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.

THE UNION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PARTY (UHRP) CALLS BIG PARTIES TO CREATE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONS WITHOUT POLITIC COMPONENT

Evangjelos Doules: " We think that for politic elections to hold only special commissioners"

Poto: P.F.A President and Secretary with the President of the Union for Human Rights Party of Albania, Mr Evangelos Doules, discussing the situation in Northern Epirus.

The next Albanian politic elections showed be failed if the central commission will be composed from member of politic parties of Albania. The Union for Human Rights Party (UHRP) an independent politic composition mostly by the Greek minority electorate has been against every solution that wanted by other parties including SP and DP.

According to the changes by the Albanian parliament for electorale code, tow important politic parties of Albania SP and DP, have voted to hold a central commission mix with politic represents. Some other parties in minorance have voted against expressing their opinion as monopolisation of Albanian parliament from SP and DP against interests of other parties.

The Chairman of UHRP Evangjelos Doules categoricaly has declared his opinion about new elector ale code saying that: " we are against every solution which continues to hold as member of electoral commissions, member of politic parties, not special commissioners which must be out of politic interferences".

EU critical on Albania’s judiciary system

05. November 2008. 12:51
The European Commission acknowledges that the country has continued to make progress in democracy and rule of law. However, it is criticized for lacking dialogue between political parties.
The European Commission acknowledges that the country has continued to make progress in democracy and rule of law. However, it is criticized for lacking dialogue between political parties. The proper functioning of state institutions also requires consolidation. “Despite some progress, the fight against corruption and organized crime remains a major challenge”, report says. It says an overall anti-corruption strategy has not started, and emphasizes that corruption “remains widespread and serious problem”.

The report adds: “Fighting corruption in the judiciary remains a key issue”, and it urges a thorough investigation of the Gerdec explosion case. “Much work is needed on all aspects of the issue, including judicial accountability and transparency of political party founding,” the paper notes. The report notes only limited progress in preventing money laundering, as well as the fight against drug trafficking, which “remains serious concern”. Albania is lacking an adequate court infrastructure, the report says, stressing a “comprehensive reform strategy for the judiciary is missing”. According to the paper, Albania needs to undertake greater efforts to establish an independent, efficient, and merit-based civil service.

Albania has made progress in aligning its legislation, policies, and capacities with European standards and in implementing Interim agreement commitments. However, in the field of justice, freedom, and security, country has progressed “unevenly”; therefore, the Commission considers there is a need for overall improvement. In addition, although Albania is participating in dialogue over the liberalization of the visa regime, the report says it has not yet met the EU’s standards regarding the visa regime. In this regard, the report recommends Albania to start issuing biometric passports.

"The course of neighboring Albania to the EU passes through respect for human rights (civil, political, cultural, religious, educational) of the Greek Etnic Minority"

PAN EPIRIOTIC FEDERATION OF THE WORLD SENDS MESSAGE TO THE GREEK PARLIAMENT

Photo: The President of World Pan Epirotic Federation Christostomos Dimou

The President of Pan Epiriotic Federation of the World Chrysostomos Dimou, the vice-chairman and chairman of the Network of Local Government elected of Epirus Federation in Europe Mr. Elias Galanos, the general secretary Mr George Vryzalas and Mr Spyros Kostadimas responsible for the masmedia of Panipeirotic Federation of Europe, participated in the work of the Regional Assembly of the Council For Greeks Abroad of SAE-Europe held from 24 to 26 October 2008 in Frankfurt.

The meeting dealt with important issues that have to do with the culture of emigrants, youth problems, the issues of integration in the countries and especially the establishment of the emigrant vote. The meeting was opened by bishop Arianzou k.Vartholomaios carrying message of the Ecumenical Patriarch and continued the Director General of the Secretariat for Greeks Abroad I.Kyparissidis message carrying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for issues of Greeks Abroad, Theodoros Kassimi.

In the Meeting sent greetings the chairman of the Standing Select Committee of Parliament for Apodimous Nikos Tsiartsionis and vice-chairman of the Committee Grigoris Niotis (Pasok) and the chairman of the SAE Stefanos Tamvakis.

Particular success for Paniepirotic Federation was the acceptance by the Assembly of the resolution, which was tabled by the chairman of the Federation and in which it stressed that: "The course of neighboring Albania to the EU passes through respect for human rights (civil, political, cultural, religious, educational) of the National Greek Minority"

Albania welcomes Obama as world's top leader

Tirana, Albania - The United States 'will remain the leader' in resolving the world's crises and promoting democracy when president-elect Barack Obama takes power in January, Albanian President Bamir Topi said Wednesday. Topi congratulated Obama on his victory in Tuesday's election, calling it a 'lesson in democracy' and 'a historic day for America.'

'We spent a night without sleeping,' he said in the capital Tirana. 'It was not only the journalists who followed the US election, but all Albanians and I believe the entire world.' Albania is one of the staunchest US allies in the Balkans, winning President George W Bush's formal approval last month to join NATO. Washington has strongly backed inviting the poor ex-Stalinist Adriatic nation into the military alliance.

MCCAIN CARRYING ALBANIA & FYROM

Photo: An antiamerican slogan in Albania during dictature regim

Shocking as this may be to electoral pundits, right now, in an ongoing international voting poll between John McCain and Barack Obama, McCain has built up an almost insurmountable lead in the countries of Albania and Macedonia. Is this the dislodged pebble that will lead to a landslide Republican victory?

