From Bellona278 at aol.com Wed Aug 2 00:16:05 2000 From: Bellona278 at aol.com (Bellona278 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 00:16:05 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] US soldier jailed for slaying Albanian girl Message-ID: US soldier jailed for slaying Albanian girl By Steven Silber WUERZBURG, Germany, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. Army court on Tuesday sentenced an American soldier to life in jail without the chance of parole after he admitted sodomising and strangling an 11-year-old ethnic Albanian girl to death in Kosovo. Staff Sergeant Frank Ronghi, who confessed to murdering Marita Shabiu before dumping her bruised and lacerated body in the snow, was handed the stiffest possible sentence for a crime committed in January while on peacekeeping duty in the Balkans. Court spokesman Major Erik Gunhus said the military panel had followed the arguments of the prosecution and sentenced Ronghi to life in prison, ignoring defence pleas for leniency and the prospect of a future release on parole. ``I have to thank the military court and the army and everyone,'' said Hamdi Shabiu, the girl's father, speaking to reporters outside the court after the sentencing. ``There was nothing suspicious here,'' he added, speaking in Albanian through a translator. ``What they did is that they went after justice. It's not the army's fault.'' Prosecuting lawyer Captain Alton Gwaltney said Ronghi, 36, from Niles, Ohio, had deserved the maximum penalty for a premeditated murder committed while charged with keeping order between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in the Yugoslav province. ``Your job is to protect society,'' Gwaltney said in his closing arguments to a jury panel of six Army officers. Ronghi told fellow platoon members he planned to ``grab a little girl and rape her, but he would have to kill her to get away with it and blame the Serbs,'' said Gwaltney, citing earlier testimony by a fellow soldier. Ronghi, a well-built man with short dark hair, said he regretted what he had done and the disgrace he had brought on the U.S. Army. He remained stoic as the sentencing was read. ``I don't know what went wrong that day. I'm still trying to look for answers myself,'' he had told the jury earlier. The court also reduced his rank to private and ordered him out of the army with a dishonourable discharge. FATHER TELLS OF BETRAYAL In the courtroom, the girl's father had told how, like many other ethnic Albanians who fled as refugees to Kosovo, his daughter had welcomed the NATO-led KFOR (Kosovo Force) peacekeepers when they arrived in the province. ``We are simple people, but we have seen justice work,'' the Shabiu family said in a statement handed to journalists. ``The man she believed to be her saviour did this to her, took away from her and from us what even that horrible war could not -- her life. We wanted him locked up for the rest of his life.'' Hamdi, who said he had received some financial support from the United States for his daughter's burial, also said he would probably seek damages from the army. The defence had no comment afterwards. They argued Ronghi's environment in Kosovo might have contributed to his crime. They noted how there had been a number of incidents of excessive violence committed by U.S. soldiers in Kosovo as well as beatings and unauthorised interrogations of ethnic Albanians, which they said could have led to a ``negative command climate.'' A Weapons Squad leader in the 3rd battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Ronghi also pleaded guilty to indecent acts with a child. He was arrested in the Yugoslav province after the bruised and lacerated body of Marita Shabiu was found in woodland outside the town of Vitina on January 13. At a pre-trial hearing in February, a sergeant told of how a young private under his command alleged that Ronghi had taken him in a Humvee military vehicle to an apartment block, loaded up the vehicle out of his sight and then driven out of town, where they had dumped the girl's body. From mehollim at hotmail.com Tue Aug 1 21:01:58 2000 From: mehollim at hotmail.com (Mimoza Meholli) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 01:01:58 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [nisjobs] MErcy Corps Positions (Various Locations) Message-ID: >TB Project Manager - Kosova >Mercy Corps is seeking a flexible and determined individual to develop and >supervise our TB Treatment Pilot Project in Kosovo. This position requires >certification as a Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner or Physician >Assistant with 4 years international community development and 2 years >project management experience. Two years experience with developing and >implementing training and educational programs is necessary. One year >experience in a medical follow-up program involving compliance strategies >is >required. Effective verbal and written communication, flexibility, >multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are vital. >Demonstrated >attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work >independently and cooperatively with team members is required. Regional >experience is preferred. Please reference job number TBKOININ283 and submit >resume, salary requirements, and coverletter to On-Line Jobs Bulletin, >Mercy >Corps, 3015 SW 1st, Portland, OR 97201, fax to 503-796-6844 or via email to >jobs at mercycorps.org. > >. >Microcredit Program Manager -Balkans >Mercy Corps , a young, creative and entrepreneurial international NGO, >seeks >talented professionals to join its established and growing microcredit >programs in the Balkans. We are committed to the development of >sustainable, impact-oriented lending institutions, whether created from >within or through local partners. The ideal candidate will have a mix of >relevant private sector and NGO experience and will have exceptional skills >in many or all of the following areas: banking, financial analysis and >forecasting, institutional development, staff mentoring and training, donor >relations and inter-agency coordination and leadership. Required are >strong >program conceptualization and articulation skills, whether verbal or >written, and a positive-thinking, team player spirit. A relevant academic >background is necessary and previous working experience in a similar >development setting is preferred. Please reference job number GEBAMEMC188 >and submit resume, salary requirements, and coverletter to On-Line Jobs >Bulletin, Mercy Corps, 3015 SW 1st, Portland, OR 97201, fax to 503-796-6844 >or via email to jobs at mercycorps.org. > > >South Balkans Regional Food Program Manager - Kosova >Mercy Corps is seeking a accomplished and knowledgeable specialist to >manage >our food programs in Kosova, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. This >position requires a BA/S or equivalent in business, management, >development, >agriculture or related field and a minimum of 3 years experience in >overseas >food distribution, preferably with Title II, USDA and WFP. Two years >International field experience with an NGO and an ability to travel >regionally and work long hours in diverse settings is required. Effective >verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, >prioritization skills are necessary. Demonstrated attention to detail, >ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and >cooperatively with team members is required. Experience in the former >Yugoslavia, other Balkan states or with FFP is preferred. Knowledge of >Albanian or Serbo-Croatian language is a plus. Please reference job number >SOKOININ372 and submit resume, salary requirements, and coverletter to >On-Line Jobs Bulletin, Mercy Corps, 3015 SW 1st, Portland, OR 97201, fax to >503-796-6844 or via email to jobs at mercycorps.org. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From juniku at hotmail.com Tue Aug 1 20:43:18 2000 From: juniku at hotmail.com (Uk Lushi) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 00:43:18 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORT, NO. 161 Message-ID: >>ALBANIANS SEEK TO ASSUAGE WESTERN FEARS >> >>Albanian leaders in the Balkans are seeking to reassure the West that they >>have no desire to create a 'Greater Albania'. >> >>By Gabriel Partos in London >> >>A year after the signing of the Stability Pact, politicians across the >>Balkans - and beyond - continue to express concern over demands for an >>independent Kosovo. They fear the province's secession from Yugoslavia may >>lead to the creation of a 'Greater Albania' and threaten regional >>stability. >> >> >>Albanian leaders, by contrast, have been attempting to reassure their >>foreign counterparts that they have no intention of establishing >>an enlarged Albanian state, including Albania, >>Kosovo and possibly parts of FYROM, Montenegro and even Greece. >> >>President Rexhep Meidani recently declared Tirana's goal was not >>"constructing a 'Greater Albania' but contributing to the emergence of a >>'Greater Europe'. " >> >>But forging closer links with the European Union and NATO will require >>more >>wide-ranging collaboration between Balkan nations. >> >>The six million ethnic Albanians scattered across the region provide a >>natural foundation for this kind of cooperation. They share a common >>language, often have close family ties and similar ways of doing business. >> >>With the disappearance of the "Iron Curtain" separating Albania and Kosovo >>- >>the two largest and most important Albanian centres - a Pan-Albanian >>agenda >>has emerged. >> >>This has been made possible by closer cross-border links among Albanian >>communities and much-improved relations between Albania, Macedonia and >>Montenegro. Skopje, Tirana and Podgorica have been eager to improve >>relations for a variety of reasons, ranging from a desire to reduce >>inter-ethnic tensions at home to increasing their share of Stability >>Pact assistance. >> >>One of the first moves towards a Pan-Albanian agenda came within weeks of >>the end of the Kosovo conflict when the then Albanian Prime Minister, >>Pandeli Majko, called for a common educational strategy for Albanians >>across >>the Balkans. >> >>Since then, the Pan-Albanian project has acquired a broader political and >>economic direction. In March this year, the leader of the governing >>Socialist Party of Albania, SPA, Fatos Nano, called for the establishment >>of >>a Pan-Albanian political forum to promote regional stability and European >>integration. >> >>The forum set out to help coordinate the interests of all Albanians in the >>Balkans, while its designation was careful to stress that the framework >>for >>cooperation would stay well within the accepted limits of the Stability >>Pact. >> >>Nano's proposal was followed up in May by a meeting between Albanian Prime >>Minister, Ilir Meta, Hashim Thaci, the leader of the Democratic Party of >>Kosovo - the political successor to the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA - and >>Arben Xhaferi, president of the Democratic Party of Albanians in >>Macedonia. >> >>The Pan-Albanian idea as it is now pursued has three purposes: to reassure >>neighbours that the 'Greater Albanian' project is not on the table; to >>facilitate cross-border links between Albanians; and to outmanoeuvre >>domestic >>political opponents who may be toying with more radical Albanian >>nationalist ideas. >> >>In terms of the Pan-Albanian project's agenda, the initial results are >>mixed. In the area of broader cross-border cooperation, there is expanding >>trade >>and other links, particularly between Albania and Kosovo and between >>Kosovo >>and Macedonia. >>But much of that expansion is driven by private enterprise - sometimes in >>the guise of smuggling and organised crime. It has, until now, had >>relatively little to do with government action or international aid within >>the framework of the Stability Pact. >> >>Notwithstanding Albania's improved relations with its neighbours, >>suspicions over its goals remain. Among those who feel particularly >>hostile to - or threatened by - Albanian nationalism, the Pan-Albanian >>idea >>is regarded as a new, more sophisticated rebranded version of the 'Greater >>Albania' >>project. >> >>On the Albanian government's domestic front, the Pan-Albanian idea has >>been >>used to wrong-foot the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Sali >>Berisha, >>who just three months after the end of the Kosovo conflict warned that >>unless neighbouring countries stopped treating their ethnic Albanian >>inhabitants as second-class citizens, Albanians living across the Balkans >>would unite in a federation. Berisha's militant tone - repeated on other >>occasions - contributed to the United Nations' unprecedented decision to >>bar >>him from entering Kosovo in June this year. >> >>By using the language of Pan-Albanianism, the Socialist-led governing >>coalition is trying to isolate Berisha in the run up to this >>autumn's municipal elections. The SPA has enlisted Thaci's and Xhaferi's >>help - important >>since they lead the most powerful ethnic Albanian parties in Kosovo and >>Macedonia. They too are facing a challenge from other ethnic Albanian >>parties and want to portray themselves as being firm on the Albanian >>national >>agenda as well as imaginative in its application. >> >>Long-standing links, particularly between the SPA and the KLA, have also >>helped bring these parties together. Besides, all three parties are key >>players in the >>administrations of Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Their position in power >>lays >>them open to criticism from rival Albanian parties. A commitment to the >>Albanian national cause - and its application through the Pan-Albanian >>agenda - is one way in which they can >>fight off their critics. >> >>Gabriel Partos is the BBC World Service's South-east Europe analyst ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Aug 2 01:16:29 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 22:16:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Sikur te ishte gjalle Peshkop Fan Noli... Message-ID: <20000802051629.2131.qmail@web108.yahoomail.com> >> Forum: alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox >> Thread: FATHER LUKE VERONIS PRESENTATION Subject: FATHER LUKE VERONIS PRESENTATION Date: 07/25/2000 Author: SSALBO NEWS RELEASE ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 237 North 17th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 563-0979 We are honored and pleased to announce that Reverend Father Luke Veronis will lead our community in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 3, 2000 at 10 o???clock AM. Father Luke, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, along with Prifteresha Faith, have been serving as missionaries in Albania for the past six and one half years. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Father Luke and Prifteresha Faith will present a visual program showing the emotionally moving progress that has been realized in restoring Orthodoxy and the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania under the spiritual guidance of His Beatitude +Archbishop Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana and Durres and All Albania. You are cordially invited to join us in worship as we thank God for His Mercy and Blessings. You are also invited to meet and speak with Father Luke and Prifteresha Faith. Refreshments will be served. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ From juniku at hotmail.com Tue Aug 1 20:28:21 2000 From: juniku at hotmail.com (Uk Lushi) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 00:28:21 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Kosovo conflict leaves legacy of mental health problems: study (AFP, 01-Aug-2000) Message-ID: >Kosovo conflict leaves legacy of mental health problems: study > >Tuesday, 01-Aug-2000 1:00PM > >CHICAGO, Aug 1 (AFP) - The Kosovo conflict took a heavy mental toll of >many Kosovar Albanians, leaving them with mental health problems and >even post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study released >Tuesday. > Researchers who surveyed 1,358 Kosovar Albanians reported that 43 >percent showed signs of psychiatric illness, according to the study in >the Journal of the American Medical Association. > A quarter of those interviewed said they had had friends or family >murdered, or had witnessed the murder of a stranger, while two thirds >had found themselves in a combat situation, close to death, or deprived >of food and water, the study said. > About 17 percent displayed the symptoms of post-traumatic stress >disorder -- a reaction to a psychologically traumatic event which can >include insomnia, nightmares, and hypervigilance. > The elderly, those aged 65 or more, and those Kosovar Albanians who >had not managed to flee the region during the conflict and had been >persecuted by Serbian troops, were the most likely to have succumbed to >some form of mental illness, the authors of the study wrote. > "The high rates of poor mental health status among those internally >displaced and refugees who have returned to Kosovo also raises concern >for the mental health of those who remain in countries of asylum and >resettlement," wrote the authors. > More than 800,000 people fled the predominantly ethnic-Albanian >province of Kosovo and sought refuge in Albania, Montenegro and >Macedonia during the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict. > By the time NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) began its >bombing campaign against Serbia on March 24, 1999, about 260,000 people >had fled their homes and were on the move in the region, the study said. > The survey of Albanians aged 15 and over was conducted between >August and October 1999, by the Centers for Disease Control and >Prevention in Atlanta, and the Institute for Mental Health Recovery in >Pristina, Kosovo. > >Story from AFP Copyright 2000 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Wed Aug 2 15:35:02 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 19:35:02 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Room needed Message-ID: <20000802193502.61895.qmail@hotmail.com> If anyone has or knows someone who needs a roommate in the Boston area please let me know as I need a room for myself. I'm mentally and financially stable. (or so they say:) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From juniku at hotmail.com Wed Aug 2 13:54:49 2000 From: juniku at hotmail.com (Uk Lushi) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 17:54:49 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] JAMA: Mental Health, Social Functioning, and Attitudes of Kosovar Albanians Following the War in Kosovo (Vol. 284 No. 5, August 2, 2000) Message-ID: >JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association >Vol. 284 No. 5, August 2, 2000 > >Mental Health, Social Functioning, and Attitudes of Kosovar Albanians >Following the War in Kosovo > >Barbara Lopes Cardozo, MD, MPH; Alfredo Vergara, PhD; Ferid Agani, MD; >Carol A. Gotway, PhD > >Context >The 1998-1999 war in Kosovo had a direct impact on large numbers of >civilians. The mental health consequences of the conflict are not known. > >Objectives >To establish the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity associated with the >war in Kosovo, to assess social functioning, and to identify vulnerable >populations among ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. > >Design, Setting, and Participants >Cross-sectional cluster sample survey conducted from August to October >1999 among 1358 Kosovar Albanians aged 15 years or older in 558 randomly >selected households across Kosovo. > >Main Outcome Measures >Nonspecific psychiatric morbidity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) >symptoms, and social functioning using the General Health Questionnaire >28 (GHQ-28), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, and the Medical Outcomes >Study Short-Form 20 (MOS-20), respectively; feelings of hatred and a >desire for revenge among persons surveyed as addressed by additional >questions. > >Results >Of the respondents, 17.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.2%-21.0%) >reported symptoms that met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental >Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for PTSD; total mean score on the >GHQ-28 was 11.1 (95% CI, 9.9-12.4). Respondents reported a high >prevalence of traumatic events. There was a significant linear decrease >in mental health status and social functioning with increasing amount of >traumatic events (P.02 for all 3 survey tools). Populations at increased >risk for psychiatric morbidity as measured by GHQ-28 scores were those >aged 65 years or older (P = .006), those with previous psychiatric >illnesses or chronic health conditions (P<.001 for both), and those who >had been internally displaced (P = .009). Populations at risk for poorer >social functioning were living in rural areas (P = .001), were >unemployed (P = .046) or had a chronic illness (P = .01). Respondents >scored highest on the physical functioning and role functioning >subscales of the MOS-20 and lowest on the mental health and social >functioning subscales. Eighty-nine percent of men and 90% of women >reported having strong feelings of hatred toward Serbs. Fifty-one >percent of men and 43% of women reported strong feelings of revenge; 44% >of men and 33% of women stated that they would act on these feelings. > >Conclusions >Mental health problems and impaired social functioning related to the >recent war are important issues that need to be addressed to return the >Kosovo region to a stable and productive environment. > >JAMA. 2000;284:569-577 > > >In late February 1998, clashes in Kosovo between Serbian police forces >and members of the Kosovo Liberation Army intensified.1 Serbian forces >burned homes and killed dozens of ethnic Albanians in these raids. As a >result of the fighting, thousands of ethnic Albanians were displaced >from their homes in Kosovo; many took refuge with host families, while a >smaller proportion (several thousands) fled to the hills and forests.1 >By the time North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations began >against Serbia on March 24, 1999, about 260,000 people had been >displaced within Kosovo and 199,000 had fled to other countries.2 It is >estimated that as result of this conflict, more than 800,000 people >became refugees in neighboring countries (mainly Albania, Montenegro, >and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), as well as secondary >countries of asylum in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. On June >9, 1999, an agreement between NATO and Serbia was reached, and the >following day NATO halted its bombing campaign. > As the Serbian troops began to pull out of Kosovo, the nearly >750,000 Albanians from Kosovo who had been living in refugee camps in >Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro began to return to Kosovo.2 On their >return, the displaced Albanians had to come to terms with the >destruction of their homes and property, missing family members, and the >traumatic experiences of violence, rape, and persecution. The full >psychological impact of such emergency situations is a neglected issue.3 >However, recent epidemiological studies in Bosnia4 and studies among >Cambodian refugees living on the Thai border5 and in the United States >have shown that psychiatric morbidity is much higher in populations that >have experienced war, persecution, and mass violence.6, 7 > To estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and to identify >specific vulnerable populations, the Centers for Disease Control and >Prevention (CDC) and the Institute of Mental Health and Recovery in >Kosovo, in collaboration with Doctors of the World, conducted a mental >health survey among ethnic Albanians in Kosovo from August 20 to October >7, 1999. The survey focused on the period of August 1998 through August >1999, when most of the intense violence took place. > > >METHODS > >Survey Design > >Assuming a true prevalence of 20% of mental health-related problems8 and >a cluster sample design effect of 2, we estimated that a minimum of 1135 >adults aged 15 years or older would be required for a 95% confidence >interval (CI) to detect a prevalence between 15% and 25%. On the basis >of available household size and age distribution, we estimated that a >minimum of 504 households would need to be surveyed. The number of >households targeted was increased to 600 to compensate for refusals and >absent adults and to obtain estimates for various subgroups of the >population. > We conducted a 2-stage, 30-cluster sample survey using the 1991 >Kosovo census as a primary sampling frame. Because these data did not >reflect population movements before and during the ethnic conflict, >additional data sources were used to adjust the 1991 population figures. >These sources were village surveys from the United Nations High >Commissioner for Refugees and food distribution population estimates >from Action Against Hunger (a nongovernmental organization), both >reflecting information collected during the weeks before our survey. The >primary sampling frame consisted of all villages and cities listed in >the 1991 census, excluding those that were predominantly populated by >Serbs (70% Serb population) and those that had a population of less than >100 Albanian inhabitants. The sampling frame was stratified into urban >(cities with a population >10,000) and rural areas. Using this sampling >frame, we estimated the total ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo to be >1.6 million. With probability proportional to population size, we >selected 15 clusters from the rural and 15 from the urban frame in the >first sampling stage. In the second stage of sampling, 20 households >were randomly selected within each chosen cluster (20 households from >each of 30 clusters for a total of 600 households) using an appropriate >method designed for the Expanded Programme on Immunization and adapted >to the particular field conditions.9 > Identification of cluster samples differed for urban centers and >rural villages. No maps were available for the villages, and many >villages were spread out over a large geographic area. We drew maps of >each cluster, which were then divided into segments of approximately >equal populations. We then randomly chose a single segment by first >numbering all segments and then blindly drawing a segment number from a >bag containing all numbers. In the cities, Kosovo Force (KFOR) offices >usually had aerial or other maps available. In these cases, we >superimposed a grid to partition the map into neighborhoods. The >neighborhoods were numbered, and then a number was blindly chosen to >randomly select a neighborhood for our survey. > After a segment or neighborhood was chosen, the first household to >be surveyed was chosen randomly as follows. Households were mapped and >numbered in a random direction from the center to the edge of the >segment, chosen by spinning a bottle. The first household was chosen by >blindly drawing a number from a bag using the same method described >above. The next house was selected to be the closest house to the left, >as the interviewer exited the house just surveyed. This process was >repeated until 20 households were surveyed, or until the team leader >decided it was time to leave for security reasons. > We interviewed all adult members of the household present. To >ensure as much privacy as possible, we encouraged people to complete the >questionnaires in separate rooms, and men and women interviewers paired >up with same-sex interviewees to help them complete the questionnaires. >A security curfew at dusk imposed by KFOR prevented interview teams from >coming back to survey adults not present during the day. Because of the >ongoing threat of land mines, KFOR considered access to some remote >houses unsafe. These homes had to be excluded from our sample and >replaced by the closest accessible household. > Native Kosovar Albanian survey team members had 3 days of training >on general survey objectives, safety precautions, procedures for proper >household selection (including randomly selecting the first household >and handling special situations), and interviewing techniques >(understanding the questionnaires and addressing sensitive topics). All >members of the survey team were closely supervised for the first 2 days, >and they continued to receive daily supervision and instruction until >the survey was completed. Interviewers were instructed to refer >participants who appeared to be in obvious distress to community mental >health services where available. A list of these services was procured >from the nongovernmental organization coordinating office at the United >Nations Mission in Kosovo. > The study protocol was reviewed by a CDC institutional review board >representative and informed consent was obtained verbally from all >participants (with communication occurring in the potential >participant's native language). The study protocol was also reviewed by >Doctors of the World for ethical considerations. > >Screening Tools > >All instruments used in this survey were designed as self-report >questionnaires, but because of a high percentage of illiteracy, >especially in rural areas, questionnaires frequently had to be read >aloud. Because of the need for expediency in collecting data, >interviewers were instructed to read the questionnaires only to those >who were illiterate, and to provide assistance if needed to those who >completed the questionnaire themselves. We used 3 screening tools to >assess mental health problems and social dysfunction: the General Health >Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28),10, 11 the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire >(HTQ),12 and the Medical Outcomes Study 20 (MOS-20).13 We chose these >instruments to obtain information on common, nonspecific psychiatric >problems, to gather information on specific psychiatric syndromes such >as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related traumatic events, >and to get a broad understanding of the level of social functioning and >disability in this population. > The GHQ-28 is used as a community screening tool and for the >detection of nonspecific psychiatric disorders among individuals in >primary care settings.11 A higher mean score on the GHQ-28 represents >poorer mental health status (score range, 0-28). The GHQ-28 is composed >of 4 subscales (score range, 1-7): somatization, anxiety, social >dysfunction, and depression. The HTQ combines the measurement of trauma >events (part I) and symptoms of PTSD (part II), selected from the >Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).14 We >defined the occurrence of PTSD symptoms according to a scoring algorithm >proposed by the Harvard Refugee Trauma Group,4, 12 on the basis of >DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The MOS-20 consists of 20 items on 6 >different scales that assess physical functioning, bodily pain, role >functioning, social functioning, mental health, and self-perceived >general health status. We scored the MOS-20 as recommended in the user's >manual; each raw score was transformed to fit a 0-to-100 scale using a >standard formula,13, 15 with the higher scores on this scale >representing better functioning. All 3 tools have been extensively >validated in many countries and cultures and in many disease >settings.16-18 > To assess the effect of broadly defined demographic characteristics >on mental health status, we collected demographic information including >age, sex, education level, and marital status. We added additional >questions specific to the Kosovar Albanian population on feelings of >hatred and a desire for revenge. All questionnaires were translated into >Albanian and back-translated to English to ensure cultural >appropriateness of the instrument and accuracy of the translation. A >team of Albanian translators including a psychiatrist, a psychologist, >and a primary care physician from the Institute for Mental Health and >Recovery did the translation and adaptation of the screening tools. > >Data Analysis > >We adjusted prevalence estimates and CIs for cluster sampling and >stratification using Epi Info version 6.4.19 Regression analyses were >performed using SUDAAN, release 7.5.2 (Research Triangle Institute, >Research Triangle Park, NC). For continuous variables, we used >multivariate linear regression models to assess the effects of exposure >on outcome and multivariate logistic regression models to analyze >dichotomous outcomes. When the exposure variable had more than 2 levels >(eg, displacement), we made multiple comparisons of the responses >between pairs of the different levels using single df contrasts. When >the exposure variable had a natural ordering (eg, age, education, number >of traumatic events), we did a test for linear trend. All P values were >derived from adjusted Wald F tests based on these regression models, and >P<.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were >adjusted for stratification and the clustered design, and were weighted >to account for unequal selection probabilities among the individual >respondents. > > >RESULTS > >Characteristics of Survey Participants > >A total of 558 households, consisting of 1358 adults aged 15 years or >older, were included in the survey (mean [SD] household size for all >ages, 7.3 [3.5] persons). This is smaller than the target number of 600 >households since logistical and time constraints prevented the >completion of 20 surveys in some villages. However, 558 households is >still greater than the 504 households deemed needed from sample size >calculations. > Demographic characteristics are summarized in Table 1. Of the >adults surveyed, 62.3% were women, 55.8% lived in a rural area, 59.5% >had completed only primary school or less, 67.3% were married, and only >15.1% were currently employed. Nearly 41% of participants reported >having a chronic illness (diagnosis by a medical professional of >hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, asthma, >epilepsy, cancer, or major injury such as loss of a limb), and 1.7% >reported having received a diagnosis by a physician of a previous mental >illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, before the conflict. > The exposure to traumatic events, including displacement, is >summarized in Table 2. High percentages of respondents reported having >personally experienced traumatic events. For example, 66.6% reported >being deprived of water and food, 66.5% reported being in a combat >situation, and 61.6% reported being close to death. Furthermore, 39.4% >of participants reported experiencing 8 or more of the traumatic events >listed; 56.2% had fled to another country as refugees during the past >year, 25.6% had been internally displaced within Kosovo, and only 18.2% >remained in their homes during the war. In all analyses, the traumatic >events were equally weighted since we had no resources for in-depth >questioning needed to provide additional information. > >Mental Health and Social Functioning > >Estimated mean scores on the GHQ-28 and the MOS-20 and the prevalence of >PTSD symptoms from the HTQ are shown in Table 3, along with 95% CIs >adjusted for stratification and cluster design effects. These figures >represent estimates of the population indicator measured by each test >for the adult Albanian population living in Kosovo at the time of this >survey. > For the GHQ-28, the estimated mean total score based on a possible >28 questions was 11.1 (95% CI, 9.9-12.4). A higher mean score signifies >a greater number of symptoms. The mean scores for somatic symptoms and >for anxiety and insomnia were higher compared with the mean scores for >social dysfunction and depression. > The estimated MOS-20 mean scores are shown on a scale of 1 to 100, >with a higher score representing better functioning. In general, >respondents tended to score highest on physical functioning and role >functioning and lowest on the mental health and social functioning >components (Table 3). We compared scores on the MOS-20 with scores of a >US general population14, 20, 21 (data for the Albanian Kosovo population >before the conflict are not available). The mean scores for mental >health (29.6) and social functioning (29.5) were strikingly lower for >the Kosovar Albanians than for the US population (74.7 and 83.3, >respectively). However, there were no great differences between the 2 >populations in the measures of general health, physical functioning, >bodily pain, and role functioning. The estimated prevalence of PTSD >symptoms in this population of Kosovar Albanians was 17.1% (95% CI, >13.2%-21.0%). > >Feelings of Hatred and Revenge > >Questions regarding hatred toward the Serbs and desire for revenge >revealed that high percentages of both men and women (>88% among each) >had strong feelings of hatred, defined as a response of "extreme hatred" >(men, 60% [n = 288]; women, 55% [n = 464]) or "a lot of hatred" (men, >29% [n = 142]; women, 35% [n = 271]). The proportions of people having >strong feelings of revenge were lower (> 43% for both men and women), >but still very high. Strong feelings of revenge were defined as a >response of feeling revenge "all the time" (men, 35% [n = 159]; women, >23% [n = 192]) or "a lot of the time" (men, 16% [n = 92]; women, 20% [n >= 166]). Of those men and women who had feelings of revenge ("all the >time," "a lot of the time," or "sometimes"), 44.2% of men (n = 177) and >33.3% of women (n = 197) said they would definitely act on those >feelings, and only 17.3% of men (n = 71) and 26.2% of women (n = 184) >said they would not act on those feelings. > >Univariate Statistical Analysis > >Table 4 summarizes the univariate analysis of the effect of selected >demographic factors and exposure to trauma on the mental health and >social functioning outcomes. We present the results of the GHQ-28 total >score, estimated prevalence of PTSD symptoms, and MOS-20 social function >scale as outcome measures in relation to various demographic and trauma >experience measures. P<.05 was considered significant for univariate and >multivariate analyses. Being older, being currently unemployed, being >widowed, having little education, reporting a previously diagnosed >psychiatric illness, and reporting a previous diagnosis of a chronic >health condition were associated in this analysis with a high (eg, >worse) GHQ-28 score, indicating nonspecific psychiatric morbidity. >Similarly, living in a rural setting, being currently unemployed, being >older, having little education, and reporting having received a >diagnosis of a chronic health condition were associated with a low (eg, >worse) social functioning score. Finally, HTQ results indicate that >being female and having received a diagnosis of a chronic health >condition were associated with PTSD symptoms. > Most traumatic event variables (forced separation from family, >murder of family or friend, and increasing number of traumatic events) >but not rape were associated with a worse score in the 3 measured mental >health outcomes, with the exception of forced separation for social >functioning. The association between rape and psychiatric morbidity and >social functioning may be difficult to observe here because of the >relatively small number of reported rape cases. > >Multivariate Statistical Analyses > >Since we had identified 2 different groups of explanatory variables, >demographic and exposure, we treated these differently using a >multivariate analysis. First, the effect of each demographic variable on >the mental health outcomes was adjusted for all other variables, both >demographic and exposure (Table 5). > Subpopulations at risk (statistically significant as measured by >the multivariate analyses) for psychiatric morbidity as measured by >GHQ-28 scores were those aged 65 years or older, those with previous >psychiatric illnesses, and those with self-reported chronic health >problems. In the multivariate analysis, employment, location, sex, >marital status, and education were not statistically significant risk >factors for psychiatric morbidity. Subpopulations at risk for poor >social functioning, as measured by the MOS-20, were people living in >rural areas, those currently unemployed, and those with chronic health >problems. There was no significant decrease in social functioning with >increasing age or education status when adjusted for all other >variables. Women and persons with a previous psychiatric illness had a >significantly higher estimated prevalence of PTSD symptoms. > To analyze the effect of exposure variables on mental health >outcomes, we performed a second multivariate analysis for which all P >values for the relationship between each exposure variable and each >outcome measure were adjusted for all demographic variables, previous >psychiatric illness, and chronic health condition (Table 6). People who >were internally displaced tended to have higher total GHQ-28 scores than >refugees (P = .03) or those who did not move (P = .009). However, there >was no significant difference in the total GHQ-28 scores between >refugees and those who did not move (P = .50), and the displacement >seemed to have no effect on significance for MOS-20 social functioning >scores or the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, when adjusted for the effects >of the demographic variables. > There was a significant linear increase in total GHQ-28 scores >(P<.001), a significant linear decrease in MOS-20 social functioning >scores (P = .02), and a significant linear increase in the prevalence of >PTSD symptoms (P<.001) with increasing numbers of trauma events (Table >6). Specific traumatic events seemed to be closely related to specific >mental health conditions. People experiencing forced separation from >family or murder of a family member or friends had significantly higher >total GHQ-28 scores and significantly higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms >than people without these experiences. People experiencing murder of a >family member or friend also had significantly lower MOS-20 social >functioning scores. > A rape experience seemed to have no effect on GHQ-28 scores, MOS-20 >social functioning, or prevalence of PTSD symptoms, although, as stated >earlier, a relationship may be difficult to observe due to the >relatively small number of reported rape cases. > > >COMMENT > >There was a high prevalence of traumatic events (Table 2) among the >Kosovar Albanians, and large numbers appear to have experienced multiple >traumas. Higher levels of PTSD symptoms, an increase in nonspecific >mental morbidity as measured by the GHQ-28, and a decrease in social >functioning were associated with higher levels of cumulative trauma. >These relationships remained even after adjusting for the effects of >demographic variables, previous psychiatric illness, and other chronic >health conditions. Our results are consistent with those of other >studies.22-24 Although the 4 subscales of the GHQ-28 provide information >on types of symptoms, they have not been designed to make a psychiatric >diagnosis. They do, however, give information on the mean scores for >somatic, anxiety, social dysfunction, and severe depression symptoms >(Table 3). It has been shown in other studies that the 4 subscales are >not independent from each another.11 In our study, the mean scores for >somatic symptoms and anxiety and insomnia were higher than those for >social dysfunction and severe depression. It is possible that in this >culture depression is more likely to be expressed as somatic and anxiety >symptoms. Alternatively, despite the traumatic events experienced by >many people by the time of the survey, there may have been a genuine >sense of hope and optimism because the war had ended, and people were >rebuilding their homes, lives, and country. > The optimal threshold score to determine prevalence of psychiatric >morbidity from the GHQ-28 has not been established for this population. >Although we found that the GHQ-28 was well accepted and easy to >administer, the interpretation of the results for prevalence estimates >is not straightforward unless an optimal cutoff score is established for >the specific population. Goldberg et al25 have suggested that a mean >score will provide a rough guide to the best threshold; however, this >would always result in a general psychiatric morbidity prevalence of >approximately 50%. Adopting a similar method with a conservative cutoff >score of 11/12 out of 28 (so that those answering positively to 12 >questions would be considered a "case"), we found an estimated >prevalence of nonspecific psychiatric morbidity of 43%. In studies of >general populations in 15 different countries, the highest cutoff score >found was 6/7.26-28 However, no cutoff scores have been published for >refugee populations or those recently exposed to war, where it is likely >that the prevalence of nonspecific psychiatric morbidity is much higher >than in general populations. > A similar