Albania Muslims to urge Arabs to recognise Kosovo

Albania's Muslims will send a petition with more than 50,000 signatures to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Sunday to urge its members to recognise Kosovo.

Their appeal will come two days before Kosovo celebrates the first anniversary of its independence from Serbia. The U.S. and many European countries have recognised the mainly Albanian nation of Muslim heritage, but most Arab countries have not.

"To us as Muslims, it came as a surprise that the Arab world did not recognise Kosovo. We thought of appealing to the countries that helped the Kosovo people with humanitarian aid in 1999," said Agim Baci, one of the organisers.

When Kosovo refugees streamed into Albania proper to escape ethnic cleansing by Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, Arab countries set up camps to feed and shelter them.
NATO forces and the United Nations ran Kosovo from 1999 until independence.

Ex-ruler Serbia sees Kosovo as the cradle of its Orthodox faith and has vowed never to recognise Kosovo. Baci, a journalist and Muslim scholar, said Christian Orthodox and Catholic believers also signed the petition.

The Saudi Arabia-based 57-member OIC represents 1.5 billion Muslims. Prime Minister Sali Berisha made Albania a member of the OIC in December 1992.

THE ETHNIC TRIAL IN ALBANIA AGAINST FIVE HIMARIOTES

State Department: Question about the rights of the properties of Northern Epiriotes in Albania and about the trial against five himariotes who raised the greek flag in Himara Municipality

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFING BRIEFER:
ROBERT WOOD, DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN WASHINGTON,
D.C.11:40 P.M. EST,
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009

…
Let me go to Lambros.

Question: On the Balkans, Mr. Wood, Albania must solve the huge problem of unclear and disputed property titles, that means of the Greeks in Northern Epirus, in order to attract foreign investments and meet the new criteria for eventual membership to the European Union, Helmuth Lohan, the EU's ambassador to Tirana, stated the other day.
What is the U.S. position on the property rights of the Greeks in Northern Epirus?

MR. WOOD: Mr. Lambros, we have spoken to that issue quite often from the podium. I don't have anything more to give you than what we have said previously.

Question: The supreme court of Sali Berisha in Albania sentenced, before yesterday, five Greeks in Himare, in Northern Epirus, simply raising the Greek flag. May we have your reaction from the human rights point of view?

MR. WOOD: First I've heard of it, Mr. Lambros. We'll look into it and see if I can get you an answer.

Question: One more: Why Mr. Mark Turner of your European desk never prepares you with a press guidance pertaining Greece, Cyprus, Balkan states and Turkey? Is there any particular reason?

MR. WOOD: No. (Inaudible) -- takes good care of me.
Question: Excuse me.
MR. WOOD: (Inaudible) -- takes good care of me, providing what I need.

Question: In answering my pending questions the other day, your press officer Laura Tishler told me that Secretary Clinton never had a meeting or an official call with the prime minister of FYROM, Nikola Gruevski. How do you accept, Mr. Wood, that Mr. Gruevski attributed to Secretary Clinton a statement? Do you allow that?

MR. WOOD: Mr. Lambros, I think I've answered enough of your questions.
Question: Excuse me.

MR. WOOD: I've given you the answers that I can give you.

Question: Okay.

THE POPULATION OF ALBANIA GOES TO 4.2 million!!!
How is actually the Greek minority population? 1%? or 480 000???

According to new general registering of Albanian Government, the population of Albania has gone 4.2 million inhabitants. While the ethnic Greek minority size is 42 000 according to Statistic Institute of Albania INSTAT.

But noting the increase of the Albanian population in four times to 4.2 milion, also the population of the Greek minority is raised fourfold in the 480.000 inhabitants!

Again another regress to the democratic standard of Albania. Especially the Greek ethnic minority numbers are reduced by new census of Albania in 2009, when the Albanian population is fourfold since first census of 1929.

Unfortunately there are no reliable statistics on the actual size of the minority, since no official census with ethnic criteria has been conducted to date, although this is one of the commitments to the European Union.

According to data presented at the 1919 Paris Conference, the ethnic Greek minority numbered 120.000. The last census under the Communist regime in 1989 cites only 60.000, although the total population of Albania had fourfold in the meantime. Both 2001 and 2009 census did not cover the ethnic Greek minority as there was no question on ethnic origin.

According to CIA estimates in 1989, the Greek ethnic minority of Albania numbered 280.000 inhabitants in a total Albanian population of 3.100.000 . Which we believe, Albania, Greece or CIA sources?