McCain officials are excited.
Impossible as it seems, presidential candidate John McCain is surging ahead in Albania, even more so in FYROM, according to the latest "If the World Could Vote" election data. Several officials for the Obama campaign, although not all, are fearful that this momentum for McCain may just spread to Greece, although at present, Obama has a comfortable lead of 96.6%.

However, one Eastern European election analyst, Ian Foolinku, has pointed out that this is really an anomaly in an otherwise massive international turnout for Obama, where he has the clear lead in 210 other countries. He attributes, actually, McCain's lead in the other two countries to underhanded trickery.

"We have had reports", Ian states, "that in Albania, the McCain campaign, in an obvious appeal to ethnic identity, has been running massive robo-calls warning Albanians that, if elected, Barack Obama is going to ask the United Nations to change Albania's name to 'Negronia', while in FYROM, we have learned, the McCain campaign has been spreading the rumor that John McCain is a direct descendent of Alexander the Great. Consequently, we feel that the McCain lead in these two countries is only an isolated phenomenon."


Meanwhile an anonymous spokesman for the Obama campaign in Athens had this to say: "There is no danger that Greece will fall to McCain. That is as likely as Achilles falling to Hector during the Trojan War."

A GREEK ETHNIC PARTY IN ALBANIA KNOWN AS NORTHERN EPIRUS SUPPORT FOR AUTONOMY IS WAITING TO DAMAGE ITS GOALS

When in Bulgaria The «Movement for Rights and Freedoms» the Turks of Bulgaria was founded

A strong Politically supports for etnhnic groups in Balkan region is waiting to begin during November month. After a smoll FYROM party in Albania which will hold the General Congress at November 7, another party composed by the ethnic Greeks in Albania known from international community as Northern Epirus si starting the politically activity in Albania. The party supported by the Greek diaspora in US and Europe particularly the Northern Epirus Association in Greece in collaboration with the Greek organisation in Albania "Omonia", nestx month will hold the first Politic Congress to claim the program to be ready forthe Albanian next politic elections.

Some hundred thousand people from Greek old origin in Albania who live actually in Greece as emigrant, are waiting a decision of the Greek Parliament for dual citizenship. But the Albanian Constitution prohibits the Greek language to be officially even a request of the Greek organisation "Omonia" has called Tirana to accept the request according to the rights of international convents.

The «Movement for Rights and Freedoms» the Turks of Bulgaria was founded

The chairman of the Committee of the Bulgarian parliament home, Minço Spazov, declared the creation of the Party of Movement Rights and Freedoms (DPS), the overwhelming majority of the members of which are Turks of Bulgaria. Spazov, participating in a live broadcast today, in the television station "Nova Televizia", said that "the Rights and Freedoms Party, which represents politically Turks in Bulgaria.

Albania to get IDs for easy travel

But IDs is going to failed because Tirana will make it without general population register

Nov 3, 2008 8:32 AM
Albania will start producing secure ID cards and passports that meet Western standards in 2009, so that Albanians can travel freely and fake papers will not tarnish elections next spring, the interior minister said. A national data register will be completed soon that will allow both the identification of 4.2 million Albanian citizens, including one million migrants, and the compiling of voters' lists, Bujar Nishani said in an interview.

Secure identity papers will enable Albania, which hopes to join the European Union, to meet stringent EU criteria for freer travel without visas, provide its citizens with tamper-proof documents and prevent cheating in elections. The new ID cards and passports will be controlled by the civil registry. Albania has given the EU-funded concession to produce the documents to France's Sagem, owned by the SAFRAN Group, and the Albanian American Enterprise Fund.

The Greek minority had abandoned IDs process of 2001, and actually after systematically requests to the Albanian authorities has motivated the decision to have a register of population which must include the individual declaration of the religion and nationality of Albanian citizens.

Critics, particularly the politic opposition say the government has failed to live up to the promise it made, on coming to power in 2005, to produce the documents within a year to help fight corruption and prepare the infrastructure for freer travel and free and fair elections.
At present, Albanians needing to prove their identity, in dealings with the state or foreign embassies, have to present a birth certificate obtained within the past three months.

Protest in New York for the Greeks of Fyrom

Newsletter of the Union Panmakedonian of U.S.

Successfully conducted the campaign for the violation of human rights of the Greeks in FYROM organized by the Hellenic American organizations outside the building of the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Manhattan, New York, on last Monday.

A representative of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations received the resolution which then transferred to the United Nations and the U.S. Department of State. With the main slogan «Shame to FYROM» and «Justice Now», the greek americans, young and new to the majority and their leaders homogeny organizations gave much present in the peaceful gathering with speeches on the history of Hellenism in FYROM and circulated relevant publicity material.

see more: http://www.e-grammes.gr/article.php?id=3456

ALBANIA AND KOSOVO TOW ALBANIAN STATES "WITHOUT BORDERS"

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu met Albanian President Bamir Topi: "Free citizen ship between albanians both tow countries"

President Topi bestows the “Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg” Order upon the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu.

THE ALBANIAN PRESS ABOUT THE VISIT OF SERB METROPOLITAN IN NORTHERN ALBANIA

Radovic shocks the Albanian opinion. Another version of Albanian history

There are about 10.000 Serbs solders martires who fighted for the Independence of Albania both from Ottoman Empire also against fascist axis in WSW", declared in Shkoder Metropolitan Radovic.

"We must rebuild the cemetery of Serb solders martires in Albania as the Montenegrin and Serbs have built for other solders including German and Italian fascists to remember the history"

more see News 24 TV:
http://www.balkanweb.com/sitev4/video1/PRIFTI/index_video.htm