type of cutoff score is needed to estimate the prevalence >of psychiatric morbidity using the MOS-20 in refugee populations. In the >US population, a cutoff score of 52 (range, 0-100) was established based >on studies of the relationship between mental health and clinical >measures of the probability of any psychiatric disorder.13 Using the >same cutoff score for the Kosovo population would result in an estimated >prevalence of psychiatric disorder of 83.5% vs 13.2% in the US >population.20 Further clinical validation of the GHQ-28 and the MOS-20 >is under way to establish the best thresholds for the Kosovar >population. The estimated prevalence of PTSD symptoms (17.1%) is >somewhat lower than the reported PTSD figures (26.3%) for Bosnian >refugees living in Croatia.4 > The findings from the GHQ-28, MOS-20, and HTQ confirm earlier >anecdotal reports that while the general health status of the Kosovo >population remained fairly stable, mental problems related to the war >situation are common. This is in line with other findings in refugee >camps and war/conflict situations.3-7 No baseline general mental health >status data from before the war are available for Kosovo. However, in >our survey, self-reporting of previous mental illness (1.7%) correlated >with findings in other populations.29 > We identified several subpopulations at risk for poor mental health >status and social functioning and we also attempted to identify >mitigating factors. In general, Kosovar Albanians younger than 35 years >old, in good physical health, and without previous psychiatric illness >appear to have been protected from war-related psychiatric morbidity. >Future research will have to determine whether there are other >protective factors that could be influenced by policy (eg, adequate >housing, social and community support). Social functioning was >significantly lower among the population in rural areas; however, >location did not seem to have the same effect on general mental health. >It is possible that the extensive disruption of the civic infrastructure >in the rural areas made it harder to function socially than in cities, >but closer family ties in these areas mitigated mental health problems. >Not unexpectedly, people with previous psychiatric illness had worse >mental health outcomes, including higher levels of PTSD symptoms, than >did those without such illness. Similarly, indication of a previously >diagnosed chronic health condition was associated with general >psychiatric morbidity and social functioning but not PTSD. > As measured by the GHQ-28 scores, people who were internally >displaced had worse mental health status than did refugees and those who >never moved. In fact, a subsequent analysis revealed that on the >average, those who did not move experienced a mean (SE) of 5.36 (0.53) >traumatic events, while refugees experienced an average of 6.87 (0.33) >and those internally displaced an average of 8.02 (0.56). This >difference was statistically significant (P = .01). Virtually all people >who were internally displaced were being persecuted, and as a result of >this suffered continuous trauma. People who became refugees faced >similar traumatic events, but usually of shorter duration because they >were able to escape to other countries. It can be hypothesized that >people who never moved away from their homes were able to stay because >they happened to be in relatively safer areas and thus experienced less >trauma. > There are a number of limitations to this study. Women were >overrepresented in our sample probably because they were more likely to >be at home during the daytime (data from other sources30 indicate that >the male-female ratio in Kosovo is close to 1). People who were employed >during the time of the survey were less likely to be home during the >day. Because of security curfews it was not possible to return to homes >and interview those who were absent during the day. There is a >possibility that some people who were the most stressed, because they >were living in the most dangerous areas, were excluded from our study. >However, if at all, this exclusion happened very seldom and would have >resulted in underreporting of mental morbidity. Our study might be >somewhat limited in statistical power since resources were available to >sample only 30 clusters. However, the potential reduction in statistical >power may have been moderated by the use of a stratified design. > Because no structured clinical interviews were performed, it is >unclear to what extent self-reported symptoms of PTSD and nonspecific >psychiatric morbidity, in the HTQ and the GHQ-28 respectively, would >match clinical diagnosis. It is possible that cross-cultural differences >could have influenced the results of this study. Even though the >screening instruments used were created and validated in developed >nations similar to Kosovo, the instruments were not specifically >validated for this society. However, the GHQ-28 has proven to be a >reliable instrument in a wide variety of cultures. The HTQ traumatic >events section was specifically adapted for the Kosovo situation. > Although not traditionally part of a mental health survey, the >questions regarding feelings of hatred and a desire for revenge give a >poignant picture of all-too-common emotions in this setting. These >findings underscore the challenge faced by the interim government of the >United Nations Mission in Kosovo as it to seeks to establish >reconciliation among different ethnic groups. > > >CONCLUSIONS > >Whether measured by the prevalence of nonspecific psychiatric morbidity >(43%), social dysfunction, or prevalence of PTSD symptoms (17.1%), our >study demonstrates the severity of mental health problems among Kosovar >Albanians. > When we conducted this survey the war had just ended. The wounds of >war were still fresh, including the events that had shaken the lives of >hundreds of thousands of people. Violence and acts of revenge continue >in Kosovo. On the basis of the results of our survey, these incidents >are not surprising. Mental health problems related to the psychological >trauma of war and conflict situations are a major public health concern. >The high rates of poor mental health status among those internally >displaced and refugees who have returned to Kosovo also raises concern >for the mental health status of those who remain in countries of asylum >and resettlement. > Until the psychological and social effects of the war and >persecution in Kosovo are evaluated over time, we must exercise caution >in basing future predictions on the results of our survey. Follow-up >studies and monitoring of mental health problems to determine long-term >effects of multiple, prolonged, and severe traumatic events among the >Kosovar Albanian population will provide more accurate data for policy >recommendations. > > >Author/Article Information > >Author Affiliations: National Center for Environmental Health, >International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch (Dr Lopes Cardozo), >National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Quarantine (Dr >Vergara), and National Center for Environmental Health, Environmental >Hazards and Health Effects (Dr Gotway), Centers for Disease Control and >Prevention, Atlanta, Ga; and Institute for Mental Health and Recovery, >Pristina, Kosovo (Dr Agani). > >Corresponding Author and Reprints: Barbara Lopes Cardozo, MD, MPH, >National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control >and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Mailstop F-48, Atlanta, GA 30341 >(e-mail: bhc8 at cdc.gov). > >Funding/Support: This study was supported by funds from the Centers for >Disease Control and Prevention. > >Acknowledgment: We acknowledge the enormous contribution and logistic >support of Doctors of the World, in particular Supriya Madhavan, who >provided us with invaluable insights into the Kosovo situation. We also >acknowledge the contributions of the interviewers, many of whom >themselves had been refugees or internally displaced during the war, who >made the data collection possible. We also acknowledge the contribution >of mental health staff from the Institute of Mental Health and Recovery >in Pristina, Kosovo. The Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma gave us >invaluable advice, particularly by Richard Mollica, MD, MAR; James >Lavelle, MSW; and Keith McInnes, MS, who shared their extensive clinical >and research expertise in this field. > > >REFERENCES > >1. >United States International Development Agency. >Kosovo Crisis fact sheet. >Available at: >http://www.info.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html. >Accessed June 28, 2000. > >2. >United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). >Kosovo Crisis Update. >Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCR; 1999. > >3. >de Jong K, Ford N, Kleber R. >Mental health care for refugees from Kosovo: the experience of >Medecins Sans Frontieres. >Lancet. >1999;353:1616-1617. >MEDLINE > >4. >Mollica RF, McInnes K, Sarajlic N, et al. >Disability associated with psychiatric comorbidity and health status in >Bosnian refugees living in Croatia. >JAMA. >1999;282:433-439. >ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT | PDF | MEDLINE > >5. >Mollica RF, Donelan K, Tor S, et al. >The effect of trauma and confinement on functional health and mental >health status of Cambodians living in Thailand-Cambodia border >camps. >JAMA. >1993;270:581-586. >MEDLINE > >6. >Weine SM, Vojvoda D, Becker DF, et al. >PTSD symptoms in Bosnian refugees 1 year after resettlement in the >United States. >Am J Psychiatry. >1998;155:562-564. >MEDLINE > >7. >Carlson EB, Rosser-Hogan R. >Mental health status of Cambodian refugees ten years after leaving >their homes. >Am J Orthopsychiatry. >1993;63:223-231. >MEDLINE > >8. >Marsella AJ. >Amidst Peril and Pain: The Mental Health and Well Being of the >World's Refugees. >Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 1994. > >9. >Henderson RH, Sundaresan T. >Cluster sampling to assess immunization coverage: a review of >experience with a simplified sampling method. >Bull World Health Organ. >1982;60:253-260. >MEDLINE > >10. >Goldberg DP, Hillier VF. >A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. >Psychol Med. >1979;9:139-145. >MEDLINE > >11. >Goldberg DP. >The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire: A Technique >for the Identification and Assessment of Non-Psychotic Psychiatric >Illness. >London, England: Oxford University Press; 1972. > >12. >Mollica RF, Caspi-Yavin Y, Bollini P, Truong T, Tor S, Lavelle J. >The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire: validating a cross-cultural >instrument for measuring torture, trauma, and posttraumatic stress >disorder in Indochinese refugees. >J Nerv Ment Dis. >1992;180:111-116. >MEDLINE > >13. >Ware JE Jr, Snow KK, Kosinski M, Gandek B. >SF-36 Health Survey, Manual & Interpretation Guide. >2nd ed. Boston, Mass: The Health Institute, New England Medical >Center; 1997. > >14. >American Psychiatric Association. >Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. >Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994. > >15. >Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD. >The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), I: conceptual >framework and item selection. >Med Care. >1992;30:473-483. >MEDLINE > >16. >Sartorius N, Ustun TB, Costa e Silva JA, et al. >An international study of psychological problems in primary care: >preliminary report from the World Health Organization Collaborative >Project on Psychological Problems in General Health Care. >Arch Gen Psychiatry. >1993;50:819-824. >MEDLINE > >17. >Stewart AL, Hays RD, Ware JE Jr. >The MOS short-form general health survey: reliability and validity in a >patient population. >Med Care. >1988;26:724-735. >MEDLINE > >18. >Von Korff M, Ustun TB, Ormel J, Kaplan I, Simon GE. >Self-report disability in an international primary care study of >psychological illness. >J Clin Epidemiol. >1996;49:297-303. >MEDLINE > >19. >Epi Info [computer program]. >Version 6.4. Atlanta, Ga: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; >1994. > >20. >Ware JE Jr, Kosinski M, Keller S. >SF-36 Physical & Mental Health Summary Scales: A User's Manual. >Boston, Mass: Health Assessment Lab; 1994. > >21. >Wells KB, Stewart A, Hays RD, et al. >The functioning and well-being of depressed patients: results from the >Medical Outcomes Study. >JAMA. >1989;262:914-919. >MEDLINE > >22. >Kuch K, Cox BJ. >Symptoms of PTSD in 124 survivors of the Holocaust. >Am J Psychiatry. >1992;149:337-340. >MEDLINE > >23. >Yehuda R, Kahana B, Schmeidler J, Southwick SM, Wilson S, Giller >EL. >Impact of cumulative lifetime trauma and recent stress on current >posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in holocaust survivors. >Am J Psychiatry. >1995;152:1815-1818. >MEDLINE > >24. >Mollica RF, McInnes K, Poole C, Tor S. >Dose-effect relationships of trauma to symptoms of depression and >post-traumatic stress disorder among Cambodian survivors of mass >violence. >Br J Psychiatry. >1998;173:482-488. >MEDLINE > >25. >Goldberg DP, Oldehinkel T, Ormel J. >Why GHQ threshold varies from one place to another. >Psychol Med. >1998;28:915-921. >MEDLINE > >26. >Goldberg DP, Gater R, Sartorius N, et al. >The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental >illness in general health care. >Psychol Med. >1997;27:191-197. >MEDLINE > >27. >Goldberg D. >Use of the General Health Questionnaire in clinical work [editorial]. >BMJ (Clin Res Ed). >1986;293:1188-1189. > >28. >Furukawa T, Goldberg DP. >Cultural invariance of likelihood ratios for the General Health >Questionnaire [letter]. >Lancet. >1999;353:561-562. >MEDLINE > >29. >Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ. >Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry/VI. >6th ed. Baltimore, Md: Williams & Wilkins; 1995. > >30. >Spiegel P, Salama P. >War and mortality in Kosovo 1998-99: an epidemiological testimony. >Lancet. >2000;355:2204-2209. >MEDLINE > >? 2000 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Thu Aug 3 10:12:31 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 07:12:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Message-ID: <20000803141231.13947.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> Note: forwarded message attached. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu Subject: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:34:33 -0400 Size: 13960 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Thu Aug 3 09:39:08 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:39:08 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [balkans] CfP: 3rd Annual Kokkalis Graduate Student Workshop on Southeastern and East-Central Europe Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] CfP: 3rd Annual Kokkalis Graduate Student Workshop on Southeastern and East-Central Europe Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:09:20 +0200 Size: 2855 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Thu Aug 3 09:36:03 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:36:03 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [balkans] ethnic parties Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: adutceac at hotmail.com Subject: [balkans] ethnic parties Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 18:07:22 +0000 Size: 1705 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Thu Aug 3 09:37:09 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 09:37:09 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [balkans] From IntelliNews Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: tony at securities.com Subject: [balkans] From IntelliNews Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 11:43:53 +0000 Size: 1514 URL: From kbejko at hotmail.com Thu Aug 3 15:08:39 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 19:08:39 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Message-ID: <20000803190839.15444.qmail@hotmail.com> This Kostas Giakoumis is an Arvanite and a damn good Helene! I've had a long conversation with him regarding the issue of what is it that makes one Albanian. My view was that it is only the Albanian language and obviously Arvanites would be defined as proper Albanians under this premise. Of course our albanophone friend opposed saying that one is whatever one feels to be. So if an Albanian all of a sudden starts feeling Greek that that's precisely what he is ...a Greek. I don't know whether this view stems from their X chromosome or whether these Helenes are "touchy/feely" people for whom feelings come first ...reason second. >From: Agron Alibali >To: Albsa-info at alb-net.com >Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA >Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 07:12:31 -0700 (PDT) > ><< message2.txt >> ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From Gazhebo at aol.com Thu Aug 3 20:50:34 2000 From: Gazhebo at aol.com (Gazhebo at aol.com) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 20:50:34 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Message-ID: <10.7c1213.26bb6d5a@aol.com> Are you enmeshed in intricacy, when philosophizing about the criteria that define a nation? Read: Roger Just, "Triumph of the Ethnos," in the book History and Ethnicity (London & New York: Routledge, 1989), pp. 71-88. Paschalis Kitromilides, "Imagined Communities and the Origins of the National Question in the Balkans" in the journal European History Quarterly 19 (1989): 149-94. GAZ From aalibali at yahoo.com Fri Aug 4 00:23:19 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 21:23:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Greqizohet isoja labe... Message-ID: <20000804042319.28871.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> KATHIMERINI ARTS & LEISURE ATHENS, Tuesday, August 1, 2000 Updated: 08/03/2000 10:2 GMT Epirus united through its voices and songs The 2nd Polyphonic Song Festival starts in regional mountain villages Warm welcome. The members of the Heimarra Polyphonic Choir sing songs about exile, love and death in the Second Polyphonic Song Festival of Epirus. By Olga Sella Kathimerini It is the usual custom in Epirot villages, particularly the most isolated ones, to welcome visitors at the entrance to the village with a song in the polyphonic mode, a genre that is widespread throughout the region. At that moment, one imagines that the human voices blend with the scents of the mountains, the rushing streams and all the other sounds of nature. Polyphonic songs are no "museum piece," heard only at organized festivals, but are a part of the region's social life, sung in tavernas, village festivals and by young as well as old, with the more experienced leading those who don't know the words. The genre is part and parcel of Epirot culture and not only - all the surrounding areas in the Balkans have their own tradition in this form of musical expression. It was the younger generation who thought of holding a song festival last year, a meeting of amateur polyphonic song groups aimed at researching and promoting the genre, in the hope of making it a regular occurrence. The first meeting was encouraging and led to the "Great Concert of Polyphonic Song" last April in Athens's Pallas Theater. Now the second festival, which begins today and runs until August 6, includes events spread out over the entire Epirot border with"northern Epirus" in southern Albania, an area where the polyphonic song is still a living form of expression as well as a part of the collective memory. Groups and associations from all over the Greek province of Epirus, from Albania, from the Greek-speaking villages of southern Italy (Magna Grecia), and perhaps Serbia as well, will be participating this year. "We are hoping that the festival will acquire a Balkan character. We also hope it will become a bridge between the peoples," said Alexandros Lambridis, one of the organizers and originators of the concept. Different landscapes "Another aspect we are trying to promote," he stressed, "is the thematic approach, in an attempt to show the different landscapes that are the setting for polyphonic songs. "The end of the festival, for example, will take place in a deserted settlement in old Sagiada, with songs of exile emphasizing the fact that the village was abandoned because of emigration. In Byzantine Ozdina, the emphasis will be on the history of polyphonic songs. "The main concerts in the festival will be held in villages that are right on the border. We are trying to revive these villages and to discover the Epirot hinterland," he added. The mountain village of Plikati, the banks of the Aoos River under the Konitsa bridge, the stone square of Delvinaki, the plane trees of Ano Parakalamos, the springs of Langavitsa, the courtyard of the Tsamanta Folk Museum, the border village of Filiates, and the ruined village of Sagiada with a view of the Ionian Sea are the venues for the Second Polyphonic Song Festival. Participants include the Ktismata Polyphonic Song Ensemble, the old men of Parakalamos, the youth of "Polyphonos" and "Chaonia," the northern Epirot ensembles of Heimarra, Sotira and Ano Pogoni, the Albanian-speaking "Youth of Gjirokaster," the Tosks of Premeti, the Anton Potsi Vlach-speakers and the Greek-speaking men of Coriliano, southern Italy. Documentary screenings Apart from live concerts, there will also be documentaries by Panayotis Karkanevatos and Antonis Tsavalos, as well as films that feature polyphonic songs (Theodoros Angelopoulos's "Reenactment," Korras-Voupouras's "Miroupafsim") and short films set in Epirus (G. Zafeiris's "Ismail" and Costas Machairas's "Short Days"). The festival is being held under the auspices of the non-profit organization Apeiros, the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia and local municipalities. 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Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Fri Aug 4 08:00:10 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 08:00:10 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [balkans] Fellowship on Turkey-European Union Relations Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] Fellowship on Turkey-European Union Relations Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 15:37:06 +0200 Size: 2954 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Fri Aug 4 08:02:35 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 08:02:35 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Call for papers Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: osmankaratay at yahoo.com Subject: [balkans] CfP Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 01:41:02 -0700 Size: 3041 URL: From ipilika at hotmail.com Fri Aug 4 09:33:49 2000 From: ipilika at hotmail.com (Iris Pilika) Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2000 13:33:49 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Message-ID: <20000804133349.11403.qmail@hotmail.com> Kreshnik, Certainly, people have the right to belong to any nationality they feel like belonging. Problems arise when they are pressured into claiming a certain nationality. If it wasn't for the intensive and centuries-long anti-Albanian propaganda of these "Helenes", the Arvanites today would probably recognize that they were partially Albanians (or maybe just Albanians). Your friend :), Giakoumis seems to forget that anyone in Greece claiming to be Albanian, has to go through insults and discrimination by almost every single Greek he encounters. >From: "Kreshnik Bejko" >To: aalibali at yahoo.com, Albsa-info at alb-net.com >Subject: Re: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA >Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 19:08:39 GMT > > ----------- ALBSA-Info Mailing List --------- > - ALBSA Web Site: http://www.albstudent.org - >This Kostas Giakoumis is an Arvanite and a damn good Helene! I've had a >long >conversation with him regarding the issue of what is it that makes one >Albanian. My view was that it is only the Albanian language and obviously >Arvanites would be defined as proper Albanians under this premise. Of >course >our albanophone friend opposed saying that one is whatever one feels to be. >So if an Albanian all of a sudden starts feeling Greek that that's >precisely >what he is ...a Greek. I don't know whether >this view stems from their X chromosome or whether >these Helenes are "touchy/feely" people for whom feelings come first >...reason second. > > >>From: Agron Alibali >>To: Albsa-info at alb-net.com >>Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA >>Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 07:12:31 -0700 (PDT) >> >><< message2.txt >> > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > >_______________________________________________________ >ALBSA-Info mailing list: ALBSA-Info at alb-net.com >http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/albsa-info ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Sat Aug 5 09:51:11 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2000 09:51:11 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] New Book: Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo by Duijzings Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] New Book: Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo by Duijzings Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2000 07:07:00 +0200 Size: 8470 URL: From kbejko at hotmail.com Sun Aug 6 10:34:47 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 14:34:47 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Quote of the week Message-ID: <20000806143447.44971.qmail@hotmail.com> At this pace the Albanian mob will become more dangerous then the greenhouse gases. >One of Italy?s top prosecutors, Cataldo Motta, who has identified > >Albania?s most dangerous mobsters, says they are a threat to Western > >society. ?Albanian organised crime has become a point of reference for > >all criminal activity today,? he says. ?Everything passes via the > >Albanians. The road for drugs and arms and people, meaning illegal > >immigrants destined for Europe, is in Albanian hands.? ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From juniku at hotmail.com Sun Aug 6 14:47:12 2000 From: juniku at hotmail.com (Uk Lushi) Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 18:47:12 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Independence May Be Only Way to Save the Mission (Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2000) Message-ID: >http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/20000805/t000073530.html > >Sunday, August 6, 2000 > >Independence May Be Only Way to Save the Mission > >By SUSAN BLAUSTEIN > > WASHINGTON--More than a year ago, the allied nations put an end to >Serbian-sponsored barbarity in Kosovo and helped nearly a million >Kosovars return home. But at its current pace, the international mission >in Kosovo is likely to wind up profoundly disappointing the people it >intervened to protect. > Instead of quickly securing the province, rebuilding its >infrastructure, establishing the rule of law, creating strong, central >institutions and encouraging self-governance, allied nations have >tolerated a porous border with Serbia and permitted a Belfast-like >partition of the northern city of Kosovska Mitrovica, enabling Yugoslav >President Slobodan Milosevic to pursue his destabilizing agenda in >Kosovo. The international presence has morphed into a colonial >administration hamstrung even in its simplest tasks by a dearth of >funds, trained personnel and real decision-making authority. Criminal >and revanchist gangs have filled the vacuum created by the absence of >law and law enforcement. > Despite the impression left by media accounts, Kosovo's postwar >violence has not been generated by Albanians alone. While it's >indisputable that Serbs and other minorities have been targeted, it was >Serb attacks on aid workers that temporarily drove the international >relief organizations out of the Serb-dominated portion of Kosovska >Mitrovica in late June. Both Albanian and Serb civilians have been >gunned down in the streets, and evidence suggests that a recent attack >on a Serb Orthodox Church was carried out by Serbian state-run "special >forces." > Perhaps this summer's most hopeful sign is the excitement over >municipal elections slated for October, which have spurred the formation >of dozens of political parties. But most of the parties are >distinguished by personality rather than platform, and although voter >registration was hugely successful among Albanians, only a few hundred >of Kosovo's estimated 100,000 Serbs registered to vote. > Many of Kosovo's woes can be traced to the international >community's reluctance to come to grips with the issue of the >territory's final legal status. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution >1244, the legal authority for the international mission, Kosovo is to >remain a part of Serbia. Many international actors prefer it that way >either out of a long-standing sympathy for the Serb people, as is the >case for France, Greece and Russia; a fear of setting a precedent that >could have ramifications close to home, as could be the case for Britain >(Northern Ireland), Turkey (the Kurds) and Russia (Chechnya); or an >aversion toward rewarding separatist guerrilla movements, in general, >and fueling pan-Albanian aspirations, in particular. > For these reasons, the U.N. resolution has become a convenient >excuse not to address head-on the pressing issue of Kosovo's >independence. Continued violence against Serbs, generally interpreted as >"reverse ethnic cleansing," has also dampened Western appetites for >bestowing more power upon the emerging Albanian leadership. Any further >delay of the independence discussion, however, risks allowing this >pent-up, 800-pound gorilla to be made into more than an imagined threat >by an increasingly restless population fed up with continued lack of >security, instability and uncertainty. An open-ended prolongation of >Kosovo's limbo status can only lead to opportunistic power grabs by >irredentists, criminal groups and those under Belgrade's sway. > There are four additional reasons for a sooner-rather-than-later >approach to Kosovo independence: > * Through its state-sponsored 1998-99 campaign of terror and forced >expulsions, Serbia has forfeited any credible legal claim to sovereignty >over Kosovo. > * Laying out a path toward independence would help disabuse the >Serb population, both in Kosovo and in Serbia proper, of any further >illusions regarding Belgrade's "Greater Serbia" agenda. With >Montenegro's separation apparently only a matter of time, Milosevic's >greatest legacy will be to have shrunk Serbia. > * It was Milosevic who lost Kosovo and should pay the political >price, not the feckless Serbian opposition, which is likely to have >enough trouble running any transitional government without having to >justify a hand-over of Serbia's "holy land" to Albanians. > * The vast majority of Kosovo's residents have demonstrated, in >both their decade-long management of a parallel system of government and >the alacrity with which they have rebuilt their homes, impressive >creativity, industry and follow-through. An expeditious end to their >status as beneficiaries of international assistance can only spur their >development as self-reliant citizens eager. > The international community should work closely with >representatives of all constituencies in Kosovo to draw up an >agreed-upon list of conditions to be met before Kosovo's independence >can finally be earned. Such a road map should begin with palpable >improvement in the human rights situation and a fair and peaceful >outcome to the upcoming municipal elections, which should be followed >quickly by province-wide elections that can endow Kosovo's leaders with >real authority and help to build strong institutions. > NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), the U.N. and donor nations must follow >through on their respective commitments. KFOR should continue to provide >vigorous security and adequate detention facilities for the foreseeable >future. Donor nations, working through the U.N. and the Organization for >Security and Cooperation in Europe, must deliver on their promises of >several thousand more international police, functioning courts, salaries >for teachers and doctors who could be serving Kosovo's residents instead >of working as drivers and translators for the international community, >and basic infrastructural repairs. > Having freed the people of Kosovo from a repressive regime, the >allies' mandate should be to help them learn to govern themselves. >Providing an umbrella of security, a road map and a timetable for >fulfilling that goal is the international community's only real exit >strategy. * > - - - >Susan Blaustein Frequently Writes on the Balkans > >Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Sun Aug 6 10:54:22 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 14:54:22 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Invitation for the US president Message-ID: <20000806145422.88837.qmail@hotmail.com> I don't know about you but to me this effort is at best childish. How a U.S. president would save Albania from its current, corrupt political class is beoynd me. And it's quite ironic that it is precisely these student's teachers that make up this political class which they blame for Albania's failure to "integrate" in the family of Western nations. From: "Arian Saliaj" Reply-To: alb-club at alb-net.com To: CC: Subject: [Alb-club] Teksti i plote i fteses derguar Presidentit te USA , Bill Clinton Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 10:19:55 +0200 Te dashur miq , Ndonese u be nje kohe e gjate qyshse KESHILLI STUDENTOR SHQIPTAR e ka marre kete nisme studentore per te ftuar Presidentin e USA , Bill Clinton qe te vije ne Shqiperi , une mendoj se eshte e udhes qe te bejme nje sforco te fundit te gjithe se bashku per te rritur ndikimin tone qe kjo vizite te behet realitet. Kjo ftese eshte firmosur ne muajin dhjetor nga rreth 5000 studente ne te gjitha universitetet shqiptare. Ftesa i eshte dorezuar se bashku me te 5000 firmat vete Ambasadorit te USA ne Tirane z. Joseph Limpreht. Ambasadori Limpreht si nje nga mbeshtetesit kryesore te kesaj nisme studentore u angazhua personalisht me precjeljen e e fteses sone ne Shtepine e Bardhe. Nje i ngarkuar i posacem i Ambasades se USA ne Tirane ia ka dorezuar personalisht ne dore Presidentit CLINTON , ftesen se bashku me te 5000 firmat . Pergjigja e ardhur ne adrese te KSH ka qene se : Presidenti Clinton e mirepriti ftesen e studentve shqiptare , por duke qene se ai eshte ne fund te mandatit te tij ai nuk ka asnje force per te percaktuar kalendarin presidencial te vizitave zyrtare... Mberritur ne kete pike ,une vendosa tju drejtohem juve te dashur miq qe te gjithe se bashku te ringjallim kete nisme duke i dhene permasa me te gjera.... Nje gje te jete e qarte : Kjo ftese nuk i dergohet Clintonit personalisht , por eshte nje ftese qe i drejtohet institucionit te Presidentit te USA. Te gjithe ne shqiptaret e kuptojme me se miri se cfare rendesie kane per Shqiperine mardheniet me USA. Te gjithe ne jemi te ndergjegjshem se vizita e nje Presidenti te USA ne vendin tone ka nje rendesi historiko-strategjike. Shpresoj me gjithe forcen time ne mbeshtetjen tuaj per kete nisme. me respekt ARIAN SALIAJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ KESHILLI STUDENTOR SHQIPTAR Albanian Student Council Address:Rr:"A.Moisiu" P.42 Shk.2 Ap.38 Tirana, Albania Tel/fax:++355 4 368764 mobile : ++ 355 38 20 34 817 E-mail : arian_saliaj at hotmail.com Tirana,Nov 28-Th,1999 To: The President of United States of AMERICA William J. Clinton Invitation Honoured Mr.President! Today,on 28-Th of November,1999,on our Independence Day,we the students of Albania fully convinced in our unique mission and conscience about our responsibilities that we have taken from our own status for our country,did found the courage and the positive will to take this Student Initiative to could express our big wish to invite you to come to visit Albania. After many battles that we as students have done,fighting with the 50-years most cruel,isolating communist dictatorship of Europe,from 1990 and further,battles for politic pluralism,freedom,democracy,human rights and integration,we are seeing that Albania is facing a new politic punishment. It has been our dream to see Albania a worthy partner in the Western Family, but the true bad fact is that the West is punishing Albania with a new Isolation,Abandonment and a Big Loneliness.The cause for this has become the Albanian "political race",whom is maltreating Albania like a market thing and it is loosing its chances with a strangely diabolic will.This political race looks at Albania as a big pocket that never ends up fulling their private pockets.Trusting, we students gave our dreams,battles,ideals and our energies to this political race,to this "Masters of Decision taking" that is now showing a complete sense of irresponsibility.This is the perception of us students with the only mission,to be for Albania.We students are the real face of the future of Albania.We are working on the creation of a new generation,the generation of the:"Albanian Dream".We think Albania deserves another sort.We students think of the future of Albania with a strong relationship on the level of the integration Albania-USA.We are all working within the mind :"The best West for the Albanians is America". The Albanians owe you Mr.President the remaking of their history. Mr.President our point of view is very simple ;You bombed Milloshevic the Balkans despot,for some reasons and basic principles for the freedom,human rights,justice,democracy and for the Albanians and for the same reasons and principles,we Albanian students,ask you to bomb the bad and hopeless present of Albania,giving to us the future generation,the "Albanian Dream"generation,moral power and why not even a logistic one. Mr.President,we are the future that doesn't deserve to be punished because of the bad present.We invite you to come to Albania for the sake of our future,to help us return the hope to the Albanians. Mr.President,we invite you to testify our responsibility and clear vision for the future of our country. Mr.President,we invite you to come to Albania to make true the Albanian Dream for Integration. Mr.President,we invite you to express you our gratitude,love and respect for you personally and USA,the country that you worthily represent and lead. We Albanians believe in you Mr.President,because you gave us the denied historic chance to see clearly our future.There are no words that could express our thanks and gratitude. We students think that you will be the one to baptise our future.Thank you. God bless America! Sincerely yours Arian Saliaj ASC - Chairman ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From shpresa.sulejmani at sap.ap-hop-paris.fr Mon Aug 7 07:54:46 2000 From: shpresa.sulejmani at sap.ap-hop-paris.fr (sulejmani) Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 13:54:46 +0200 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] For economic informations Message-ID: <398EA385.C0400469@sap.ap-hop-paris.fr> I would need some help from you. A student from Kosovo is doing a master in economy in the University of Sorbonne in Paris. His study is about the "restructuration of the bank system in Albania". It would be very helpful from him if he could get informations and documents from Albania, but he is unable to travel there for the moment. And it is very hard to get informations in Paris. Is it possible for you to send him such informations or tell us where we should ask for them ? Thank you very much in advance for your help. Best regards Shpresa -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: shpresa.sulejmani.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 358 bytes Desc: Carte pour sulejmani URL: From eribudo at hotmail.com Sun Aug 6 18:15:37 2000 From: eribudo at hotmail.com (ERI Budo) Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 22:15:37 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Invitation for the US president Message-ID: What is with the "God bless America" salutation...Is that letter from Albania or from the Republican Convention???!! >From: "Kreshnik Bejko" >To: albsa-info at alb-net.com >Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Invitation for the US president >Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 14:54:22 GMT > > ----------- ALBSA-Info Mailing List --------- > - ALBSA Web Site: http://www.albstudent.org - >I don't know about you but to me this effort is at best >childish. How a U.S. president would save Albania from >its current, corrupt political class is beoynd me. And it's >quite ironic that it is precisely these student's teachers >that make up this political class which they blame for >Albania's failure to "integrate" in the family of Western >nations. > > From: "Arian Saliaj" >Reply-To: alb-club at alb-net.com >To: >CC: >Subject: [Alb-club] Teksti i plote i fteses derguar Presidentit te USA , >Bill Clinton >Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 10:19:55 +0200 > >Te dashur miq , >Ndonese u be nje kohe e gjate qyshse KESHILLI STUDENTOR SHQIPTAR e ka >marre kete nisme studentore per te ftuar Presidentin e USA , Bill Clinton >qe te vije ne Shqiperi , une mendoj se eshte e udhes qe te bejme nje sforco >te fundit te gjithe se bashku per te rritur ndikimin tone qe kjo vizite te >behet realitet. >Kjo ftese eshte firmosur ne muajin dhjetor nga rreth 5000 studente ne te >gjitha universitetet shqiptare. >Ftesa i eshte dorezuar se bashku me te 5000 firmat vete Ambasadorit te >USA ne Tirane z. Joseph Limpreht. >Ambasadori Limpreht si nje nga mbeshtetesit kryesore te kesaj nisme >studentore u angazhua personalisht me precjeljen e e fteses sone ne >Shtepine e Bardhe. >Nje i ngarkuar i posacem i Ambasades se USA ne Tirane ia ka dorezuar >personalisht ne dore Presidentit CLINTON , ftesen se bashku me te 5000 >firmat . >Pergjigja e ardhur ne adrese te KSH ka qene se : Presidenti Clinton e >mirepriti ftesen e studentve shqiptare , por duke qene se ai eshte ne fund >te mandatit te tij ai nuk ka asnje force per te percaktuar kalendarin >presidencial te vizitave zyrtare... >Mberritur ne kete pike ,une vendosa tju drejtohem juve te dashur miq qe te >gjithe se bashku te ringjallim kete nisme duke i dhene permasa me te >gjera.... >Nje gje te jete e qarte : Kjo ftese nuk i dergohet Clintonit personalisht >, por eshte nje ftese qe i drejtohet institucionit te Presidentit te USA. >Te gjithe ne shqiptaret e kuptojme me se miri se cfare rendesie kane per >Shqiperine mardheniet me USA. >Te gjithe ne jemi te ndergjegjshem se vizita e nje Presidenti te USA ne >vendin tone ka nje rendesi historiko-strategjike. >Shpresoj me gjithe forcen time ne mbeshtetjen tuaj per kete nisme. >me respekt >ARIAN SALIAJ >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >KESHILLI STUDENTOR SHQIPTAR >Albanian Student Council >Address:Rr:"A.Moisiu" P.42 Shk.2 Ap.38 >Tirana, Albania >Tel/fax:++355 4 368764 >mobile : ++ 355 38 20 34 817 >E-mail : arian_saliaj at hotmail.com > > >Tirana,Nov 28-Th,1999 >To: > The President of United States of AMERICA > > William J. Clinton > Invitation >Honoured Mr.President! >Today,on 28-Th of November,1999,on our Independence >Day,we the students of Albania fully convinced in our >unique mission and conscience about our >responsibilities that we have taken from our own >status for our country,did found the courage and the >positive will to take this Student Initiative to could >express our big wish to invite you to come to visit >Albania. >After many battles that we as students have >done,fighting with the 50-years most cruel,isolating >communist dictatorship of Europe,from 1990 and >further,battles for politic >pluralism,freedom,democracy,human rights and >integration,we are seeing that Albania is facing a new >politic punishment. >It has been our dream to see Albania a worthy partner >in the Western Family, but the true bad fact is that >the West is punishing Albania with a new >Isolation,Abandonment and a Big Loneliness.The cause >for this has become the Albanian "political race",whom >is maltreating Albania like a market thing and it is >loosing its chances with a strangely diabolic >will.This political race looks at Albania as a big >pocket that never ends up fulling their private >pockets.Trusting, we students gave our >dreams,battles,ideals and our energies to this >political race,to this "Masters of Decision taking" >that is now showing a complete sense of >irresponsibility.This is the perception of us students >with the only mission,to be for Albania.We students >are the real face of the future of Albania.We are >working on the creation of a new generation,the >generation of the:"Albanian Dream".We think Albania >deserves >another sort.We students think of the future of >Albania with a strong relationship on the level of the >integration Albania-USA.We are all working within the >mind :"The best West for the Albanians is America". >The Albanians owe you Mr.President the remaking of >their history. >Mr.President our point of view is very simple ;You >bombed Milloshevic the Balkans despot,for some reasons >and basic principles for the freedom,human >rights,justice,democracy and for the Albanians and for >the same reasons and principles,we Albanian >students,ask you to bomb the bad and hopeless present >of Albania,giving to us the future generation,the >"Albanian Dream"generation,moral power and why not >even a logistic one. >Mr.President,we are the future that doesn't deserve to >be punished because of the bad present.We invite you >to come to Albania for the sake of our future,to help >us return the hope to the Albanians. >Mr.President,we invite you to testify our >responsibility and clear vision for the future of our >country. >Mr.President,we invite you to come to Albania to make >true the Albanian Dream for Integration. >Mr.President,we invite you to express you our >gratitude,love and respect for you personally and >USA,the country that you worthily represent and lead. >We Albanians believe in you Mr.President,because you >gave us the denied historic chance to see clearly our >future.There are no words that could express our >thanks and gratitude. >We students think that you will be the one to baptise >our future.Thank you. > God bless America! > > Sincerely yours > > Arian Saliaj > > ASC - Chairman > > > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > >_______________________________________________________ >ALBSA-Info mailing list: ALBSA-Info at alb-net.com >http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/albsa-info ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Mon Aug 7 11:50:31 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 15:50:31 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] New URL for TVSH Message-ID: <20000807155031.15838.qmail@hotmail.com> You may watch TVSH's news edition at the following link http://aths-travel.com/test002.ram(must have Real Player G2) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Mon Aug 7 21:35:43 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 18:35:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Albanian Daily News Message-ID: <20000808013543.5038.qmail@web110.yahoomail.com> Turkish FM Attacks Greece over Minority Rights Record TURIN - Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, in an article in last Wednesday?s Turin La Stampa, lashed out at Greece over its record on minority rights, including Albanians, Macedonians and Vlachs. Cem, whose main focus was in blaming Greece for the deadlock in the peace talks over the Cyprus problem, accused it of making innuendoes on the manner in which the Greek state deals with not only the Muslim minority, but also the ?Macedonian,? the Albanian and the Vlach, which, according to the Turkish foreign minister, are ?sources of uneasiness.? This is the first time a top Turkish diplomat has criticised Greece so severely for its record on its Albanian minority. Between 30,000 and 100,000 Moslem Albanians were expelled from the Greek region of Thesprotia - Chameria in Albanian - up to immediately after the Second World War, while other Albanians, including Orthodox Christians, have been barred from using their language and declaring their nationality. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Mon Aug 7 20:17:31 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 17:17:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Arkeologji Message-ID: <20000808001731.12008.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> Varret ilire, t? zbuluara pran? Gjirokastr?s, pezullojn? punimet n? segmentin rrugor Rruga e Jugut, nga nd?rtuesit, n? ?pron?si? t? arkeolog?ve A.Xh. T? shp?tohet ?ka t? mundet nga mbeturinat e nj? varri antik t? gjetur tri jav? m? par?. P?r k?t? jan? pezulluar punimet n? nj? pjes? t? segmentit rrugor Kakavij?-Gjirokast?r. Pik?risht tri jav? m? par?, n? korridorin Veri-Jug t? k?tij segmenti, pran? kilometrit 9, nd?rsa g?rrmohej p?r shtrimin e rrug?s, pun?tor?t kan? pikasur, rr?nojat e nj? objekti arkeologjik, i cili formohej nga blloqe gur?sh t? punuar. Sa kan? r?n? n? gjurm? antike, pun?tor?t kan? nd?rprer? punimet dhe ?sht? njoftuar Insituti Arkeologjik, i cili ka d?rguar n? vendngjarje, p?rfaq?suesin e Sarand?s. N?ndrejtori i k?tij Insituti, Ilir Gjipali tregon se ?fillimisht menduam, se kemi t? b?jm? me nj? varr t? lasht?, por m? pas, vum? re se b?hej fjal? p?r nj? grumbull varresh, pra nj? varrez? e hershme, ilire.? N? dat?n 2 gusht nj? ekip nga ky Insitut, ka mb?rritur, n? zon?, e cila ndodhet af?rsisht pran? fshatit Jergucat t? Gjirokastr?s. N? p?rfundim t? k?saj ekspedite, Gjipali thot?: ?Tashm? kemi arritur n? p?rfundime t? qarta. Kemi t? b?jm? me varre monumentale, q? i p?rkasin periudh?s helenistike, pra shekullit III-II p.e.s.-n?. K?to varre jan? kryesisht t? grabitura dhe mendohet q? t? ken? nj? shtrirje m? t? madhe. I p?rkasin nj? periudhe q?, p?raf?rsisht, ka t? b?j? me koh?n e r?nies s? Iliris? dhe pragun e pushtimit romak. Edhe pse nga m?nyra e gdhendjes, vjet?rsia apo struktura e varreve, pohohet vlera e tyre arkeologjike, p?rs?ri ne nuk e dim?, n?se do t? shpallen si objekte t? Trash?gimis? Kulturore, pasi shkalla e d?mtimit t? tyre ?sht? tep?r e madhe.? Ilir Gjipali v? re, se p?r nga m?nyra e nd?rtimit, k?to varre duhet t? ken? qen? p?r njer?z t? pasur dhe grabitja e tyre ka ndodhur n? koh?rat e m?pastajme, me dyndjet e shumta q? nga antikiteti e deri n? mesjet?. Ato pohojn? p?r ekzistenc?n e nj? vendbanimi aty pran?.? Dhe, nd?rsa k?saj radhe Insituti Arkeologjik ka hasur n? mir?kuptimin e firm?s, q? punon p?r nd?rtimin e rrug?s, ?sht? vendosur, q?, s? shpejti, t? fillojn? g?rmimet arkeologjike n? nj? sip?rfaqe 50-70 metra katror? Nd?rkoh? q?ndron i hapur gjyqi midis Institutit t? Monumenteve dhe firm?s Maqedonase ?Granit?. Kjo histori z? fill vitin e kaluar, kur, nd?rsa punohej n? segmentin rrugor Rrogozhin?-Lushnj?, jan? zbuluar objekte arkeologjike, t? cilat ishin varre monumentale. Por punimet n? nd?rtimin e rrug?s nuk u nd?rpren?, megjith? kund?rshtimete vazhdueshme t? Institutit t? Monumenteve dhe specialist?ve t? Arkeologjis?. K?shtu, mbeturinat e varreve antike tani jan? p?rfund rrug?s s? nd?rtuar. Ve? varreve t? gjetura koh?ve t? fundit, d?shmi t? tilla, t? nj? qytet?rimi t? lasht?, jan? edhe varret q? jan? gjetur n? Kamenic? t? Kor??s, t? cilat p?rb?jn? nj? varrez? tumulare (n? form? kodrash) dhe aktualisht po g?rmohet n? zbulimin e plot? t? tyre. Momentalisht n? Shqip?ri (edhe sepse ligji mungon) ndihet mungesa e arkeologut n?p?r projektet e nd?rtimit. ?Arkeologu ?sht? shum? i r?nd?sish?m n? projekte q? kan? t? b?jn? me g?rmime apo devijime. N? vendin ton? ku akoma fshihen pasuri kulturore t? n?ntok?s, roli i arkeologut merr nj? r?nd?si t? madhe. Kjo gj? duhet sanksionuar me ligj?, - thot? n?ndrejtori Gjipali n? mbyllje t? bised?s. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ From ipilika at hotmail.com Tue Aug 8 09:18:57 2000 From: ipilika at hotmail.com (Iris Pilika) Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 13:18:57 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] A War's Hidden Tragedy Message-ID: A War?s Hidden Tragedy NEWSWEEK and MSNBC revisit Kosovar Albanian women raped during the war By Donatella Lorch and Preston Mendenhall Newsweek.MSNBC.com CENTRAL KOSOVO ? These days Drita rarely enters her former home, destroyed by Serbs during the Kosovo war. Only one and a half walls still stand; slabs of scorched concrete cast shadows across a floor littered with broken red bricks. Drita, 29, comes here to be alone, to escape the inquisitive eyes and ears of her extended family. As she tells her story, Drita?s eyes constantly dart over her shoulder. She is worried that someone in the family will hear. YET BEING ALONE-or, in this case, accompanied by a foreign reporter she got to know last year-also makes her nervous. She squats on a pile of bricks, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, and stares straight ahead toward rolling green hills. The real damage, she seems to be saying, is not the debris around her; it's the ruin within. Drita recalls wartime memories with as much overt emotion as she'd muster to read a grocery list. A Serb policeman dragged her away from her children, out of a room in a private house where she and other women and children were being held. He taunted her and ordered her to strip. When she screamed, he laughed and clamped a hand over her mouth. Then he pinned her arms behind her and raped her. Another man stood by, waiting his turn. As she tells her story, Drita's eyes constantly dart over her shoulder. She is worried that someone in the family will hear. Children are playing in the ruins of another house 20 feet away, and the rest of the family is sitting and talking under a nearby apple tree. She tugs at her mass of curly black hair. "For over a year I have not told anybody about it," she admits. "I can't. No one here talks about what happened to the women." The Kosovo war ended in June last year when, after a 78-day pounding by NATO bombers, Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic withdrew his forces. As correspondents covering the war, we came to know some of the women quoted in this article, including Drita. (The women's names have been changed at their request.) They told us last year in a refugee camp, in hushed tones, about the abuses they had suffered. Recently, in a joint reporting project by NEWSWEEK and MSNBC, we returned to their isolated village in Central Kosovo to find out what had become of them. What we found was a mostly wrecked place, where even the closest relationships are plagued by fear, suspicion and shame. Since the war's end, the ethnic Albanians who make up the vast majority of Kosovo's population have been picking up the pieces with help from Western countries. Justice, though, remains elusive, particularly in cases of sexual abuse. A study issued in March by Human Rights Watch reported 96 documented cases of rape against Kosovar Albanians; the organization believes the actual number of rapes committed by Serbs during the NATO bombing was much higher. The majority of the documented rapes, the report says, were committed by Serb paramilitaries "who wore various uniforms and often had bandannas, long knives, long hair and beards." Other sexual assaults were committed by uniformed police and soldiers. "Rapes were not rare and isolated acts committed by individual Serbian or Yugoslav forces," Human Rights Watch concluded, "but rather were used deliberately as an instrument to terrorize the civilian population, extort money from families and push people to flee their homes." Drita's village, miles from the nearest paved road, sits on a ridge overlooking forests and other hamlets. Brick houses with intricately carved wooden gates are connected by narrow dirt paths. Haystacks crowd the backyards and chickens scamper underfoot. In all, the village is home to 300 people. Most of them have known Drita for many years, and most would ostracize her if they knew her secret. Yet in private, several women told us the same basic story. On April 21 last year, Serb police and Army units marched into the village and herded women and children into three houses. For two days and nights they pulled out women one by one and sexually assaulted them. At least 10 women were raped here and human-rights investigators believe the number is much higher. In Kosovo generally, women fear speaking about sexual assault, terrified that they will be blamed for what happened to them. A married woman risks being expelled from her husband's family and forced to give up her children. An unmarried victim will probably never find a husband. "The stigma of rape is so deep that it is often stated that a 'good' woman would rather kill herself than continue to live after having been raped," states a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Drita once considered telling her husband the truth. "I did not want to tell him directly so I asked him 'what would happen to us if I were to be raped?' " she recalls, staring at the ground. "And he answered: 'I would never keep you'." So silence became a barrier against further disaster. Drita's mother-in-law repeatedly reminds visitors that Drita only "served coffee" to the Serbs and never did anything "wrong." Other women may have, she says, but definitely not the ones in her family. "All the girls here are good girls," she says. "Nothing happened to them." Drita says she still screams in her sleep. Investigation of war crimes now lies in the hands of the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague. Patricia Sellers, legal adviser for gender-based crimes at the Tribunal, says the aim is not to prosecute individual cases of rape but rather to build a case against the top commanders and leaders who gave the orders. But to do that, investigators need witnesses who can identify the rapists by their uniforms and units. This information will help the Tribunal track Yugoslav troop movements and lead them to those in charge. It's a huge task, and the women in Drita's village say tribunal investigators have yet to talk to them (although other human-rights researchers have come). Individual prosecutions are being left to local courts. But the victims aren't likely to find justice. For more than a decade, the Serb government in Belgrade controlled the courts in Kosovo and Albanians rarely used them. The war left a judicial vacuum. Now the United Nations civilian administration has just begun the process of rebuilding a legal system. But even then, finding and identifying the men who committed assaults is nearly impossible. Serb forces have long ago withdrawn from Kosovo. A handful of foreign-funded grass-roots organizations run programs to help women in Kosovo. But none of these efforts have reached Drita's village, where the war continues to cast a pall on everyday life. The village no longer has its own water source, for instance: when Serb forces entered the area, they executed 11 men and dumped their bodies in the village well. "It's impossible to forget what happened because everything we do, everywhere we go, we are reminded of it," says Sheriffe, one of the villagers who witnessed the abductions of women. Drita's extended family, which includes 30 people, lives in three rooms. Almost all of the adult men are gone, working menial jobs in Western Europe and only occasionally sending money home. With no phones in the village and no working postal system, contact is sporadic. One husband left seven years ago. It is a struggle for his wife to persuade him to send money for his nine children. Still, the family proudly displays pictures of the men working in Germany. In one snapshot, two men stand ramrod straight, visibly proud of the tuxedoes they wear. In the village, their children's toes poke through tattered sneakers. The women say they are racked by anxiety, stress and depression. Symptoms include sleeplessness, chronic backaches, headaches and palpitations. One woman said she refrained from talking about the war at all so as not to upset her children. "You are forced not to remember and yet not to forget," she said. Because the Serbs in this village raped women out of public view, people can only suspect who the victims are. One rape victim, Esma, points to other women and stresses that what happened to her was not unique. Women and children were packed into rooms, she says. The Serbs came with flashlights to pick out the prettiest. The women had covered their faces with dirt and hair to appear unkempt and pinched their children to force them to cry and distract their captors. For two nights in a row, Esma was taken out of the room where the women were being held and repeatedly assaulted. When she fainted, Esma told a human-rights investigator, one of her tormentors carried her back to the other women and handed her an aspirin before leaving. Even within families, the wall of silence is firm. Arjeta, 28, is one of at least two women in one family who were raped, but neither woman acknowledges what happened to the other. For her, the bitter memories of war began long before that April. Several times that winter, scared of Serb patrols, the villagers had escaped into the nearby forests. Arjeta gave birth to her youngest child in the woods. Later, while a captive in her village, she was twice raped by the Serbs. Now she battles constant and severe headaches. "Every two or three nights I have the same nightmare," Arjeta says. "Someone is coming into my tent to eat me." She suffers in silence, her anxieties seemingly without end. Mendenhall is MSNBC.com's International Editor. ? 2000 Newsweek, Inc. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Aug 8 12:11:15 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:11:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Riedlmayer 's rightful and urgent concerns Message-ID: <20000808161116.22786.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> RFE-RL [C] END NOTE [27] SAUDI AID WORKERS BULLDOZE BALKAN MONUMENTS By Jolyon Naegele The Saudi bulldozing of some of the most historically valuable architectural monuments in the western Kosova market town of Djakovica is merely the latest in a series of iconoclastic activities in the Balkans undertaken in the name of reconstruction assistance by Arab aid organizations. War- damaged historic buildings are not repaired, but rather demolished to make way for what the Arab donors consider to be more proper Islamic structures. The destruction is a further blow to Kosova's architectural heritage, following the destruction by Serbian forces and civilians in 1998 and 1999 of over 200 mosques and other Islamic structures--about one-third of the total number in the province. Harvard University Fine Arts librarian Andras Riedlmayer, the co-author of a survey of Kosova's war-damaged architectural sites, is outraged by the Saudi demolition program. "Unfortunately, a Saudi aid agency got permits from the local reconstruction agency and from the local institute for the preservation of monuments to work on the restoration, so to speak, of the Hadum mosque complex in the center of the historic district." Riedlmayer says the Saudis began on 24 July by trying to knock down all the Ottoman-era gravestones in the cemetery of the Hadum mosque. "The Saudis were interested in removing them because they consider gravestones to be idolatrous. They are followers of Wahhabism, which is an extremist interpretation of Islam at odds with the practice of most of the Muslim world." The Wahhabis are a purist movement founded in the 18th century by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (c. 1703-1791). He converted the Saud tribe, which now rules Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabis are the largest and most powerful Muslim sect in Saudi Arabia. Riedlmayer says the Saudis are obsessed with having all ancient tombstones, mausoleums, and Sufi shrines located near mosques eliminated, since--unlike most Muslims in the world today--the Wahhabis believe these to be "un-Islamic" and idolatrous. He said: "the Wahhabis, with their wealth and fanaticism, are a menace to heritage, in some ways more dangerous than the [Serb paramilitary] Chetniks, since about the latter, at least, no one harbors any illusions regarding their uncharitable intentions." The Saudi Joint Relief Committee for the People of Kosovo and Chechnya, established by royal decree, has built mosques, schools, clinics, and shelters for displaced persons. It has also supplied the province with several hundred tons of medicine, food, blankets, tents, and clothing during the last 13 months. But spreading the message of Wahhabi Islam appears to be another aim of the committee. The new mosques are white, boxy structures devoid of detail--a far cry from the centuries-old Ottoman-style mosques that characterize the urban and village landscape in much of the Balkans. Riedlmayer says NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers declined to intervene in Djakovica after the Saudis showed their authorized papers. "Eventually the Department of Culture in UNMIK (the UN administration) was notified. They spoke with the Saudis on [27 July] and tried to get them to desist. However, on [28 July], the Saudis sent in a bulldozer [and] knocked down the buildings around the Hadum mosque, including the library built in 1733 and ancient gravestones in the graveyard." The Hadum mosque itself, which survived last year's fighting largely intact--despite fire damage to its porch and grenade damage to its minaret--remains endangered. If the past is prologue, the frescoes could soon be whitewashed by Wahhabi purists. Attempts by RFE/RL to contact the UNMIK-Joint Interim Administration's Department of Culture, the Kosovo Institute for the Protection of Monuments, or the Saudi Joint Relief Committee in Kosovo were unsuccessful. However, Peruvian Alvaro Higueras, from the UNMIK Culture Department, confirmed in a telephone call to Riedlmayer on 3 August that the Saudis had razed the library and Koran school. Higueras said the Saudis planned to build a reinforced concrete Islamic center on the cleared site. But the UNMIK official says the Saudis applied for permission for a restoration project, not for new construction. Higueras says an order has now been issued to stop construction indefinitely. He says the Saudis will have to "undo the damage" and restore the Ottoman-era buildings using traditional materials and techniques. Riedlmayer has documented cases in which the Saudi and other Arab aid agencies have destroyed other historic Islamic buildings elsewhere in Kosova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Bulgaria. Last October, while Riedlmayer was in Kosova conducting a survey of war-damaged architectural heritage, he witnessed the destruction of Muslim cemeteries in Vushtrri. He says an Islamic aid agency from the United Arab Emirates had pressured local Albanian residents to sledgehammer the graves of their ancestors, completely clearing two historic graveyards next to the Gazi Ali Beg and Karamanli mosques of more than 100 gravestones dating back to the 15th century. Only the grave marker of Gazi Ali Beg himself remained, as the locals refused to allow that one to be smashed. Riedlmayer says the UAE aid agency promised to rebuild the damaged mosques "twice as big and twice as Islamic," but only if the gravestones were removed. He says the agency, the largest aid organization in the town, also made an implicit threat to withhold humanitarian aid if the donors' request was ignored. Riedlmayer notes that during and immediately after the war in Bosnia (1992-95), a Saudi aid agency took charge of the restoration of the Gazi Husrev Beg mosque (Begova dzamija) as well as other historic mosques in Sarajevo and in many other towns and villages. At the Beg mosque, the Saudis ordered the Ottoman tile work and painted wall decorations stripped off and discarded and had the whole building redone, as Riedlmayer puts it "in gleaming hospital white, even the minaret slathered in white plaster." He says that in scores of villages, the Saudis had war-damaged but restorable historic Ottoman-style Bosnian mosques demolished and redone Saudi-style. All of the colorful Balkan-Muslim interior decor was eliminated, and separate entrances were added to segregate women. To drive home the significance of the Saudi destruction in the Balkans, Riedlmayer says, "Imagine, if you will, some terrible catastrophe affecting the historic churches of Rome and Tuscany, and then having" modern-day U.S. Christian sects coming in and insisting that they be redone in "proper Christian style." The author is a senior RFE/RL correspondent based in Prague. To view photos of some of the structures described in the article go to: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ From Gazhebo at aol.com Tue Aug 8 19:23:19 2000 From: Gazhebo at aol.com (Gazhebo at aol.com) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 19:23:19 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Yugoslavia Protests Albanian Office Message-ID: Yugoslavia Protests Albanian Office By EDITH M. LEDERER UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Yugoslavia protested to the U.N. Security Council on Monday against an Albanian liaison office in Kosovo, saying it would fuel Albania's hopes of splitting the province from Yugoslavia. In a letter to the council making the ``strongest protest,'' Yugoslav envoy Vladislav Jovanovic called the opening of the Albanian office an unlawful act of ``diplomatic piracy'' that will promote Albania's ``illegitimate and hostile claims'' to Kosovo. He asked the council to annul a U.N. regulation allowing foreign missions to open in Kosovo. His letter put the spotlight again on the thorny and unresolved issue of the future of Kosovo, where Serbs want to remain part of Yugoslavia and ethnic Albanians seek independence. The council resolution enshrining the June 1999 peace agreement that ended NATO's 78-day bombing campaign of Yugoslavia reaffirms Yugoslav sovereignty over Kosovo. But it also authorized the U.N. administration to set up an interim democratic government in Kosovo that would have ``substantial autonomy'' within Yugoslavia - and to facilitate ``a political process designed to determine Kosovo's future status.'' NATO bombed Yugoslavia in an effort to halt a Serb crackdown on Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, and Serb forces withdrew from the province. The Security Council has not tackled the issue of Kosovo's future, despite urgings by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the NATO commander, and the province's U.N. administrator Bernard Kouchner. The Yugoslav government has repeatedly accused the U.N. administration of trying to sever Belgrade's ties to Kosovo. Jovanovic complained to the council in the letter circulated Monday that Albania characterized the opening of the liaison office in the Kosovo capital, Pristina, on July 24 as ``the establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and Kosovo.'' He accused Kouchner of illegally promulgating a regulation June 10 allowing the establishment of foreign liaison offices in Kosovo and called on the Security Council to annul it. Jovanovic noted that Yugoslavia has no diplomatic relations with Albania. The Albanian Parliament in October 1992 recognized the so-called Republic of Kosovo, ``which constituted a glaring example of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign, neighboring state,'' he said. There is no doubt, Jovanovic said, that the Albanian liaison office, will be ``abused'' to further the secession of Kosovo from Yugoslavia and the creation of ``Greater Albania.'' From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Tue Aug 8 23:31:58 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 23:31:58 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] KOHA JONE Message-ID: Himare, bllokohet anija greke qe merrte rere Zenepe Luka Vlore - Ndalohet grabitja e reres nga anija greke. Dje ne mengjes policia e Vlores beri bllokimin e anija greke "Camunicy" ndersa do te bente ngarkesen e radhes me rere ne plazhin e Himares. Ka qene nje reagim i ashper i drejtuesve te distriktit detar per bllokimin e saj pasi anija nuk ka respektuar ligjet e detit. Keshtu, eshte futur ne ujrat tona pa vene ne dijeni 24 ore perpara, eshte detyre e kapitenerise se Vlores kjo per t'i marre keto sinjale dhe per te lajmeruar distriktin, ndersa per te gjitha anijet qe futen ne port perfshi dhe ato qe sjellin pasagjere ky rregull zbatohet, ndersa nuk ndodh keshtu me anijen greke qe ngarkon rere ne Himare. "Ne do te kerkojme sekuestrimin e anijes pasi asnjehere nuk i eshte bindur urdherave tona, nuk na ka treguar as licencen me te cilen eshte pajisur dhe qe ngarkon rere ne plazhin e Himares. Por, gjithcka ka ndodhur dje per anijen tashme te perfolur pas nje mbledhje urgjente qe eshte bere ne prefekturen e Vlores nen drejtimin e prefektit Tare Hamo. Ai ka deklaruar mesditen e se martes per "KJ" se ne qender te ketij debati ku merrnin pjese dhe perfaqesues te uniformave blu dhe te distriktit detar ka qene pikerisht aktiviteti i kesaj anije, por jo vetem i saj. "Ne kemi dy anije greke me bashkepronare shqiptare, nje ne Sarande dhe tjetra ne Himare qe jane te pajisura me nje licence sipas nje ligji mineral nga drejtoria e pergjithshme e minierave dhe Ministria e Transporteve. Ne licencen qe tashme eshte rinovuar ne gusht per anijen Camunicy eshte cituar se asaj i vihet ne dispozicion 1.1 km katror plazh nga Jalta deri tek Perroi nen Iliaz. Por, ne konstatojme qe keto anije pervecse kryejne nje veprim arbitrar ndaj mjedisit tone merren dhe me trafik klandestinesh. Keto licenca jane dhene jashte nesh duke mosperfillur perfaqesuesit e pushtetit vendor dhe aq me teper banoret vendas qe kane reaguar me te vertete ashper, ka thene prefekti Hamo ndersa mesohet qe po dje ai ka nisur nje informacion qeverise qe kerkon pezullimin e menjehershem te aktivitetit te dy anijeve. Bllokimi i anijes eshte kryer nga uniformat blu te Vlores dhe kete e deklaron per "KJ" shefi i komisariatit te policise nenkolonel Perparim Muho. Eshte bllokuar nga policia e Himares, thote ai dhe eshte marre ne ruajtje deri ne momentin qe te sqarohet plotesisht dokumentacioni i saj. Por, duket se anija greke Camunicy qe vjen nga porti i Pireut dhe hyn e del sa here te doje ne Himare duke sjelle dhe kurde nuk do ta kete te lehte te fitoje lirine e meparshme, kjo per shkak te zemerimit te himarioteve, por dhe drejtuesve te pushtetit vendor ne Vlore. Tashme, kerkojne zyrtarisht qe t'u hiqet licenca anijeve qe marrin rere nga plazhet e Himares dhe te Sarandes. "Shpresojme se kjo do te arrihet", thote nje burim ne prefekture megjithese ka zera qe prapa ketyre licencave jane njerez te rendesishem te pushtetit aktual. From albanianpride at hotmail.com Wed Aug 9 17:20:50 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 17:20:50 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Informacion rreth Ekonomise Shqiptare ! Message-ID: Informacion macroekonomike rreth Shqiperise mund te gjeni tek Home-Page i Bankes Kombetare Shqiptare.Cdo tre muaj atje publikohen indikatoret macroekonomike te vendit.Cdo muaj publikohen balance te ndryshme gjithashtu edhe te bankave sekondare.Adresa eshte: http://www.bankofalbania.org/ Nje burim tjeter informacioni ekonomike per te interesuarit mund te jete gazeta ekonomia: http://www.gazeta-ekonomia.com me nderime Ardi! ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Wed Aug 9 12:53:31 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 16:53:31 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Sustaining Balkan Economies Message-ID: <20000809165331.69247.qmail@hotmail.com> The US based Council on Foreign Affairs has set up a task force that has analyzed the current state and problems facing the Balkan economies and has come up with recommendations. Those interested in these things can read the report at the following link. http://www.cfr.org/public/pubs/PromBalkanTask.html#forward (The Council on Foreign Affairs publishes the prestigious Foreign Affairs journal) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From cana at cs.stevens-tech.edu Wed Aug 9 16:21:00 2000 From: cana at cs.stevens-tech.edu (Mentor Cana) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 16:21:00 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Urgently needed: accommodations for 10 days in Greater Boston (fwd) Message-ID: Dear friends, If you can help, please contact Mr. Van Christo directly. thanks, Mentor ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 14:47:31 -0400 From: Van Christo To: ALBANIAN at LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU Subject: Urgently needed: accommodations for 10 days in Greater Boston __________________________Albanian Discussion List________________________ Archives: http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/archives/albanian.html __________________________________________________________________________ Hello Mentor: My wife, Jane, and I are urgently trying to find accommodations in the Greater Boston area for 10-year old Niko Gjini and his caretaker, Kristina, for 10 days from 8/18 or 8/19 to 8/29. Niko is a 10-year old boy from northern Albania who is undergoing reconstructive surgery at the Shriners Hospital in Boston. He has already undergone one round of such surgeries and unless we can find a place for him and Kristina to stay for 10 days, Shriners is going to send him back to Albania thus postponing 2 or 3 additional rounds of required surgery. I've posted this plea for help on Frosina's Forum/Message Board at www.frosina.org but I request the vast reach of your own fine organization to participate in this good cause. If you can, please help? Thanks. Te fala, Van Christo __________________________________________________________________________ The Albanian Home Page (Since 1995) http://www.albanian.com/main/ __________________________________________________________________________ Opinions expressed on ALBANIAN do NOT necessarily reflect the views of the owner, co-owners and/or moderators, nor any of their host institutions. **>>> Technical support: albanian-request at listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu <<<<** From kulufi at hotmail.com Wed Aug 9 19:11:00 2000 From: kulufi at hotmail.com (Oltion Gjura) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 23:11:00 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Looking for someone who needs a roomate. Message-ID: Njatjeta te gjitheve ! Une po shkruaj per here te pare ne kete liste me sa mbaj mend. Nga java tjeter dhe exaktekisht me date 14 Gusht me vjen nje shok nga Greqia. Po kerkoj per vend ku ai mund te rrije. Ju lutem nese dini keni ndonje te njohur qe kerkon roomate me beni te ditur sa me pare qe te jete e mundur. Mundesisht te jete rreth zones se Bostonit dhe te kete transport public prane. Thanks everyone. Olti Gjura ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Thu Aug 10 08:34:52 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 08:34:52 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] CfA: Understanding te Balkans Conference, Ohrid October 2000 Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] CfA: Understanding te Balkans Conference, Ohrid October 2000 Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 12:59:22 +0200 Size: 5098 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Thu Aug 10 08:38:39 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 08:38:39 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] CfP: Political and Literary Representations of Forced Migration (the University of Bath, England) Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] CfP: Political and Literary Representations of Forced Migration (the University of Bath, England) Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2000 19:08:00 +0200 Size: 8793 URL: From albboschurch at juno.com Thu Aug 10 05:10:19 2000 From: albboschurch at juno.com (albboschurch at juno.com) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 05:10:19 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fw: 10-day accommodations for Niko and Kristina Message-ID: <20000810.051904.-364259.7.albboschurch@juno.com> Any help with the request below would be appreciated. Please contact Van Christo at the email address below. --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Van Christo To: Arthur Liolin Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 10:49:48 -0400 Subject: 10-day accommodations for Niko and Kristina Dear Father Liolin: After our return from vacation, Jane and I were saddened to learn about the demise of Prifteresha Honey. We offer you our deepest condolences. I am trying to find accommodations for Niko Gjini and his caretaker, Kristina, for some days from 8/18 or 8/19 to 8/29. Niko is back at Shriners Hospital where he recently completed his first round of surgeries but unless a 10-day accommodation can be found for them between surgeries, Shriners will send him back to Albania thereby postponing an additional 2 or 3 operations. I would be most grateful if you make an appeal to the Albanian community for a family in the Greater Boston area can come forward to provide food and shelter for Niko and Kristina (who speaks English) for the 10 days. Thank you in advance for your help. Te fala, Van Christo ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. From i_spaho at hotmail.com Fri Aug 11 09:58:02 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 13:58:02 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Edhe nje perpjekje tjeter per te ndryshuar atmosferen Message-ID: Besoj se nuk jam e vetmja qe kam takuar njerez qe dine fare pak ose asgje per Shqiperine. Ne ato momente deshperimi kam ndjere me shume se kurre lidhjen me ate vend dhe ata njerez te dashur si dhe nevojen per te ndryshuar kete realitet te hidhur. Mbreme, tek shihja dokumentarin e BBC-se "Forgotten Land -Tales from Albania" ndjeva sesi nje ze i brendshem bashkohej me zerin e Mimoza Ahmetit, intervisten e se ciles po mundohem ta riprodhoj pjeserisht. ...Someone asked me once "Do you feel that Albania ia now part of the world?" I answered him "Do you think that the world is the world without Albania"? But at the same time I felt inferiority for my nation. But I don't feel inferiority as a person. No, I feel broken. It is very hard for me to get all my parts to be one to bein from the beginning... Poezia e meposhtme eshte shkruar pas dokumentarit. Faleminderit Nardi per videon dhe frymezimin. "Toka e Harruar" Kudo me del perpara imazhi yt, imazhi yt qe me asfikson, e me ben te ndjehem njeqindfish fajtore. Te perkedhel cdo mengjes ne rrudhat e vockla qe me shtohen te syte, te shoh tek thinja e pare qe vetes dhe ty mundohem t'ia fsheh. Te humbas ne endrra dhe rend te te kerkoj. Te gjej ne syte pa jete te prinderve te mi tek pine kafen te mallosur e llumin zhbirojne. Te pertyp ne castet e vetmise, bashke me lotet e mallit, kur veten s'e genjej dot me se jam e forte. Sa shume te dua, vendi im, e sa me shume vuaj, aq me shume te cmoj! Do vonohem pak kete here. E di qe do ma falesh marrezine, e do t'me pranosh serish ne gjirin tend, ti, i paperseritshmi vend, qe me ke dhene te shtrenjtin emer. Boston, Gusht 2000 Me shpresen se te tjere do me pasojne... Diten e mire, Irma ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From alb2001 at beld.net Fri Aug 11 15:33:41 2000 From: alb2001 at beld.net (ALBANIA 2001) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 15:33:41 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] FWD: Preliminary Announcement Regarding Two Upcoming Albanian Events Message-ID: <200008111533.AA525336790@f155.beld.net> More details will follow later: 1) President Rexhep Mejdani will be here in Boston on September 9th and 10th, and there will a reception and lunch at Anthony's Pier 4 on Sunday September 10th. 2) On Saturday, September 16 there will be a Luncheon Buffet to benefit The Albanian Students Association and The School for Kosovar Youth -- Mr. Richard Lukaj, who is the newly elected Chairman of the National Albanian-American Council (NAAC) will be the featured speaker. Thanks/Faleminderit, Mark Kosmo -- ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Suite #417 160 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02116 Telephone: 781-843-1056 Telephone: 617-262-6665 Fax: 617-262-2340 E-Mail: alb2001 at beld.net ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Rruga Asim Vokshi Pallati #141 Tirana, Albania Telephone: 355-42-40842 Telephone: 355-42-39748 Fax: 355-42-39748 E-Mail: alb2001 at icc.al.eu.org -- From albboschurch at juno.com Fri Aug 11 14:31:18 2000 From: albboschurch at juno.com (Albanian Orthodox Church) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 14:31:18 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Needed: 10-day accommodations for Niko and Kristina Message-ID: <20000811.144329.9046.1.albboschurch@juno.com> If anyone is able to help, kindly contact Van Christo at the email address below.Thank you. --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Van Christo To: Arthur Liolin Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 10:49:48 -0400 Dear Father Liolin: I am trying to find accommodations for Niko Gjini and his caretaker, Kristina, for some days from 8/18 or 8/19 to 8/29. Niko is back at Shriners Hospital where he recently completed his first round of surgeries but unless a 10-day accommodation can be found for them between surgeries, Shriners will send him back to Albania thereby postponing an additional 2 or 3 operations. I would be most grateful if you make an appeal to the Albanian community for a family in the Greater Boston area can come forward to provide food and shelter for Niko and Kristina (who speaks English) for the 10 days. Thank you in advance for your help. Te fala, Van Christo --------- End forwarded message ---------- --------- End forwarded message ---------- From albi at argjiro.net Sat Aug 12 03:15:54 2000 From: albi at argjiro.net (Albi Qeli) Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 07:15:54 -0000 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] ALBANOHELLENICA Message-ID: <010101c0042d$2a160720$82acf880@slimshady.uic.edu> the way I see it, an arvanite who is a damn good hellene is a person who is albanian by blood and greek by belief, (in other words a hybrid, a kind of sea-diving eagle or a kind of flying fish); >>This Kostas Giakoumis is an Arvanite and a damn good Helene! I've had a >>long >>conversation with him regarding the issue of what is it that makes one >>Albanian. My view was that it is only the Albanian language and obviously >>Arvanites would be defined as proper Albanians under this premise. Of >>course >>our albanophone friend opposed saying that one is whatever one feels to be. >>So if an Albanian all of a sudden starts feeling Greek that that's >>precisely >>what he is ...a Greek. I don't know whether >>this view stems from their X chromosome or whether >>these Helenes are "touchy/feely" people for whom feelings come first >>...reason second. From Gazhebo at aol.com Fri Aug 11 18:43:01 2000 From: Gazhebo at aol.com (Gazhebo at aol.com) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 18:43:01 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Drought Forces Albania to Ration Electricity Message-ID: <7d.8ec2375.26c5db75@aol.com> Drought Forces Albania to Ration Electricity TIRANA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Albania's national electricity company has begun cutting power for up to nine hours a day throughout the country following droughts which have halved water reserves, officials said on Friday. Economy and Privatisation Minister Mustafa Muci criticised the state-owned monopoly KESH, which imports up to five million kilowatts of power per day from Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia. Muci told managers to stabilise the situation or quit. Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries, relies heavily on hydroelectric schemes for its power. The cuts come at a bad time for the ruling five-party coalition led by the Socialist Party, which faces local government elections on October 1. ``This extraordinary drought has brought water reserves in the Drin cascade to 30 cubic metres per second compared to the average of 70 cubic metres or more per second,'' Muci told reporters. Muci said KESH would speed up investment in grid upgrades. ``We will do our utmost so Albanian citizens do not have to live in the dark this winter,'' Muci said, adding talks were being held with Macedonia to increase imports. Experts say the situation is not likely to change until Albania liberalises the electricity market and creates new sources to generate power. About 25 percent of electricity generated in Albania is lost during distribution because of a worn-out network and another 25 percent is not paid for by consumers. The Economy Ministry is considering taking steps to enable the bank accounts of those who evade payment to be frozen. ``KESH will turn a corner because this year the World Bank's board of directors will have reviewed the $87 million dollar project it suspended pending agreement with Enel,'' Muci said. Italy's Enel manages KESH, a condition international financing institutions set for allocating credits. From mehollim at hotmail.com Sun Aug 13 23:14:03 2000 From: mehollim at hotmail.com (Mimoza Meholli) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 03:14:03 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fw: Apply now to teach in the Kosovo Summer University 2001 Programme Message-ID: >From: "Craig Zelizer" >To: , >CC: "DENNIS J. SANDOLE" , , >"IdilP" >Subject: [nisjobs] Fw: Apply now to teach in the Kosovo Summer University >2001 Programme >Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 00:54:56 -0400 > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Academic Training Association >To: >Sent: Monday, July 24, 2000 1:25 PM >Subject: Apply now to teach in the Kosovo Summer University 2001 Programme > > > > The University of Pristina and the Academic Training Association (ATA, > > formerly know as YSY) invite professors and lecturers to teach at the >first > > Summer University in Kosovo to be held in July / early August 2001. > > > > The programme will bring together regional & international professors >and > > lecturers for a period of three weeks and will provide about 30 courses, > > workshops, lectures, etc. in the humanities, social sciences and natural > > sciences. Courses are taught using a range of new, interactive teaching > > methodologies. The programme particularly aims to intensively train >local > > and regional young academic staff. Students, professionals, and local >(N)GO > > workers are also invited. > > > > As you know, YSY/ ATA implemented a similar project at the University of > > Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina from 1996 through 1998. The project was a >huge > > success and continued and expanded each year. As a result, since 1999 >the > > University of Tuzla has been able to continue the programme >independently. > > > > Professors and lecturers interested in participating in the programme >are > > invited to apply now using the attached application material. >Application > > material can also be downloaded form the ATA website: > > www.academictraining.org. Along with the forms, a list of priority >courses > > is attached. It is also possible to suggest additional courses. > > > > The process of reconstruction underway in Kosovo following the recent > > period of severe violent conflict necessitates the coherent and >coordinated > > actions of all sectors of the society, such as industry, health care, > > public administration, NGOs and education. In particular, a good >education > > system is critical to the provision of the human resources and the >research > > upon which other sectors rely. Kosovo's education system however is > > suffering from not only structural damage and the loss of facilities as >a > > result of the conflict, but also from the lack of access to up-to-date > > knowledge and skills, a curriculum in need of updating, isolation from >the > > wider academic community and a brain drain. > > > > The Summer University Project aims to address the needs of higher >education > > in Kosovo. In addition, the project will prove valuable with regard to > > initiating and encouraging reconciliation and cooperation among academic > > and other communities in the region. In short, the project aims: > > > > - To integrate the Kosovo Higher Education System into the European >system; > > - To foster sustainable co-operation with visiting professors and their > > universities; > > - To improve the quality of education; > > - To broaden the specialist knowledge and professional skills of young > > academic staff; > > - To stimulate regional cooperation and the development of regional > > professional networks; > > - To strengthen links between the University and other sectors of >society. > > > > > > Duration, Reimbursements, Accommodation and Communication > > > > The preferred duration of a course is two to three weeks. Intensive >courses > > have priority. > > Professors and lecturers are kindly requested to try and raise funds at > > their own universities to support their visit to Pristina. For those > > professors who cannot obtain funding, reimbursements are offered for >travel > > and accommodation. No salaries or per diems are paid. The easiest/ >cheapest > > way to travel to Pristina is by flying to Skopje (Macedonia) first and >then > > take a taxi to Pristina. Direct flight to Pristina are available as >well. > > Housing arrangements will be made by ATA and the University of Pristina. > > Visiting professors will stay in rented apartments. Internet facilities >are > > available in the numerous internet caf?'s throughout the city. > > International phone-lines are currently functioning, though barely and > > expensively. This situation will have improved by the summer of 2001. > > Depending on your network provider, it may be possible to use a mobile > > telephone. > > > > > > Classrooms, Teaching materials, Language of instruction, Certificates & > > Recreational Programme > > > > The University of Pristina will provide classrooms and lecture halls >free > > of charge. Literature, journals, and small laboratory equipment will be > > taken to Pristina. Participating professors are provided with a budget >to > > purchase the materials needed. After the courses, the materials will be > > donated to the university or faculty libraries or disseminated amongst >the > > participants. Courses, seminars and forums offered by international > > professors are in English. Translation into the local language will be > > provided for all courses. Through course attendance and examinations, > > certificates can be obtained. The possibility of ECTS credits is being > > discussed with the local faculties. To stimulate informal contact >between > > participants, various social events will be organised. These will >include > > weekly dinners for all professors, excursions in the region and cultural > > events. In the first weekend, a special introductory programme will be > > organised for all visitors. > > > > > > Living conditions > > > > Living conditions have normalised, but are not yet comparable with >Western > > European standards. Health care, public transport, supermarkets, etc. >are > > available. General living expenses are little lower than those in >Western > > Europe. The currency is the German Mark. > > > > > > Safety & travel documents > > > > The prospects for the situation in Kosovo are relatively positive. The > > situation should remain politically stable and non-violent. A negative > > change in the situation in Kosovo may eventually obstruct any academic > > activity in the region. In that case ATA will be entitled to cancel or >to > > postpone the project. Please contact your Foreign Ministry with regard >to > > travel documents. > > > > > > Application procedure > > > > If interested, please complete the application forms attached to this >email > > and return them by email to ksu at academictraining.org, subject header >'KSU > > Application'. All applications, including any suggestions you put >forward > > for course(s), will be discussed by a joint University of Pristina/ UN/ >ATA > > academic board. ATA will keep you informed on the progress of your > > application. > > > > Up to date information with regard to the Summer University can be >obtained > > through the ATA Newsletter. This newsletter will be sent to interested > > participants via email and may also be downloaded from the ATA web-site > > (www.academictraining.org), where additional information can be obtained >on > > these and other activities in the region. > > > > We strongly encourage distribution of this letter and the attached > > application materials to any of your colleagues who may be interested. >If > > you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to > > contact us. > > > > Yours sincerely, > > > > > > > > Y. du Pont, M.R. Richter > > Chairman ATA Programme Officer ATA > > ------------------------------------------ > > The Academic Training Association > > ATA (formerly known as Foundation YSY) is a not-for-profit academic > > organisation based at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ATA > > implemented a similar project at the University of Tuzla, Bosnia for the > > first time in 1996. The project was a success and continued and expanded > > each year until 1998, from which time the University has been able to > > continue the programme independently. Under the Summer University, >Tuzla, > > the numbers of participants from the surrounding area was increased > > steadily each year, constructively contributing to processes of > > reconciliation. Contact between Bosnian academics and those from outside > > the region led to the establishment of international cooperation >networks > > which enabled the continued exchange of information, on for instance > > up-to-date developments in research, and the establishment of spin-off > > long-term cooperation schemes such as fellowship exchange programmes. >Such > > positive outcomes can also be expected in the case of the University of > > Pristina, which is fully in support of the project. > > > > ATA > > Address: > > Vendelstraat 2 > > 1012 XX Amsterdam, The Netherlands > > Tel.: +31 20 525 2495 > > Fax: +31 20 525 2495 > > Email: KSU at academictraining.org > > Internet: www.academictraining.org > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Mon Aug 14 12:03:09 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 12:03:09 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Call for Papers: Ten Years After: Democratisation and Security Challenges in SE Europe, 27-29 October 2000, Ohrid Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] CfP: Ten Years After: Democratisation and Security Challenges in SE Europe, 27-29 October 2000, Ohrid Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 14:44:53 +0200 Size: 3942 URL: From juniku at hotmail.com Tue Aug 15 05:16:58 2000 From: juniku at hotmail.com (Uk Lushi) Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 09:16:58 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Vetëelegji në tri akte e një ushtari të vrarë të UÇK-së Message-ID: Vet?elegji n? tri akte e nj? ushtari t? vrar? t? U?K-s? Akti I Paska ardhur pranvera shqiptar? kahdo q? jeni- mos qani mos qani p?r mua un? isha ushtari i U?K-s? ju desha t? gjith?ve dhe shpresoj se edhe ju me desh?t nuk kam t? them m? shum? dheu ma ka mbuluar trupin qiellin se shoh dielli a mos ka ren? n? oqean moll?t a kan? luluar n?na a i ka bler? syzet shelgjet a jan? thyer n? piptha ah pranvera paska ardhur Akti II Paska ardhur pranvera ballkanas kahdo q? jeni- mos qani mos qani p?r mua un? isha ushtari i U?K-s? ju desha t? gjith?ve dhe shpresoj se edhe ju do t? m? doni nuk kam t? them m? shum? ende e ndiej nxehtesin? e plumbit q? m? p?rshkoi zemr?n hapeni varrin tim hiqmani k?t? dhe mbi trup qiellin ta shoh diellin tek ngritet n? horizont vajz?n q? e lash? shtatzan? djalin tim n? paqe ah pranvera paska ardhur Akti III Paska ardhur pranvera njer?z kahdo q? jeni- mos qani mos qani p?r mua un? isha ushtari i U?K-s? ju desha t? gjith?ve dhe shpresoj se edhe ju do t? m? doni nuk kam t? them m? shum? un? nuk do t? ngritem kurr? un? nuk do t? kthehem kurr? ju lutem hapini zemrat me ?el?sin e gjakut tim dhe humbeni at? ?el?s q? kurr? t' mos mund ti mbyllni m? ju flas un? ushtari i U?K-s? nga nj? varr masiv ju lutem ma ndizni nj? qiri mbi k?t? varr ta shoh drit?n n? fundin e tunelit q? s' arrita ta shoh p?rsgjalli un? nuk nuk munda ndryshe mu desht ta zgjedh lirin? ju lutem un? nuk kam t? them m? shum? ah pranvera paska ardhur Uk Lushi ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Tue Aug 15 12:48:17 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 16:48:17 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Kuksianet s'duan taksa Message-ID: N? Kuk?s ka pasur t? sht?na Kuk?s, 15 gusht (Kosovapress) - Njoftohet se n? Kuk?s ka pasur t? sht?na, nd?rkoh? q? policia shqiptare ?sht? konfrontuar me tregtar? t? vegj?l t? armatosur, p?r t? hapur rrug?n q? ata kishin bllokuar pran? kufirit me Kosov?n. Fshatar?t e Perbregut kishin bllokuar rrug?n tri dit? m? par? p?r t? protestuar kund?r tarifave doganore q? atyre u duhet t? paguajn? p?r t? sjell? nj? sasi t? vog?l sendesh ushqimore dhe mallra t? tjera nga qyteti i af?rt kosovar i Prizrenit. Njoftohet gjithashtu se fshatrat p?rreth kan? filluar t? p?rkrahin protest?n, duke krijuar bllokime t? tjera t? rrug?s. Po ashtu, edhe nd?rtesa e policis? lokale n? Kuk?s ?sht? sulmuar me arm? nga nj? turm? e indinjuar, mir?po nuk njoftohet p?r plagosje t? r?nda gjat? konfrontimit. Kuk?si mes kontrabandist?ve dhe policis? Tiran?, 15 gusht (Kosovapress) - Kuk?si kalon or? t? v?shtira mes njer?zve q? policia i quan kriminel?, tregtar? t? vet?quajtur dhe polic?ve, q? po b?jn? t? pamundur?n p?r t? hapur aksin rrugor Kuk?s-Morin?. Ngjarja ka filluar t? h?n?n paradite, m? 14 gusht, kur disa tregtar? kan? bllokuar k?t? rrug?, t? ndihmuar edhe nga disa banor? t? fshatrave p?rreth qytetit t? Kuk?sit. Sipas Ministris? s? Rendit t? Shqip?ris?, policia e prefektur?s s? rrethit t? Kuk?sit, ka marr? t? gjitha masat p?r t? zhbllokuar k?t? aks rrugor dhe e ka realizuar sot n? m?ngjes, n? or?n 10.00. P?r ngjarjen e dy dit?ve t? fundit, Zyra e shtypit e Ministris? s? Rendit Publik, deklaron sot se policia ?sht? e vendosur p?r t? goditur pa hezitim ?do lloj veprimtarie kriminale. "T?rheqje prapa p?rball? presioneve, q? mund t? vijn? nga grupet ose individ?t kriminel?. Kontrabandist? dhe trafikant? nuk do t? ket?",- deklarojn? zyrtar? t? k?saj ministrie. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Aug 15 20:24:51 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 17:24:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Voice of America Message-ID: <20000816002451.16977.qmail@web108.yahoomail.com> [01] CLINTON-BALKANS (L-ONLY) BY DAVID GOLLUST (LOS ANGELES) DATE=8/14/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-265464 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: President Clinton - speaking in Los Angeles in advance of his Democratic convention address - defended his administration's record on foreign policy including his decision to send U-S troops to Bosnia and Kosovo. VOA's David Gollust has details from Los Angeles. TEXT: The administration's Balkans policy has been an early campaign issue, with Republicans including Presidential nominee George W. Bush criticizing Mr. Clinton and by extension Vice President Gore for making open-ended commitments of U-S troops without a clear exit strategy. In an address here to the National Democratic Institute - a party-affiliated policy study group -- Mr. Clinton said the alternative to allied action would have been wider ethnic chaos in Central Europe: ///CLINTON ACTUALITY/// If the cause of freedom had been lost in those countries and the principle of ethnic cleansing had been upheld, we would be paying for it along with free people across the world for a very, very long time (applause). ///END ACT/// Mr. Clinton said that with Kosovo holding its first free elections later this year, the only vestige of the Balkans undemocratic past is Serbia. There, he said the United States is encouraging opposition elements to mount a unified challenge to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic despite the evident shortcomings of the election process in that country: ///CLINTON ACT TWO/// Even if he steals the coming Presidential election - he undoubtedly will try to do that - he will lose what legitimacy he has left with the Serbian people. But whatever may happen, he has utterly failed to build a greater Serbia based on ethnic cleansing and exclusion. ///END ACT/// In an address that mentioned neither the Vice President or Mr. Bush by name, Mr. Clinton said he hoped his successor - whoever he is - will continue effort to battle poverty and AIDS in Africa. Mr. Clinton - who visits Nigeria next week - cast that country and its transition to democracy as a key to broader peace and economic development on the continent: ///CLINTON ACT THREE/// If democracy takes root in Nigeria, it will lift up an entire region. So we'll do our part to help with trade and investment, support for Nigeria's peacekeepers, and its efforts to insure that the vast wealth it has accumulated and squandered in the past finally benefits its people. ///END ACT/// The President said he was grateful for bipartisan support in Congress on emergency aid to Colombia - which he also visits later this month -- as well as for permanent normal trade relations with China, and measures to lower trade barriers to goods from impoverished states in Africa and the Caribbean. (Signed) NEB/DAG/KBK 14-Aug-2000 21:14 PM EDT (15-Aug-2000 0114 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail ? Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Aug 16 20:55:18 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 17:55:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Per diplomatet Message-ID: <20000817005518.26719.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> Ish-diplomat?t, ose dinjiteti zero Nga Mustafa Nano N?se duam t? ilustrojm? p?r ndok?nd munges?n e respektit ndaj shtetit, e bashk? me k?t?, munges?n e moralit politik (n? da?i, njer?zor), nuk b?jm? gabim t? ndalemi te sjellja e diplomat?ve tan? gjat? e pas kriz?s s? vitit ?97. Gjat? kriz?s, ambasador?, konsuj, sekretar? ambasadash, an?tar? t? sh?rbimeve sekrete e diplomat? t? tjer? me sh?rbim jasht? shtetit, nuk ngurronin t? shprehnin (edhe publikisht) nj? lloj turpi mbi at? q? po b?hej n? vendin e tyre, nga bashkatdhetar?t e tyre. N? takime me t? huaj shtireshin r?ndom t? sikletosur, sikur donin t?u thonin k?tyre t? fundit, q? shikoni, kjo q? po ndodh nuk ka asnj? lidhje me ne; ne v?rtet jemi shqiptar?, jemi p?rfaq?sues t? shtetit shqiptar, por ne jemi ndryshe, ne jemi pjesa e zgjedhur, ne jemi si ju, s?ka gj? se p?rfaq?sojm? k?tu at? popull t? varf?r, fatkeq, t? hutuar e t? pakuptuesh?m. Ka pasur edhe m? keq. Nuk mungonin rastet, kur nga goja e k?tyre diplomat?ve dilnin akuza t? p?rbindshme t? fabrikuara nga kuzhina e pushtetit t? asaj kohe si p?rligjje p?r kriz?n, sipas t? cilave, gjith?ka ishte nj? loj? e ndyr? antishqiptare e opozit?s (ish - komunist?ve). Vini re, pra: sapo shtireshin t? plagosur n? ndjenjat e tyre komb?tare e njer?zore p?r shkak t? asaj krize t? ?mendur, duke marr? n? mbrojtje pushtetin dhe duke shar? opozit?n, ata nxirrnin n? sken? surratin e nj? diplomati t? shpifur, p?rball? t? cilit ?do koleg i tyre joshqiptar shqyente syt?. Dhe me t? drejt?. Nj? diplomat i huaj mund ta kuptoj? nj? kriz? t? nj? vendi, aq m? tep?r t? nj? vendi si Shqip?ria, por partizanll?ku i neveritsh?m politik i diplomat?ve shqiptar? ka qen? gjithsesi i pakuptuesh?m p?r ta. Gj?ja e par? q? m?sohet n? diplomaci, qoft? dhe n? kurset disaor?she t? trajnimit, ?sht? nj? rregull shum? i thjesht?: diplomati ?sht? fytyra dhe z?ri i shtetit, jo i pushtetit; p?r sa koh? b?n diplomatin, duhet t? mbys?sh feeling-un politik. N? mos, duhet t? mos e evidentosh. Le t? vim? tani te paskriza, q? solli dhe nd?rrimin e pushtetit. Pushteti i ri, i cili erdhi mbi g?rmadhat e nj? shteti t? rr?nuar, u sforcua jasht? natyr?s e d?shir?s s? vet t? mos e shfryt?zonte djall?zisht k?t? rrethan?. Nuk munguan rastet kur fitimtar?t e rinj shtin? n? pun? nj? filt?r tjet?r politik p?r t? ngritur korpusin e ri diplomatik, gj? q? mund ta motivonin leht?, pasi shumica e diplomat?ve nuk ishin gj? tjet?r, ve?se mercenar? politik?. Por p?rgjith?sisht, nuk u b?n? l?vizje t? zhurmshme e provokuese. Ambasador?t e punonj?sit e tjer? t? misioneve tona diplomatike p?rgjith?sisht u lan? t? p?rfundonin mandatin e tyre, nd?rsa personeli diplomatik i Ministris? s? Jashtme, n? ndryshim nga ajo q? pritej, nuk p?soi ndonj? t?rmet kushedi se ?far?. Sigurisht, filluan t? vihen n? jet? praktika diferencuese e diskriminuese t? d?nueshme, si pasoj? e t? cilave u b?n? kurban disa, por dukuria n? fjal? nuk ka qen? shum? spektakolare. N? fund t? fundit, shumic?s s? diplomat?ve iu ofrua mund?sia t? b?nte p?rs?ri diplomatin, ndon?se n? rangje m? t? ul?ta. Pik?risht k?tu z? fill dukuria tjet?r, ajo e turpshmja. Diplomat?t shqiptar? me sh?rbim jasht? shtetit nuk pranuan t? ktheheshin n? vendin e tyre. Ata shfryt?zuan lidhjet e kontaktet q? kishin vendosur fal? statusit zyrtar e jo fal? ndonj? statusi individual, dhe pa e lodhur trurin e tyre me arsyetime patriotike, pa u stepur p?rball? detyrimeve ligjore, pa patur as merakun m? t? vog?l mbi dinjitetin profesional e njer?zor, vendos?n t? sistemoheshin familjarisht n? vendet, ku p?r kat?r vjet kishin p?rfaq?suar Shqip?rin? si Ambasador? e diplomat?. Tani ata jan? emigrant? par excellence. N? dit?t e para t? instalimit t? ?diktatur?s s? re?, nj? duzin? kan? k?rkuar strehim politik. U jepej apo nuk u jepej ky status, ata e kishin b?r? mendjen top p?r t? mos e ?uar d?m shansin e t? q?ndruarit jasht?, duke e ditur, se pik?risht p?r kaq pak gj?, bashkatdhetar?t e tyre fatzinj paguajn? miliona apo i drejtohen aventur?s vrastare t? skafeve. N?n presionin e grave, miqve mendjeholl?, familjeve, f?mij?ve t? tyre, por edhe n? sintoni me kultur?n e mang?t e pap?rgjegjshm?rin? e tyre, ata kan? b?r? nj? llogari t? thjesht?: ???do t? b?jm? n? Shqip?ri? Atje ka varf?ri, balt?, papast?rti, kriminalitet, prej andej t? gjith? po ikin, atje pushtetin e kan? ata, t? tjer?t, nd?rsa ne nuk kemi asnj? talent e asnj? vler? p?r t? shfryt?zuar hap?sirat q? t? jep ajo palo demokraci. Nuk na mbetet gj? tjet?r, ve?se t? b?hemi mitingash?. A nuk ?sht? m? mir? t? rrim? k?tu?? Dhe q?ndruan. Ja, k?shtu kan? menduar diplomat?t shqiptar?, duke d?shmuar n? m?nyr?n m? t? mjerueshme, jo vet?m liliput?rin? e tyre morale, por edhe munges?n e p?rgjegj?sis? shtet?rore. Nj? shqiptar dosido nuk ?sht? m? meskin e m? i pap?rgjegjsh?m se k?ta kanakar? t? regjimit t? shkuar. Dhe nuk jan? vet?m diplomat?t q? e kan? b?r? k?t? gj?. Jan? larguar nga Shqip?ria dhjet?ra an?tar? t? sh?rbimeve sekrete, madje edhe kryetari i tyre fam?keq, jan? larguar edhe t? tjer?. P?rfaq?suesit e sot?m revanshist? t? regjimit t? para ?97-?s nuk kan? th?n? asnj? fjal? t? vetme p?r t? d?nuar k?t? dukuri, analiza e s? cil?s u p?rket atyre e vet?m atyre. Ata kan? b?r? t? kund?rt?n. Ata krenohen me t? ikurit, ata i intervistojn?, si? kan? b?r? me ish-kryepolicin e Shqip?ris?, dhe mendja ta thot?, se k?ta ?t? syrgjynosur? p?rb?jn? kontigjentin m? t? par?, prej nga ku do t? rizgjidhet administrata e nes?rme shtet?rore e diplomatike, pasi revanshist?t t? realizojn? ?ndrrat e tyre t? vrara n? vitin ?97. Nd?rsa pushtetar?t e sot?m, e s? bashku me ta edhe institucionet shtet?rore, si p?r t? d?shmuar edhe nj?her? dob?sin? e tyre emblematike, nuk kan? b?r? as tentativ?n m? t? vog?l p?r t?i v?n? nj? fre k?saj prirjeje, apo m? sakt?, k?saj epidemie. Ndoshta p?rgatiten p?r t? b?r? vet? t? nj?jt?n gj?, n? rast se shefat politik? t? diplomat?ve vul?humbur do t? rimarrin pushtetin. Kjo do t? p?rb?nte nj? turp n? fuqi t? dyt?. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ From ipilika at hotmail.com Thu Aug 17 11:33:19 2000 From: ipilika at hotmail.com (Iris Pilika) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 15:33:19 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Information Message-ID: From: "Audree Rowe" To: webmaster at albanian.com, webmaster at albstudent.org Subject: Information Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 09:50:30 -0700 I am trying to help an Albanian student who came to the U.S. as an exchange student for his senior year in high school. He is trying to remain in the United States to complete his education. Can you put us in touch with any resources in Southern California, particularly in the Inland Empire area, who might help him? He is in need of a support network as well as some financial assistance. Thank-you, Audree Rowe ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Thu Aug 17 11:56:55 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 15:56:55 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Klan:Sllavet e Shkodres Message-ID: Ne, sllavet e Shkodres Nje fshat me po aq probleme si cdo fshat shqiptar. Por qe nje dite kerkoi t'u jepte fund te gjithave duke u mbartur ne Jugosllavi. Ku i priste nje aventure. Historia e paprecedent e sllaveve te vetem ne bote qe nuk urrehen me shqiptaret Nga Sokol Shameti Era qe fryn nga Veriu i perkul pa u lene as edhe nje pauze qetesie pemet gjetherralla te rruges nga Shkodra per ne kufirin malazez. Pasditet ne keto ane s'dihet perse ngjajne me gri se diku tjeter. "Eshte ngjyra qe pasqyrohet nga thellesite e Liqenit", thone fshataret. Siluetat e tyre shfaqen here pas here duke ecur te vetem neper fushe. Nje kishe ortodokse e ritit sllav e cila shquan qe larg me kryqin mbi kupolen e gjere boje kafe, eshte shenja e vetme dalluese e Vrakes ne ane te rruges. Kisha eshte simboli qe e vecon kete fshat nga dhjetera te tjere qe shfaqen dhe zhduken pa pushim ne te majte dhe te djathte te asfaltit cuditerisht jo edhe aq te vrare te rruges nacionale per ne kufi. Radisha Sterkovic, nje nga te paktet qe nuk pranuan te kolonizojne fshtrat kosovare Vetem shtate kilometra larg Shkodres, Vraka ne fakt me prane ka kufirin ujor me Malin e Zi nga i cili e ndajne vetem capak qindra metra toke deri ne Liqen. Rreth dyqind banore te ketij fshati te njohur ne mbare Shqiperine per shkak te minoritetit te tij malazez, jane frekuentuesit e vetem te kishes. Te tjeret jane shqiptare katolike ose myslimane. Dyqind vete eshte katandisur prej dhjete vjetesh i gjithe komuniteti i vrakacoreve te cilet ne fillim te viteve nentedhjete numeronin rreth 2000 individe dhe perbenin njerin nga minoritetet e permendura ne Shqiperi pas atij grek dhe maqedonas. Shkaku i boshatisjes se Vrakes eshte akoma aty ne rruget e pashtruara te fshatit, ne shtepite e tij te varfra me elektricitet te pamjaftueshem. Kurse pasoja ndodhet qindra kilometra larg Shkodres. Ne Kosove. Prane Pejes, ku me 1992 autoritetet jugosllave instaluan me shpejtesi parafabrikatet e Nova Vraka-s (Vrakes se re). Nje fshat kolonesh malazeze te cilet ne te vertete nuk ishin gje tjeter vecse fshataret e shperngulur me deshiren e tyre nga Shqiperia me shpresen e nje jete me te mire ne Jugosllavine e Milloshevicit. Radisha Sterkovic eshte nje fshatar trupmadh te cilin banoret e mbajne mend perhere duke shetitur me bicikleten e tij te vjeter neper rrugicat e fshatit. Te gjithe e pershendesin kete malazez qe banon se bashku me prinderit pleq, gruan dhe dy djemte e vegjel ne nje nga lagjet lindore te Vrakes, ndonese ne fshatin tashme me strukture etnike te ndryshuar, te dyja komunitetet me shume nuk perzihen fare me njera tjetren sesa bashkepunojne. Radisha eshte nje nga te paktet qe nuk pranoi te qendronte ne Jugosllavi me 1992, por qe u kthye se bashku me familjen e tij ne trojet stergjyshore te Vrakes shqiptare ku jeton akoma. Ai tregon historine e fshatit te vetem qe me deshiren e tij braktisi ketu e tete vjet me pare gjithcka, per t'u hedhur ne aventure ashtu sic ishte, qindra kilometra me tej. Me shpresen se do te jetonte me se fundi mes vellezerve te gjakut te Cernojevicit. Por qe nje politike e cmendur ballkanike i perdori si statistika te mundshme per te nderruar strukturen etnike te nje Kosove te pergjakur dhe armiqesore ndaj cdo dyndjeje te re kolonesh sllave. "Me 1991 ndodhi arratia e pare. Nje grup i madh te rinjsh malazeze nga Vraka kapercyen kufirin dhe u hodhen ne Jugosllavi. Mund te ishin disa dhjetera. Per ta nuk pati pengesa sepse Shqiperia sapo kishte nisur ta lejonte hapjen me boten e jashtme", tregon Radisha. Me pare, ne kohen qe Vraka ishte nje nga kooperativat e dalluara te Shqiperise socialiste, ai kishte qene veteriner, por ne fillim te viteve nentedhjete edhe ne ekonomite fshatare te zones se tij kish nisur te "kendonte" varferia. Dyzetvjecari tregon se pas largimit te grupit te te rinjve, banoret e fshatit kerkuan nje takim me autoritetet lokale te Shkodres. "U thame se donim te iknim. Jo se kishim ankesa ndaj Shqiperise, perkundrazi, por ne Jugosllavi ishte toka e te pareve tane", tregon Radisha. Ka akoma njerez s'i kane harruar pamjet qe transmetoi atehere televizioni shteteror se si u nisen nga Vraka autobuset e mbushur me fshataret e perlotur qe linin vendin ku kishin lindur. Ishte fillimi i vitit 1992. Ajo qe nuk u mor vesh kurre, ishte ajo cfare ndodhi me pas me grupin e fshatareve qe iken nga Shqiperia. Nje histori te cilen jane te pakte vrakacoret qe duan ta kujtojne e jo me t'ua tregojne te tjereve. "Mendonim se do te na prisnin vellezerit e nje gjaku, por malazezet nuk u afruan te na jepnin as nga nje kokerr veze. Na ndane ne dy grupe, grate vec dhe burrat vec. Kam jetuar per disa muaj ne nje kamp ne Cetinje, 150 kilometra larg pjeses tjeter te familjes. Me ne fund disa zyrtare erdhen dhe na shtruan dy mundesi. 'Ose do te vendoseni ne Kosove, ose kthehuni ne Shqiperi'. Shumica iu binden urdherit", tregon Radisha. Ai se bashku me rreth 200 te tjere preferuan kthimin. Rreth tete kilometra larg Pejes, ne rrugen qe e lidh kete qytet me Gjakoven, u ndertua fshati i Nova Vrakes. Malazezet e ardhur nga Shkodra qendruan aty deri ne veren e vitit qe shkoi. Me pas, Vraka e re u shperngul serish. Keta njerez qe pranuan te bashkepunojne me regjimin per kolonizimin e Kosoves, u kthyen perseri ne Mal te zi, ku ndodhen edhe sot te shperndare ne disa kampe. Per rikthim ne Shqiperi, ne Vraken e pare te origjines as qe behet me fjale. Nderkohe, pjesa tjeter e bashkefshatareve qe nuk deshen te perzihen ne kete histori vazhdojne jeten e tyre atje ku linden. Ne Shqiperi, me ndoca te holla me pak, por me ndergjegjen pa njolla perpara fqinjeve te tyre shqiptare. Radisha tani i kalon ditet ne Vraken e tij prane Shkodres duke shetitur me bicikleten e modelit te shkuar neper rruget gjithe pluhur dhe duke u perpjekur qe te shese ndonje mall ne Mal te zi. Kjo ndodh vetem kur rojet e ushtrise serbe jane me humor te mire dhe i lene te kalojne fshataret e kendej kufirit. "Nuk na bejne ndonje privilegj meqe jemi sllave. Ata sekuestrojne gjithcka qe dyshojne se mund ta gjalleroje tregtine mes nesh dhe malazezeve", tregonte Radisha Sterkovici para se ushtria jugosllave te ndermerrte nje aksion per bllokimin e qarkullimit te lire te qytetareve nga Shqiperia per ne Mal te Zi dhe anasjelltas javen qe shkoi. Ne fakt fshataret malazeze te Vrakes - natyrisht edhe ata shqiptare - nuk kane ndonje mendim pozitiv per politiken e Jugosllavise dhe per politiken ne pergjithesi. Me plaku i komunitetit malazez, Gojo Pere, me te marre vesh se ne fshat kishin ardhur gazetare qe interesoheshin per malazezet e "qepi" - ne kuptimin e plote te fjales - gojen. Ai madje i tha te mos fliste asgje edhe gruas se tij qe vinte verdalle neper oborr duke mermeritur dicka ne dialektin malazez te serbo-kroatishtes qe flasin vrakacoret. "Mos na ngaterroni me politiken mor djem. Ne fshatin tone askush nuk eshte marre ndonjehere me te prandaj asnjehere nuk kemi patur probleme mes nesh", thote plaku Gojo. Por kur me pas biseda midis miqve te ardhur nga larg me ne fund do te ngrohet, Gojo do te tregoje me gjysme zeri se ne darke te gjithe banoret e fshatit presin me zemer te ngrire perfundimin e nje takimi koke me koke midis "Millos sone dhe atij Sllobos ne Beograd". Nuk ka se si te jete tjeter. Njerezit e minoritetit jetojne njekohesisht ne dy realitete. I pari, ai i perditshmi dhe me i dukshmi i nxit te flasin pak, te punojne token e tyre dhe te festojne se bashku me fqinjet shqiptare. Tjetri, eshte thirrja e lashte e gjakut sllav per te cilen askush nuk mund t'u vere faj perse u rrjedh neper damare. Eshte kjo thirrje qe i ben te vemendshem per cdo gje qe ndodh matane kufirit nga ku erdhen qindra vjet me pare. Prandaj vrakacoret presin me shqetesim: "si do te shkoje takimi i Beogradit?". Ne shtepine e Radisha Sterkovicit, me nje dere te madhe dykanateshe dhe me nje oborr te bollshem te mbuluar nga hija e nje hardhie rrushi te bardhe, nena e tij qe rri ulur ne nje karrige prane deres thote "Zdravo, mireseerdhet!". "Urdheroni brenda se pastaj do na shani e do te thoni se nuk dime te presim miq", thote duke qeshur Radisha. Energjia elektrike brenda dhomes se ndenjies ka dite qe vjen me nje tension aq te ulet saqe nuk punon asnje elektroshtepiake. Madje as televizori nga ku te gjithe presin lajme te mira nga kufiri. "Une nuk kam aspak turp nga origjina ime sllave", thote Radisha. Radisha do te thote "punetor" dhe mjekeroshi qe ka kete emer thote se ka jetuar vecse duke punuar ndershmerisht. "Ketu as nuk na kane privilegjuar as na kane persekutuar per shkak te origjines", thote ai. Per cudi ne fshat e kujtojne me nostalgji periudhen e regjimit komunist. Eshte nje nostalgji e ndryshme nga ajo e qytetareve qe mbajne mend rruget pa pluhur dhe rendin per t'u pasur zili. "Atehere vrakacoret ishin njerez te nderuar. Punonim shume dhe vleresoheshim. Nga ky fshat kane dale mbi 100 djem e vajza te diplomuar ne shkolle te larte", thote gjithe krenari Radisha. E vetmja gje qe u mungonte fshatareve te kesaj ane ishte komunikimi me malazezet e pertej kufirit. Me atdheun e origjines. Kjo ishte arsyeja pse iken fshatce me 1992. Tani per tani, vrakacoret nuk dine asgje per fatin e miqve te tyre qe u larguan se bashku me ushtrine jugosllave nga Kosova. "I kane kthyer prape ne kampet e Cetinjes me duket", thote nje fshatar i Vrakes. Dy familjet e vetme me refugjate kosovare qe erdhen nje vit me pare ne Vrake, nuk pranuan te qendronin ne shtepite e minoritareve qe ua hapen ato me bujari. "Ne biseduam me ta, por ata deshen te rrinin tjeterkund", thote Radisha. Ne fakt nuk duhet te kete qene e lehte per kosovaret me mendjen akoma te mjegulluar nga rrenojat e qyteteve te tyre e sidomos te Pejes per te cilen deshmite e luftes tregojne per nje pjesemarrje vullnetare te koloneve malazeze ne djegien e saj. "Ne nuk kemi te bejme me ta. Ato qe ndodhen ne Kosove nuk i pelqyen askujt prej nesh", thote Radisha, "ne jetojme ne Shqiperi, kemi token tone qe e punojme dhe fqinjet tane me te cilet kalojme mire". Nje femije, ulet ne krah te Radishes. "Eshte Momiri. Djali im. E quajta keshtu sepse kishte nje periudhe qe simpatizoja Bullatovicin, por tani jam penduar", thote babai duke i perkedhelur floket te birit qe e mban trupin drejt me nje krenari te pazakonte per femijet e moshes se tij. Fundja ai s'ka perse t'i vije turp. Nuk ka per t'u bere kryeminister i Malit te Zi qe flirton me Milloshevicin e serbeve. Ai do te mbetet thjesht i biri i Radishes, ish veterinerit te papune te Vrakes. Mund te marre shume nga karakteri i te atit. Ka se c'te gjeje aty. Guxim, per shembull. Radisha thote pa e care fare kryet, se nese ka pasur ndonje shenje persekucioni ndaj minoritetit malazez ne Shqiperi, kjo ka qene mungesa e perhershme e shkollave ne gjuhen amtare. Mirepo vrakacoret nuk qahen edhe aq shume per kete. "Gjuhen e mbajme vete gjalle neper shtepite tona", qesh Radisha me ate gazin e zhurmshem te njeriut optimist. Minoritaret e Vrakes kane grupimin e tyre te quajtur Shoqata "Rozafa-Moraca" ku pervec tyre bejne pjese edhe anetaret e minoritetit sllavo-mysliman te Shkodres qe quhen "podgoricane". Ne pamje te pare duket cdo gje ne rregull. Por fshataret malazeze te Vrakes kane nje peng qe nuk i le te qete. Ngjan si nje mundim qe s'duan ta thone por qe kuptohet sa here qe dikush i quan malazeze ndersa banoret e tjere, shqiptare. Kur kryeministri i Malit te Zi vizitoi Shkodren ca muaj me pare, as qe ndaloi ne fshatin e tyre ndonese ata kishin dale anes rruges per ta pritur. "Erdhen vetem ca anetare te delegacionit", tregojne fshataret. Ne fakt vrakacoret kane disa vjet qe po bejne zbulimin e hidhur se nuk jane edhe aq te shtrenjte sa kujtonin per kusherinjte e tyre te matane kufirit. "Ua kam thene edhe nja dy gazetareve jugosllave qe erdhen para ca kohesh tek ne. Per ta thuajse nuk ekzistonim dhe benin sikur sapo na kishin zbuluar", tregon Radisha. Mali i Zi i ka harruar bashkekombasit e tij te Shqiperise. Te pakte ne numer vertet, por me nje krenari qe ndoshta meritonte me shume vemendje. "U kerkuam te na sillnin ca makineri bujqesore, te na siguronin ndonje treg shitjeje qe do te na mbante gjalle, por asgje. I vetmi favor, arsimimi pa problem i femijeve tane ne shkollat e atjeshme", thote i pakenaqur Radisha. "Sa per Shqiperine, ajo na ka dale borxhit. Toka iu shpernda te gjitheve ne Vrake pa bere as edhe dallimin me te vogel. Trajtimi na u be njelloj me gjithe te tjeret. Madje moren toke edhe ata qe e kishin braktisur fshatin per te ikur ne Jugosllavi. Nese punet nuk kane shkuar edhe aq mbare, kjo ndodhi per te gjithe njelloj, jo vetem per minoritetin sllav", thote fshatari i mire Radisha. Fati i tij ashtu si ai i bashkekombesve te tjere eshte percaktuar tashme. "Ne jemi shqiptare, ndaj s'ndahemi dot prej Shqiperise", tha Radisha kur po tregonte historine e bashkefshatareve te tij qe shkuan ne kerkim te rrenjeve ne Jugosllavi por per te cilet nuk dihet me asgje. "Mos harroni, ne jemi shqiptare. Vetem shqiptaret kane bese", perserit edhe nje here ne fund vrakacori Radisha tek porta e madhe e shtepise. Nga buzet qe dridhen te nenes se tij plake degjohet prape nje "zdravo" e fundit. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From deti at ont.com Thu Aug 17 17:17:35 2000 From: deti at ont.com (etel) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 16:17:35 -0500 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Cfare po ndodh me te rinjte shqiptare??? Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000817161735.006bbeb4@mail.ont.com> E lexova kete artikull mbi diplomatet shqiptare dhe te them te drejten u bashkova me mendimin e autorit. Ky fenomen "ethja per tu larguar nga Shqiperia ka prekur jo vetem diplomatet shqiptare por te gjithe shqiptaret e sidomos brezin e ri, intelektuale te cilet mund te sjellin ndryshime ne Shqiperi. Mjafton te reflektojme vetem per nje cast mbi emigracionin masiv te te rinjve shqiptare ne vendet e botes per te kuptuar se sa shprese ka Shqiperia per tu rimekembur. Une jam nje studente juridiku(se shpejti) qe shpreson nje dite te kthehet ne Shqiperi per te ndryshuar aq sa mundem, e kur i shpreh keto mendime shokeve te brezit tim reagimet qe marr jane cinike. "c'te ben te kthehesh ne Shqiperi? atje s'ka te ardhme" Kjo gje me ka bere te mendoj shpesh per ate qe po ndodh me mentalitetin tone. Shume rralle jane ata qe mendojne te praktikojne profesionet qe kane fituar ne vende te huaja ne Shqiperi. Ndonjehere, kur flitet per shqiperine te duket se cdo gje ka marre fund, se s'ka me shprese. Cfare po ndodh me ne??? Te ashtuquajturit politikane shqiptare nuk jane ne gjendje te mendojne per te ardhmen e Shqiperise. Kujt do ti perkase te rinovoje sistemin? Ndoshta nje dite shume nga ne qe jemi larg shqiperise do te ndiejme nevojen per te pare shqiperine nje vend te cliruar nga mediokriteti e korrupsioni. Eshte me te vertete e trishtueshme qe te krahasohemi me vendet e botes se trete. Ethel Haxhiaj Texas, U.S.A Etel H. From deti at ont.com Thu Aug 17 20:47:03 2000 From: deti at ont.com (etel) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 19:47:03 -0500 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] organizata studentesh?? Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000817194703.006bc58c@mail.ont.com> DO te doja te dija nese egziston ndonje dege e kesaj organizate ne Dallas, Texas? I would really appreciate if you could give me any kind of info! Ethel Haxhiaj, 18, Gusht, 2000 Texas Etel H. From kbejko at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 09:23:01 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 13:23:01 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] IDs for Greeks of Alvania Message-ID: >From: ardian kanina >Reply-To: alb-club at alb-net.com >To: alb-club at alb-net.com >Subject: [Alb-club] Bastardi Alexandros Mallias !!!!! >Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 02:02:37 -0700 (PDT) > > *** Alb-Club Discussion List *** > > > >Greek politicians address ethnic Greeks at religious >festival in Albania > >HIMARRA, 17/08/2000 (ANA) >Ethnic Greeks in Albania are to be supplied with >special identity cards, the Greek Ambassador to >Albania Alexandros Mallias told the residents of >Himarra on Wednesday. Say I want to have one of them IDs. How'd they prove that I am not a Greek? (assume that I speak the Hellenic tongue in both versions Homeric and modern and that I have lived in North Epirus for x yrs) >He also urged Albanian Greeks to be the best possible >ambassadors of Hellenism in order to help develop >Greek-Albanian relations. "We must work together to >drive away the clouds, if there are any," he said. > >Mallias was speaking at the festival in honor of the >Virgin Mary at Himarra, which since last year has >become something of an event in Albania, culminating >in the traditional feast at Elies complete with local >polyphonic choral group. > >Adding to the festive atmosphere was a satellite >transmission from Foreign Minister George Papandreou, >who told the gathering: > >"My thoughts are always with you, not only on days of >joy and holidays but always. Your rights are sacred >and we will insist that they remain as international >agreements for ethnic minorities prescribe. > >"Keep your traditions alive, as now with your >polyphonic group, for the development of which >[Greece] will provide 1,500,000 drachmas and an >honorary distinction from the Greek State." > > >Me nderime Ardi !!!! > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. >http://im.yahoo.com/ >***Alb-Club*** >____________________________________________________ >Alb-Club mailing list: Alb-Club at alb-net.com >http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/alb-club ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From albanianpride at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 09:19:56 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 09:19:56 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Re: Diplomatet Message-ID: Ate qe kane bere diplomatet Shqiptare keto vitet e fundit nuk besoj qe as diplomatet e Somalise dhe te Ruandes ta kene bere.Pse jane degraduar ne kete gjendje as vete nuk e kuptoj.Disa prej tyre i kane kthyer ambasadat ne hotele per emigrante =te afermit e tyre qe sorollaten neper bote.Kuptohet jo te gjithe diplomatet po nje pjese e tyre kane lene nje nam te keqe.Sapo te akreditohen neper ndonje ambasade Shqiptare jashte shtetit direkt fillojne te kerkojne ndonje pune per femijet e tyre apo gruan ,nuk ka rendesi cfare punerash jane,pastruese ,kamariere etj.Shperdorojne statusin e tyre diplomatike qe u ka dhuruar shteti.Mbas vitit 1997 disa diplomate shfrytezuan rastin per te kerkuar edhe azil politike ............pra refugjate ,nje ulje te tille nuk e kam paramdeuar se do ta benin.E braktisen Shqiperine ne kohe te veshtira ,por nuk ke cfare te beshe kur ne ato poste u zgjodhen njerez inkomptente,jo-atdhetar,shpeshhere injorante etj. Me nderime Ardi ... ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From albanianpride at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 10:17:00 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 10:17:00 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Re: Cfare po ndodh me te rinjte Shqiptare Message-ID: Cfare po ndodh me te rinjte Shqiptare ??? Pyetje e drejte . Deri ne 1997 shumica e atyre qe studjonin jashte shtetit deshironin ta vazhdonin karrierren ne atdhe.Po mbas ngjarjeve te 1997 situata ndryshoj,pasiguria i detyron shume stdudente dhe te diplomuar qe te ngurrojne per tu kthyer ne atdhe.Ne shumicen e rasteve mendoj se ana materiale nuk eshte kryefaktori qe shume te diplomuar te mos kthehen por siguria eshte faktori kryesor.Artificialisht per mendimin tim situata ne Shqiperi po qendron jostabile.Dhe per kete fajin kryesor e kane forcat politike.Une nuk perfaqesoje pesimizmin sepse jam i bindur qe Shqiperia ka shume resurce njerezore dhe natyrore per tu zhvilluar por politikanet po e shkaterrojne vendin.Disa shprehen qe politikanet gjenden ne faze tranzicioni ,por sa do te vazhdoje ajo faze .Polarizimi politike eshte i papranueshem dhe faktori kryesor qe ka ndikuar ne destabilizimin e vendit.Ka ardhur koha te depolarizohet klasa politike Shqiptare .Kaq poshte arriten ata debila politikane sa per interesa te ngushta frymezojne edhe percarjen mbi baza krahinore ,fetare, etj .Populli nuk ka rene ne gracken e tyre as ne 1997 kur ata donin ta shkaterronin plotesisht Shqiperine.Po fatkeqesisht ata po e mbajne akoma popullin peng me politiken e tyre te konfrontimit.Kerkohet kompromisi politike ne vend .Ne vitet 1994,1995,1996 ra shume vala e emigracionit sepse niveli i jeteses u rrit megjithese ne cdo kohe do te kete njerez qe do te deshirojne te emigrojne por jo si emigracioni i sotem mbas 1997.Nje emigracion i tille eshte teper i demshem per vendin.Per te eleminuar forma te tilla emigracioni duhet te vendoset rendi.Rendi eshte permiresuar ne krahasim me 1997 dhe 1998 por perseri ka krime te shumta dhe kriminaliteti i sotem stimulohet gjithashtu nga ekzistenca ne vend e shume armeve ne duart e populli.Une degjova nje lajm te mire rreth 300mije kalashnikovs kane dale jashte Shqiperise ne tregun Evropean ku edhe jane shitur ,150mije pohon ministrija e rendit jane mbledhur prej policise ........por akoma ndodhen ne duart e popullit rreth 200mije arme .Duhen mbledhur edhe ato arme ,populli Shqiptar ka jetuar ne te kaluaren edhe pa arme por sot eshte i detyruar qe te mbrohet prej bandave kriminele.pra c?rmatimi i popullsise eshte i domosdoshem edhe realizohet . 1)Sot kemi shume shanse per te zhvilluar vendin,vetem prej emigranteve nga jashte shkojne ne Shqiperi cdo vite rreth 700miljone deri 1miljarde dollare ne vite .Pra nje shume e mjaftueshme per te stimuluar rritje ekonomike.Por kerkohet menaxhimi i kesaj sasie te madhe parash sepse si po vine ashtu po dalin ,tregu Shqiptar po mbytet me ushqime te prishura nga vendet fqinje ndersa bujqerit Shqiptare po falimentojne si rezultat i nje politike shume te gabuar ekonomike . 