Five himariotes send Albania to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

Statement made by Freddy Beleri, President of the Himara Union

The decisions of Albanian tribunals which have condemned five himariotes during the local elections in Albania 2003. This is another approach to the Albanian authorities in the plan prepared long time ago for the recent expulsion of the Greeks that living historically in Northern Epirus.

The Greek government generously helping Albania to integrate in Euro-Atlantic structures, while the position of Albania continues systematically to violate the human rights of the Greeks of Himara Region.

We, the five defendants would appeal to European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for justice here, because we believe that the charges are unfounded and unacceptable for a modern European state such is Albania which wants for it aspiration in Europe.

Greek Government for the vote of northern epiriotes

The general Secretary of ND, Lefteris Zagoritis had invited opposition parties to respect and responsible to the voting law for northern epiriotes in Greek parliament.

On the emigrant vote focused and Mr Karamanlis meeting with Dora Bakoyannis. The Foreign Minister Bakogiannis has set a goal to apply the arrangement for the emigrant vote as soon as possible, in the next parliament. To do this, the regulation requires the support of 2 / 3 of the Greek parliament.

World Bank President Orders Investigation of Project That Destroyed Powerless Albanian Village

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 By Richard Behar

The president of the World Bank has ordered investigators to find out who was responsible for the cover-up of a $39 million World Bank sponsored development project that led to the razing of an Albanian coastal village in 2007.

Robert Zoellick made the decision to probe the scandal — the World Bank management's third attempt to get to the bottom of the Albanian debacle — last December, but only went public with his decision on Feb. 9, hours after a FOX News story on the subject appeared.

In the story, FOX revealed that managers at the World Bank, the world's largest and most influential anti-poverty agency, had provided false information in order to get a go-ahead for financing of the project from the bank's board of directors in 2005 — and then spent additional years trying to cover up its actions.

see more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,491006,00.html

Cosmote buys Albania telecom unit stake for 48.2 mln euro

Greece's Cosmote bought 12.6 percent of the state-owned shares of its Albanian Mobile Communication (AMC) subsidiary for 48.2 million euros The purchase brings Cosmote's stake in AMC to 97.6 percent.

Deputy Economy Minister Enno Bozdo said Cosmote, the mobile arm of Greece's main telecom group OTE had outbid rivals Nexus Private Equity Partners, Bedminster Capital Management and Axos Capital GmbH.

"We consider this as a very successful sale and another vote of confidence of foreign investors in Albania. Its value is all the more as we see the European economy and some Balkan countries showing signs of recession," Bozdo told reporters.

Cosmote bought 85 percent of AMC's shares in July 2000 for $85.6 million, more than twice as much as the nearest rival, a venture of Greece's Panafon and Britain's Vodafone Airtouch.

In the third quarter of 2008, AMC had a revenue of 144.7 million euros and operating income 76.3 from its 1.31 million subscribers in a country of 3.2 million. It faces competition from Vodafone Albania and Turkey's Eagle Mobile.

ALBANIAN STRATEGY: 34 TOURIST VILLAGES DURING IONIAN COAST LINE OVER THE PROPERTIES OF NORTHERN EPIROTES!

Exclusive photo, represent of the Himara Community during the meeting with the World Bank Dirrector in Tirana, Nadir Muhamet on March 26, 2007. The represents declared clearly: "No World Bank Project without recognize properties area of the greek ethnic community by Albanian State"

Ex high administrator of Albanian Transport and Communication Ministry Arben Mece expressed for the strategy of Albanian mafia to build 34 tourist villages during the Ionian Coast Vlora - Butrinthos. Hi declared during a debate invited on "TV Vision Plus" a front with the investigative journalist Mero Baze.

According to Mece, The Panel Investigation of World Bank has explored a mafia link strategy inside the Albanian government especially the son in law to the prime minister Sali Berisha, Jamarber Maltezi and a team of the World Bank that operated to the program.

There are 34 tourist villages which may take licence from Albanian government replacing the rights of the Local Autonomy of Municipality Himara and Lukovo particularly, "pouting the veto" against interests of the community that live historically in their properties.

The destruction of Jali on April 2007, has been replaced directly in Albanian Parliament from the leader of HURP Vangjelos Doules and the Mayor of Himara Municipality Vassilis Bollanos after a protest made in Himara by the community. The inhabitants of tow regions are mostly member of the Greek ethnic community that live in Albania known as Norther Epirus region. The region has directly elected a member in Albanian parliament and a strong presence of Omonia electorate.

