bakoyanni said the past 15 years of fruitless negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations left Greece with no other choice.

"Greece was therefore unable to provide its consent to the invitation, as I stressed to my fellow colleagues," she said, adding her country is ready to use veto power.
The founding treaty of NATO provides that the member states can, through a unanimous decision, invite any other European state to join the alliance, which means Greece's veto could successfully block Macedonia's bid for NATO membership.
With less than one month to go before the summit, Bakoyanni said she still hopes for a mutually acceptable and practical solution, which should be implemented immediately.
Greece has insisted that Macedonia is properly known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in international organizations such as NATO. But the majority of UN members have recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name -- the Republic of Macedonia.
U.N. envoy Matthew Nimetz has reportedly put forward a proposal, which identifies five name suggestions including Constitutional Republic of Macedonia, Democratic Republic of Macedonia, Independent Republic of Macedonia, New Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Upper Macedonia.

"It will contain the name Macedonia, but it will not monopolize Macedonia," Bakoyanni said, referring to an acceptable choice for the new name.
Bakoyanni warned defiance by Macedonia would deny the Balkan country a future both in NATO and the European Union (EU), of which Greece is also a member.
The entry of Macedonia into NATO appeared to be one of the major sticky issues when foreign ministers of the 26-nation transatlantic alliance met Thursday.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would like to see Macedonia join NATO together with Croatia and Albania, but the coming weeks of negotiations with Greece was crucial.

"I would like all three countries to join," Steinmeier told reporters ahead of the meeting, "A lot depends on the question of whether these two states are going to be able to come closer together in the coming weeks."

Boat Sinking Kills 16 in Albania

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A boat carrying partygoers celebrating the birthday of 5-year-old twins sank overnight in a lake near the capital, killing 16 people, including the two children, police said Thursday.

The boat belonged to a restaurant on the shores of Lake Farka, about three miles east of the capital, Tirana. It had a capacity of seven, but was transporting 20 people from the restaurant when it sank shortly after midnight, Tirana police spokeswoman Alma Katragjini said.
Authorities believe the boat capsized because it was overloaded.

Four people survived, Katragjini said. Three hours after the sinking, authorities had collected 16 bodies from the lake: seven men, seven women and the 5-year-old twin boys, she said.
Fourteen of the dead belonged to two families, while two of the bodies could not immediately be identified, but were believed to be those of family friends, Katragjini said.
Outside the Tirana morgue, men wept and held each other as relatives and friends gathered to claim the bodies.

Lakeside and seaside restaurants are popular in Albania, but most are within easy reach of roads. The one on Lake Farka was more remote, and a small boat was often used to ferry passengers to it.

Security News

ALBANIA, NATO HELICOPTER` CRASHES (?)

Early morning Italian arenautic agencies start “SOS” signal for a NATO helicopter crash in northern Albanian mountains, albanian press "24 Ore NEWS" noted.

Inhabitants said they heared a strong blast early morning near “Jezerca” mountain (2690m) and where cooperating to find survivors by helicopter crash.
Policies Albanian forces require together with KFOR sending helicopters and Special Forces to localize the zone.

Albanian authorities confirm that the helicopter is not of Albanian Air Forces, when other information says may be is of "Italian Air Forces". Albania does not capacity to hold night operation security service since a presidential helicopter lost in Adriatic Sea, tow years ago. Another crash airplane in Albanian territory has happened in 2005 when a C130 of US Air Forces crash in Albanian mountains.

Anyway NATO does not confirm about helicopter crash, said in aftenoon the Albanian public television RTSH , while the Defensse Albanian Ministry said for "an unknown aircraft had lost contact with Albanian and Italian operators in the area near Albania's border with Montenegro and Kosovo".

Security News

NATO STRONG MEASSURES TO HOLD STABILLITY IN ALBANIA AND FYROM

Photo: The Greek Class Frigate "Hydra" at Durresi Gulf

Five of NATO Frigates (British, Germany, Greece, Turkey and Italy) jointed to Durresi Harbor in Albania, last week. The frigates are member of NATO Naval Base Group in Naples (Italy).

According to information the naval contingent of NATO for Mediterranean is opening a security corridor which begins from Durresi Harbor to FYROM, stabilizing the way and structure of military transport of NATO troops, to install more troops for any escalation which menace the stability of tow countries Albania and FYROM.

Albania has 1200 NATO troops when the contingent can raise more, based to agreement NATO Albania in July 2007. In 2005 the Albanian parliament approved a “law packet” for NATO installation in Albania. According to agreement, NATO can hold 2500 troops in Albanian Territory with a government decision, when NATO needs to install more troops to confront any escalation or destabilization is the parliament which could decide much more troops.

FYROM is confronting on diplomatic debate with Greece about the name of "Macedonia" but sources by albanian of FYROM say for separation of albanian of FYROM if Greece makes veto to FYROM to joint NATO alliance next NATO meeting in Bucarest. Italian troops of NATO will emerging FYROM passing from Albania to make stabillity of the country next days said albanian press.

JFC Naples Commander Admiral Mark Fitzgerald arrived for a 2-day official visit in Tirana on 21 February 2008.