2)Zhvillimi i Turizmit ,Shqiperia ka pasuri kulturore-arkeologjike dhe shume plazhe qe mund t'jua afroje te huajve .Por po perballohemi me nje imazh te keq gjithashtu me nje politike te gabuar ne fushen e turizmit.Kam konstatuar vete qe ka shume kerkesa per ta vizituar Shqiperine prej te huajve ,por linjat ajrore jane shume te shtrenjta ,hotelet gjithashtu shume te shtrenjta megjithese kjo shkaktohet edhe nga mungesa e konkurrences .Por imazhi ,eshte krijuar nje imazh shume i keq (kane ndikuar edhe vete Shqiptaret) . Si shpjegohet qe ne Bullgari po shkojne 2miljone turista ne vite edhe ne Shqiperi 100mije ne vite te huaj kur Bullgaria edhe Shqiperia nje standard jetese kane po t'ju referohemi statistikave nderkombetare,edhe infrastruktura e ngjashme eshte.Pra duhen analizuar faktoret sepse interesi eshte prej te huajve per te vizituar vendin.Gjate veres ka dyndje te madhe prej turisteve ne brigjet e Mesdheut edhe te huajt nuk shikojne shume se jane brigjet e Spanjes ,Italise,Greqise apo Bullgarise dhe Shqiperise................ata shikojne cmimet sidomos ato qe ofrohen si "lastminute" fluturime drejt brigjeve. 3)Shume e rendesishme eshte zhvillimi i sistemit bankar .Kemi shume banka te huaja ne Shqiperi sot por nuk kemi kredi per biznesin Shqiptar .Zhvillimi ekonomike varet shume prej shkalles se kredise qe i ofrohet biznesit private edhe ne Shqiperi ka shume kerkesa per kredi po oferta e kredive eshte shume e ulet.Disa bashkeatdhetare te nderuar ne nje tjeter forum me akuzuan si izolacionist kur une kerkova mbylljen e bakave Greke ne vend.Pse une kerkova mbylljen e bankave Greke ?Sepse bankat Greke nuk i ofrojne kredi biznesit Shqiptare apo ofrojne rreth 1-2% te depozitave qe ato kane prej Shqiptareve por me parate e Shqiptareve qe depozitohen ne keto banka financohen bizneset ne Greqi e Qipro etj.Nxirret preteksti nuk mund te jepen kredi se risku eshte i madh .........po ne gjithe boten kredite dhe rreziku i moskthimit eshte i madh.Megjithate dhenia e kredive mund te rregullohet me ane te ligjeve ,mund te vendoset nje minimum Krediti ,kush nuk i permbahet atij minimmumi ti hiqet Licenca Bankare.Ekonomia e tregut eshte ekonomi ligjesh. 4)Pozita gjeografike e vendit .Eshte shume e favorshme per Shqiperine .Shume prane apo ne mes te vendeve ekonomike te zhvilluarta si Italia ,Gjermani,zvicra etj.Shume firma Evropeane po investojne deri ne Kine sepse atje jane kostot e punes te uleta dhe jo ne Shqiperi qe Shqiperia eshte tek dera per keto kompani .Nuk po dele akoma nje investement guide prej vendit gjithashtu marketingu le per te deshiruar .Sapo pashe statistikat import-eksport u habita 300miljone dollare eksporte 900miljone dollare importe pritet ne fund te vitit te shkoje deri 1200miljone dollare importe .Nje raporte i tille eshte skandaloze ,edhe cfare importohet :shumica perime,fruta,tekstile po keto produkte prodhohen edhe ne Shqiperi.Por konsumenti preferon prodhimet e huaja.Duhet sensibilizuar konsumenti sepse kur blene prodhimet e vendit ndikon drejteperdtrejte ne zhvillimin e ekonomise Shqiptare. Duhet te ndryshohet mentaliteti dhe te rritet respekti per vendin .Pa pasur respekt per Shqiperine prej vete Shqiptareve Shqiperia nuk mund te zhvillohet .Patriotizmi eshte gjithashtu i domosdoshem.Njerezit qe punojne ne administraten shteterore duhet te testohen per vlerat patriotike qe disponojne.Mungesa e patriotizmit sjelle korrupsionin ne administraten shteterore. Me nderime Ardi >>> ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From deti at ont.com Fri Aug 18 11:58:14 2000 From: deti at ont.com (etel) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 10:58:14 -0500 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] RE:Cfare po ndodh me te rinjte shqipetare. Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000818105814.006bb5ec@mail.ont.com> Z.Ardi, E lexova artikullin tuaj disa here me vemendje. Jane bere tre vjet qekurse kam mundur te marr informacione kaq te detajshme per anen politike dhe ekonomike te Shqiperise. I gjej te drejta ato qe thoni, dhe nuk e ve ne dyshim se mungesa e sigurise eshte nje nga faktoret qe i ben shume te ngurojne te kthehen ne Shqiperi. Une kam qene ne kontakt me studente te moshes time qe kane pak vjet qe kane dale nga gjimnazet. Nuk kam ndeshur asnje qe te kete qofte nje mendim qe ne te ardhmen te mund te kthehen. Ndoshta jam e gabuar kur mendoj se ky mentalitet do te vazhdoje te egzistoje per nje kohe te gjate midis nesh. Ndoshta kjo menyre te menduari nuk duhet te merret si egoizem, por si lufte per te "mbijetuar" Emigracioni i shqiptareve? Ku shkojne gjithe keto para qe qarkullojne nga jashte? Cbehet me ekonomistat shqiptare? Jam e bindur se ne kemi ekonomista shume te afte? Eshte e mundur te jene te gjithe kaq te korruptuar? Ndoshta tashme keto pyetje jane kthyer ne pyetje retorike... Greqia dhe shqiptaret? Padiskutim qe Greqia eshte kthyer ne nje vetshkaterrim per shqiptaret. Jetova vete me familjen dy vjet, i njoha nga afer jeten e emigranteve shqiptare... Te trishtonte pamja e vrare qe shikoje kudo e shqiptareve. Jam e sigurt se qeveria dhe popullsia greke po aq sa e urren komunitetin shqiptare po aq e shfrytezon ne palce. Personalisht, jam e mendimit se nder te rinjte shqiptare po humbet ndjenja e patriotizmit, dhe e dashurise... ndoshta jam e gabuar(shpresoj te jete keshtu) Kam degjuar se ne NEW YORK, eshte krijuar ne organizate VATRA qe po perpiqet te krijoje lidhje me studentet shqiptare kudo ne amerike, nuk e di nese vazhdon te marre fryme. Zoti Ardian, ju faleminderit shume per artikullin, edhe pse eshte e trishtueshme qe vendi yne te jete katandisur ne kete gjendje. Megjithate, ju keni shume te drejte; duhet qe respekti e dashuria per vendin te vije nga vete shqiptaret. Gjithmone, sidoqofte mendoj, cfare i shtyu njerez si Mahatma Ghandhi te luftojne aq shume per vendin e tyre, apo njerez qe kane luftuar per shqiperine me pare. Te kemi humbur teresishte ndjenjen e dashurise dhe te ndjeshmerise? Fakti qe kjo organizate egziston me jep te mendoj se ka akoma shprese per shqiperine. Ju falenderoj! Me respekt, Ethel Haxhiaj Etel H. From kbejko at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 12:08:08 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 16:08:08 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Odisea e infrastruktures Message-ID: (marre nga gazeta-ekonomia.com) P?r rreth nj? vit e gjys?m nga financimet p?r nd?rtimin e Korridorit Veri-Jug dhe Lindje-Per?ndim (Korridori i Tet?) ?sht? arritur t? disbursohet (p?rdoret) jo m? shum? se gjysma e fondeve. Sipas t? dh?nave nga Ministria e Transportit, gjat? periudh?s s? viteve 1998-1999 ka filluar puna p?r nd?rtimin e 9 akseve rrugore me nj? gjat?si t? p?rgjithshme 210 kilometra. Por jan? p?rdorur vet?m 35 % e fondeve. Tani, pasi ka kaluar m? shum? se gjysma e vitit 2000, fondet e p?rdorura nuk jan? m? t? m?dha se gjysma e financimit t? dh?n?. Q? do t? thot? se nuk ?sht? b?r? as gjysma e pun?s. Nga 121 milion euro q? ?sht? fondi i p?rgjithsh?m dh?n? nga donator?t jan? shfryt?zuar deri n? fund t? vitit t? kaluar rreth 42.48 milion euro, deri tani jo m? shum? se 60 milion euro. Kurse qeveria shqiptare ka arritur t? realizoj? shpron?simet n? mas?n 85 p?rqind. Burime zyrtare nga Minsitria e Transportit thon? se gjat? k?tij viti pritet t? p?rfundojn? nd?rtimi i seksionit Milot-Lezh? 10 kilometra, pjes? e Korridorit Veri-Jug, dhe Durr?s-Rrogozhin? 22 kilometra, pjes? e Korridorit Lindje-Per?ndim. Gjat? tre mujave t? par? t? k?tij viti i investimeve n? p?rgjith?si ka qen? mbi 100 p?rqind. P?r nd?rtimin e Korridorit Lindje-Per?ndim vet?m n? tre mujorin e par? t? 2000-s, jan? p?rdorur rreth 462 milion lek? nga 402 milion q? ishte plani ose 114.8 p?rqind. P?r korridorin Veri-Jug jan? p?rdorur rreth 337 milion nga rreth 245 milion lek? t? parashikuara ose 138 p?rqind. P?r nd?rtimin e superstrad?s Tiran?-Durr?s jan? p?rdorur 227.2 milion lek? ose 90. 2 p?rqind kundrejt parashikimit. N? total p?r tre muajt e par? t? vitit 2000 p?r nd?rtimin e segmenteve rrugore pjes? t? korridoreve rrugore n? Shqip?ri jan? p?rdorur rreth 1.02 miliard lek? ose 14.2 p?rqind me shum? se shuma e parashikuar. Shpron?simet, nj? nga v?shtir?sit? q? ka hasur qeveria shqiptare, deri n? mars t? k?tij viti jan? kryer n? mas?n 85 p?rqind t? totalit. Por ja q? nj? gj? e ?uditshme po ndodh. Pavar?sisht se ?sht? p?rdorur gjysma e totalit t? financmit, disa prej firmave t? tilla si SAFA, BEHASE etj deklarojn? se nuk kan? fonde t? nevojshme p?r t? vazhduar punimet. Pun?tor?t shqiptar? t? BEHASE, firm? turke nd?rtimi, kan? gati 4 muaj q? nuk po marrin rrug?t, dhe ecuria e punimeve p?r 14 kilometrat e par? t? segmentit Peqin-Rrogozhin? ?sht? bllokuar p?r shkak t? v?shtir?sive n? shpron?sime. P?r SAFA-n tashm? dihet, ata jo vet?m q? jan? mbrapa por kan? b?r? punime me cil?si t? dob?t, p?r t? cilat jan? rikthyer edhe nj? her?, por q? p?r t? vazhduar m? tej i duhen t? tjera para mbi vler?n e parashikuar n? projekt. Duke marr? n? konsiderat? dat?n e fillimit t? punimeve, ritme t? larta pune vihen re ve?an?risht n? segmentet Librazhd-Quk?s, Kor??-Kapshtic?, Rrogozhin?-Lushnj?, Vor?-Sukth. Kjo duket dhe nga masa e disbursimeve t? kryera q? jan? p?rkat?sisht 13.29 p?rqind, 25.2 p?rqind, 24.01 p?rqind dhe 17.98 p?rqind. Vonesa vihen re n? akset Durr?s-Rrogozhin?, Rrogozhin?-Elbasan, Milot-Lezh? etj. Autostradat p?rfundojn? n? vitin 2002 P?r nd?rtimin e Korridorit Tet? dhe atij Veri-Jug n? Shqip?ri nuk ?sht? kryer as gjysma e pun?s. Me nj? mesatare t? thjesht? sipas t? dh?nave t? Drejtoris? s? P?rgjithshme t? Rrug?ve p?r nd?rtimin e autostradave ?sht? kryer jo m? shum? se 20 % v?llimit t? pun?ve. Brenda k?tij viti ka shpresa t? pakt?n t? p?rfundojn? dy rrug? ajo Milot-Lezh? dhe Librazhd-Quk?s. Ndon?se dit?t e fundit n? segmentin Durr?s -Rrogozhin? shoq?ria SAFA ka shtuar s? tep?rmi ritmet e pun?s, ?sht? pak e sigurt se rruga do t? p?rfundoj? n? vitin 2000. Sipas t? dh?nave t? Ministris? s? Transportit sot punohet n? total n? 210 kilometra rrug? ku nj? pjes? e konsiderueshme e shum?s prej 141 milion euro ?sht? shfryt?zuar. N? n?nt? prej rrug?ve q? po punohet, gjasht? prej tyre duhet t? p?rfundojn? brenda k?tij viti. Po ashtu si? duket edhe nga t? dh?nat, afatet do t? shtyhen edhe p?r disa vite. Burimet nga Drejtoria e Rrug?ve parashikojn? q? n? p?rgjith?si rrug?t mund t? p?rfundojn? pas nj? ose dy vjet?sh, d.m.th af?rsisht n? vitin 2002, tek kontraktor?t vihet re nj? neglizhenc?, avashll?k pa p?rgjegjshm?ri. Pavar?sisht nga ngulmimet dhe tonet e ashpra q? ka p?rdorur qeveria shqiptare drejtuar firmave nd?rtuese, pak ?sht? ndier efekti. N? p?rgjith?si t? gjitha firmat e nd?rtimit kan? qen? mbrapa me nd?rtimin, ve?an?risht t? veprave t? artit t? tilla si ura, tombino, mbikalime etj. Ato kan? punuar n? ato segmente ku puna ecet m? shpejt por q? kan? mbetur pa lidhje me nj?ra-tjetr?n. T? tilla jan? rastet n? segmentin Durr?s-Rrogozhin?, Milot-Lezh?, Sukth-Durr?s. K?tu nuk p?rmenden shoq?ria BEHASE dhe ETEP METON q? punojn? respektivisht n? segmentet Elbasan-Rrogozhin? dhe Kakavij?-Gjirokast?r. Volumet e pun?s atje jan? tep?r t? ulta p?rkat?sisht 15 dhe 6 p?rqind. Nd?rkoh? qeveria shqiptare ka hasur probleme me shpron?simet. Deri para nj? viti ligji ekzistues p?r shpron?simet kishte mjaft boshll?qe. Me p?rmir?simin e tij gjat? muajve t? fundit t? vitit 1999 pati rezultate por listat e hartuara nga pushtetet lokale jan? probleme m? vete. Shpesh her? ka patur manipulime me listat t? personave q? do t? shpron?soheshin, t? cilat kan? qen? burim konfliktesh. Gjendja ?sht? tensionuar deri n? at? mas? sa personat kan? dal? n? rrug? dhe kan? penguar firmat t? vazhdojn? punimet. Por p?r k?t? vit ?sht? kompesuar pjesa m? e madhe e tok?s ku do t? kaloj? rruga dhe pritet nd?rtimi i rrug?ve t? ec? m? shpjet. Gjithsesi afatet e kontratave do t? shkelen. Q? shpresat t? mos shuhen dhe puna t? ket? duk, specialist? t? rrug?ve kan? k?rkuar riorganizim t? Drejtoris? s? P?rgjithshme t? Rrug?ve, si kontrolluesja e drejt?pr?drejt? e kontraktor?ve. Ata sugjerojn? krijimin e Entit Komb?tar q? do t? varet nga K?shilli i Ministrave, nd?rsa DPRR t? funksionoj? n? dy pjes? ku nj?ra prej tyre t? merret drejt?p?rs?drejti me rrug?t e reja q? nd?rtohen. Sipas tyre kjo do t? sjell? rritjen e aft?sis? s? bashk?punimit dhe p?rq?ndrimin n? pun?t konkrete. Ata k?rkojn? ndryshimin e grupit mbiqyr?s p?r problemet teknike, p?rshpejtimin e pro?esit t? shpron?simeve shoq?ruar me ndryshime n? ligjin p?r shpron?sime. Rrug?t e reja, frik? se prishen brenda 10 vjet?ve Rrug?t e reja q? po nd?rtohen n? Shqip?ri mund t'i kesh zili vet?m p?r disa metra m? shum? gjer?si nga ato ekzistuese. Cil?sia e nd?rtimit vlen shum? p?r t? d?shiruar. Edhe parametrat teknik? jan? shum? larg atyre nd?rkomb?tar?. Sipas v?zhgimeve dhe analizave t? koh?ve t? fundit, nga specialist? t? Ministris? s? Transportit, Drejtoris? s? P?rgjithshme t? Rrug?ve dhe Laboratorit t? Materialeve t? Nd?rtimit, rezulton se superstaradat e ardhshme shqiptare nuk do t? jen? kurrsesi si ato t? vendeve t? tjera. Sipas tyre, cil?sia e dob?t e materialeve t? p?rdorura nga firmat e huaja, me q?llim p?r t? ulur koston e punimeve, ka krijuar probleme teknike, ndoshta t? pariparueshme p?r shum? koh?. N.q.s nj? rrug? e nd?rtuar n? Shqip?ri gjat? viteve '60-'70 vazhdon edhe sot t? jet? n? gjendje p?rgjith?sisht t? k?naqshme, k?t? nuk mund ta thuash me siguri pas 10 vjet?sh p?r rrug?t e reja. Specialist?t q? kan? mbikqyrur projektet fillestare t k?tyre rrug?ve, pjes? t? dy Korridoreve, thon? se parashikimi p?r jet?gjat?sin e tyre v?shtir? se mund t? realizohet. "N? projektet fillestare ?sht? parashikuar q? k?to rrug? t? mos mir?mbahen p?r t? pakt?n 10 vjet, por nga m?nyra se si po punohet dhe nga materialet q? po p?rdorin firmat e huaja, ato nuk do t? ken? jet?gjat?si". Sipas tyre, mjafton t? udh?tosh n? ato pjes? segmentesh q? jan? asfaltuar dhe do t? ndjesh l?kundje t? makin?s jo t? vogla. Segmentet rrugore n? Shqip?ri, q? nd?rtohen nga shoq?ri t? huaja parashikohet t? ken? nj? gjer?si prej 11.5 metra, dy vija ndar?se kalimi dhe nj? shtres? asfalto-betoni prej 0.5 metra. Nd?rsa shpejt?sia m? e madhe e aotomjeteve q? do t? l?vizin nuk do t? jet? m? e madhe se 90 kilometra n? or?, kufi i cili ?sht? m? i ul?t se ai nd?rkomb?tar. Mungesa t? theksuara projektesh dhe studimesh fizibiliteti Kemi nevoj? p?r financime por jemi t? vonuar n? studime dhe hartim projektesh. Ky refren ka koh? q? p?rs?ritet nga administrata shqiptare. Por ngjarjet evolojn? shpejt? dhe situata duket t? jet? m? alarmante. ?do her? n? ballafaqime t? me donatror?t infrastruktura shqiptare del "zbuluar". N? p?rgjith?si sipas donator?ve Shqip?ria ?sht? mbrapa me p?rgatitjen e projekteve n? infrastruktur?. Mungojn? studimet e fizibilitetit nd?rkoh? q? ka vet?m 500 mij? euro n? dispozicion. Me to Shqip?ria, sipas BE, nuk mund t? zgjidh? asgj?. Donator?t k?rkojn? afate konkrete dhe pun? konkrete. Burimet zyrtare nga Ministria e Transportit thon? se "n? t? dy korridoret rrugore t? vendit, Lindje -Per?ndim dhe Veri-Jug, kan? mbetur pa financim 8 segmente rrugor me gjat?si t? p?rgjithshme 302 kilometra". Financimi i nevojsh?m p?r nd?rtimin p?rllogaritet n? 135 milion lek?. T? gjitha k?to para pritet t? l?vrohen nga donator?t. Por p?rve? burimeve t? financimit q? nevojiten p?r t? realizuar punimet n? k?to segmente t? pranuar edhe nga organizmat e ndryshme nd?rkomb?tar, than? burimet, koh?t e fundit sa vjen dhe po b?het i domosdossh?m kompletimi i t? gjitha k?tyre rrug?ve, me studime p?rkat?se t? fizibilitetit dhe hartimin e projekteve t? zbatimit. Deri tani nga llogaritjet paraprake t? Ministris? s? Transportit, vet?m p?r rrug?t automobilistike nevojiten rreth 2 deri n? 2.5 milion dollar?, t? cilat jan? kryesisht p?r segmentet Durr?s-Kuk?s (Qaf? Morin?), Qaf? Than?-Pogradec, Shkod?r-Hani i Hotit, Fier-Tepelen?, Tiran?-Ndroq-Plepa (Durr?s), Tiran?-Krrab?-Elbasan etj. Por financime jan? siguruar shum? pak. Nga Pakti i Stabilitetit, Shqip?ria p?rfitoi si fillim 71 milion euro p?r nd?rtimin e 7 autostradave t? reja. Por sipas konfirmimeve t? reja financimi duket ende larg. Si rast kokret p?rmned rasti i qeveris? italiane q? duket se ka dal? nga fjal? p?r financimin e premtuar p?r segmentin Lushnj?-Fier. Nga kontaktet e ndryshme me donator?t, dhe organizmat nd?rkomb?tar, than? burimet n? Ministrin? e Transportit, ka dal? e nevojshme kompletimi i k?tyre studimeve dhe aq m? tep?r edhe i projekteve t? zbatimit, ?ka do t? rriste n? m?nyr? shum? t? ndieshme mund?sin? e p?rfshirjes s? k?tyre objekteve n? programet e financimit. Realizimi i k?tyre hapave do t? jepte mund?si Shqip?ris? t? ket? mund?sin? m? pas "t? ket? goj? p?r t? k?rkuar" dhe siguruar fondet e nevojshme. Edhe fondet p?r rrug?t nacionale t? pa realizuara Hipokrizia ka arritur kulmin. Drejtoria e P?rgjithshme e Rrug?ve e paaft? p?r t? p?rdorur parat? e dh?na nga buxheti i shtetit n? fillim t? vitit, tashti pas 7 muajsh ngrihet e k?rkon edhe financime shtes?. Pasi kan? mbushur vet?m gropat e rrug?ve me aksione 2-3 ditore, tani k?rkojn? nga qeveria 800 milion lek? p?r t? hedhur asfalt t? ri n? sip?rfaqet e rrug?ve nacionale q? kan? qen? m? t? d?mtuara. Edhe n?se qeveria ua jep k?t? fond, nuk ?sht? e sigurt q? Drejtoria e P?rgjithshme e Rrug?ve do t? jet? e aft? ti p?rdor me efektivitetin e duhur brenda k?tij viti. E themi k?t? pasi p?r 6 mujorin e par? t? k?tij viti statistikat tregojn? se ?sht? p?rdorur vet?m 42 p?rqind e investimeve buxhetore t? dh?na n? fillim t? vitit. Nd?rsa i gjith? fondi i Ministris? s? Transportit p?r k?to 7 muaj ?sht? shfryt?zuar vet?m n? mas?n 67 p?rqind e planit t? periudh?s. Nd?rsa kundrejt planit t? vitit realizimi i ?sht? edhe m? i vog?l. Drejtues t? MT justifikohen se periudha 6 mujore ka qen? koha e p?rgatitjes s? pro?edurave t? prokurimit. Por realzimi ?sht? af?rsish i nj?jt? m? t? nj?jt?n periudh? t? vitit t? kaluar kur Shqip?ria u p?rball me kriz?n kosovare, shoq?ruar me nd?rprerje t? investimeve. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 11:56:08 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:56:08 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Copeza letrare e fundjaves... Message-ID: PER TY Nuk do mundesh te me shtrengosh me ne krahet e tu, te me shpupurisesh kacurrelat, te me gudulisesh mendimet, te qeshesh kumbueshem me barcaletat e mia, mesazhet, me naivitetin tim te paster prej femije. Diteve te tua do t'i mungoje buzeqeshja ime e ndrojtur, diskutimet e gjata per drejtesine, kombet, Kosoven, politiken, neveria ime per avokatet dhe materialistet, mosbesimi yt ne qeverite dhe njerezit... Sonte mbase dhe do t'me harrosh, por, do vije nje dite qe do pyesesh per mua, do t'me kerkosh serish nen pafundesine e qiellit, mbase henen dhe yjet do marresh peng per te te ndricuar rrugen, mbase do dergosh zogjte te me kerkojne, e do trishtohesh kur te me shohesh ne krahet e nje tjetri, qe mbase s'i perkas ashtu sic s'me perket ti mua. Do vije nje dite, jo e larget, shpirti im, jam krejt e sigurte se do vije nje dite, qe do te te cmende heshtja ime e ndihme Zotave do t'i kerkosh, kur syte e mi te te djegin gjumin, fshehur pas nje vargu, a fshehur pas nje endrre. Irma Boston, 2000 ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 12:48:11 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 16:48:11 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Ku po shkojme? Message-ID: >Kukes - Pas nje periudhe te qete disaoreshe kane filluar serish aktet >terroriste ne qytetin e Kukesit. Mbremjen e se merkures afer mesnates, >persona ende te paidentifikuar kane hedhur ne ere tubin kryesor te >ujesjellesit te Kukesit, i cili furnizon me uje 40 mije banore te qytetit >dhe fshatrave perreth. Nje sasi eksplozivi e vendosur ne tubin kryesor ne >afersi te burimit nga ku furnizohet me uje ky ujesjelles ka shkaterruar >rreth 1 meter te tubacionit kryesor ne afersi te tunelit te fshatit >Kolesian, 19 km larg nga qyteti i Kukesit. Kjo ka bere qe e gjithe sasia e >ujit te derdhet tashme ne perrua njeherazi duke lene pa uje mijerat e >banoreve ne kete periudhe te nxehte vere. Ne vendin e ngjarjes kane shkuar >dhe forca te Policise, Prokurorise dhe Sherbimit Informativ te Shtetit, te >cilet po hetojne per kete ngjarje te rende dhe me mjaft pasoja per popullin >e Kukesit. Nderkaq specialistet e ndermarrjes se ujesjellesit po punojne >per riparimin e defektit. Sipas drejtorit te ndermarrjes se Ujesjellesit, >Jashar Ciku, riparimi i defektit do te behet ne nje kohe rekord dhe cezmat >e qytetareve do te rrjedhin uje ne oret e para te mbremjes. "Akt terrorist >ne vazhden e akteve te tjera te ndermarra nga elemente kriminele te para >tre diteve", e ka cilesuar hedhjen ne ere te ujesjellesit drejtori i >pergjithshem i Policise, kolonel Veli Myftari. Nderkohe, sipas nr.1 te >policise se vendit, jane hedhur dyshimet e para per autoret e ketij akti >terrorist dhe po punohet me tej per zbardhjen e kesaj ngjarjeje dhe >identifikimin dhe kapjen e autoreve. Hedhja ne ere e ujesjellesit ka >shkaktuar panik ne kete periudhe tensioni ne Kukes, si dhe veshtiresi ne >furnizimin me uje te popullsise pasi ne kete territor mungojne dhe burime >te tjera natyrore apo puse. Gjendja e veshtire eshte sidomos ne spitalin e >qytetit dhe ne maternitet pasi mungesa e ujit ne kushtet e temperaturave >teper te larta te ketyre diteve shkaktojne perhapjen e epidemive. > >Historia e ujesjellesit > >Ujesjellesi i Kukesit qe furnizohet me uje nga gurra e fshatit Kolesian >eshte ndertuar ne vitin 1987, per t'iu nenshtruar nje rikonstruksioni te >plote gjate viteve '95-'97 ku KFV gjermane ka financuar jo pak, por 15 >milione DM. Qe nga ajo kohe, tubat e ketij ujesjellesi qe furnizojne me uje >qytetin e Kukesit i jane nenshtruar disa here veprimeve vandaliste si >atentateve me tritol apo bllokimeve nga ana e banoreve te fshatit Kolesian. >Pikerisht per te zbutur tensionet dhe per te parandaluar bllokimet e ketij >ujesjellesi nga banoret e fshatit Kolesian, Qeveria shqiptare ne mars te >ketij viti u ka shperndare kesh ne dore banoreve te ketij fshati rreth 1 >milione dollare. Megjithe aktin terrorist te fundit policia eshte e >vendosur per te goditur veprimtarine kriminale te akumuluar prej vitesh ne >rrethin e Kukesit. Ka arritur ne 13 numri i personave te arrestuar dhe qe >kane lidhje kryesisht me ngjarjet ne aksin rrugor Kukes-Morine si dhe ne >sulmin ndaj komisariatit ne te njejten dite. > >Arrestimet vazhdojne > >Gjate gjithe nates deri ne oret e para te mengjesit, edhe 9 persona te >tjere jane vene ne pranga. Sipas drejtorit te Policise se Kukesit, Ilirian >Dida, pas nje aksioni blic te forcave speciale te ardhura nga Tirana ne >mengjes duke u gdhire e enjte, jane arrestuar 9 persona qe sipas Dides jane >organizatoret kryesore te ngjarjeve te diteve te fundit. Per situaten ne >Kukes kryeministri Meta dhe ministri i Rendit Publik, Spartak Poci, kane >mbajtur dje kontakte te vazhdueshme me drejtues te Policise se Kukesit dhe >drejtues te larte te Ministrise se Rendit Publik, te ardhur ne kete qytet >prej disa ditesh. Nderkohe qe kryeministri dhe ministri i Rendit Publik, >sipas kolonel Veli Myftarit kane shprehur gatishmerine per te ardhur dhe >ata ne Kukes nese ndjehet e nevojshme. Gjithnje sipas drejtuesve te larte >te Ministrise se Rendit, qeveria ka nxjerre nje vendim te vecante per te >pajisur komisariatin e Kukesit me mjete logjistike shtese si kamera te >fshehta, automjete, fakse etj. Sot me kerkese te drejtorit te pergjithshem >te Policise, ministri Poci ka vene ne dispozicion te forcave speciale dhe >nje helikopter, i cili ka filluar pasdite operacionet e kerkimit per >personat e akuzuar dhe qe mendohet te jene fshehur ne pyje. "Jemi kategorik >dhe te vendosur qe problemit Kukes t'i shkohet deri ne fund, sepse nuk mund >te lihet kjo pjese e Atdheut qe elemente te caktuar te veprojne si ne kohen >e principatave ose bajraqeve, duke qeverisur ne menyre kanunore", tha per >"KJ" kolonel Veli Myftari. Ndersa ne lidhje me akuzat e bera nga opozita >per perdorim dhune ndaj qytetareve apo te ashtuquajturve tregtare, drejtori >i pergjithshem i Policise, i cili e ka drejtuar kete operacion deklaroi se: >"Operacioni policor eshte vezhguar rastesisht nga perfaqesues te >institucioneve nderkombetare qe jane ne vendin tone. Gjate bisedes me >njerin prej tyre ata kane deklaruar se operacioni ka qene teper >profesional, i drejtuar dhe i zbatuar me gjakftohtesi, me shume eficence >dhe rezultati ka ardhur pa pasur asnje pasoje. Gjithnje lidhur me keto >akuza, drejtori i pergjithshem i Policise ka vazhduar: "Une nuk do t'i >jepja pergjigje tjeter kujtdoqofte gazetar, perfaqesues politik, shtetas >apo segmenteve te ndryshme per dhune te ushtruar nga policia". Nderkaq >drejtuesi i operacionit eshte hedhur ne kunderakuza ku ai thene se: "Keta >qe marrin ne mbrojtje persona te armatosur, natyrisht per te mos thene se >jane organizatore te ketyre veprimeve, nuk i ndan asnje pellembe prej >ketyre personave kriminele". Nderkohe qe nr.1 i Policise gjithnje lidhur me >akuzat e opozites ka sjelle si shembull veprimet e policise ne vendet me >demokratike te botes ku, sipas tij, per raste shume me pak te rrezikshme se >keto te Kukesit, veprimet e Policise jane disa here me te ashpra. "Me habit >ky qendrim i sotem i opozites. Ishin po keta qe para nje muaji, nepermjet >konferencave te shtypit dhe protestave kerkonin qe policia te jete shume e >ashper ne goditjet e saj per vendosjen e rendit ne Kukes", perfundon lidhur >me kete problem drejtori i pergjithshem i Policise, kolonel Veli Myftari. > >Gramsh - Pese persona nga fshati Banje, qe u perkasin dy familjeve me emer >ne zone, jane drejtuar dy dite me pare ne kirurgjine e Elbasanit. Shkak ka >qene keqtrajtimi i nje gomari qe ishte dhene hua tek Mucajt. Sipas >50-vjecarit Arben Tafa, nje prej te shtruarve ne Reanimacionin e Repartit >te Kirurgjise nga fshati Banje e qe ka qene edhe pronar i kafshes se >ngarkeses, nje jave me pare Mucajt kishin kerkuar gomarin e familjes Tafa >per te ngarkuar gure te cilet do te sherbenin per ndertimin e nje shtepie. >"Ua dorezova amanet qe t'ma ruanin kafshen e te mos ma lodhnin. Enver >Mucaj, i zoti i shtepise e miku i ngushte i vellait tim, ia la gomarin nje >13-vjecari. Ndoshta nga ngarkesa apo keqtrajtimi, kafsha e gjore ka hedhur >shkelma dhe e ka goditur 13-vjecarin e Mucajve, duke e lene pa fryme te >shtrire. Sakaq kane mberritur Enveri me nje kusheririn e tij dhe e kane >rrahur gomarin. Nderkaq me erdhi lajmi e se bashku me djalin tim 22 vjec, >Mondin, shkuam ne fillim qe t'ua hiqnim nga dora. Po ku zbrapseshin >Mucajt,- tregon per "KJ" pronari i gomarit qe krijoi tragjedine midis dy >familjeve.- Sakaq na jane drejtuar edhe me grushta, shkelma e gure perroi >dhe kemi hyre ne nje beteje te pergjakshme". Ne vendngjarje kane mberritur >edhe bashkefshatare te tjere qe gjithsesi i kane ndare dy familjet, sqaron >nje i afert i Mucajve qe kishte mberritur ne Spitalin e Elbasanit per te >pare viktimat. > >Dhermi - Po iken edhe rera ne plazhin e Dhermiut. Cdo dite rritet numri i >IFA-ve qe hapin gropa dhe marrin reren, duke e masakruar plazhin me te >bukur ne Shqiperi. Te marten pame me syte tane se si nje varg i gjate >makinash tip IFA-sh zbrisnin nga lartesia e fshatit dhe njera pas tjetres >ngarkonin rere ne anen e majte te plazhit me fytyre nga deti. Prej ditesh >ky fakt ka nervozuar pushuesit, perfshi ketu edhe shume te huaj qe kane >ardhur nga shume vende, por nuk ka shqetesuar aspak Policine ndertimore, >uniformat blu dhe aq me teper Bashkine e Himares ne juridiksion te se ciles >eshte plazhi i Dhermiut. Vendasit te thone se behen ndertime te reja ne >fshat, ne Dhermi ndertesa 2-3-4 e deri ne 5 kateshe, por kurrsesi ata nuk >justifikojne gerryerjen e reres ne plazh. Eshte e tmerrshme thote njeri nga >pronaret e godinave me pushues te shumte te shikosh nje skene te tille, >ndersa per bukurine e Dhermiut flasin te huajt deri nga Amerika. Kjo >konsiderohet nje cmenduri e ketyre qytetareve, por nje neglizhence e >pajustifikueshme e qeveritareve qe heshtin para ketij fakti. Keshtu ka >heshtur Bashkia e Himares edhe kur behej fjale per anijen greke, qe >pergjate dy vjeteve merrte rere nga plazhi i bukur i qytetit te Himares dhe >e dergonte ne favor te firmave ndertuese ne shume qytete greke. Duhen >ndaluar Ifat, eshte ky alarmi qe japin vendasit, por edhe pushuesit ne >Dhermi te merkuren. Sa me shpejt te pengohet marrja e reres pasi kur te >kujtohen organizmat shteterore qe merren me keto probleme, Dhermiu do te >jete shemtuar keqas. > >Tirane - Shoferi i Shefit te Komisariatit te Policise se Lushnjes masakron >ne ambientet e Policise nje 20-vjecar nga i njejti qytet. Quhet Elvis >Collaku, eshte vetem 20 vjec dhe ne fytyre ende i duken qarte shenjat e >dhunes se perdorur ne komisariat nga Alfred Baja, shofer dhe njekohesisht >edhe nip i shefit te Komisariatit Qani Baja. Ngjarja ka ndodhur te henen, >rreth ores 16.00, ne oborrin e Policise se Lushnjes. Vete Elvisi e rrefen >ngjarjen e se henes ne dreke. > >"Po vija me tre shoke nga Divjaka, me makinen time. Para nesh ishte nje >makine qe ecte ngadale. I dhame sinjal per parakalim, por shoferi nuk e >hapte rrugen". Keshtu ata e kane vazhduar rrugen deri ne Lushnje. Tek >stadiumi, nje furgon i policise i koduar me emrin "Celiku" i ka kerkuar >Elvisit te paraqitet ne polici. Ne ambientet e saj, 20-vjecari Collaku ka >pare edhe shoferin e makines qe nuk i > >kishte hapur rrugen. Rreth ores 15 30 ata jane pyetur ne komisariat nga >policia pasi personi ne fjale kishte denoncuar se dikush po e ndiqte nga >pas. "Ai ishte rreth 35-40 vjec dhe po fliste miqesisht me te gjithe >policet", sqaron i riu. Me tej Elvisi tregon: "Dola ne oborr te flisja me >familjen ne telefon per t'i treguar se ku ndodhesha, qe ata te mos beheshim >merak". Ende pa thene asnje fjale, sqaron 20-vjecari, dikush me goditi nga >pas. "Rrashe ne toke dhe ndjeva se dikush po me godiste me shkelma ku te >mundte. Me godiste pa meshire, si i cmendur". Ne ate moment te riut i ka >rene te fiket dhe nuk ka mbajtur mend me asgje. "Jam permendur,- thote >Elvis Collaku,- kur me kane cuar ne dhomen e izolimit. Fytyra me ishte >mbushur nga gjaku qe me rridhte nga hundet". Personi qe zevendeson shefin e >Policise kriminale ne Komisariat gjate pyetjes Elvisit i ka thene se >personi qe kishte denoncuar ishte njeri i rrezikshem dhe se me te s'duhej >te perzihej. "Ai eshte kriminel dhe ne s'mund ta kapim, me tha polici,- >sqaron Elvisi i masakruar ne fytyre.- Shoket me ndihmuan qe te >permendesha", rrefen Elvisi, ndersa mundohet te fshehe me syze gjurmet e >goditjeve qe duken ende te fresketa. Shoket e te riut lushnjar kane dale >nga dhomat e izolimit qe te henen, rreth ores 20.00, ndersa vete ai eshte >mbajtur per nje nate, me qellim qe t'i zhdukeshin plaget e marra nga nipi i >Shefit te Komisariatit. Rreth ores 11.00 te se martes ai eshte lene i lire, >ndersa makinen ka mundur ta marre pas gjysme ore. Po ate dite i demtuari ka >bere nje vizite mjeko-ligjore, ku edhe ka marre raportin e nevojshem. Ne te >ka dale se ai ka marre demtime ne hunde, ne fytyre, ne hije. Dje familja >Collaku ka pergatitur nje akt-padi ndaj Alfred Bajes, shoferit te Shefit te >Komisariatit te Lushnjes, per ta percjelle per ne Prokurorine Ushtarake te >Vlores. > > > >BERAT - Jeton apo ka "vdekur" arti ne qytetet jashte Tiranes, kjo pyetje >duket se e ka marre pergjigjen. Vitet ikin dhe bashke me ta largohen cdo >dite e me teper, duke udhetuar drejt rrugeve te kurbetit dhjetera artiste >qe i kane dhene tonin artit beratas. Te tjere kane gjetur strehe me te >ngrohte ne qytetet e tjera te vendit ndersa "Cekja" i ben shyqyr regjisorit >shkodran Adrian Culiqi. Orkestrantet shpresojne ne dasmat e te dieles >ndersa poetet dhe shkrimtaret ne kerkim te sponsoreve qe nuk leshojne >qindarke per germat. Te gjithe te pezmatuar perserisin fjalet standarte: > >"Me keta njerez qe drejtojne artin dhe me keto ligje nuk punohet." Drejtori >i Drejtorise kulturore, Shpetim Dyrmishi, ka frike te organizoje qofte dhe >nje mbledhje te shkurter disaminuteshe pasi artistet do te protestojne >ashper ndaj kesaj barbarie qe nuk ka emer tjeter. I vetmi institucion qe >mban gjalle nje pjese te artit eshte Galeria e Arteve, se ciles, per hir te >se vertetes, nuk i kane munguar aktivitetet edhe gjate vitit te mbrapshte >te vitit '97. Nuk ngelet mbrapa edhe Biblioteka e qytetit qe, edhe pse >eshte "perdhunuar" kater here nga grabites qe nuk dine as vete se cfare >kerkojne, i ka mbajtur hapur dyert per lexuesit qe kane "etje" per faqet e >gazetave apo per krijime te tjera letrare. Keshtu, 55 artiste vazhdojne te >marrin rrogat pa u vene perballe publikut beratas, qofte edhe nje shfaqje >te vetme, pa u kerkuar llogari kush per orarin e mengjesit apo te pasdites. >Ndersa vete kreu i kultures ndihet i kenaqur me gjendjen, duke gjetur >"ngushellim" neper shtetet e botes. Per "keneten" e krijuar per autoret qe >shkaterruan si dhe per rruget e daljes nga kjo krize, pranojne te flasin >per "KJ" personalitete te artit dhe te kultures ne qytetin 2400-vjecar. > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Fri Aug 18 16:32:30 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 20:32:30 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: FT.com Albanian pyramid savings gone Message-ID: > > > > Albanian pyramid savings gone > By John Mason and Kerin Hope > Published: August 16 2000 17:31GMT | Last Updated: August 17 >2000 16:02GMT > > > > > Investors in Albania's notorious pyramid schemes will get >little of their money back, the Albanian government has been told by >financial investigators hired to track down $1bn lost in frauds that >wrecked the economy and tipped the country into anarchy. > > PricewaterhouseCoopers, the professional services firm asked >by the government to investigate the schemes, has concluded that only $50m >is recoverable. > > The PwC report, which is also critical of the help offered by >Albanian officials in locating the money, has never been published, despite >being submitted to the Albanian ministry of finance last January. > > The socialist government under Ilir Mehta, the pragmatic prime >minister, is attempting to draw a line under the scandal that prompted >violence which claimed more than 2,000 lives and cost many Albanians their >life savings. > > Under pressure from western lending institutions to adopt >credible economic policies, the government has retracted promises that >investors would be compensated in full. It is now trying to put the scandal >firmly in the past while putting the blame on the previous government of >Sali Berisha under which the schemes flourished. > > Much of the PwC report will come as little surprise to >Albanians, particularly its conclusion that the 17 schemes, which collapsed >in early 1997, were "thoroughly dishonest businesses". > > The schemes typically promised returns of about 8 per cent a >month and proved irresistible to a population that only recently had >emerged from communist orthodoxy. At their height, they had liabilities >equal to half the country's gross domestic product, according to the >International Monetary Fund. > > Tracking down the missing money proved difficult. According to >Rick Helsby, the head PwC investigator, the bulk of the money was taken out >of the country in cash in lorries bound for Greece and other countries. > > Between $50m and $100m has been found in overseas bank >accounts, mainly in countries such as Greece, Turkey, Hungary, Macedonia, >Germany, the UK and the US. However, Albania lacks bilateral agreements >that allow this money to be recovered. > > Less well known is the extent to which those behind the >schemes benefited. PwC was able to identify many of the assets that went to >Vehbi Almucaj, the principal operator of Vefa, the largest scheme, which is >also understood to have had close links with the Berisha government. > > One Tirana-based banker said: "There was strong evidence of >collusion between Vefa and the government. Vans owned by a state-controlled >bank used to transport Vefa cash across the border for deposit in Greek >banks." > > Some $9.5m of Vefa's assets were traced to Almucaj's personal >accounts with $141m more paid to employees and other individuals associated >with the scheme. > > Investigations into Gjallica, the second-largest scheme, >showed that $17m had been paid to Shemsie Kadria, its operator, and her >husband Gani. > > However, in both cases, much of the money traced remains >abroad and out of reach. > > Many of the difficulties facing investigators arose from the >lack of accounts kept by the schemes, presumably deliberately, Mr Helsby >said. However, he was critical of the help given by some officials meant to >co-operate with the PwC investigation. In particular, public prosecutors >hindered attempts to inspect documentation relating to Vefa, seriously >limiting the extent of the inquiry, he said. > > The report said the Albanian people were likely to be >dissatisfied by the Vefa inquiry and to expect further investigations. > > Whether this will happen seems uncertain. The Mehta government >has acted against the perpetrators of the schemes. Vehbi Almucaj received a >five-year sentence for fraud but the government rejected the sentence as >too lenient and has ordered a fresh hearing. Mrs Kadria's trial on fraud >charges continues. > > Otherwise, it is playing down the issue as it attempts to >restore stability and attract foreign investors. The legacy remains, >however. One western economist said: "The pyramid schemes still come up in >every discussion with a potential investor. Confidence is only starting to >recover." > > Meanwhile, most Albanians are resigned to accepting their >losses. Ilir Cani, who now works as a gardener in Athens, lost $20,000 in >the collapse of Vefa. He said: "We sold our apartment to invest more when >the monthly interest rate was increased to 8 per cent. Now my whole family >is in Greece trying to save enough money to build a house in Tirana." > > > > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From eribudo at hotmail.com Sun Aug 20 14:48:47 2000 From: eribudo at hotmail.com (ERI Budo) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 18:48:47 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] (no subject) Message-ID: This is the second time I'm trying to send this, so pardon me if you receive this message twice... Does anyone know of any interest, or even research, Washington DC-based group that deals with investment in Eastern-Central Europe and the NIS? Kind of like the Corporate Council on Africa, only for Eastern Europe :)? Any lead is appreciated. Falemnderit, eri ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Sun Aug 20 14:38:58 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 18:38:58 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] NJEREZORE- POEZI Message-ID: Sa per te mbushur boshllekun e se dieles... NJEREZORE T'u flasesh njerezve me gjuhen e dashurise, e te kuptosh cfare thote gonxhja qe po cel, te mbjellesh ne shpirt nje kenge te dlire, sa per te mbytur cdo hidherim e brenge. T'i puthesh duart nenes kur nga lodhja psheretin, te rendesh pas te bukures e pjese te jetes ta besh, t'i shikosh njerezit ne sy kur pranon fajin, dobesine, te duash atje ku s'duan e botes kurrizin i kthejne. Te lesh diellin e shoqerise te ngrohe cdo cep te shpirtit, e te jesh vetvetja gjithmone, te largosh urrejtjen, hakmarrjen, vetmine, paqen, shpresen ne cdo gen te strehosh. Te dehesh nga enderrimet e t'i falesh ndjenjave te thella, te durosh si Sizifi e te duash pafundesisht, sado zhgenjime e dhimbje te ndjesh ne jete per lumturine te guxosh serish. Nje bote te tille falme, O Zot! Irma, Boston, 2000 ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Sat Aug 19 22:02:47 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 19:02:47 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Arkeollogji Message-ID: <20000820020247.5378.qmail@web109.yahoomail.com> G?rmimet klandestine kane demtuar 70 p?rqind t? tum?s ilire n? Kamenic? KOR?E, 19 Gusht/ATSH-G.Ashimi/.- G?rmimet klandestine kan? d?mtuar rreth 70 p?rqind t? tum?s ilire n? fshatin Kamenic?, rreth 18 km larg qytetit t? Kor??s. Ky fakt eshte evidentuar gjate diteve te fundit ne ekspedit?n q? po kryhet n? tum?n e Kamenic?s, nga nje grup arkeolog?sh, nj? antropolog dhe dhjet? student? t? Fakultetit te historis? ne Tirane. Arkeologu Lorenc Bejko, pjesemarres ne kete ekspedite tha se tuma ilire n? Kamenic?, me nj? diamet?r 34 metra i p?rket gjysm?s s? par? t? mij?vje?arit t? par? para er?s son?. Ajo rezulton e shkat?rruar n? element? t? struktur?s s? saj, ndersa ka humbur gjendjen origjinale. Sipas grupit te arkeologeve g?rmimet klandestine gjat? viteve t? fundit, kan? synuar objektet arkeologjike t? varrez?s ilire, t? cilat n? pjes?n m? t? madhe jan? grabitur. Tuma e Kamenic?s, nisur nga d?mtimet e renda qe ka pesuar, tashm? klasifikohet si nj? monument n? rrezik. Nd?rkoh? ky grup vazhdon punimet me mjete t? specializuara, duke dokumentuar t? gjitha zbulimet n? varrez?n e hershme ilire. Ekspedita ne fshatin kamenice parashikohet t? vazhdoj? t? pakt?n edhe dy jav? t? tjera, me synim p?rcaktimin e nj? tablo historike nga pjesa e mbetur e tum?s ilire t? Kamenic?s. /k.sh/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail ? Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From kbejko at hotmail.com Mon Aug 21 10:31:15 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 14:31:15 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] "The misery of beeing Greek" Message-ID: >From: "Olsi " >Reply-To: alb-club at alb-net.com >To: alb-club at alb-net.com >Subject: [Alb-club] Fwd: The ayatollah replaces Zorba >Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 00:57:42 -0000 > > *** Alb-Club Discussion List *** > > > >General by Helena Smith 21st August 2000 > > > >A row over identity cards is giving the powerful Orthodox priests of >Greece a >chance to exploit a dangerous nationalism, reports Helena Smith > >Strange things are going on in Greece. The country is wrestling with >an >identity crisis and the Eastern Orthodox Church, feeling wronged, >appears to >have gone mad. > >Where you think you spot a priest, you invariably discover an >activist - men >in black with stovepipe hats denouncing the "dark forces" behind >Athens's >unusually progressive government. The enlightened call them Orthodox >ayatollahs. > >It's worrying stuff, the sort of thing that might make Pericles >really writhe >in his grave. The cause of such rancour? The removal of any reference >to >religion on civilian identity cards. For a country in which 97 per >cent of the >population is Christian and Eastern Orthodox, it would seem an >innocuous enough >move. But in Greece - the European Union's only Orthodox state - it >has had an >unexpectedly explosive effect: all at once, Hellenes have had to ask >themselves >who, and what, they want to be. And they are doing it in a way that >is not >showing them in the best of lights. > >Greece's spiritual leaders - the self-styled protectors of Hellenism >through >400 years of Ottoman rule - retain an influence on civil life unknown >in any >other part of the west: they officiate at the swearing-in of >governments, the >inauguration of public and private projects and the blessing of >private homes. >In recognition of those close ties, clerics receive state salaries. >In their >view, the Greeks are caught up in their toughest fight yet to remain >a cut >above the rest; to preserve their Christian Byzantine roots from the >"meat >grinder" that is the EU. > >Drop religious affiliation from identity cards - originally >introduced by a >military dictatorship in the late 1930s - and, the clerics argue, you >sound >the death knell of a single nation state. > >The Greek prime minister, Costas Simitis, has tried to counter all >this by >insisting that the reform brings Greece into line with its European >partners, >and that "the declaration of one's religious affiliation is not only >discriminatory, but offensive. It insults the right of every >individual to >privacy and religious freedom." > >The Church, however, remains adamant. Greece's bearded clerics regard >the "identity crisis" as the sort of thing that could drag the nation >into "civil war". In June, more than a million Greeks (one-tenth of >the >population) flocked to hear Archbishop Christodoulos, the Church >Primate, >denounce the measure as the first step in a sinister plot to >de-Hellenise >Greece. "Our faith is the foundation of our identity. If you abolish >one, you >abolish the other," the archbishop thundered, as the crowd of >rumbustious flag- >wavers cheered. The scenes were reminiscent of the fundamentalist >fervour that >once ran riot in Iran. > >Increasingly, human rights groups have begun to wonder whether Greece >is a nice >place, after all. Over the past ten years, Athens has been repeatedly >condemned >by the European Court of Human Rights for violations involving all of >its >religious minorities. Away from the warm, taverna-terraced beaches, >fun-loving >Zorbas and tourist-trampled temples, Greeks treat those who dare to >be >different with red-hot contempt. > >Try being a Jew, Catholic, Muslim or Protestant, and you will not get >far - as >the ranks of the Civil Service, diplomatic corps and army so amply >prove. Try >being an immigrant, and you are viewed as the reason for unemployment >and >crime. Try mentioning ethnic minorities - officially, they do not >exist, bar >communities of Muslims and Roma - and you may be labelled "sick in >the mind", >to quote Theodore Pangalos, the country's feisty former foreign >minister. Try >taking a different tack in public on the country's so-called >"national >issues", the ones involving Turkey and other neighbours, and it is >likely that >you will be branded a traitor. > >"Modern Greece is an ethno-nationalist state par excellence," writes >the >commentator Takis Michas in his forthcoming book, Ethnic >Totalitarianism. "'Others' are viewed as a source of potential danger >to the >national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greece." > >Twenty-six years after the collapse of the colonels, the fracas over >the >identity cards smacks of "the Greece of Christian Greeks", the >rebarbative >slogan that those petty officers used to give their rotten regime an >acceptable >allure. It also proves that liberty and equality, the values that >drive >democracy, are still in short supply in this, the birthplace of >democracy. > >I write this with a heavy heart. I am not a "mishellene", a >Greek-hater, >although I know I will be cast as one when this comes out. I have >happily lived >in and reported from Greece for the past 14 years. I think I can say >that it is >a magical place with some magical people. > >The problem is that there are two Greeces: one that is western, >modern, open, >reform-minded, civic, competitive, risk-taking and international; and >one that >is eastern, traditional, parochial, phobic, unskilled and >introverted. > >The country, mercifully, is now in the hands of the former. But they >are a >minority - a "group of angels in a sea of devils", as one wry >observer >recently put it. The political spectrum is replete with members of >the "other" >Greece, who see civic society, with all its talk of fundamental >freedoms, as >reeking of anti-nationalism. > >The present identity crisis has shown how far there is to go if the >twain are >to meet. Greece's troublesome priests show no sign of backing down >soon. >Archbishop Christodoulos may say he does not want to turn his flock >into "fanatics", but he has seen that demagoguery works. Indeed, his >fighting >spirit has sent shivers down the spine of the governing Socialists. > >The "eastern" Greeks, who support the archbishop's stand, can still >relate to >the notorious declaration of the Byzantine commander Loukas Notaras >(uttered >days before the sacking of Constantinople in 1453) that it would be >better to >see the Turkish turban in the city than the Roman cardinal's mitre. >For these >people, civic society is still a dirty word. They believe that they >have >nothing to gain from globalisation, least of all the punishing >reforms required >to take the nation into Euroland's new economic order. Passions are >clearly on >the rise. In the Church, the easterners see the embodiment of >Greece's >defensive national identity, the only bulwark left against the >creation of a >threatening, multi- cultural, open society. > >"There is a very big underdog coalition from which the Church can >draw its >strength - Greeks who feel very insecure about the phenomenal pace of >change >in this country," says Professor Nikiforos Diamantouros, Greece's >ombudsman and >a political scientist. > >Many Greeks are now praying that the identity crisis will eventually >lead to a >full separation of the secular and ecclesiastical spheres. "This, I >hope, will >be the beginning of the formal separation of church and state," says >Nikos >Dimou, the author of the bestselling book The Misery of Being Greek. >"The >Church is the wealthiest institution in this country, and it has far >too much >control. Greeks vote according to church dioceses, the constitution >is in the >name of the Holy Trinity and, even if they want to, they cannot die >without it >because the Church has ensured that civil burials don't exist." > >There have already been calls by bishops for civil disobedience. As >the >government prepares to print the new ID cards, the Orthodox Church, >clearly >girding its loins for battle, says it will encourage people not to >take >possession of them. > >Come 1 September, churchmen will begin collecting millions of >signatures for >an "informal referendum" on the issue. > >Every European state is afflicted to some degree by the twin evils of >populism >and racism. As the only country in the EU not to border another >member state, >Greece differs only in the way that it perceives its own watertight >identity. >It remains the EU's poorest member, badly in need of crucial economic >and >social reforms. Within the 15-nation bloc, Greece still has the >biggest labour >force of civil servants and small-time self-employed. > >The Greeks have experienced more years of authoritarian, right-wing >rule than >perhaps any other nation on the Continent. The generation born since >the >restoration of real liberty in 1974 is the first never to have >experienced war, >civil strife or major economic convulsions. Understandably, it feels >more >secure - as the unprecedented enthusiasm for recent rapprochement >between >Athens and Ankara has shown. > >Now that the identity crisis is out in the open, and with this new >generation >in mind, it is hoped that the Greeks will finally be able to accept >the idea >that their own homogeneity is a myth. Already, taboos have been >lifted, not >least around the once sacred subject of the role of their Church. > >There are few who are saying such things aloud. But, one way or >another, good >may come of the madness. > >Helena Smith has been awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard >University for her >coverage of Greece and the Balkans as the Athens-based correspondent >for the >Guardian and the Observer >--- End forwarded message --- > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Mon Aug 21 12:39:03 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 16:39:03 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] West Story from a South-East Country Message-ID: > >Tirane - Ne spital ishte regjistruar me emrin Ani Metushi nga Mallakastra. >Dhjete dite me pare, Dritan Hysenbelliu (Ani Metushi) nga Patosi, ishte >plagosur. I trembur, (mbase e dinte qe i ndiqin per ta vrare) nderron emrin >dhe diagnozen e semundjes. Por, dje ai u ekzekutua. > >Masaker ne dhomen e nje pacienti i shtruar ne katin e dyte te Sanatoriumit >me pneunomi. Studenti i Akademise se Rendit ben terror. Dy te vrare dhe tre >te plagosur eshte bilanci i viktimave dje ne oren 16.30. Hakmarrja merr >jeten e dy te njerezve dhe gjymton tre te tjere. Dy persona pasi kishin >marre te dhena te sakta mbi vendndodhjen e te semurit Dritan Hysenbelliu, >20 vjec, jane futur ne dhomen numer 11 te katit te dyte ku kurohen >pacientet me semundje ne mushkeri. Brenda, ne kete kohe, ndodheshin per >vizite dy persona njerez te familjes se Dritanit. Autoret kane nxjerre >pistoletat tip "TT" dhe kane shtene mbi te gjithe njerezit qe ndodheshin ne >dhome. Dy prej tyre vdiqen ne vend, ndersa tre u plagosen midis tyre dhe >nje vizitor i rastesishem qe nuk kishte lidhje me viktimat. Nderkaq, >automjeti i urgjences i dergoi ata ne Spitalin Ushtarak. Trupat pa jete >kane qendruar ne Sanatorium per disa ore me rradhe derisa ekspertet >perfunduan kqyrjen e vendit te ngjarjes. > >Kasandro, sipas policise, eshte emri i autorit te krimit. Policia nxjerr >versionin e pare te krimit; dhjete dite me pare Dritani eshte plagosur nga >Kasandro student i Akademise se Rendit per nje konflikt hasmerie. Dje ai e >vret 20 vjecarin Dritan Shefit Hysenbelliu. Bashke me Dritanin, vritet dhe >i kusheriri i tij 48 vjec Aqif Ramazan Hysenbelliu. U plagosen rende dy >vellezerit e viktimave Agron dhe Gentian Hysenbelliu te moshes 25 vjec. U >plagos dhe nje tjeter person Lavdosh Karaj, vizitor, rastesisht ne dhomen e >krimit. Sipas policise, motivi i vrasjes eshte hakmarrja. Autoret e dyshuar >jane Kasandro Nago 25 vjec dhe Julian Cela 23 vjec. > >Pas 20 minutash policia gjeti te braktisur ne godinen e Fakultetit Ekonomik >benzin me targa te huaja me te cilin ishin larguar dy autoret. > >Ne spital ne vendin e krimit > >Ora shenonte 16.30. Ne korridoret e Sanatoriumit s'pipetinte njeri. Tek tuk >hynte ndonje vizitor. Degjohet vetem zeri i nje gruaje me bluze te bardhe >qe nxiton t'i beje mjekimin te semurve. Ate moment do te mjekohej dhe 20 >vjecari Dritan Hysenbelliu nga Patosi i shtruar ne dhomen numer 11. Prej >nje jave ai ishte shtruar ne spital, pasi mushkerite i kishte me uje. >Krisma e nje pistolete ka prishur ate qetesi te semuresh. Gruas me trup te >imet i bien mjekimet nga dora. E tmerruar ajo vrapon neper korridor duke u >perplasur me muret, dyer e gjithcka kishte ne ambjentet spitalore. Dy >persona nga pas kane vrapuar duke e shtyre gruan derisa kane mundur te >dalin neper shkallet e pavionit. "I gjate, i ri me pak floke te rena para >me pistolete ne dore zbriti poshte", tregon nje vizitor rastesisht duke >ngjitur shkallet e katit te dyte. Paniku ka perfshire gjithe pacientet dhe >bluzat e bardha te Sanatoriumit. Nuk u besohej. E gjitha u realizua vetem >per pak minuta. Ishte ora 16.33. ne spital jane degjuar vetem ulerima >njerezish qe nuk dinin se c'kishte ndodhur. Infermiera fshihet. Ate nuk e >tregonin as koleget. Jane te lemerisur. Disa prej tyre jane futur poshte >krevateve. Aty kane qendruar per gati dy ore. Mjeku i urgjences ne pavionit >doktor Sokol Mulosmani, i vetmi vrapon andej nga ishin deegjuar krismat. Dy >personat ishin larguar brenda dy minuta duke terhequr dhe deren e dhomes se >krimit. Mulosmani njeriu i pare qe pa pese kufomat e shtrire ne dhomen 11, >tregon se ishte para nje masakre.. "C'mund te beje para atyre trupave te >shtrire pertoke, kurse te semurit i rridhte gjaku neper carcafet e >shtratit". Mjeku nuk mund te flase me teper per ate pamje te llahtarisur. >Muret te lyer me gjak, njerez te permbysur siper njeri-tjetrit. Nuk mund te >dalloje se kush ishte i vdekur dhe kush gjalle, thote mjeku. Mulosmani >fillon e prek me dore kufomat, per te pare nese ishte ndonje prej tyre >gjalle. Ate cast kane filluar dhe renkimet. Bluza te tjera mberriten me pas >per te ndihmuar "shpetimtarin". Tre njerez u moren me barrela per t'i futur >ne kirurgji, e prej andej ne Spitalin Ushtarak. Nuk vonon shume dhe ne >vendin e ngjarjes mberrin policia. Shkuan dhe ne gazetaret. Njolla gjaku >kishte jo vetem ne dhomen 11. Korridori te krijonte idene e zvarritjes se >viktimave. Mjeket te sqarojne se eshte gjaku i te plagosurve. Doktor Alban >Hatibi reanimator ne spital, me gjysma fjalesh tregon per ngjarjen tragjike >ne ambjentet ku ata punojne. "Eshte e tmerrshme, dy jane vrare dhe tre te >plagosur ketu brenda, jemi te pasigurte per jeten..". Hatipi zor se mund te >shohe ne jeten e tij nje pamje te njejte me ate te djeshmen. Prane tij >rrine te strukura infermieret e trembura. Plumbat i kane patur mjaft afer. >Krimi kishte futur kembet aty ku s'ta pret mendja. Po sikur ne ate dhome te >ishte ndodhur nje mjek, nje infermier, nje tjeter pacient? Te gjithe >mendojne se aty rastesisht mund te ishte ndodhur cdo njeri prej tyre. >Autoret iken dhe korridoret i bllokuan policet. Ne radio flitej per emra te >dyshuar, per levizje te mjeteve te policie etj. Nje ore pas ngjarjes ne >dhomen 11 mberrin kreu i policise Veli Myftari. I renduar me teper dhe nga >ngjyra e kostumit, shkoi drejt dhomes se krimit. Nga pas vinin mori >shefash. Numri dy i Tiranes bashke shefin e komisariatit numer 1 Gjovalin >Loka ulerinin teksa shohin gazetaret ne korridore. Trupat u percollen ne >morg, dhe policet u ngjiten shpejt ne makina qe prinsin ne oborrin e >spitalit. Blute u larguan, autoret po gjithashtu. Mbeten pacientet dhe >bluzat e bardha. Por dhe hija frikshme e krimit te veshur me mantel... > >Te vraret > >Dritan Shefit Hysenbelliu 20 vjec > >Aqif Ramazan Hysenbelliu 48 vjec > >Te plagosurit > >Agron Hysenbelliu > >Lavdosh Karaj > >Gentian Hysenbelliu 25 vjec > >Autoret > >Kasandro Shpetim Nago 25 vjec > >Julian Zenel Cela 23 vjec > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Aug 22 01:14:13 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 22:14:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Per Ligjin e Luftes Message-ID: <20000822051413.20767.qmail@web108.yahoomail.com> SHEKULLI 22 Gusht 2000 Gjendja e Luft?s me Greqin? mund t? zgjidhet n? kuadrin dypal?sh Flet z?dh?n?si i Ministris? s? Jashtme, Sokol Gjoka: N?se s'japin rezultat bisedimet, do t? shikohen mund?si t? tjera Ylli Molla ?Tani p?r tani Ministria e Jashtme nuk e shikon t? nevojshme ndihm?n e Shteteve t? Bashkuara t? Amerik?s dhe t? Komunitetit Evropian p?r heqjen e ligjit t? gjendjes s? luft?s nga Qeveria e Athin?s. Mendojm? se ky problem mund t? zgjidhet me bisedime dypal?she?, - u shpreh dje p?r "Shekulli"-n z?dh?n?si i k?saj ministrie, Sokol Gjoka. Cilat jan? iniciativat q? ka nd?rmarr? Ministria e Jashtme, pas vitit 1997, p?r t? arritur heqjen e Ligjit t? Gjendjes s? Luft?s nga Qeveria Greke, i cili vepron prej vitit 1940? Ligji i Luft?s ?sht? trajtuar m? se nj?her? nga Qeveria Shqiptare me partner?t grek?. ?sht? trajtuar, sepse ?sht? n? kund?rsens me zhvillimin e marr?dh?nieve midis dy vendeve tona. Nd?rkoh? q? kemi nj? Traktat t? Miq?sis? dhe Bashk?punimit, kemi edhe nj? ligj lufte midis dy vendeve. K?shtuq?, rastet jan? t? shumta, ku ky ligj ?sht? trajtuar nga Qeveria Shqiptare, si n? takimet bilaterale, por edhe n? ato shum?pal?she. Si rastin e fundit mund t? p?rmend edhe takimin e ministrave t? Jasht?m t? vendeve t? Evrop?s Juglindore n? Oh?r, ku ministri i Jasht?m shqiptar iu drejtua homologut t? tij grek p?r k?t? problem, duke ia p?rmendur p?rs?ri, q? t? shikohet mund?sia e heqjes s? Ligjit t? Luft?s, mbasi nuk i p?rshtatet realitetit t? marr?dh?nieve dypal?she. Pra interesimi nga pala shqiptare ?sht?, ky interesim ka qen? gjat? gjith? k?saj periudhe dhe, natyrisht, edhe nga pala greke, kam p?rshtypjen q? ?sht? marr? n? konsiderat?. Fakti q? ky ligj ekziston dhe nuk ?sht? hequr, i takon pal?s greke t? reagoj?. Por kjo nuk do t? thot? q? Qeveria Shqiptare t? mos vazhdoj? insistimin e vet, brenda kuadrit t? marr?dh?nieve dypal?she, sepse shikon mund?sira q? brenda kuadrit t? k?tyre marr?dh?nieve t? realizohet heqja e Ligjit t? Luft?s. Cilat jan? argumentet q? ka ngritur pala greke, n? mbrojtje t? ligjit t? luft?s, gjat? takimeve zyrtare me pal?n shqiptare? Duhet ditur procedura p?r heqjen e Ligjit t? Gjendjes s? Luft?s. Kjo procedur? i takon Parlamentit Grek, i cili ka t? drejt? t? marr? vendimin p?rfundimtar. Qeveria Greke, si ?do qeveri tjet?r n? k?t? kuad?r, ia p?rcjell k?t? shqet?sim Parlamentit Grek. Dhe para pak vitesh Parlamenti Grek e ka diskutuar k?t? problem, por nuk arriti ta kalonte me shumic? votash heqjen e Ligjit t? Luft?s. K?shtuq?, Qeveria Greke, n? k?t? mes, natyrisht q? p?rpilon strategjin? e vet dhe ia paraqet at? Parlamentit Grek. Kam p?rshtypjen q? Qeveria Greke, n? kushtet e marr?dh?nieve intensive dypal?she, nuk ka asnj? interes q? ta mbaj? ende Ligjin e Luft?s. K?shtuq?, edhe p?r Greqin? n? vetvete, mendoj q? ?sht? periudha m? e mir? q? ta rishqyrtoj?. A keni kuptuar gjat? takimeve zyrtare se nj? nga shkaqet q? e zvarrit k?t? ligj ?sht? detyrimi q? ka Qeveria Greke ndaj pronave t? shqiptar?ve? Edhe mundet q? t? ket? t? b?j? me k?t? problem. Nj? nga arsyet mund t? jet? edhe problemi i pronave. A ka k?rkuar Ministria e Jashtme ndihm?n e SHBA dhe t? Komunitetit Evropian q? t? ushtrojn? presion mbi Qeverin? Greke p?r heqjen e Gjendjes s? Luft?s me Shqip?rin?? Jo. Ne kemi mendimin q? ky problem, h? p?r h?, n? kushtet e zhvillimit t? marr?dh?nieve dypal?she, mund t? zgjidhet edhe n? kuadrin bilateral. At?her? kur mund t? ndodh? kjo? Ne nuk mund t? japim data ekzakte, sepse nuk varet nga ne. ??shtja ?sht? te problematika q? ekziston, e cila p?r nj? far? periudhe mbase ka qen? edhe tabu. Ju mbase e mbani mend, Kryeministri Meta, me marrjen e detyr?s s? tij, n? vizit?n e par? q? b?ri n? Greqi, pas nj? pyetjeje t? medias greke p?r problemin ?am, ai u p?rgjigj hapur dhe drejt?p?rdrejt?. Pra kurajoja e Qeveris? Shqiptare n? k?t? drejtim nuk ?sht? se nuk ekziston. A ka ndonj? strategji Ministria e Jashtme p?r hapat q? duhet t? hedh? n? t? ardhmen deri n? realizimin e objektivit p?rfundimtar p?r heqjen e gjendje s? luft?s? Ashtu si? e thash? edhe m? lart, ne shpresojm? q? n?p?rmjet kontakteve t? vazhdueshme, n?p?rmjet ngritjes s? k?saj ??shtjeje, her?pashere dhe n? kuad?r t? klim?s s? marr?dh?nieve q? ekzistojn? midis dy vendeve, t? imponohemi p?r heqjen e Gjendjes s? Luft?s. Pastaj, n?qoft?se k?to nuk kan? rezultat, natyrisht q? do t? shikohen mund?si t? tjera __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail ? Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Aug 22 01:08:36 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 22:08:36 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Kufiri i turpit Message-ID: <20000822050836.6468.qmail@web109.yahoomail.com> Kufiri i turpit Blendi Fevziu KLAN Ajo qe ndodh sapo kalon kufirin, tregon mungesen e dinjitetit te shtetit shqiptar, mungesen e aftesise per te mbrojtur marreveshjet dypaleshe dhe ne fund te fundit, nje mungese skandaloze vullneti per te mbrojtur qytetaret e tij Nga Blendi Fevziu Nje polic i kufirit grek qendron ne kembe mbi platformen e portit ku eshte ankoruar trageti Sarande - Korfuz dhe me nje ze te ngjirur ju kerkon gjithe udhetareve te japin shpjegime perse kane viza maqedonase ne pasaportat e tyre. Po kjo eshte vetem pjesa e pare. Udhetaret jane te detyruar te deklarojne se kane qene ne Republiken e Shkupit dhe se Maqedoni eshte Selaniku. Shumica e shqipton te gjithen kete me shpresen se kjo lodhje e pafund do te mbaroje. Te tjeret me pasaporta te huaja jane larguar menjehere pas mberritjes, ndersa Shqiptaret jane te detyruar te presin. Eshte nje skene e tmerrshme, e papare ne asnje prej filmave perendimore qe revokojne kohen e aparteidit ne Afriken e Jugut, por qe ndodh perdite ne kufijte me te afert te Shqiperise me Europen e bashkuar. Dhe qe ka per protagoniste kryesore refugjatet shqiptare, ose ata pak vete qe kane zgjedhur te kalojne pushimet ne ishullin e mrekullueshem te Korfuzit. Ideja e pare qe te vjen ndermend eshte se kjo ben pjese ne mentalitetin qe eshte krijuar ne Greqi per Shqiptaret, por shpejt zbulon se eshte e kunderta. Banoret e ishullit jane miqesore, te bute dhe ne shumicen e rasteve entusizmohen nga ideja qe shqiptaret kane filluar turizmin jashte kufijve te tyre. Ka edhe nga ata qe perpiqen te japin zemer duke shtuar se shume shpejt, Saranda apo jugu i Shqiperise do te jene keshtu, nje perle e turizmit mesdhetar. Mjafton te shohesh keto dy pamje per te kuptuar se ajo qe nuk shkon ne portin e Korfuzit, me shume se sa grekeve, merise se tyre, apo nuk di c'tjeter, i takon nje polici, nje strukture, ose thene me mire, mungeses se partneritetit ne marredheniet mes dy vendeve. Sepse me shume se sa problem i policit grek, ky eshte nje problem i Ministrit te jashtem shqiptar dhe strukturave qe komandon ai. Ne te vertete i gjithe rasti i mesiperm, qe perseritet me dhjetra here ne dite ne kufijte jugore, por edhe veriore shqiptare ka vetem nje perkufizim: mungese e dinjitetit te shtetit shqiptar, mungese e aftesise se tij per te mbrojtur marreveshjet dypaleshe dhe gjithe derivatet qe vijne prej tyre. Ne fund te fundit, nje mungese skandaloze e vullnetit per te mbrojtur qytetaret e tij. Pak vite me pare, gjate nje vizite ne Shqiperi, Ministri i jashtem Bullgar e befasoi homologun e tij shqiptar kur kerkoi qe ne kufijte shqiptare shoferet e mauneve bullgare te mos liheshin gjate ne pritje. Gjate luftes se Kosoves, Ministria e jashtme greke u mobilizua e gjitha per te kerkuar nje gazetar grek i cili qe prej 48 oresh nuk kishte dhene me njoftime nga vendndodhja e tij ne Tropoje. Veshtire te gjenden raste ne Shqiperi, kur nje keqtrajtim qytetaresh, ose ne disa raste edhe nje pritje e tepruar te mos kete provokuar reagimin e Ministrise se jashtme te vendit prej nga vjen qytetari, ose te strukturave te saj. Por veshtire te gjesh qofte edhe nje rast te vetem qe Ministri Milo te shkeputet nga leksionet diplomatike per te kerkuar nga fqinjet respektimin e marreveshjeve qe kane nenshkruar ata vete. Nese disa mijera shqiptare ne dite trajtohen ne menyren me poshteruese te mundshme ne kufijte me Greqine, Ministri i Jashtem duhet qe se paku nje here t'i kishte terhequr publikisht verejtjen shtetit fqinje. Vite me pare, e drobitur nga vitet e gjata te komunizmit dhe varferia e tejskajshme, Shqiperia e kishte te veshtire te ngrinte zerin ne tryezat e bisedimeve dypaleshe. Fatmiresisht kohet kane ndryshuar. Pak muaj me pare, Kryeministri Meta qe i pari qe foli ne Greqi per te drejtat e cameve dhe pronat e tyre, duke bere nje deklarate qe Shqiperia nuk kish mundur ta bente me pare. Aq me teper qe nje ndermarje e tille mund te sjelle nje situate te re ne vendkalimet kufitare. Nje vit me pare, ishte Majko ai qe i deklaroi jo pa ironi Ministrit Grek, Xohaxopullos se nuk mund ta conte familjen ne Greqi nga frika se policet mund t'i grisnin dokumentat. Kjo batute qe u perfol gjate ne shtypin grek dhe ajo tjetra, kur Majko ju tha gazetareve se mund te mbanin peng Simitisin per te ndaluar keqtrajtimin e refugjateve shqiptare ne kufi, solli nje situate tjeter ne pikat kufitare. Per shume muaj gjithcka shkoi drejt permiresimit dhe krijimi i situatave te keqia tregon se Shqiperia ka perseri nevoje te vere ne levizje strukturat e saj diplomatike. Ne te kundert, asnje nga ne nuk ka nevoje per kete diplomaci te ndryshkur. Revista Klan do te vazhdoje te lexohet falas ne internet per te gjithe. Por, per t'u bere nje lexues i saj, ju duhet te regjistroheni! Shenoni klanin si faqe fillimi Shto nje kanal Aktiv (Klan) Klan Forum Liste diskutimesh Kartolina on line Chat Kontaktoni me redaksine Kontaktoni me webmasterin Reklama ne Klan Copyright Privacy Kush jemi ne KLan Free mail Emer Password Tregoji nje shoku per kete faqe Emri juaj: Emaili Juaj: Emaili i shokut Komente: Listmail i miqve te Klan Perpunuar nga Suad Barbullushi RRishikuar 08.21.2000 Kthehu prapa Fillimi i faqes __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail ? Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From albanianpride at hotmail.com Wed Aug 23 13:56:15 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 13:56:15 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Çamet , refugjatet e fundit ...... Message-ID: ?amet ,refugjatet e fundit . Marre nga revista Klan ,numri i fundit. shkruajtur nga Sokol Shameti. Kush eshte komuniteti i te debuarve nga Greqia me 1944? Mbi 100 mije came jane shperndare ne qytetet e Shqiperise dhe kerkojne pas 56 vjet eksodi, rikthimin ne tokat e tyre. Rikthim qe vazhdon te kundershtohet me force nga autoritetet greke. Por qe ka filluar te kerkohet gjithnje e me me force Nga Sokol Shameti Myrvete Shehut kane nisur t'i bejne shume vizita kohet e fundit. Po interesohen ca si teper per te. Vijne njerez qe e pyesin per shendetin. Plaka 71 vjecare mbahet me mire se cilado prej bashkemoshatareve te saj. Por jane shtuar kohet e fundit edhe ata qe vijne per te degjuar historite e saj aty ne nje apartament te vogel, ne katin e peste te nje pallati ku banon prej vitesh se bashku me familjen e njerit prej djemve. Nje shoqate qe grupon camet refugjate ne Shqiperi, prej pak kohesh ka nisur nje fushate te re per mbledhjen e deshmive te njerezve qe kane pare me syte e tyre ngjarjet e qershor-nentorit te vitit te larget 1944. Nga krahina e Camerise qe ndodhet ne Veri te Greqise, u spastruan me dhune rreth 23 mije shqiptare myslimane, nga 60 mije qe ishte numri i pergjithshem i minoritetit shqiptar, ortodoks dhe mysliman atje. Myrvete Shehu eshte njera prej te mbijetuarave. "Linda ne Paramithi, nje qytet qe atehere kishte rreth 10 mije vete, shumica came ortodokse por edhe shume myslimane si dhe pak greke. Im ate ishte Haxhi Shehu, hoxha i qytetit", tregon Myrvetja. Gruaja e moshuar e cila me 1944 ishte nje vajze 15 vjecare, ka nje kujtese te habitshme per gjithcka qe ndodhi ne qytetin e saj ate vere te nxehte. Gjerat kane ndryshuar gjate ketyre dekadave dhe se bashku me to edhe strukturat etnike, shifrat, statistikat dhe politikat e jashtme. Por ata njerez te cilet prej mbi gjysme shekulli vazhdojne te jene refugjate lufte ne nje atdhe qe eshte i tyri, por qindra kilometra larg vendit te origjines, akoma vazhdojne ta permendin tragjedine qe i ka kapluar. Myrvete Shehu duke treguar vendin e masakrave Paramithia ishte nje qytet qe nuk ndryshonte thuajse fare nga qytetet e tjera shqiptare me 1944. Gjermanet ishin ne terheqje e siper dhe trupat greke te ushtrise republikane (EDES) qe tashme i kishte kthyer armet pushtuesit pas nje bashkepunimi te gjate me ta kunder te majteve te EAM-it, po pergatiteshin te merrnin ne dorezim qytetin me te rendesishem te banuar nga minoriteti cam ne Greqi. Por pazari ishte bere me sa duket pikerisht ne momentin kur EDES-i kishte vendosur te bashkohej me aleatet kunder gjermaneve. Gjenerali famekeq Zervas, qe ishte edhe komandant i EDES-it u kishte kerkuar britanikeve qe ne kembim te bashkepunimit kunder gjermaneve, trupat e tij te lejoheshin te "largonin" shqiptaret qe kishin bashkepunuar me gjermanet ne Cameri. "Gjenerali Zervas, jo vetem qe largoi bashkepunetoret e nazisteve nga Cameria sic kishte kerkuar, por ai e spastroi ate zone nga banoret shqiptare me nje zell dhe metoda te tilla qe vetem ballkaniket mund t'i kuptojne", do t'i shkruante pak kohe pasi kishte perfunduar gjithcka, Foreign Office-it koloneli Woodhouse - nje nga anetaret e Misionit Britanik ne Greqi. "Me 26 qershor 1944, tellalli kishte lajmeruar se greket do te hynin ne qytet te nesermen, por kishin thene se do te vazhdonim te jetonim sic kishim jetuar deri atehere", tregon Myrvete Shehu, deshmitare okulare e ngjarjeve. Ajo mban mend se te nesermen askush ne kryeqendren e cameve nuk u shqetesua per trupat e crregullta te gjeneralit Zervas qe zune me shpejtesi pikat strategjike te qytetit dhe te rrethinave te tij. "Kujt i vajti mendja?", thote Myrvetja. Por nderkohe gjerat ishin percaktuar. "Kur trokiten tek ne ishte pasdite", kujton ajo. "Isha vetem me babain dhe kur hapem deren pame se ishin tre vete. Dy paramithiote ortodokse dhe nje tjeter nga nje fshat aty prane. Na folen greqisht dhe kerkuan qe im ate te shkonte me ta. Babai pranoi por kur edhe une desha qe te shkoja me te, ata me rrahen ne syte e tij me kamzhik dhe me urdheruan te mos dilja nga shtepia. Kur u kthye ime me, shkoi tek dhespoti, kryeprifti i Paramithise por ai na i preu shpresat. Kishin nisur te grumbullonin edhe burrat e tjere ne te gjitha shtepite e myslimaneve", tregon gruaja qe ka pare me syte e saj masakren e pare dhe me te renden te kryer ne pabesi te plote nga greket. "I mblodhen ne oborrin e shkolles. Shtepia jone ishte fare prane dhe gjate gjithe nates degjuam te frikesuara sa s'ka klithmat e llahtarshme te torturave dhe gjymtimeve. Disa gra qe u thirren nje jave me vone nga greket per te pastruar shkollen nga te vdekurit, thane se sterkalat e gjakut te te ekzekutuarve arrinin deri ne lartesite e mureve te oborrit. Kufomat u lane jashte per dekompozim ne ate qershor pervelues dhe vetem pas shume ditesh i groposen diku", kujton me tmerr plaka. Vecanerisht mbi disa nga te vraret ishin kryer makabritete te verteta. "Tim ate qe gjate kohes se pushtimit gjerman, si hoxhe qe ishte, e kishin caktuar ne kryesine e qytetit e varen ne nje cengel. Ngaqe ishte i beshem, perdoren thikat per t'i prere here pas here ndonje cope mishi dhe talleshin me njeri tjetrin sic bejne kasapet kur shesin bagetite: A do nje thele nga Haxhi efendiu? Sa kile do? E do kofshe apo do melci? Urrejtja e atyre njerezve s'kishte kufi", kujton e perlotur 71 vjecarja. Gjithcka ndodhi brenda nates se 27 qershorit ndonese dridhmat e masakres vazhduan per muaj me radhe. Apelit perfundimtar i mungonin 703 burra e pleq dhe 212 gra e femije vetem ne Paramithi. Shifra totale e te vrareve edhe ne qytetet e tjera, Filat, Parge, Margellec, Gumenice dhe ne rreth 68 fshatra te rrafshuara pertoke i kalonte te 2000 vetet. Po kaq e mbase edhe me shume vdiqen ne dimrin e eger te vitit 1944 ne kampet e atyperatyshme qe u ngriten ne Tirane, Vlore, Delvine, Sarande, Fier dhe ne qytetet e tjera shqiptare. Myrvetja mban mend se askush nga moshataret e saj ne qytet nuk e mendonte se do te ndodhte keshtu. "Fqinje e shtepise sone ishte nje familje greke me te cilet shkonim shume mire. Ata me strehuan ne oxhakun e shtepise se tyre per shume dite", tregon ajo. Me ne fund se bashku me te emen, Myrvetja vendosi te marre ne sy rrezikun dhe te largohet nga qyteti. "Ikem zbathur permes pronave tona. Nuk kishim asgje me vete. Por prane nje ullishteje na kapen perseri po ata qe kishin ardhur per te marre babain dhe na mbajten te burgosura per 6 muaj rresht se bashku me 400 gra e vajza te tjera te Paramithise. Perdhunimet vazhdonin rregullisht dhe te vetmit qe afroheshin per te na dhene dicka per te ngrene ishin anglezet. Me ne fund, ne nentor, aty nga data 8, na vune perpara dhe pasi na pyeten nese donim te iknim ne Kajro apo ne Shqiperi, na vune ne marshim me kembe drejt Konispolit". Vargjet e refugjateve qe nisen te hyjne ne Shqiperine qe po pergatitej te clironte kryeqytetin, nuk shkaktuan bujen qe do te benin nese e gjithe kjo do te ndodhte ne kohe paqeje. Ne ato dite ishin te shumte ata qe leviznin ne te dy anet e kufirit dhe ishte e veshtire te dalloheshin te masakruarit nga gjermanet ne terheqje, nga fatzinj si camet qe ishin vene perpara nga greket. "Ndersa ecnim ne kembe, disa oficere dhe ushtare greke na shoqeronin dhe na prinin udhen", tregon Myrvetja. "Karvani yne u nis me 150 vete nga Paramithia. Ne fund kishim mbetur vetem 75. Te tjeret kishin vdekur udhes nga te ftohtet dhe uria. Pasi kapercyem malet e Verves, greku na tregoi ne nje drejtim: 'Pate, ine i patridha sas' (Shkoni, ai eshte atdheu juaj). Ne Konispol na prisnin partizanet e Shqiperise". "Bashkepunim me pushtuesit". Ky eshte arsyeja me te cilen greket justifikojne akoma spastrimin e dhunshem te Camerise me 1944 dhe 1945. Por Akademia e Shkencave te Shqiperise nuk mendon keshtu. Beqir Meta, nje studiues i Institutit Historik te Akademise sone, thote se abuzimi me ceshtjen e bashkepunimit te cameve me gjermanet ka qene dominues gjate gjithe ketyre viteve. "Vertet nje gjysmebatalion me came, ai i Nuri Dinos, u bashkua me gjermanet, por ata ishin ne total vetem 300 vete dhe vepruan ne Shqiperi dhe jo ne Greqi. Pastaj kolaboracioniste pati edhe ne radhet e grekeve. Vete gjenerali i ushtrise Republikane greke EDES, Napolon Zerva, ishte per nje kohe te gjate bashkepunetor i gjermaneve derisa anglezet e binden te bashkohet me aleatet", thote historiani Meta. Ai ka pergatitur edhe nje studim ne lidhje me marrdheniet shqiptaro-greke, ne kuadrin e Akademise se Shkencave. "Kemi rreth shtate vjet qe kemi filluar te merremi me problemin cam", thote Meta. Nga ana e tij, Luan Omari, shefi i departamentit te shkencave shoqerore thote se midis akademise sone dhe asaj greke, ende vazhdon lufta e ftohte. Arsyeja eshte pikerisht kembengulja e pales sone per t'u marre me studimin e ceshtjes came. "Ata nuk pranojne asnje lloj bashkepunimi me ne per sa kohe qe ne do te kerkojme te zgjidhet problemi i Camerise", thote profesor Omari. Megjithate, vete anetaret e komunitetit cam ne Shqiperi nuk jane fort te kenaqur me menyren sesi Akademia e ka shtruar problemin e tyre ne Platformen e Zgjidhjes se ceshtjes kombetare qe u botua plot buje me 1998. Kryetari i shoqerise "Cameria", Hilmi Saqe, thote se menyra e bute e zgjidhjes se ceshtjes sic e propozon Akademia - ajo e konsideronte te zgjidhur problemin e shqiptareve te Greqise me hapjen atje te disa shkollave shqipe - eshte madje shume me e bute edhe se versioni me i moderuar qe kerkojne vete camet. Megjithate, se fundi po shfaqen shume shenja qe tregojne se po ndodh dicka qe mund te hape serish kapitullin e problemit cam qe deri dje konsiderohej i mbyllur mes Shqiperise dhe Greqise. Per here te pare pas vitit 1923, parlamenti shqiptar e mori sivjet ne shqyrtim ceshtjen came me ane te komisionit te tij te puneve te jashtme. Per here te pare nje kryeminister shqiptar, e hapi temen tragjike te Camerise ne nje takim me kolegun grek. Permendja e problemit cam nga kryeministri Meta ne takimin me grekun Simitis per pak sa nuk coi ne acarimin e radhes se marrdhenieve mes dy vendeve. Nderkohe organizata e cameve ne Shqiperi ka nisur te forcohet shume kohet e fundit dhe ka hapur dege ne te gjitha qytetet e Shqiperise, ne Kosove, ne vendet e Evropes dhe se fundi edhe ne SHBA. Camet besojne se pas zgjidhjes se problemit me te madh shqiptar, atij te Kosoves, tani ka ardhur radha e tyre qe te rikthehen ne shtepite e braktisura ketu e 56 vjet me pare. Te shperndare thuajse ne te gjitha rrethet e Republikes, te dhenat per numrin e tyre jane kontradiktore dhe te ndryshme nga nje burim ne tjetrin. Nese shifra zyrtare e cameve qe hyne ne territorin shqiptar me 1944-45 ishte rreth 23 mije vete, shoqata qe grumbullon komunitetin aktualisht thote se numri i tyre ne Shqiperi eshte jo me pak se 205 mije pas regjistrimit te fundit qe vete shoqata i beri popullsise came me 1991. Studiuesi Beqir Meta i Akademise se Shkencave nuk beson nga ana tjeter qe numri i komunitetit cam ne Shqiperi te jete me i madh se 100 mije vete. Shume me e madhe eshte perkundrazi vlera e pasurive came. International Crisis Group, me qender ne Bruksel dhe Washington, e vleresonte ne Mars te ketij viti ne rreth 2 miliarde dollare, pasurine e tyre ne Greqi. "Ne e dime se ky problem do te zgjidhet. Ka ardhur koha te zgjidhet. Camet jane te vetmit refugjate lufte qe kane mbetur ne Evrope. Ne kemi tapite dhe dokumentet e pronave tona atje te cilat ruhen edhe ne kadastrat e Greqise se veriut. Qeverite greke nuk i kane prekur tokat tona sepse edhe ata vete e dine se ne nje dite do te kthehemi", thote Hilmi Saqe, kryetari i shoqerise "Cameria" me qender ne Tirane. Ajo qe kerkojne sot sipas tij camet e vendosur ne qytetet e Shqiperise eshte e thjeshte. "Kthim, ripronesim, demshperblim. Me e pakta qe mund te pranojme eshte qe te kthehemi ne vendlindjen tone dhe te gezojme jo me pak te drejta nga c'kane edhe greket e minoritetit ketu ne Shqiperi", thote kryetari. Myrvete Shehu, nje nga anetaret e komunitetit cam qe i takon pjeses se atyre qe kane lindur vertet ne Greqi dhe qe ruajne kujtimet e vjetra per tokat e tyre, nuk e pret me ndonje optimizem te papermbajtur per idene e kthimit. "Nese nje dite do te hapet kufiri dhe do te na lejojne te kthehemi, vertet kam deshire te shkoj, por vetem sa per te pare edhe nje here qytetin tim qe me behet shume here ne gjume", thote 71 vjecarja. Ajo e di se mosha e saj e shtyre nuk mund t'ia lejoje luksin e nisjes se nje jete te re, nga e para ne token e saj. Sa per brezin e ri te cameve qe linden dhe u rriten gjate ketyre 56 vjeteve ne Shqiperi, ata besojne ne enderren e "atdheut te begate" qe u kane treguar gjate gjithe kesaj kohe me te rriturit. Nje enderr, e cila nese do te realizohet, do t'u siguroje natyrisht, me shume prosperitet. Me nderime Ardi ..... ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Wed Aug 23 09:36:47 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:36:47 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Balkan Policy Forum Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: aloomis at sfcg.org Subject: [balkans] Balkan Policy Forum Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 12:52:43 -0400 Size: 1755 URL: From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Wed Aug 23 09:42:35 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:42:35 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] ??Journal: Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Vol. 2, No. 2 November 2000 Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] Journal: Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Vol. 2, No. 2 November 2000 Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 10:05:59 +0200 Size: 8658 URL: From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Aug 23 10:10:50 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 07:10:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Durres freed of Corridor obstacles Message-ID: <20000823141050.6375.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> [03] ALBANIA ENDS GREEK INVESTMENTS, GREECE RESPONDS Thessaloniki, 22 August 2000 (15:17 UTC+2) Government spokesperson Dimitris Reppas was curt in his response to Albania's decision to order three Greek companies to cease their operations in Durres, by stating that Greece wishes to have good relations with Albania and, as such, is maintaining a positive stance. Nevertheless, Mr. Reppas added, Albania, which often does not display the necessary understanding, should do the same as well. Moreover, Mr. Reppas expressed the hope that additional obstacles will not be presented, as the activities of Greek firms in the neighboring country can bear mutual benefits. According to the Athens daily Kathimerini, which quotes reliable sources, the Albanian government's move has put an end to a $50-million project of which the three Greek companies had already invested $10 million in the country's oil sector. State-controlled Hellenic Petroleum, Mamidakis (another fuel firm) and the construction firm DIEKAT called on the Greek government for help and, two weeks ago, the Greek ambassador in Tirana hosted a meeting of the Albanian prime minister, government ministers involved in the issue and representative of the three companies. There was no result, the sources said. The companies' representatives are to meet with Foreign Minister George Papandreou within the next few days. The three companies had signed a contract with the Albanian government last year to invest in the country's oil sector. They were granted a 20-year lease in an industrial park at the port of Durres to build fuel storage facilities. Hellenic Petroleum had even bought 75 percent of Albania's Global fuel company, which controls about 10 percent of the local market. But, claiming that a master plan by the World Bank prohibits industrial investments in the Durres region because of a projected East-West highway, the Albanian government refused to allow operations to continue. Greece asked the World Bank to get involved, and the institution undertook to get the Albanian government to commit itself to moving the facilities and to paying compensation. A.F. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From i_spaho at hotmail.com Wed Aug 23 12:45:00 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 16:45:00 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} Lajme: Amerikanët parashohin shpërthimin e luftës në Mal të Zi Message-ID: >From: >Reply-To: albeuropa at egroups.com >To: "Albanews Discussion" , >"Prishtina-L" , >Subject: {QIKSH ?ALBEUROPA?} Lajme: Amerikan?t parashohin shp?rthimin e >luft?s n? Mal t? Zi >Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 08:36:05 -0700 > >Amerikan?t parashohin shp?rthimin e luft?s n? Mal t? Zi > >Isuf Hajrizi (Uashington, 23 gusht, 2000) >Per gazeten ditore Zeri, Prishtine > >N? SHBA, parashikimet p?r nj? luft? n? Mali t? Zi gjithnj? po shtohen. >Nj?ri >nd?r analist?t amerikan m? t? njohur p?r Ballkanin deklaroi n? Uashington >Post te mart?n se Slobodan Milosheviqi edhe nj?her? do t? gjendet n? qend?r >t? v?mendjes sepse sipas tij, luft?nxit?si serb s? shpejti do t? reagoj? >brutalisht kund?r "v?llait t? vog?l." > Ivo Daaler, an?tar i organizat?s jo-qeveritare "Brookings Institution" >?sht? i mendimit se SHBA-t? dhe NATO do t? reagojn? vet?m pasi q? konflikti >t? ket? marr? masat e dhun?s. Mir?po me nj? reagim t? hersh?m Uashingtoni >dhe aleat?t e tij duke ia b?r? t? ?art Beogradit se ata jan? t? dedikuar >kund?r lejimit t? ?far?do dhune t? Beogradit mund ta shp?toj? Podgoric?n >nga >lufta. > Gjat? nj? debati mbi Malin e Zi, para dy muajsh ambasadori amerikan n? >OKB Ri??rd Hollbruk pa pritur inicioi vot?n n? K?shillin e Sigurimit dhe >nxori nga salla ambasadorin e Millosheviqit, Vladislav Jovanoviq, gj? q? >pat >zemruar ambasador?t e Rusis? dhe Kin?s, t? cil?t n? shenj? proteste dol?n >nga salla. > Kurse jav?n e kaluar SHBA-t? inicuan procesin p?r ta p?rjashtuar >"Republik?n Federale Jugosllave" nga Kombet e Bashkuara. N? k?t? drejtim >Uashingtoni deri m? tani ka marr? mb?shtetjen e Kroacis?, Sllovenis?, >Bosnj?s dhe Maqedonis?, si dhe Republik?s ?eke, Hungaris?, Rumanis?, >Bullgaris? dhe Austris?. Departamenti i Shtetit pret q? kjo list? t? >rritet >duksh?m para sesisonit t? ardh?sh?m t? Asambles? s? P?rgjithshme t? OKB-s?. > Betej?n kund?r Beogradit n? Nju Jork po e udh?heq Hollbruk, i cili >deklaroi se Administrata e Klintonit synonte q? sa m? shum? ta izolonte >diktatorin serb dhe njer?zit e tij t? akuzuar p?r krime t? luft?s. > Siq deklaroi Hollbruk n? nj? konferenc? p?r shtyp, deri n? vjesht? n? >OKB >nuk do t? ket? m? diplomat? jugosllav?, sepse, sipas tij, ata p?rfaq?sojn? >nj? regjim i cili nuk ?sht? i njohur nga Kombet e Bashkuara. > "Do ti nxjerrim p?rjashta," tha ambasadori amerikan p?r serb?t n? Nju >Jork. Sipas Hollbrukut RFJ ?sht? i vetmi shtet q? nuk ka konkuruar p?r >ri-pranim n? OKB pas shkat?rrimit t? federat?s jugosllave n? vitin 1992. > "Esht? t?r?sisht nj? situat? qesharake," u shpreh ai duke e quajtur >flamurin jugosllav n? OKB, "flamur i Titos," nj? "flamur q? e ka vendin n? >muze, nj? flamur q? nuk p?rfaq?son ask?nd." > Kurse Daaler p?r Malin e Zi sjell n? pah faktin q? dikur Podgorica >q?ndroi krah p?r krah me Beogradin n? luftrat n? ish Jugosllavi, por >nd?rroi >drejtimin para disa vjet?sh kur n? pushtet erdhi nj? gjenerat? e re >udh?heq?sish t? prir? nga Milo Gjukanoviq. Qeveria e Gjukanoviqit ka >refuzuar denoncimin e luft?s s? NATO-s p?r ta shp?tuar Kosov?n dhe n? t? >nj?jt?n koh? pat hapur dyert p?r refugjat?t shqiptar?. P?r k?t? arsye, >NATO >e kurseu Malin e Zi nga bombardimet dhe n? nj?far? m?nyre i dha garancione >se do t? kursehet edhe nga sulmi i mundhsh?m i Beogradit. > Edhe pse deri m? tash presidenti malazias ka bashk?punuar me >Uashintonin >duke iu shmangur shpalljes s? referendumit p?r pavar?si nga kthetrate e >Beogradit, vendimi i Milosheviqit p?r ta nd?rruar kushtetut?n q? i jep atij >mund?si q? t? mbetet n? pushtet edhe af?r nj? dekad?, e ka forcuar k?rkes?n >e Malit t? Zi p?r shk?putje. > Sipas Daaler, arsyeja p?r nd?rhyrje kund?r qeveris? s? Gjukanoviqit nga >Milosheviqi do t? jen? zgjedhjet e asrdhshme n? Serbi. M? qe Gjukanoviqi >ka >refuzuar pjes?marrje n? k?to zgjedhje, kjo do t'i jep shkas Beogradit p?r >intervenim kund?r Podgoric?s p?r "mosrespektim t? kushtetut?s jugosllave." > N? mars Serbia imponoj? bllokad? totale ekonomike kund?r Malit t? Zi. >Ky >veprim e detyroi Malin e Zi q? t? k?ronte rrugdalje tek fqinj?t. Me dat?n 2 >gusht presidenti kroat Stipe Mesiq dhe kryeministri shqiptar Ilir Meta >n?nshkruan marr?veshjen tre-pal?she me Malin e Zi. Marr?veshja erdhi pasi >q? Gjukanoviq i k?rkoi Kroacis? falje p?r pjes?marrjen e Malit t? Zi n? >luft?n me Kroacin? n?n komand?n e Milosheviqit. > Podgorica gjithashtu koh?ve t? fundit b?ri marr?veshje t? ngjashme me >Bosnj?n. Udh?heq?sit boshnjak kan? shprehur p?rkrahjen e "qytetar?ve t? >Malit t? Zi p?r pavar?si." > Sipas analist?ve per?ndimor? Beogradi po k?rkon ?do mund?si p?r ta >faj?suar Malin e Zi "p?r shkat?rrim t? Jugosllavis?." Ata jan? t? mendimit >se rr?mbimi i dy britanik?ve dhe dy kanadez?ve n? Mal t? Zi koh?ve t? >fundit, ka p?r q?llim paraqitjen e Malit t? Zi si "?erdhe t? terrorizmit >nd?rkomb?tar kund?r Jugosllavis?." > Mir?po sipas ish udh?heq?sit t? partis? Liberal Demokrate t? Anglis?, >Padi Ashdoun, per?ndimi ?sht? ende konfuz rreth asaj se ?duet vepruar n? >Mal >t? Zi. > "P?rmende fjal?n 'Mal i Zi' para ?do gjenerali per?ndimor dhe ata do t? >japin nj? varg shkaqesh pse ne nuk duhet t? p?rzihemi n? Mal t? >Zi.....