According to other sources, the strategy to build 34 tourist villages on the regions inhabited by ethnic Greeks, has been projected by nationalist background supported from Albanian mafia and mysterious structures of the government to deport the population area including the World Bank.

"The Albanians will demand the partition of the country" Cervenkovski says

During an interewue to the A1 TV, the president of FYROM Branko Cervenkovski deklared for the division of FYROM in nearly future. "The Albanians in Macedonia may seek partition of the country if the government does not resolve the position of the ancient Macedonia, setting in this way impair the prospect of the country's Euro-Atlantic institutions", said Tsevrenkofski.

He is prepared to leave as the president after the upcoming elections in Skopje. "The Albanians in Skopje are certainly not words to joint EU and NATO aspiration" he said.

TIRANA, FEBRUARY 9, 2009

President Topi receiving the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece and Chairwoman in Office of OSCE, Theodora Bakoyannis.

The Albanian tribunals to condemn ethnic Greeks

Photo: Bakogianis and Basha on 9 February in Tirane

Continues the repression against the member of the Greek minority in Albania. One week before the visit of Greek FM Dora Bakogianis in Tirane, tow tribunals, The Superior Court and the Appeal Court, have condemned 9 members of the Greek community from Himara Region.

On 3 February the Appeal Court in Gjirokaster ordered the further to punish of four residents of Nivitsas who made resistance against authority in the demonstration have made in early October to protect their lands in Kakomea.

On 4 February, the Supreme Court of Albania in Tirana condemn five sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Court of Appeal of Vlora all member of Omonia Organisation of Himara region under accuse: " attack the symbols of albania during the local elections in 2003 in Himara Municipality"

Anyway other 12 member of the Greek community in Himara Region, are under accuse from Vloras attorney for the protest made in Himara Town last year.

We need to learn from Albanians, Vuk Drashkovic said

During an interview to "The Voice of America", former Serbian foreign minister Vuk Drashkovic noted the necessary of Belgrade to make diplomacy with Washington now.

Vuk Draskovic: Serbia I must know first of all know what will and where will and to resolve with you. We need to learn from our neighbors, the Albanians, for example. I am now sitting on the prayer breakfast table to table, which was the State Secretary Hilary Clinton.

But it was in the company of the table the Prime Minister of Albania, Berisha. Tomorrow when her husband Bill Clinton come to visit Pristina, he will meet in Pristina Bill Clinton. So, a large monument that the Albanians made Clinton, then President of the United States, Drashkovic said

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFINGBRIEFER: ROBERT WOOD, WASHINGTON, D.C.11:36 A.M. EST, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2009

Mr. Lambros?

On the Balkans, Mr. Wood, any readout on the talks between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Albanian prime minister, Sali Berisha, last Friday?

MR. WOOD: Yeah. It was a good meeting. They talked about Albania's upcoming accession to NATO. They talked about the situation in the Balkans. It was a very friendly discussion. And they also talked about other issues of the world. But it was an introductory, you know, call. This is the first time that Secretary Clinton met with Prime Minister Berisha. And -- yeah, that's the readout on that

Q Follow-up. Did they discuss the crucial issue of the Greeks in Northern Epirus, who are under systematic pogrom by Sali Berisha regime?

MR. WOOD: No, they did not.

World Bank Spent More Than a Year Covering Up Destruction of Albanian Village

Managers at the World Bank provided false information to the agency's board of directors about a $39 million, politically-connected European "coastal cleanup" project that led to the destruction and destitution of a powerless village in Albania in 2007 — and then spent nearly two years trying to cover it up, FOX News has learned.

Bank insiders also misled and stonewalled a panel of independent investigators commissioned by the board to investigate the scandal, according to the investigators themselves.
World Bank sources tell FOX News that the panel's report, submitted to the 24-member board in late November, is one of the most damning independent assessments of the anti-poverty agency's behavior in the bank's 60-year history. The bank, the world's largest and most influential anti-poverty institution and part of the U.N. system, is doling out $100 billion over the next three years for development projects.

For its part, once the report leaked in Albania last week, the bank announced that further disbursements of the loan for the Albanian project had been temporarily suspended on Jan. 9 "due to certain outstanding policy and operational issues." A World Bank spokesman did not comment to FOX News by press time.

more see: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,490028,00.html

President at Pan-Epirote event

President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias attended an event held Sunday by the Pan-Epirote Federation of Greece at the Peace and Friendship Stadium near Piraeus.