(Mir?po) marrja n?n kontroll e Malit t? Zi nga Serbia do t? ishte >katastrofike, prandaj (per?ndimi) duhet ta peshoj? ?mimin e nd?rhyrjes me >at? t? mos veprimit," shkruan Ashdaun n? nj? analiz? t? tij t? botuar n? >shtypin britanik. > Hollbrukut pajtohet me k?t? konkludim t? britanikut dhe shton: "me q? >NATO ?sht? e dislokuar n? rajon, (lufta n? Mal t? Zi) drejtp?rs?drejti do >ta >prekte interesin vital t? NATO-s." > > > >Ky shkrim mund te ribotohet me kusht qe te theksohet autori dhe revista >Zeri, Prishtine. > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates >of 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Ongoing APR* and no annual fee! >Apply NOW! >http://click.egroups.com/1/7872/8/_/920292/_/967046550/ >--------------------------------------------------------------------|e>- > >N?se don t? ?regjistrohesh nga ALBEUROPA, d?rgo nj? Email n?: > >albeuropa-unsubscribe at egroups.com > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Aug 23 12:34:00 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:34:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Njoftim per koncert Message-ID: <20000823163400.6731.qmail@web108.yahoomail.com> > LAJMERIM > > Albanian American Culture and Islamic Center "Hasan > Prishtina" > 106 Columbia Blvd > Waterbury, CT 06710 > Tel: 203-755-0687 > > > Diten e Diel me date 3 shtator 2000 ne ora 7.00 pm > prane lokalit te Qendres Hasan Prishtina, > organizohet mbremje gazmore ku do te marrin pjese kengetaret e mirenjohur ELI FARA, VJOLLCA LLUKA, GEZIM NIKA, dhe instrumentistet e grupit "Migjeni". > Hyrja per te rritur eshte $20. > Femijet deri ne moshen 10 vjec - falas. > Salla hapet ne ora 6.30 pm. Rezervimet behen ne > numrin e dhene me lart. Rezervimet nuk do te > pranohen pa parapagese. > > > > > Kryesia e Qendres Hasan Prishtina > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from > anywhere! > http://mail.yahoo.com/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From i_spaho at hotmail.com Wed Aug 23 13:12:02 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 17:12:02 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] "Bema" nga memedheu Message-ID: >Fier - Eshte nga ato histori qe cilesohen me shume se te rralla. Nje prift >ka lene gati te pamartuar nje cift nga Fieri, duke i lene pa u kurorezuar >ne Kishen Ortodokse te qytetit. Nuk dihet ende arsyeja e vertete pse ai ka >braktisur altarin e tyre, por nje gje e tille ka irrituar rreth 400 dasmore >qe prisnin te merrnin pjese ne ceremonine madheshtore. Pikerisht ne >momentin kur prifti anuloi ceremonine, ata shperthyen ne revolte. Irritimi >i te ftuarve arriti kulmin ndersa disa prej tyre bertisnin: "Ta lidhim >priftin dhe ta terheqim zvarre". Por ishte babai i dhendrit qe mezi kishte >mundur t'i permbante. Zemerimi u fashit vetem pas 4 oresh kur nje i ftuar, >mjek nga Greqia, doli para turmes dhe e drejtoi vete ritin e kurorezimit te >ciftit. Kjo ndodhi mbremjen e te dieles 20 gusht, ne Kishen Ortodokse te >Fierit. Niqifor Bejleri, i ati i dhendrit, kishte enderruar prej kohesh te >bente nje ceremoni madheshtore diten kur do te martohej i biri i vetem. Per >kete ishte pergatitur maksimalisht. Ishte kthyer nga Greqia, ku jetonte si >emigrant prej rreth 10 vitesh, dhe kishte marre prej andej dhe nje duzine >me miq, shqiptare e greke. Kishte blere ne Greqi karamele per t'i gostitur >dasmoret, karamele qe kishin formen e boces se trendafilit dhe qe kushtonte >secila nga 600 dhrahmi. Veren e kuqe e kishte porositur ne Jeruzalem, ne >token e Krishtit, enkas per ceremonine fetare. Dhe, bashke me nusen nga >Vlora, kishin mberritur edhe krushqit. Riti ishte fiksuar per t'u kryer te >dielen ne oren 18.30. Ndersa prisnin te mberrinte mitropoliti i Beratit qe >eshte kleri me i larte i treves se Myzeqese, ne castin e fundit vjen >pergjigjja e papritur: "Kleri nuk do ta drejtoje ceremonine, sepes cifti >s'i ka ne rregull dokumentet e marteses". Niqifor Bejleri kerkoi ne telefon >klerin, por mori pergjigjen se ai nuk ndodhej momentalisht ne Kishen e >Beratit. "Pastaj, provova serish ne telefon te kontaktoja me vete >kryepeshkopin Janullatos ne Tirane. Por, sekretarja me tha se ai nuk >gjendej, se e kuptonte gabimin e mitropolitit te Beratit, por qe s'mund te >nderhynte per te rregulluar dicka", tregonte dje Niqifori. Ai shtonte se >kjo vazhdoi per rreth 4 ore, gjate te cilave dasmoret u irrituan ne oborrin >e kishes. Disa nga ata rrethuan priftin, te mbyllur ne nje zyre brenda >kishes, dhe nga dritaret i kerkuan te egersuar te dilte te bente >kurorezimin. Por, prifti iu pergjigj: "Kam urdher te mos e bej >kurorezimin". Atehere, dasmoret u nxehen edhe me teper: "Ta marrim me >force! Ta terheqim zvarre!", thirren disa prej tyre. Nderkohe, disa >propozuan qe kurorezimi te kryhej ne kishen katolike te qytetit. Por, >propozimi u hodh poshte. "Une isha gati qe ta kryeja ceremonine madje ne >xhami edhe pse jam ortodoks. Isha i vendosur qe kurorezimin e tim biri ta >shihja ta kryente nje klerik. Me ne fund, ne oren 21.30, zgjodha nje mjek >nga Greqia, te cilin e kisha ftuar ne dasme, ai beri kurorezimin. Kisha >kontaktuar disa here me mitropolitin e Beratit; ia dorezova dokumentet qe >me kerkoi, dhe ai m'u pergjigj se gjithcka ishte ne rregull. Kur cerek ore >para se te fillonte ceremonia ne kishe, ai shkeli premtimin qe do te vinte, >gjoja se dokumentet s'ishin ne rregull. Ai prishi gezimin e te gjithe >dasmoreve, te cilet u ngriten kunder kishes. Ai donte te na percante", >shprehej dje i revoltuar i ati i dhendrit. Nderkohe, prifti lokal tha se >nuk kishte asgje per te komentuar: "Une ua bera te qarte edhe dasmoreve: >meqe u lidhen, qe ne fillim me priftin e Beratit, qe eshte eprori im, le te >vazhdonin t'i benin punet me ate deri ne fund", u justifikua prifti i >Fierit. > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Thu Aug 24 00:11:23 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 21:11:23 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Jobs in Europe Message-ID: <20000824041123.20406.qmail@web124.yahoomail.com> > > http://www.coe.fr/jobs/listcv.asp > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From Gazhebo at aol.com Wed Aug 23 22:51:29 2000 From: Gazhebo at aol.com (Gazhebo at aol.com) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 22:51:29 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Albania PM: End Kosovo Violence/Kosovo Albanians, Serbs to Rally against Violence Message-ID: #1. Albania PM: End Kosovo Violence By Barry Schweid WASHINGTON (AP) - Amid lavish praise from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the young prime minister of Albania called Wednesday for an end to violence in Kosovo by both Serbs and ethnic Albanians. With the province preparing for October elections, Prime Minister Ilir Meta blamed Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for inspiring acts of violence by Serbs. But he said ``Albanian elements'' not interested in stability and democracy also were at fault. ``The Albanian government condemns these actions of violence,'' Meta said at a joint news conference with Albright at the State Department. ``The best that Albanians can do for themselves in Kosovo is to stay away from repeating the same acts that Serbs did against them in the past and they are continuing to commit in the present.'' The future of the province is unresolved. Serbs want to remain part of Yugoslavia while ethnic Albanians seek independence. Yugoslavia has protested to the U.N. Security Council against an Albanian liaison office in Kosovo, saying it would fuel Albania's hopes of splitting the province from Yugoslavia. Ethnic Albanians are in the majority in Kosovo, their hopes bolstered by a U.S.-led air war against Yugoslavia last year to force the withdrawal of Serb troops and police believed responsible for widespread massacres. Albright on Wednesday again condemned Milosevic and said the Clinton administration supported political opponents trying to unseat him. ``We see Prime Minister Meta leading his country into the future while Slobodan Milosevic drags his further into the past,'' Albright said. She heaped praise on the 31-year-old Meta, saying he represented an energetic new generation of Albanians. In 10 months in office, Albright said, Meta's government has restored public order, fought crime, worked with the country's neighbors and modernized the economy. Pledging to maintain U.S. aid to Albania at $30 million a year, Albright said the United States looked forward to a productive partnership in the months and years ahead. Meta, meanwhile, said the former communist country's conversion to private enterprise has been very successful and the judiciary, tax system and central administration also had been overhauled and reformed. #2. Kosovo Albanians, Serbs to Rally against Violence By Andrew Gray PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Kosovo Albanians and Serbs agreed on Wednesday to declare September 9 a day of protest against the violence plaguing the province. Leaders of the two communities agreed on the date at a meeting under U.S. auspices. It followed a conference in the United States last month aimed at fostering reconciliation. The conference produced a joint declaration condemning violence but another spate of attacks, many with possible ethnic or political motives, followed hard on its heels. At Wednesday's follow-up meeting, ethnic Albanians and Serbs repeated their opposition to violence and specifically condemned a grenade attack last Friday which wounded 10 Serb children. Neither Kosovo's United Nations-led administration nor leaders of the province's ethnic Albanian majority issued a condemnation immediately after the attack -- a sign to some officials here of how endemic the violence has become. Father Sava Janjic, a spokesman for Kosovo's Serbian National Council, said th e day of protest would include demonstrations by both Serbs and ethnic Albanians and joint media appearances by leaders of the two communities. ``We'll try to confirm our strong determination to resist and fight against any form of violence in Kosovo,'' he told reporters after the meeting at the U.S. mission in the capital Pristina. Although NATO bombing and diplomatic pressure ended a war between Serbs and ethnic Albanians by driving Serb forces out of the province, the conflict has continued at a lower level in many communities with daily acts of violence and intimidation. Wednesday's meeting was attended by Ibrahim Rugova, the ethnic Albanian leader who heads the province's largest political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo. SOME KEY PLAYERS ABSENT The absence of several other key political players in Kosovo, however, may raise some questions about the clout of the decisions taken at the meeting. Hashim Thaci, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, was not on the list of participants. He has been abroad recently and was not thought to have returned yet. Oliver Ivanovic, leader of the Serb community in the northern city of Mitrovica who claims to represent far more Serbs in Kosovo than anyone else, was another notable omission. Many international officials view Ivanovic as a hardliner and he says he has not been invited to take part in the reconciliation process sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace. Christopher Dell, the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Kosovo, stressed only local people could create peace, not the international authorities which have run the province as a de facto protectorate since June last year. ``The violence is not going to end until the people of Kosovo decide that it's time to end it,'' he said. ``As the international community, it is extremely difficult for us to get inside of the local society and understand all the currents and all the inter-relationships of what's really in play,'' Dell said. From i_spaho at hotmail.com Thu Aug 24 10:17:39 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 14:17:39 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Per t'i paraprire fundjaves... Message-ID: ENDERR GRUAJE Mbremja te pushton me mantelin e zi te saj, nje ritem i cmendur fantazish te rremben, ora e hakmarrrjes kumbon ne veshet e vetmise se saj, dhe kesaj nate zjarrmthin e deshires i ndez. Ah ti, ze misterioz qe rezonon me telat e shpirtit, ti heshtje memece qe me gjymtyre flet, heshtur, kur duart kerkojne duart e n'agoni urren agimin, nje shi puthjesh te mbulon lendinen e zhveshur. Kendo, pushto e zjarrmo ate trup te etur, mos ki frike nga vetja, mos ki frike nga askush, deshire e cmendur, e papermbajtshme, mos e ndal vrullin, krijese brishtesisht e thyeshme, pafundesisht e embel, paperseritmisht e bukur. M'i mbulo syte me puthje, percellome me zjarrin tend, derisa nata te therrmohet e nga marazi te tretet, derisa une te mos jem me une e ne krahet e tu te kem humbur, e bota e pafund qe fshihet pas ketyre sysh te pushoje ne endje. Si nje femije qe frike ka te largohet nga krahet e nenes, ti zgjohu mbeshtjelle perjetesisht ne krahet e pasionit, vrapo drejt tij e pangopur, rritu me te, rrembeji buzeqeshjet, kendo me te ne heshtje, humb mes vargjesh, e dhuroji gjumin. Dhe pastaj, pastaj fillo nga e para... Irma, Boston, Gusht 2000 ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From i_spaho at hotmail.com Thu Aug 24 11:26:01 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 15:26:01 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} Ollbrajt: Kënaqësi për ne të punojmë me kryeministrin Meta Message-ID: Eshte krejt "llogjike" pse Meta dhe Nano mbeten dyerve te SHBA-se ne prag te fushates se zgjedhjeve. "Politikanet" shqiptare shnderrohen ne majmuna memece kur eshte fjala per interesat tona kombetare, sic ishte rasti i Konferences se Budapestit apo i iniciatives amerikane per te perjashtuar nga OKB Jugosllavine, ne nje kohe qe te gjithe fqinjet tane (perjashtuar Greqine) prononcohen hapur ne mbeshtetje te kesaj iniciative. > > >Shqiperi & SHBA.Kryeministri Meta takon n? Uashington Sekretaren e Shtetit >Ollbrajt dhe kryeprokuroren Reno > Meta - Ollbrajt, nj? or? e gjys?m kok? m? kok?  Ollbrajt vler?son >rezultatet e Qeveris? n? forcimin e institucioneve, n? rend dhe luft? >kund?r >krimit, n? ekonomi - ve?an?risht n? privatizim, reforma n? administrat?n >publike dhe decentralizimin e pushtetit >Dje n? mesdit? n? Uashington, Sekretarja e Departamentit Amerikan t? >Shtetit >p?r Pun?t e Jashtme, Madlen Ollbrajt, priti n? zyr?n e saj n? k?t? >departament kryeministrin shqiptar Ilir Meta. Meta, ndodhet p?r nj? vizit? >kat?rditore n? Uashington dhe vinte n? takimin me Ollbrajt pas nj? takimi >shum? t? r?nd?sish?m dhe t? suksessh?m me kryeprokuroren e Amerik?s, Janet >Reno. N? or?n 11.00 (n? Uashington), kryeministri shqiptar u prit n? zyr?n >e >saj nga Sekretarja e Shtetit Ollbrajt. P?r reth nj? or? e gjys?m, Ollbrajt >dhe Meta kan? shk?mbyer informacion dhe gjykime p?r situat?n n? Shqip?ri >dhe >rajonin e Balllkanit t? p?rfshir? nga nj? s?r? zgjedhjesh. Meta ka >informuar Sekretaren e Shtetit Ollbrajt p?r gjith?ka ka ndodhur n? Shqip?ri >q? nga vizita e saj e par? n? Tiran?, duke u ndalur ve?an?risht n? >reformate >nd?rmara nga Qeveria Shqiptare si dhe n? rezultatet e arritura n? fushat e >ndryshme t? zhvillimit t? vendit. Nd?rkoh?, nj? vend t? r?nd?sish?m n? >takim >zun? p?rgatitjet p?r zgjedhjet lokale n? Shqip?ri, situata n? Ballkan, >ve?an?risht n? Kosov? si dhe zgjedhjet q? do t? mb?hen atje dhe n? vendet e >tjera t? rajonit t? Ballkanit. Kaq b?n? t? ditur rreth takimit Ollbrajt - >Meta burime pran? delegacionit shqiptar n? Uashington. Nd?rkoh?, menj?her? >pas takimit, Sekretarja e Shtetit Ollbrajt dhe kryeministri Meta dol?n n? >nj? konferenc? p?r shtyp para gazetar?ve. T? dy zyrtar?t e lart? informuan >p?r bisedimet q? pat?n, t? cilat i cil?suan si shum? t? frytshme. >Sekretarja Amerikane e Shtetit Ollbrajt, tha gjat? fjal?s s? saj, se ishte >nj? k?naq?si p?r t?, q? ish takuar gjat? dit?s me "kryeministrin Meta, q? >?sht? nj? drejtues energjik dhe p?rfaq?sues i nj? gjenerate t? re t? >suksesshme n? politik?". Ollbrajt vler?soi rezultatet e arritura gjat? >k?saj >periudhe, ve?an?risht n? forcimin e institucioneve t? shtetit, rezultatet e >arritura n? rend dhe luft?n kund?r krimit, rezultatet e aritura n? >treguesit >ekonomik, ve?an?risht rezultatet e arritura n? procesin e privatizimit, >rezultatet e arritura n? reformat e administrat?s publike e t? >decentralizimit t? pushtetit. Ollbrajt vler?soi n? m?nyr? t? ve?ant? >p?rgatitjet q? Qeveria Shqiptare n? bashk?punim me komunitetin nd?rkomb?tar >po b?n p?r zgjedhjet lokale t? 1 tetorit. "Nd?rkoq? q? Sllobodan >Miloshevi? >n? Serbi po izolon m? tej vendin e tij duke i sjell? pasoja t? r?nda >popullit n? ish-Jugosllavi, kryeministri Meta po drejton Shqip?rin? n? >m?nyr? demokratike drejt progresit politik dhe ekonomik" - tha sekretarja >Amerikane e Shtetit, Ollbrajt. Nd?rkoh? q? vijoi: Kryeministri Meta ?sht? >shum? i ri, ?sht? vet?m 31 vje?, ?sht? n? politik? p?r t? q?ndruar nj? koh? >t? gjat? dhe ?sht? k?naq?si p?r SHBA-n? dhe qeverin? e saj q? t? punoj? me >t? p?r t? arritur progres t? m?tejsh?m t? Shqip?ris? dhe t? rajonit". >Meta: Qeveria shqiptare e angazhuar p?r marr?dhenie t? mira me SHBA >Meta dhe Ollbrajt, 40 minuta n? konferenc? shtypi: >Ollbrajt: Pata k?naq?sin? q? takova sot kryeministrin Meta, q? ?sht? nj? >drejtues energjik dhe p?rfaq?sues i nj? gjenerate t? re t? suksesshme n? >politik? Nd?rkoq? q? Sllobodan Miloshevi? n? Serbi po izolon m? tej vendin >e >tij duke i sjell? pasoja t? r?nda popullit n? ish-Jugosllavi, kryeministri >Meta po drejton Shqip?rin? n? m?nyr? demokratike drejt progresit politik >dhe >ekonomik Kryeministri Meta ?sht? shum? i ri, ?sht? vet?m 31 vje?, ?sht? n? >politik? p?r t? q?ndruar nj? koh? t? gjat? dhe ?sht? k?naq?si p?r SHBA-n? >dhe qeverin? e saj q? t? punoj? me t? p?r t? arritur progres t? m?tejsh?m >t? >Shqip?ris? dhe t? rajonit Meta: Qeveria shqiptare e angazhguar p?r >marr?dhenie t? mira me SHBA. Qeveria shqiptare do t? bashk?punonte ngushte >me OSBE dhe organizmat e tjera nd?rkomb?tare p?r t? siguruar normalitetin >maksimal p?r zgjedhjet e ardh?shme n? Shqip?ri si dhe ka ftuar p?r k?t? >q?llim mjaft v?zhgues nd?rkomb?tar? p?r t? par? se zgjedhjet jan? t? drejta >dhe transparente >Sekretarja Amerikane e Shtetit, Madlen Ollbrajt, zhvilloi dje nj? takim >pune >me Kryeministrin Shqiptar, Ilir Meta, njofton radio ?Z?ri i Amerik?s?. Pas >takimit, Sekretarja Ollbrajt dhe Kryeministri Meta dhan? nj? konferenc? t? >p?rbashk?t shtypi, ku, sipas radios n? fjal?, ishin t? pranish?m nj? num?r >i >shumt? gazetar?sh t? rjeteve kryesore radio-televizive amerikane. >Sekretarja >Ollbrajt, gjat? konferenc?s s? shtypit tha se n? bisedimet me kryeministrin >shqiptar Ilir Meta, ata kishin diskutuar s? bashku gjendjen ekonomike dhe >politike n? Shqip?ri, gjendjen n? Kosov?, Maqedoni si dhe rolin e >Shqip?ris? >e rajon. Po k?shtu ata ishin ndalur n? rolin negativ t? Beogradit n? sken?n >politike ballkanike. Ollbrajt dhe Meta kishin diskutuar marr?dheniet midis >Shqip?ris? e Greqis?, dhe rezultatet e arritura deri tani n? procesin e >normalizimit t? Kosov?s. Sekretarja Ollbrajt vuri n? dukje rolin e >Shqip?ris? vitin e kaluar gjat? kriz?s s? Kosov?s p?r strehimin e qindra >mij?ra refugjateve kosovare n? Shqip?ri. Kryeministri Meta i kishte >premtuar >Sekretares Ollbrajt, sikurse tha kjo e fundit n? konferenc?n p?r shtyp, se >qeveria shqiptare do t? bashk?punonte ngushte me OSBE dhe organizmat e >tjera >nd?rkomb?tare p?r t? siguruar normalitetin maksimal p?r zgjedhjet e >ardh?shme n? Shqip?ri si dhe ka ftuar p?r k?t? q?llim mjaft v?zhgues >nd?rkomb?tar? p?r t? par? se zgjedhjet jan? t? drejta dhe transparente. >Sekretarja Ollbrajt, vuri n? dukje mosh?n e re t? kryeministrit Meta, duke >th?n? se ai i kishte premtuar asaj se kishte nj? rrug? t? gjat? n? fush?n e >politikes. P?r k?t? arsye bashk?punimi me SHBA do t? ishte gjithmon? i >mir?pritur dhe i k?rkuar nga pala shqiptare. Nga ana e tij kryeministri >Meta, ju p?rgjigj me t? njejt?n p?rz?m?rsi deklaratave t? Sekretares >Ollbrajt, duke th?n? se qeveria shqiptare dhe drejtuesit shqiptar? jan? t? >angazhuar p?r t? mbajtur marr?dhenie t? mira me SHBA, dhe p?r t? ecur n? >rrjedhat evropiane perendimore. Gjat? konferenc?s s? shtypit, u n?nvizua >roli i Shqip?ris? p?r stabilitetin ne Ballkan, duke patur parasysh teper >negativ t? qeveris? Jugosllave, t? regjimit t? Milloshevi?it n? lidhje me >Kosov?n. P?r k?t? Sekretarja Ollbrajt tha se Shqip?ria ?sht? nj? faktor >stabiliteti n? Ballkan, q? provoi vitin e kaluar dhe, si? kishte premtuar >nga kryeministri Meta, do t? vazhdoj? n? k?t? rrug?, t? mbaj? marr?dhenie >t? >fqinj?sis? s? mir? n? Ballkan dhe p?r t?i sh?rbyes sa m? mir? stabilitetit >ballkanik. Lidhur me marr?dheniet shqiptaro-greke, Kryeministri Meta tha se >qeveria shqiptare mban marr?dhenie t? mira si me qeverine greke dhe po >ashtu >me opozit?n greke. K?t? ai e spjegoi me faktin se qeveria shqiptar? ?sht? >m? >e interesuar p?r marr?dhenie t? mira midis dy popujve. Nj? ??shtje tjet?r >q? >doli n? konferenc?n e shtypit, ishte dhuna n? Kosov?. Sekretarja Ollbrajt, >theksoi se ?sht? nj? domosdoshm?ri jetike, q? grupet shqiptare t?i >p?rmbahen >normave t? vendosura nga administrata nd?rkomb?tare atje. Kryeministri Meta >tha, se nd?r k?to grupe jan? ato q? instrumentohen nga Beogradi, por kan? >nj? p?rgjegj?si edhe grupet ekstremiste shqiptare. T? dy zyrtar?t e lart?, >theksuan se shqiptar?t e Kosov?s jan? t? angazhuar p?r stabilitetin n? >rajon >dhe nd?rtimin e nj? Kosov? demokratike. >Marre nga Zeri Popullit >Shikoni e degjoni TV shqiptar ne http://www.aths-travel.com >E-mail:info at LongIslandTrip.com > > >-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> >Failed tests, classes skipped, forgotten locker combinations. >Remember the good 'ol days >http://click.egroups.com/1/8012/8/_/920292/_/967110790/ >---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > >N?se don t? ?regjistrohesh nga ALBEUROPA, d?rgo nj? Email n?: > >albeuropa-unsubscribe at egroups.com > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Thu Aug 24 14:32:32 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 18:32:32 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] What is Hellenism? Message-ID: Kostas, What is salient about this article is not the condemnation of the Greek Orthodox Church way of handling things. Rather it is what most western analyst agree when it comes to Greece: Greece has an eastern, parochial society which is typical of the Balkans...yet Greece is, by some trick of fate, a member of an organization that belongs to a different philosophical persuasion(the EC).In any case Albanians need to take a holistic view of the situation and judge carefully the influence the Greek Orthodox Church has on the Albanian Orthodox Church and whether it can use it to further its purposes which could be in direct opposition to Albanian national interests. For example, could the Albanian Orthodox Church be used to advance the goals of Hellenism? I don't see why not. >From: "Giakoumis" >To: "Kreshnik Bejko" >CC: "Balkans" >Subject: Re: "The misery of being Greek" >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 15:43:08 +0300 > > >Kostas Giakoumis >37 Aharnon Street. Kifissia >145-61, Athens, Greece >Tel.: 003-01-8016787 >Fax: 003-01-6230013 >E-mail: kgiakoum at acci.gr > >Dear all, > >since Kreshnik Bejko was as kind as to bring into our attention this >article, I would be grateful if the following few points, which are >expressed spontaneously, without order were also considered: > >1) I am not a supporter of the old ID cards. On the other hand I cannot >undestand the fury to change them all at once, when in less than two years >the new European card will resolve such problems. > >2) However, it is very difficult to judge from abroad, no matter how many >years someone has been living in this country. There are many aspects of >the whole issue that cannot been followed by the briefings that appear in >the media. It would be fair to say that in the whole tension of the Church >with the government the problem was limited only to ID cards, while in >reality it covers a greater range of issues, of which sensible fears are >exressed. > >3) As is self-evident, nationalism or discrimination is not springing from >ID cards. > >4) European cards will be issued in a couple of years, therefore there was >no need of a sudden change emerged by a Minister in contradiction to >another minister of the same government (the Minister of Education) and his >assurance that there will be no snapping changes in issues of which the >Church is interested. If the present Greek government was as tactful as to >discuss this issue with the Church before taking a decision, there wouldn't >have been any problems, as Churchmen imply. The same socialist government, >which is almost 20 years in power in Greece (I am surprised why the writer >of the article thinks that Greece may have had the longest right-wing >government of the world) in 1994, when the issue of changing the IDs, in a >way that religion is not presented in them, was brought up to the >Parliament by the Opposition, was strong supporter of the old ID, which >less than 5 years later was found by the same government as causing >problems to the minorities. > >5) It is true that concerns related to globalization have been expressed >not only by Church dignitaries but also by may others, not necessarily >'conservative'. Such concerns are also shared with other western Europeans. > >6) Characterizing all priests as "ayatollahs" is a dangerous >overgeneralization and implies a certain bias of the author of the article >against them. > >7) The attachment of the Church with the State in Greece predates the >establishment of the State, therefore it is simplistic to allege that >Church ministers are State-paid for their services in inaugurations, etc. > >8) Perhaps the author of the article would be surprised to learn that the >Greek Church has repeatedly sided Herself to the European movement, but has >been sceptical to the negative aspects of the process of globalization. It >is not a secret that the Church receives European money and is involved in >many European projects. The Church does not oppose to political burial for >those who do not believe. If Church burial was obligatory how the Moslem >minorities would bury their dead?. In fact, no Church burial used to be >provided even when the deceased had commited suicide. In most of these >cases, the relatives of the deceased blamed the Church for not burrying >them in the 'proper' way. Furthermore, the Church did not oppose to >political marriage as well, however, the Greek society never really >accepted it; as a result, many of the couples initially joined with >political marriage went afterwards to the Church for a Church wedding! > >9) It is true that the involvement of religious minorities was limited in >the past years, however, the religious leaders of spiritual minorities in >Greece have expressed their satisfaction over the changes in recent years. >Greek people start to realise that these changes are inevitable, also due >to the Olympic Games of 2004. > >10) The demonstrations against the ID cards were far but as described in >the article. Of course, in a mass of 1,000,000 people there would be some >fanatics, mostly the self-called 'zealots', but no trouble at all was >reported. Accordingly, it is frivolous for those not witnessed the >protestations, who just followed the briefing to demonise them. The way by >which the protestations were covered in the TV was controversial. Some >chanels presented the 'zealots' and selected images supporting the idea >that the protestations were of the old Iranian type. Some others selected >images that showed the pulse of the event, with young people expressing >moderate opinions. The truth is somewhere between these two. However, the >latter view expresses better the nature of the protestation, to my own >view. > >11) It is not fair to allege that Greece suppresses minorities. I admit >that this was the case until some years before, things have changed in the >last few years. Now, for example the immigrants (Albanians included) have >the right to have their own schools (Albanians already have one) and they >enjoy full rights. If there are events of suppresion of rights of the >minorities I will be the firtst to condemn them, but these cannot be >considered in a limited national level. For example I used to feel very >embarassed by the way that the police treated Albanian citizens in the >Greek bordiers. The situation in the last 1,5 year has bettered. Similar >steps must continue not only in this case, but in others. However, these >discriminations are but isolated cases, condemned by the majority of the >Greek population. > >12) National issues? I thought that it was the pseudo-State of the Turkish >Republic of Cyprus the country which recently occupied part of the 'green >zone' in Cyprus and this was the most recent event. Should Greeks then be >pleased with the 'national issues'? I agree there exists a certain number >of nationalists, but these are only a minority as in every country. > >13) The Greek Church and the majority of Greek people (including me) >supports the separation of the Church from the State, however, this must >not be decided arbitrarily without previous discussion and agreement of the >Greek government with the Greek Church; and at any case not in an >atmosphere of rupture and tension. > >14) What is wrong about basing the Constitution in the name of the Holy >Trinity? My impression is that this is common to many other coutries, among >which many of those that the author of the article implies as 'progressed' >(i.e. USA). > >15) It is evident that in Greece many social changes have been and are >being realised. In crucial times, if the progressive thinkers (in the side >of whose Helen Smith sides herself) marginilize the ones who are less >prepared for the necessary changes, instead of seriously considering their >opinions and try to formate new models of change, less fearful to the ones >who are afraid of it, unintentionally they make this part of population >vulnerable to influences from ill extremes (political, social and >religious). > >16) There are very serious persons, academics included, other than the ones >selectively pointed out by the author of the article, many of which were >among the fighters of exteme policies of right-wing governments of the >past, that oppose to the government's decision with solid arguments. Are >they also "phobic, unskilled and introverted"? > >17) My impression is that Helen Smith, the author of this article, in spite >of having lived in Greece for 14 years, as she claims, did not manage to >include herself in the deepest of the Greek society, in order to distantly >judge on the fears of a major part of its. According to my opinion, her >lack of objectivity is more explicitly depicted in the false-categorization >of the Greek people: "The problem is that there are two Greeces: one that >is western, modern, open, reform-minded, civic, competitive, risk-taking >and international; and one that is eastern, traditional, parochial, phobic, >unskilled and introverted". I personally claim to be traditional and a >parishioner of a parochial life and simultaneously western, modern, >open-to-reforms, competitive, risk-taking and international and I do not >consider myself as an exception of the major part of Greek society; to >which of the two categories of Helen Smith do I belong? > > >In conclusion, social problems are not to be treated in an impromptu and >superficial way. > >I apologise for the possibility of having showed that I was offended by >this article. > > >Yours, > >Kostas Giakoumis > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Kreshnik Bejko >To: ; ; >; ; >; ; ; >; ; ; >; ; ; >; ; ; >; ; >; ; >; ; ; >; ; ; >; >Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 5:49 PM >Subject: "The misery of being Greek" > > > > > > > > General by Helena Smith 21st August 2000 > > > > > > > > A row over identity cards is giving the powerful Orthodox priests of > > Greece a > > chance to exploit a dangerous nationalism, reports Helena Smith > > > > Strange things are going on in Greece. The country is wrestling with > > an > > identity crisis and the Eastern Orthodox Church, feeling wronged, > > appears to > > have gone mad. > > > > Where you think you spot a priest, you invariably discover an > > activist - men > > in black with stovepipe hats denouncing the "dark forces" behind > > Athens's > > unusually progressive government. The enlightened call them Orthodox > > ayatollahs. > > > > It's worrying stuff, the sort of thing that might make Pericles > > really writhe > > in his grave. The cause of such rancour? The removal of any reference > > to > > religion on civilian identity cards. For a country in which 97 per > > cent of the > > population is Christian and Eastern Orthodox, it would seem an > > innocuous enough > > move. But in Greece - the European Union's only Orthodox state - it > > has had an > > unexpectedly explosive effect: all at once, Hellenes have had to ask > > themselves > > who, and what, they want to be. And they are doing it in a way that > > is not > > showing them in the best of lights. > > > > Greece's spiritual leaders - the self-styled protectors of Hellenism > > through > > 400 years of Ottoman rule - retain an influence on civil life unknown > > in any > > other part of the west: they officiate at the swearing-in of > > governments, the > > inauguration of public and private projects and the blessing of > > private homes. > > In recognition of those close ties, clerics receive state salaries. > > In their > > view, the Greeks are caught up in their toughest fight yet to remain > > a cut > > above the rest; to preserve their Christian Byzantine roots from the > > "meat > > grinder" that is the EU. > > > > Drop religious affiliation from identity cards - originally > > introduced by a > > military dictatorship in the late 1930s - and, the clerics argue, you > > sound > > the death knell of a single nation state. > > > > The Greek prime minister, Costas Simitis, has tried to counter all > > this by > > insisting that the reform brings Greece into line with its European > > partners, > > and that "the declaration of one's religious affiliation is not only > > discriminatory, but offensive. It insults the right of every > > individual to > > privacy and religious freedom." > > > > The Church, however, remains adamant. Greece's bearded clerics regard > > the "identity crisis" as the sort of thing that could drag the nation > > into "civil war". In June, more than a million Greeks (one-tenth of > > the > > population) flocked to hear Archbishop Christodoulos, the Church > > Primate, > > denounce the measure as the first step in a sinister plot to > > de-Hellenise > > Greece. "Our faith is the foundation of our identity. If you abolish > > one, you > > abolish the other," the archbishop thundered, as the crowd of > > rumbustious flag- > > wavers cheered. The scenes were reminiscent of the fundamentalist > > fervour that > > once ran riot in Iran. > > > > Increasingly, human rights groups have begun to wonder whether Greece > > is a nice > > place, after all. Over the past ten years, Athens has been repeatedly > > condemned > > by the European Court of Human Rights for violations involving all of > > its > > religious minorities. Away from the warm, taverna-terraced beaches, > > fun-loving > > Zorbas and tourist-trampled temples, Greeks treat those who dare to > > be > > different with red-hot contempt. > > > > Try being a Jew, Catholic, Muslim or Protestant, and you will not get > > far - as > > the ranks of the Civil Service, diplomatic corps and army so amply > > prove. Try > > being an immigrant, and you are viewed as the reason for unemployment > > and > > crime. Try mentioning ethnic minorities - officially, they do not > > exist, bar > > communities of Muslims and Roma - and you may be labelled "sick in > > the mind", > > to quote Theodore Pangalos, the country's feisty former foreign > > minister. Try > > taking a different tack in public on the country's so-called > > "national > > issues", the ones involving Turkey and other neighbours, and it is > > likely that > > you will be branded a traitor. > > > > "Modern Greece is an ethno-nationalist state par excellence," writes > > the > > commentator Takis Michas in his forthcoming book, Ethnic > > Totalitarianism. "'Others' are viewed as a source of potential danger > > to the > > national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greece." > > > > Twenty-six years after the collapse of the colonels, the fracas over > > the > > identity cards smacks of "the Greece of Christian Greeks", the > > rebarbative > > slogan that those petty officers used to give their rotten regime an > > acceptable > > allure. It also proves that liberty and equality, the values that > > drive > > democracy, are still in short supply in this, the birthplace of > > democracy. > > > > I write this with a heavy heart. I am not a "mishellene", a > > Greek-hater, > > although I know I will be cast as one when this comes out. I have > > happily lived > > in and reported from Greece for the past 14 years. I think I can say > > that it is > > a magical place with some magical people. > > > > The problem is that there are two Greeces: one that is western, > > modern, open, > > reform-minded, civic, competitive, risk-taking and international; and > > one that > > is eastern, traditional, parochial, phobic, unskilled and > > introverted. > > > > The country, mercifully, is now in the hands of the former. But they > > are a > > minority - a "group of angels in a sea of devils", as one wry > > observer > > recently put it. The political spectrum is replete with members of > > the "other" > > Greece, who see civic society, with all its talk of fundamental > > freedoms, as > > reeking of anti-nationalism. > > > > The present identity crisis has shown how far there is to go if the > > twain are > > to meet. Greece's troublesome priests show no sign of backing down > > soon. > > Archbishop Christodoulos may say he does not want to turn his flock > > into "fanatics", but he has seen that demagoguery works. Indeed, his > > fighting > > spirit has sent shivers down the spine of the governing Socialists. > > > > The "eastern" Greeks, who support the archbishop's stand, can still > > relate to > > the notorious declaration of the Byzantine commander Loukas Notaras > > (uttered > > days before the sacking of Constantinople in 1453) that it would be > > better to > > see the Turkish turban in the city than the Roman cardinal's mitre. > > For these > > people, civic society is still a dirty word. They believe that they > > have > > nothing to gain from globalisation, least of all the punishing > > reforms required > > to take the nation into Euroland's new economic order. Passions are > > clearly on > > the rise. In the Church, the easterners see the embodiment of > > Greece's > > defensive national identity, the only bulwark left against the > > creation of a > > threatening, multi- cultural, open society. > > > > "There is a very big underdog coalition from which the Church can > > draw its > > strength - Greeks who feel very insecure about the phenomenal pace of > > change > > in this country," says Professor Nikiforos Diamantouros, Greece's > > ombudsman and > > a political scientist. > > > > Many Greeks are now praying that the identity crisis will eventually > > lead to a > > full separation of the secular and ecclesiastical spheres. "This, I > > hope, will > > be the beginning of the formal separation of church and state," says > > Nikos > > Dimou, the author of the bestselling book The Misery of Being Greek. > > "The > > Church is the wealthiest institution in this country, and it has far > > too much > > control. Greeks vote according to church dioceses, the constitution > > is in the > > name of the Holy Trinity and, even if they want to, they cannot die > > without it > > because the Church has ensured that civil burials don't exist." > > > > There have already been calls by bishops for civil disobedience. As > > the > > government prepares to print the new ID cards, the Orthodox Church, > > clearly > > girding its loins for battle, says it will encourage people not to > > take > > possession of them. > > > > Come 1 September, churchmen will begin collecting millions of > > signatures for > > an "informal referendum" on the issue. > > > > Every European state is afflicted to some degree by the twin evils of > > populism > > and racism. As the only country in the EU not to border another > > member state, > > Greece differs only in the way that it perceives its own watertight > > identity. > > It remains the EU's poorest member, badly in need of crucial economic > > and > > social reforms. Within the 15-nation bloc, Greece still has the > > biggest labour > > force of civil servants and small-time self-employed. > > > > The Greeks have experienced more years of authoritarian, right-wing > > rule than > > perhaps any other nation on the Continent. The generation born since > > the > > restoration of real liberty in 1974 is the first never to have > > experienced war, > > civil strife or major economic convulsions. Understandably, it feels > > more > > secure - as the unprecedented enthusiasm for recent rapprochement > > between > > Athens and Ankara has shown. > > > > Now that the identity crisis is out in the open, and with this new > > generation > > in mind, it is hoped that the Greeks will finally be able to accept > > the idea > > that their own homogeneity is a myth. Already, taboos have been > > lifted, not > > least around the once sacred subject of the role of their Church. > > > > There are few who are saying such things aloud. But, one way or > > another, good > > may come of the madness. > > > > Helena Smith has been awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard > > University for her > > coverage of Greece and the Balkans as the Athens-based correspondent > > for the > > Guardian and the Observer > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From albanianpride at hotmail.com Fri Aug 25 12:19:46 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 12:19:46 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Rrefimet e nje te huaji !!!!! Message-ID: Me poshte do te lexoni pershtypjet e nje vizitori te huaj qe gjendej ne Shqiperi kete muaj .Marre nga Epinions.com ...................................................... Adventures in Albania by: karst [Austin ,Texas] Member since: Aug 12, 2000 for Epinions.com (Wed Aug 23 '00) Pros: incredibly beautiful mountains and beaches, friendly people Cons: Albania is still not easy to tour; lots of pollution Introduction I have just finished a one-month trip to Albania. This was a business trip for me, but my business is geology. Because of this, I visited many parts of the country, mostly in the south, and often traveled through small villages in remote areas. I wasn't there as a tourist, so I was only able to visit one Orthodox monastery, and the Skanderbeg Castle. There is much that I can't tell you, because many of my accomodations were arranged by others, but I learned a lot about the country and saw people and places where few outsiders ever go. My review will be useful if you want to explore the less-visited places, and will probably cover things that only the rare traveler to this country has seen, but I am limited by the nature of my travel. I found the country to be charming, beautiful, and full of potential. In some ways, I felt as if I had traveled backwards in time, to a period when small-scale agriculture dominated life. A time when fields were plowed with an ox; when hay was cut and raked by hand, and piled in tall haystacks. I shared the road with donkeys, sheep, goats, and horses, as well as the ubiquitos Mercedes-Benz sedans that everyone seems to drive. I was welcomed by everyone, and always treated well. The food was often basic, but always good: the highlights were kos (sheep's yogurt), fish soup, salata Greka (Greek salad), fresh trout, calamari, lamb shish kebab, and more. Accomodations in various hotels varied from luxurious, to quite basic. Of course, when I am working I am accustomed to camping, so having a hotel room, even without water, is a treat for me. I visited Tirana, Durres, Vlore, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, Gjirokaster, Delvine, Sarande, Kruja, Permet, and my favorite place, ?orovode. Many of the smaller villages I visited are not on any map I have found, and so are only known to Albanians. I traveled from the breath-takingly beautiful southern Adriatic coastline to the flanks of Mali Tomor, one of the highest mountains in Albania. The country has a wonderful range of naturally beautiful mountains, wide white beaches, broad shallow rivers, and patchworks of corn, wheat, and vegetable fields covering low-lying hills and valleys. However, the saddest thing I saw in Albania were piles of trash, rusted cars, and polluted rivers. There have been many years of trash accumulation with little effort to clean it up, and often trash is still dumped along roads and riverbanks and burnt. Rusted cars sit in the middle of rivers, and the small waterways that wind through towns and cities sometimes smell of raw sewage. This is a country in transition. Roads: Roads in Albania range from two-lane asphalt-paved roads, to streets paved with smooth limestone blocks, and dirt tracks barely suitable for a donkey cart. I was always accompanied by an Albanian driver, and even though I drive in Mexico, I think I would have had difficulty adapting to Albanian driving. Major roads are often only two-lane roads (more like one and one-half lanes) and traffic varies from huge double-trailer semi-tractors, to buses, cars, WIDE hay-wagons pulled by donkeys, shepherds following flocks of sheep and goats, and small children leading cows to pasture. In some small mountain towns even the main road is not wide enough for two large vehicles to pass, so it is not rare to be forced to back-up to a place where the road is wider. Small roadside stands sell fruit, vegetables, olive oil, fire-roasted sweet corn, and even two-liter bottles of diesel fuel, and often cars must stop in the road to make a purchase. All of this mixes on narrow, winding roads, often with limited visibility, few warning signs, and very few directional signs. Some of the roads we traveled on were along mountainsides, with no barrier between us and a 500 meter drop-off on the roadside. Roadside monuments to people killed on these roads are common sights. We never drove at night for these reasons. There is major road construction between Durres and Lushnje; apparently the road is being widened to 4 lanes(July, 2000). The construction often blocks the road and results in considerable traffic. Short distances in Albania take considerable time to drive, due to the roads. It's one to two hours from Tirana to Durres. It takes at least 3 hours to reach Fier from Tirana. It takes almost a full day to drive from Tirana to Sarande, on the southern coast. The road between these two cities is over 250 kilometers, yet in a straight line, Sarande is only about 100 