The event, which brought together thousands of Epirotes to enjoy local dances and songs and the cutting of the Federation's annual New Year pitta, was also attended by interior minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, employment minister Fani Palli-Petralia, deputy foreign minister Theodors Kassimis, deputy economy minister Antonis Bezas, ruling New Democracy party secretary Lefteris Zagoritis, and numerous MPs.

EU envoy urges Albania to solve property title claims

TIRANA: Albania must solve the huge problem of unclear and disputed property titles in order to attract foreign investors and meet European Union criteria for eventual membership, an EU envoy said yesterday.

Helmuth Lohan, the EU’s ambassador to Tirana, said economic progress in Albania had suffered because of fuzzy ownership titles affecting almost all families and eroding citizens’ confidence in democracy and the courts.

“Clear property titles and legal security are essential prerequisites for the prosperous development of the country, the attraction of foreign direct investment, social peace as well as for the country’s European integration process,” Lohan said.

Successive conservative and leftist governments since Albania toppled Communism have tried with little success to return property to rightful owners who were expropriated after World War Two by the late Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha.
Rural land has been distributed

Scandal, a document of the National Hellenic Policy in the hand of the Albanian journalist!

Photo: The Journalist Mentor Nazarko

The document which contains an internal study of Institute "ELIAMEP" and the Greek Foreign Ministry about the future of Northern Epirus, is known by journalist Mentor Nazarko been declared. The statement was made on "Opinion", of KLAN TV, during a debate concerning the Greek Albanian relations.

It is very surprising that an Albanian journalist known for anti Hellenic positions had the opportunity to have read a top secret material which contains a study of Greek diplomacy and the prestigious institute "ELIAMEP" during the years 2000 - 2001 in Albania.

A group of journalists and experts financed by the Greek Foreign Ministry, under the accompaniment of the former Greek ambassador Alexandros Mallias conducted closely investigation team to study relationship that will be deployed consistently between Albania and Greece regarding the Greek minority in Albania and the future of autonomy Northern Epirus.

Document which is called "Top Secret" seen by the Albanian journalist, is classified for national strategy and Greek diplomacy but no for the public opinion. The journalist Nazarko is very known as author of a book about "Chameria" Issue.

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFING BRIEFER: GORDON DUGUID, DEPUTY DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. TIME: 11:09 A.M. EST DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009

Question: Gordon, could you give us an idea of what the agenda is for the secretary and the Albanian leader? Are they going to talk about that purge of former communist people in their government?

MR. DUGUID: Well, they're going to talk about bilateral issues. Issues of human rights will come up, whether it's the lustration law or not. I don't know if that will be raised in particular. I think the main thrust of the conversation will be about preparations for ascension into NATO membership. As you know, Albania is one of the two countries that's been granted NATO membership. The United States has agreed to that. We have signed our portion of the
agreement. Other allies have as well. They'll be talking NATO issues
for the most part, as well as other bilateral issues.

Question: Can I just ask one more on Albania and the meeting today?

MR. DUGUID: Yes.

Question: Will there be any discussion about potential, Albania potentially accepting more detainees from Guantanamo?

MR. DUGUID: Well, the discussions on Guantanamo detainees are something that we're doing with individual nations and with the EU as a group. I don't have any information for you on that particular topic in this meeting.

THE NEXT VISIT OF BAKOGIANIS IN TIRANA

This coming Monday, 9 February, Ms. Bakoyannis will visit Tirana, continuing her tour of the Western Balkans as the Chairperson of the OSCE. She will meet with Albanian President Mr. Topi, Prime Minister Ms.

Berisha and Foreign Minister Mr. Basha. She will also have the opportunity to meet with the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Ms. Topalli, and representatives of political parties.

The main subject of the Minister’s talks will be progress in the programmes the OSCE is implementing in Albania in cooperation with the Albanian government, as well as judicial reform, property registration and protection of property rights, police cooperation, good governance and cross-border cooperation.

Resolution for the recognition of independent Kosovo by the EU

Recognition of the independence of Kosovo from all Member States of the European Union today supported the plenary of the European Parliament.

Specifically in the resolution of the Kosovo Parliament approved an amendment submitted by the Danish Liberal MEP Giochanes Lempech.

Under the amendment, Parliament «Encourages the Member States of the European Union that have not yet done so to recognize the independence of Kosovo» ".

This amendment was adopted by a small majority 281 votes in favor, 229 against and 55 abstentions. All Greek MEPs voted against the amendment.