kilometers. To further complicate the driving, there are police roadblocks at almost random locations, between most large towns, and at many intersections. My driver was never asked to stop, but at these stops the driver can be asked to show a driver's license, papers for the car, and often I saw cars with the trunk open being searched by the police. The police commonly carry Kalishnikovs, automatic rifles. At one stop, the police wore black ski masks as protection for their identity. Apparently there had been some problems with criminals in that area and the police felt it necessary to be unrecognizable. Yet at one stop, my driver greeted the gun-toting police like old friends and they kissed each other on the cheek, as is customary among friends here. All the Albanians I asked were happy about having the police out in the road like this, as they felt it created order in a country where anarchy has dominated in some areas. Sometimes the police fine drivers arbitrarily, as one driver told me he was fined 2000 lek, for driving with his headlights on during the day. His protest was met with the simple reply: "if you don't agree you can take it up with my supervisor" and of course, probably spend the rest of the day doing it. I know there is bus service throughout the country but I can't tell you much about it. I saw buses in every major town I visited, and I met Albanians who lived in places as distant as Fier, and Durres, who commute by bus to Tirana to work. Even more remote villages are serviced by local, smaller vans, although they appeared to only run once or twice a day. Taxis are common in every town, but again, I never had the opportunity to use one. Tirana Airport: I flew in on Alitalia, which I have found is an excellent airline. The airport is an experience if you are not used to visiting the simpler places of the world. Albania charges an entry fee based on the corresponding fee to enter your own country. Americans must pay $45; my Romanian friend paid nothing. The entry window becomes quite chaotic, and many people try to ignore the line. Everyone must pay $10 as an exit fee as you leave the country. Getting your bags is even more chaotic, unless you are fortunate enough to speak some Albanian. The bags are brought into an area that is cordoned off by ropes, and you must identify your bag to the men standing inside this area so they can bring it to you. Unable to communicate well, I resorted to stepping over the barricade and grabbing one bag at a time, each time being hastily chased out as soon as I was noticed. The baggage claim area is inside a restricted area, so if you are being met at the airport, your party may or may not be allowed to meet you there. More than likely, anyone waiting for you will be outside the building. It takes about an hour to drive from the airport to downtown Tirane. Tirane: It's a fairly large city, that I enjoyed, but didn't really spend much time exploring. The main square is the site of an impressive statue of Skanderbeg, who is famous for defending Albania from the Turks in the 1400's. His castle is found in the town of Kruja, in the mountains to the north of Tirane. I walked around the square, visiting the bazaar in the narrow streets to the southwest of the square. Everything household good you can imagine is for sale here, unless you want to buy commercial souvenirs. This is the market for the locals, and even finding souvenir t-shirts (which few Albanians wear) is difficult. All I could find to buy were postcards, which were half the price charged by my hotel shop. The Rogner Hotel: I stayed at the Rogner while in Tirane. This Austrian hotel is probably the best in town, and charges $200 per night. Meals are equally expensive, but excellent, and the chef's specialty is Thai food. The room price includes breakfast which is a wonderful buffet with a huge variety of meats, breads, pastry, fresh fruit, antipasto, cereals, and fresh sheep yogurt. The hotel was full of United Nations soldiers most of the times I was there, wearing uniforms from all over the world. At first this was disconcerting, not realizing that they were mostly beaureaucratic types. I will add that the cost of this hotel seemed almost offensive to me. I was told by my Albanian friends that the average salary in Albania is about $100 per month. The idea that the Rogner could charge twice this amount for one night, seemed very inequitable. I was able to eat entire meals for less than $2 in Tirane, at kiosks on the street, while the Rogner easily charged me $30 to $40 for dinner. There is an excellent French restaurant located in the same building as the Swedish Embassy, about one block east of the Palace of Culture on Rruga Jul Variboba (not that I saw any street signs). There is a huge park to the south of the Rogner, south of the main square which has several excellent restaurants in it. I'm told this park used to be full of kiosks and buildings that were built illegally, but recently they were all removed and torn down. Land ownership isn't a completely established concept in Albania, and so many businesses have located themselves on what may be government land. I was never quite sure who was right about this, as I suspect the Albanians also wonder. The American Embassy: God help you if you need help from the American embassy. We had reason to visit it, and discovered the well-armed Albanian guards surrounding the fenced building at the end of a barricaded road, spoke no English. Since we could not produce a letter to show we had an appointment, we were not allowed near anyone who could speak English. The embassy does not answer the phone, instead you will only get a busy signal. We finally got the attention of an English speaking guard and after several hours waiting got into the compound. The moral to the story: Don't count on the embassy if you get in trouble. You're on your own. (And if you're Albanian trying to get an American visa, I can only apologize) Promenade: On of the most delightful customs I found in Albania was the evening promenade. Everyone in the town, including cities as large as Tirane, puts on nice clothes and goes to the town square, or main street, strolling along visiting with everyone they see. This lasts from early evening until dark. Teenage girls are dressed in their most attractive clothes obviously hoping to impress the boys, while elderly men and women visit with each other, and married couples walk hand in hand pushing strollers or walking with their children. It is a family, community affair, that takes place every day. In Berat they even close several streets for promenade. Durres: Durres is the beach resort destination of most of the city of Tirana on weekends. The beaches are white sand, wide, and many kilometers long. Restaurants and bars line the beach, and on weekends the parts of the beach I could see looked quite crowded. Albanians are fairly modest at the beach- you won't see any topless women or thong bikinis. Fier: In Fier I stayed at the Hotel Fieri (phone 06422394) which was US$40 per night for a single. The accomodations were good, although I won't recommend the restaurant. Instead, there is a restaurant down the street towards the square that is below street level under another hotel. Sorry, I don't know the name. This restaurant is built to resemble a cave, using beautiful travertine rock from the north of Albania. The walls and ceiling are made of rock, with stalagtite like shapes hanging from the ceilings. The food was excellent and the prices moderate. Because Fier is the heart of the oil industry in Albania, with oil fields to the east and south, it sometimes has a telltale smell of oil and hydrogen sulfide. The oil industry here uses outdated technology and has little or no environmental control, but this is a major resource for this country. Oil derricks usually are left standing whenever a well is drilled, so many areas are dotted with these rusting towers. Vlore: Vlore was one of my favorite towns. The sea coast is beautiful here, and Vlore is both a harbor and beach town. The road from Fier to Vlore is lined with old olive trees and Vlore impressed me as a more cosmopolitan town. We stayed at a new hotel, the International Hotel, being among the first guests to stay ever stay here. It is located next to the beach, and is next to the area where promenade took place each night. The rooms were very nice. The hotel is owned by an Albanian couple who returned from Germany after many years to build this business. The owner speaks english. As yet, the hotel only has a coffee shop, but there are several excellent restaurants within walking distance. To be continued: Forgive me- I'm going to continue work on this later. I will cover the following: Sarande Llogara Berat Tepelene Gjirokaster Permet Elbasan Corovode Kruja and Skanderbegs castle Balsh Mali Tomor Type of Travel: Business Travel Length of Visit: Month-long or more Cost of Trip: Budget (less than $100/day) Size of Your Group: Less than five Best Suited For: Students Time of Year You Went: Jun - Aug Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Fri Aug 25 00:53:19 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 21:53:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Voice of America Message-ID: <20000825045319.15395.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> [01] U-N-KOSOVO DEBATE (L ONLY) BY BRECK ARDERY (UNITED NATIONS) DATE=8/24/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-265826 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Plans for municipal elections in Kosovo sparked controversy today (Thursday) as the United Nations Security Council debated the latest developments in the province. V-O-A Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from the United Nations. TEXT: Council members heard a report from U-N official Hedi Annabi who discussed plans for municipal elections in Kosovo that are scheduled for late October. He blamed intimidation from radical Serb elements for the fact that few Serbs in Kosovo have registered to vote in those elections. More than one- million people are registered to vote, nearly all of them Kosovar Albanians. Mr. Annabi also repeated the explanation for the recent closing by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo UNMIK -- of a Serbian owned and operated smelter in Kosovo. He said the only reason the plant was shut down was because it was emitting dangerous pollution. He said the workers will be paid while repairs are underway and will be back at work once repairs are complete. But Russian ambassador Sergey Lavrov questioned the explanation for the closing of the smelter. Speaking through an English translator, Mr. Lavrov said it appears to be part of a plan to seize Serbian property in Kosovo. /// Lavrov translator Act /// We know that this plant, which was seized by force, is intended by UNMIK to be handed over to the administrative department for trade and industry (in Kosovo) which is working under the U-N Interim Administration and contains not a single Serb. /// End Act /// Mr. Lavrov also said the recent political violence in Kosovo means now is not the time to hold elections. He criticized the U-N's Kosovo administrator, Bernard Kouchner, for scheduling the elections without consulting the Security Council. But United States representative James Cunningham said the elections illustrate the strong leadership of the U-N administration in Kosovo. /// Cunningham Act /// It is a tribute to UNMIK's strong leadership that municipal elections will take place on October 28th. This will mark an important step in the establishment of transitional self- governing institutions and it has our strong support. /// End Act /// Mr. Cunningham did express concern for the politically motivated violence in Kosovo, saying there should be "zero tolerance" for it. (Signed) NEB/UN/BA/LSF/JP 24-Aug-2000 15:29 PM LOC (24-Aug-2000 1929 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From Gazhebo at aol.com Thu Aug 24 21:25:15 2000 From: Gazhebo at aol.com (Gazhebo at aol.com) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 21:25:15 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] INTERVIEW-Albanian Govt Leader Warns of Danger in Montenegro Message-ID: INTERVIEW-Albanian Govt Leader Warns of Danger in Montenegro By David Storey WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta said on Thursday it was vital for Balkan peace to continue support for the democratic government in his northern neighbour Montenegro against manoeuvring by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Meta, speaking after talks with U.S. leaders including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, said the Montenegrins should refuse to succumb to Milosevic but should at the same time avoid provoking the Serb forces. In an interview with Reuters, he supported the position of Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic that recent changes to the Yugoslav constitution were illegitimate, aimed at destroying the legal foundations of the federation that groups Serbia and Montenegro. He implied sympathy with Djukanovic's decision to resist pressure from the United States and boycott Yugoslavia's September 24 election, although he declined specifically to back the decision. ``If the government of Montenegro would accept these constitutional changes it would legitimise the loss of the existing autonomy and position of the republic in the federation,'' he said. ``It is very important that the government of Montenegro be patient and determined to develop democracy,'' Meta said. MILOSEVIC MAY PROVOKE CONFLICT He added: ``And it is very important for the international community to follow with great concern and care the developments in Montenegro in order not to be unprepared if Milosevic were to provoke another conflict there as it looks (like he will),'' he said. Meta said if Milosevic, a man ``who cannot stop in his criminal course,'' eliminated democracy in Montenegro, ``he would kill for a certain period the hopes of the Serbs and Montenegrins for democratic change in Yugoslavia.'' He added this would ``leave the international community without a party in existing Yugoslavia for working for democracy, for peace, stability and for regional cooperation.'' Meta said it was crucial for democracy in Montenegro to survive ``before another conflict will explode the plans of the international community and the Balkan countries for succeeding in implementing the (international Balkan) stability pact.'' Washington has strongly supported the Western-leaning government in Montenegro and has joined in warnings by NATO to Milosevic not to provoke a conflict over the republic. Albania, the poorest country in Europe trying to construct a law-abiding, democratic society out of the ruins left by 40 years of hardline Stalinism that collapsed in 1991, has had its efforts disrupted often by Milosevic's Balkan adventures. The Serb leader created a series of conflicts as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s and last year prompted NATO's first out-of-border bombing action to protect ethnic Albanians against Serb forces driving them out of Kosovo. FORMER STUDENT ACTIVIST The 31-year-old Meta, a former student activist who took part in the agitation that brought down the old communist rulers, has pushed forward reforms of the government, the judiciary and the economy in his 10 months in power. He drew warm praise from Albright at a news conference on Wednesday, when she said he ``represents an energetic new generation of Albanian leaders.'' The United States gives Albania more than $30 million dollars in aid annually to help in democracy and government building and some trade development. A 19-member Pentagon team is in the small Adriatic Sea state this week as part of a long-term programme to help build up the Albanian military. Meta said his forces were struggling to eventually become compatible with NATO. Belgrade severed diplomatic ties with Tirana after Albania sided with NATO over Kosovo, but Montenegrin leaders have promoted links with Tirana. Montenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic told reporters after meeting Meta in Albania in May that he wanted cooperation with the southern neighbour despite Belgrade's objections. Up to 300 Albanians cross daily into Montenegro, some of them bringing back cheaper goods that have helped reduce prices. But trade is restricted by the Yugoslav army, which polices Montenegro's frontier. From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Fri Aug 25 12:31:25 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 12:31:25 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Conference: Media World Assembly, 28.9-2.10.2000, Sarajevo Message-ID: An embedded message was scrubbed... From: bieberf at seep.ceu.hu Subject: [balkans] Conference: Media World Assembly, 28.9-2.10.2000, Sarajevo Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 12:31:47 +0200 Size: 7950 URL: From pulab at gusun.georgetown.edu Fri Aug 25 14:30:19 2000 From: pulab at gusun.georgetown.edu (Besnik Pula) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 14:30:19 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] What is Hellenism? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hello, I wanted to interject in this discussion, less regarding the issue of ID cards and Greek nationalism than with the labels employed by the author in describing various political currents in Greek society. These are relevant not only for the Greek case but for the way many (self-defined) Western media commentators (I wouldn't really call them analysts, in these cases) invoke stereotypes and racist imagery to describe societies or social movements they deem "non-Western". Specifically, Helena Smith writes that there is a clash between "two Greeces", one that is "western" and apply described as "modern, open, reform-minded, civic, competitive risk-taking and international" -- all the positive images associated with a "western" society, and another "eastern" Greece that is "traditional, parochial, phobic, unskilled and introverted" -- in other words, one that is not only "backward", but even diseased ("phobic") and impotent ("unskilled"). Smith is certainly not the originator of this supossed east-west cultural divide, of this construct that essentializes "the West" by associating it with positivistic notions such as progress and free markets, and "the East" with hopeless "backwardness", traditionalisms and fundamentalisms. It has been a prevalent feature of Western discourse since at least the early modern period, and is certainly in use today, even as some authors propose that we should expect a "clash of civilizations", of these large cultural groupings with these irreconcilble beliefs and practices -- "the West" should beware of these "unfriendly civilizations". The greater tragedy is that this ideologically-driven construct has been internalized by those in "eastern" societies, especially in "gray zones" such as the Balkans, where struggles for designating societies' identities and values as "European" -- i.e. "Western" -- permeate political discourse, the issue of Greek ID card being no exception. In nationalist discourse, it is almost always the neighboring nation that is "eastern" and "backward", while our own society is "western" and "progressive". For example, Albania's most spoken-out champion on this issue is undeniably Ismail Kadare, who at one point proposed that Albanians collectively reject Islam and embrace Christianity as proof of their affiliation with "the West" and their rejection of "the East". One notices that essentializing categories of "West" and "East" as categories of analysis are prevalent in Kadare's political writings and in the thinking of most Albanian politicians and intellectuals. Smith is now extending that construct to intrasocietal disputes, such as the identity card issue in Greece. While ignoring the problems and conflicts of interests that Kostas pointed out in his e-mail, she goes on to suggest that the root of this issue is the "eastern" character of some segments of Greek society, who are against the "westernizing" tendencies of others, namely the Greek government. While I would personally support the Greek government's drive to remove religious affiliation from ID cards, since having them entails an essentialism of a different sort -- religious affiliation as an indicator of civicness -- we must be wary of comments such as Smith's that invoke ideological constructs of "western" and "eastern" as categories of analysis and explanation. Regards, Besnik >>> The problem is that there are two Greeces: one that is western, >>> modern, open, >>> reform-minded, civic, competitive, risk-taking and international; and >>> one that >>> is eastern, traditional, parochial, phobic, unskilled and >>> introverted. From i_spaho at hotmail.com Fri Aug 25 16:55:57 2000 From: i_spaho at hotmail.com (irma spaho) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 20:55:57 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] OKB kritikohet për pazotësi në Kosovë dhe gjetkë Message-ID: > >OKB kritikohet p?r pazot?si n? Kosov? dhe gjetk? > >Isuf Hajrizi (Uashington, 23 gusht, 2000) >Per gazeten ditore Zeri, Prishtine > >Nd?rsa afrohet afati i zgjedhjeve lokale n? Kosov?, t? cilat OKB-ja i >konsderon si suksesin m? t? madh t? misionit t? vet, gjithnj? shtohen >kritikat kund?r organizat?s m? t? madhe n? bot? p?r mosefikasitet dhe >pazot?si. > Sulmet kund?r UNMIK-ut t? udh?hequr nga fran?ezi Bernard Kushner dit?ve >t? fundit po vijn? pothuaj nga t? gjitha an?t. > N? njer?n an?, t? merkur?n Rusia e akuzoi administrat?n e OKB-s? n? >Kosov? si t? nj?anshme duke th?n? se UNMIK-u e kishte b?r? veshin e >shurdh?r >"ndaj dhun?s s? vazhdueshme kund?r Serb?ve n? protektoratin nd?rkomb?tar." >Ministria e jashtme ruse te enjten deklaroi se UNMIK-u nuk ishte n? gjendje >t? siguronte kushtet e nevojshme p?r zgjedhje t? lira n? Kosov?. Akuzat e >Rusis? erdh?n pas sulmit me granata t? premt?n e kaluar me ?rast u l?duan >n?nt? f?mij? serb? dhe me rastin e shp?rthimit q? ndodhi n? zyrat e partive >politike n? Prishtin?. > Duke u p?rpjekur q? t'ju shmangur sulmeve t? tilla, si dhe duke dashur >t? >fus? nj? pyk? midis Beogradit dhe serb?ve t? Kosov?s, Kushner -- s? pari >nga >shqiptar?t por tani edhe nga disa n? per?ndim -- po portretizohet si tep?r >pro-serb dhe i mllefosur ndaj shqiptar?ve. > P?r ta mb?shtetur k?t? akuz? ndaj Kushnerit, n? shtypin amerikan merret >shembulli i Afrim Zeqirit, i cili ?sht? akuzuar nga serb?t p?r vrasjen e >tre >an?tar?ve t? komunitetit t? tyre. Shqiptar?t kan? d?shmuar se Zeqiri ?sht? >akuzuar pa faj dhe m? k?t? konkludim ?sht? pajtuar edhe gjykat?si finlandez >n? krye t? l?nd?s, Ante Ruotslainen, i cili ka urdh?ruar lirimin e Zeqirit >p?r munges? provash. Mir?po Kushner, duke shfryt?zuar autoritetin q? i >garanton atij rezoluta 1244, ka urdh?ruar mbajtjen e m?tutjeshme n? arrest >t? Zeqirit me arsyetimin se ai rrezikon paq?n. > N? an?n tjet?r, n? shtypin amerikan, pik?risht n? gazet?n Los Angeles >Times, edhe serb?t n? t? vet?n ankohen n? pakompetenc?n e UNMIK-ut dhe t? >Kushnerit. P?r ta ilustruar akuz?n e tyre ata v?rsul?n kund?r gjykat?s >penale t? themeluar nga administrata e Kushnerit n? Kosov?. Gjykata >akuzohet p?r nj?anshmeri sepse n? ekipin e saj ka vet?m shqiptar? dhe >nd?rkomb?tar?, p?r vones?n e gjykimit t? t? pandehur?ve, p?r manipulimin me >d?shmitar?t si dhe p?r shkeljen "serioze" t? t? drejt?s p?r gjykim t? >paansh?m. > Serb?t, n? shtypin per?ndimnor? sjellin rastin e nj? t? burgosuri gjoja >me t? meta mendore, Vladimir Vucetic, i akuzuar fillimisht me gjenocid, t? >cilit m? von? nj? prokuror amerikan ia shd?rron akuz?n nga "gjenocidi" n? >"rrezikim t? publikut." Serb?t thon? se ky person duhet t? lirohet nga >gjykata sepse ai ?sht? me t? meta mendore. Edhe serb?t edhe shqiptar?t, >sipas LA Times e kan? quajtur gjykat?n e Kushnerit si t? paaft? dhe t? >padrejt?. > OKB-ja ?sht? arsyetuar se po b?n ?mos p?r ta ven? n? binar? gjykat?n >kosovare, duke i akuzuar serb?t si fajtor? p?r bojkotimin e kesaj gjykate >dhe p?r munges?n e fondeve p?r mossuksesin e deritash?m t? misionit UNMIK >n? >drejtim t? drejt?sis?. > Numri total i gjykat?sve lokal? dhe prokuror?ve n? Kosov? ?sht? 405, >pasi >q? Kushner, n? p?rppjekje e sip?r p?r ta p?rmir?suar situat?n, me dat?n 9 >gusht emroi edhe 139 gjykat?s t? vendit. N? mesin e tyre ka edhe >minoritar?. > P?r ta t?rhequr v?rejtjen nga mossuksesi i tij n? Kosov?, Kushner >vazhdon >t? ankohet n? "dhun?n" e shqiptar?ve, gj? q? ka ndikuar q? shqiptar?t t? >akuzohen dhe kritikohen p?r "spastrim etnik" edhe nga per?dimi edhe nga vet >shqiptar?t. > Kryeministri shqiptar Ilir Meta n? vizit?n e tij t? fundit n? >Uashingtonin, gjat? nj? konference shtypi i shoq?ruar nga zonja Ollbrajt, >tha se "qeveria shqiptare i d?non k?to akte dhune" t? shqiptar?ve n? >Kosov?. > P?r k?t? Meta mori l?vdata nga homologia e tij amerikane. Ollbrajt e >p?rg?zoj? disa her? ufh?heq?sin e ri shqitar p?r "drejtimin e shtetit t? >tij >kah e ardhmja." Ajo e quajti kryeministrin 31-vje?ar personin q? >"p?rfaq?son nj? brez t? ri energjik t? shqiptar?ve." > Akuzat ndaj OKB-s? nuk p?rq?ndrohen vet?m n? Kosov?. > N? nj? vler?sim t? vrazhd? t? d?shtimit t? misioneve paq?ruajt?se t? >OKB-s? n?p?r bot?, nj? bord prej dhjet? ekspert?ve propozoj? q? organizata >duhet t? reagoj? m? me shpejt?si ndaj rasteve urgjente duke z?v?nd?suar >"terotit? idealistike me situatat konkrete." > N? nj? takim k?t? jav? n? Nju Jork, ekspert?t nga Amerika, Rusia, >Britania e Madhe dhe Japonia e kritikuan byrokracin? e OKB-s? duke e >akuzuar >at? p?r mosnjohje t? situatave reale ku ajo ka marr? p?rgjegj?sin? p?r >nd?rtimin e shoq?rive demokratike pa u njohur me problemin e vendit. > N? nj? raport prej 58 faqesh t? cilin e ka k?rkuar Sekretari i >p?rgjithsh?m i OKB-s? Kofi Anan pas misioneve pothuaj t? d?shtuara n? >Ballkan dhe Afrik?, ekspert?t e akuzuan organizat?n e tyre p?r mos qenj?n >n? >gjendje p?r ta dalluar "agresorin nga viktima." Rastet m? t? theksuara t? >k?saj dukurie jan? v?rejtur n? Bosnj? ku OKB asnj?her? nuk qe n? gjendje q? >t'i identifikonte serb?t dhe Beogradin si agresor? por vazhdonte m? >arsyetimet se "t? dy pal?t mbajn? fajin nj?soj." > Nj? politik? e till?, u ankuan ekspert?t e raportit ?oj? n? d?shtimin e >misionit t? OKB-s? n? Bosnj? dhe n? Sierra Lione. Ata b?n nj? varg >rekomandimesh duke p?rfshir? pun?simin e ekspert?ve ushtarak n? Nju Jork t? >pajisur me mjetet m? moderne teknologjike dhe informative. N? raport nuk >jan? dh?n? shifra konkrete se sa do t? kushtonin rekomandimet e tyre, por >me >zgjerimin e misioneve t? OKB-s? n? Timorin Lindor, Sierra Leone dhe n? >Kosov?, shpenzimet vjetore t? OKB-s? jan? dyfishuar n? 2.2 miliard? dollar? >n? vit. > Administrata amerikane e mir?priti raportin e k?tyre ekspert?ve duke >th?n? se edhe Uashingtoni ka t? njejtat shqet?sime rreth pun?s dhe >operacioneve t? OKB-s? n? 14 vendet e bot?s ku ajo funksionon. > Pritet q? raporti do t? jet? tem? kryesore e diskutimeve t? 100 >udh?heq?sve bot?ror t? cil?t do t? mblidh?n n? selin? e OKB-s? n? Nju Jork >muajin e ardhsh?m. > > > >Ky shkrim mund te ribotohet me kusht qe te theksohet autori dhe revista >Zeri, Prishtine. > > > > >-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> >How does this life work? >Courses, consultations and free lectures online. >http://click.egroups.com/1/8671/8/_/920292/_/967235933/ >---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > >N?se don t? ?regjistrohesh nga ALBEUROPA, d?rgo nj? Email n?: > >albeuropa-unsubscribe at egroups.com > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From elton80 at hotmail.com Sun Aug 27 16:08:10 2000 From: elton80 at hotmail.com (Elton Pepivani) Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 20:08:10 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] soros information Message-ID: Hi everybody I have a request if somebody fromthe group knows the e mail address of the SOROS foundation in tirana or somewhere else. this is regarding the information that Mr. Alibali sent before about the grants that this foundationis offering to the Albanian students. If you have any information about any e mail or street adddress about this issue please forward it to my email address elton80 at hotmail.com thank you very much _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From aalibali at yahoo.com Mon Aug 28 09:11:24 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 06:11:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Kathimerini Message-ID: <20000828131124.7228.qmail@web110.yahoomail.com> ATHENS, Monday, August 28, 2000 Updated: 08/28/2000 10:54 GMT Durres oil project to proceed A $50 million Greek project to build an oil depot in central Albania will continue despite an initial decision by Tirana to freeze work, the Albanian government promised on Saturday. "We are fully committed to find a solution with the lowest possible cost," Albanian Finance Minister Anastas Angeli told journalists in the northern Greek town of Florina, on the sidelines of the Prespes 2000 meetings between Greek, Albanian and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officials. Earlier, Angeli had met Greek Deputy National Economy Minister Yiannis Zafiropoulos, with whom he discussed funding for Albania through a Greek program of Balkan aid. Last week it emerged that Tirana had ordered Hellenic Petroleum SA and Mamidakis oil firms, as well as DIEKAT construction, to cease work on the project at the port of Durres, claiming the installations would interfere with a World Bank master plan for the area. The three companies had already invested $10 million in the project. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From endril at rocketmail.com Sat Aug 26 16:56:43 2000 From: endril at rocketmail.com (Endri Leno) Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 13:56:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Rrefimet e nje te huaji !!!!! Message-ID: <20000826205643.15618.qmail@web2903.mail.yahoo.com> Megjithe opinionet pozitive qe ky "gjeolog" amerikan jep per Shqiperine, nje gje nuk mund ta kuptoj: Cfare kerkon ne Shqiperi, ne "fshatrat qe nuk ekzistojne ne harta", ky "gjeolog" ne "udhetim pune"? C'jane keto fshatra qe s'jane neper harta dhe pse pikerisht ky person duhet te shkonte atje? Nje udhetim i tille nuk me le shume pershtypje pozitive, duke ditur edhe histori te disa amerikane te cilet jetonin ne fshatrat e Lezhes neper shtepite e fshatareve duke pyetur, vizatur dhe studiuar cdo pasuri natyrore dhe pike strategjike? --- ardian kanina wrote: > ----------- ALBSA-Info Mailing List > --------- > - ALBSA Web Site: > http://www.albstudent.org - > Me poshte do te lexoni pershtypjet e nje vizitori > te huaj qe gjendej ne > Shqiperi kete muaj .Marre nga Epinions.com > ...................................................... > > Adventures in Albania > > by: karst [Austin ,Texas] Member since: Aug 12, 2000 > for Epinions.com > (Wed Aug 23 '00) > > Pros: incredibly beautiful mountains and beaches, > friendly people > Cons: Albania is still not easy to tour; lots of > pollution > > > Introduction > I have just finished a one-month trip to Albania. > This was a business trip > for me, but my business is geology. Because of this, > I visited many parts of > the country, mostly in the south, and often traveled > through small villages > in remote areas. I wasn't there as a tourist, so I > was only able to visit > one Orthodox monastery, and the Skanderbeg Castle. > There is much that I > can't tell you, because many of my accomodations > were arranged by others, > but I learned a lot about the country and saw people > and places where few > outsiders ever go. My review will be useful if you > want to explore the > less-visited places, and will probably cover things > that only the rare > traveler to this country has seen, but I am limited > by the nature of my > travel. > > I found the country to be charming, beautiful, and > full of potential. In > some ways, I felt as if I had traveled backwards in > time, to a period when > small-scale agriculture dominated life. A time when > fields were plowed with > an ox; when hay was cut and raked by hand, and piled > in tall haystacks. I > shared the road with donkeys, sheep, goats, and > horses, as well as the > ubiquitos Mercedes-Benz sedans that everyone seems > to drive. I was welcomed > by everyone, and always treated well. The food was > often basic, but always > good: the highlights were kos (sheep's yogurt), fish > soup, salata Greka > (Greek salad), fresh trout, calamari, lamb shish > kebab, and more. > Accomodations in various hotels varied from > luxurious, to quite basic. Of > course, when I am working I am accustomed to > camping, so having a hotel > room, even without water, is a treat for me. I > visited Tirana, Durres, > Vlore, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, Gjirokaster, Delvine, > Sarande, Kruja, Permet, > and my favorite place, ?orovode. Many of the smaller > villages I visited are > not on any map I have found, and so are only known > to Albanians. I traveled > from the breath-takingly beautiful southern Adriatic > coastline to the flanks > of Mali Tomor, one of the highest mountains in > Albania. > The country has a wonderful range of naturally > beautiful mountains, wide > white beaches, broad shallow rivers, and patchworks > of corn, wheat, and > vegetable fields covering low-lying hills and > valleys. However, the saddest > thing I saw in Albania were piles of trash, rusted > cars, and polluted > rivers. There have been many years of trash > accumulation with little effort > to clean it up, and often trash is still dumped > along roads and riverbanks > and burnt. Rusted cars sit in the middle of rivers, > and the small waterways > that wind through towns and cities sometimes smell > of raw sewage. This is a > country in transition. > > Roads: > Roads in Albania range from two-lane asphalt-paved > roads, to streets paved > with smooth limestone blocks, and dirt tracks barely > suitable for a donkey > cart. I was always accompanied by an Albanian > driver, and even though I > drive in Mexico, I think I would have had difficulty > adapting to Albanian > driving. Major roads are often only two-lane roads > (more like one and > one-half lanes) and traffic varies from huge > double-trailer semi-tractors, > to buses, cars, WIDE hay-wagons pulled by donkeys, > shepherds following > flocks of sheep and goats, and small children > leading cows to pasture. In > some small mountain towns even the main road is not > wide enough for two > large vehicles to pass, so it is not rare to be > forced to back-up to a place > where the road is wider. Small roadside stands sell > fruit, vegetables, olive > oil, fire-roasted sweet corn, and even two-liter > bottles of diesel fuel, and > often cars must stop in the road to make a purchase. > All of this mixes on > narrow, winding roads, often with limited > visibility, few warning signs, and > very few directional signs. Some of the roads we > traveled on were along > mountainsides, with no barrier between us and a 500 > meter drop-off on the > roadside. Roadside monuments to people killed on > these roads are common > sights. We never drove at night for these reasons. > There is major road construction between Durres and > Lushnje; apparently the > road is being widened to 4 lanes(July, 2000). The > construction often blocks > the road and results in considerable traffic. > Short distances in Albania take considerable time to > drive, due to the > roads. It's one to two hours from Tirana to Durres. > It takes at least 3 > hours to reach Fier from Tirana. It takes almost a > full day to drive from > Tirana to Sarande, on the southern coast. The road > between these two cities > is over 250 kilometers, yet in a straight line, > Sarande is only about 100 > kilometers. > To further complicate the driving, there are police > roadblocks at almost > random locations, between most large towns, and at > many intersections. My > driver was never asked to stop, but at these stops > the driver can be asked > to show a driver's license, papers for the car, and > often I saw cars with > the trunk open being searched by the police. The > police commonly carry > Kalishnikovs, automatic rifles. At one stop, the > police wore black ski masks > as protection for their identity. Apparently there > had been some problems > with criminals in that area and the police felt it > necessary to be > unrecognizable. Yet at one stop, my driver greeted > the gun-toting police > like old friends and they kissed each other on the > cheek, as is customary > among friends here. All the Albanians I asked were > happy about having the > police out in the road like this, as they felt it > created order in a country > where anarchy has dominated in some areas. Sometimes > the police fine drivers > arbitrarily, as one driver told me he was fined 2000 > lek, for driving with > his headlights on during the day. His protest was > met with the simple reply: > "if you don't agree you can take it up with my > supervisor" and of course, > probably spend the rest of the day doing it. > I know there is bus service throughout the country > but I can't tell you much > about it. I saw buses in every major town I visited, > and I met Albanians who > lived in places as distant as Fier, and Durres, who > commute by bus to Tirana > to work. Even more remote villages are serviced by > local, smaller vans, > although they appeared to only run once or twice a > day. Taxis are common in > every town, but again, I never had the opportunity > to use one. > > Tirana Airport: > I flew in on Alitalia, which I have found is an > excellent airline. The > airport is an experience if you are not used to > visiting the simpler places > of the world. Albania charges an entry fee based on > the corresponding fee to > enter your own country. Americans must pay $45; my > Romanian friend paid > nothing. The entry window becomes quite chaotic, and > many people try to > ignore the line. Everyone must pay $10 as an exit > fee as you leave the > country. > Getting your bags is even more chaotic, unless you > are fortunate enough to > speak some Albanian. The bags are brought into an > area that is cordoned off > by ropes, and you must identify your bag to the men > standing inside this > area so they can bring it to you. Unable to > communicate well, I resorted to > stepping over the barricade and grabbing one bag at > a time, each time being > hastily chased out as soon as I was noticed. The > baggage claim area is > inside a restricted area, so if you are being met at > the airport, your party > may or may not be allowed to meet you there. More > than likely, anyone > waiting for you will be outside the building. It > takes about an hour to > drive from the airport to downtown Tirane. > > Tirane: > It's a fairly large city, that I enjoyed, but didn't > really spend much time > exploring. The main square is the site of an > impressive statue of > Skanderbeg, who is famous for defending Albania from > the Turks in the > 1400's. His castle is found in the town of Kruja, in > the mountains to the > north of Tirane. I walked around the square, > visiting the bazaar in the > narrow streets to the southwest of the square. > Everything household good you > can imagine is for sale here, unless you want to buy > commercial souvenirs. > This is the market for the locals, and even finding > souvenir t-shirts (which > few Albanians wear) is difficult. All I could find > to buy were postcards, > which were half the price charged by my hotel shop. > The Rogner Hotel: > I stayed at the Rogner while in Tirane. This > Austrian hotel is probably the > best in town, and charges $200 per night. Meals are > equally expensive, but > excellent, and the chef's specialty is Thai food. > The room price includes > breakfast which is a wonderful buffet with a huge > variety of meats, breads, > pastry, fresh fruit, antipasto, cereals, and fresh > sheep yogurt. The hotel > was full of United Nations soldiers most of the > times I was there, wearing > uniforms from all over the world. At first this was > disconcerting, not > realizing that they were mostly beaureaucratic > types. > I will add that the cost of this hotel seemed almost > offensive to me. I was > told by my Albanian friends that the average salary > in Albania is about $100 > per month. The idea that the Rogner could charge > twice this amount for one > night, seemed very inequitable. I was able to eat > entire meals for less than > $2 in Tirane, at kiosks on the street, while the > Rogner easily charged me > $30 to $40 for dinner. > There is an excellent French restaurant located in > the same building as the > Swedish Embassy, about one block east of the Palace > of Culture on Rruga Jul > Variboba (not that I saw any street signs). > There is a huge park to the south of the Rogner, > south of the main square > which has several excellent restaurants in it. I'm > told this park used to be > full of kiosks and buildings that were built > illegally, but recently they > were all removed and torn down. Land ownership isn't > a completely > established concept in Albania, and so many > businesses have located > themselves on what may be government land. I was > never quite sure who was > right about this, as I suspect the Albanians also > wonder. > > The American Embassy: > God help you if you need help from the American > embassy. We had reason to > visit it, and discovered the well-armed Albanian > guards surrounding the > fenced building at the end of a barricaded road, > spoke no English. Since we > could not produce a letter to show we had an > appointment, we were not > allowed near anyone who could speak English. The > embassy does not answer the > phone, instead you will only get a busy signal. We > finally got the attention > of an English speaking guard and after several hours > waiting got into the > compound. The moral to the story: Don't count on the > embassy if you get in > trouble. You're on your own. (And if you're Albanian > trying to get an > American visa, I can only apologize) > > Promenade: > On of the most delightful customs I found in Albania > was the evening > promenade. Everyone in the town, including cities as > large as Tirane, puts > on nice clothes and goes to the town square, or main > street, strolling along > visiting with everyone they see. This lasts from > early evening until dark. > Teenage girls are dressed in their most attractive > clothes obviously hoping > to impress the boys, while elderly men and women > visit with each other, and > married couples walk hand in hand pushing strollers > or walking with their > children. It is a family, community affair, that > takes place every day. In > Berat they even close several streets for promenade. > > Durres: > Durres is the beach resort destination of most of > the city of Tirana on > weekends. The beaches are white sand, wide, and many > kilometers long. > Restaurants and bars line the beach, and on weekends > the parts of the beach > I could see looked quite crowded. Albanians are > fairly modest at the beach- > you won't see any topless women or thong bikinis. > > Fier: > In Fier I stayed at the Hotel Fieri (phone 06422394) > which was US$40 per > night for a single. The accomodations were good, > although I won't recommend > the restaurant. Instead, there is a restaurant down > the street towards the > square that is below street level under another > hotel. Sorry, I don't know > the name. This restaurant is built to resemble a > cave, using beautiful > travertine rock from the north of Albania. The walls > and ceiling are made of > rock, with stalagtite like shapes hanging from the > ceilings. The food was > excellent and the prices moderate. > Because Fier is the heart of the oil industry in > Albania, with oil fields to > the east and south, it sometimes has a telltale > smell of oil and hydrogen > sulfide. The oil industry here uses outdated > technology and has little or no > environmental control, but this is a major resource > for this country. Oil > derricks usually are left standing whenever a well > is drilled, so many areas > are dotted with these rusting towers. > > Vlore: > Vlore was one of my favorite towns. The sea coast is > beautiful here, and > Vlore is both a harbor and beach town. The road from > Fier to Vlore is lined > with old olive trees and Vlore impressed me as a > more cosmopolitan town. We > stayed at a new hotel, the International Hotel, > being among the first guests > to stay ever stay here. It is located next to the > beach, and is next to the > area where promenade took place each night. The > rooms were very nice. The > hotel is owned by an Albanian couple who returned > from Germany after many > years to build this business. The owner speaks > english. As yet, the hotel > only has a coffee shop, but there are several > excellent restaurants within > walking distance. > > To be continued: > Forgive me- I'm going to continue work on this > later. I will cover the > following: > Sarande > Llogara > Berat > Tepelene > Gjirokaster > Permet > Elbasan > Corovode > Kruja and Skanderbegs castle > Balsh > Mali Tomor > > > Type of Travel: Business Travel > Length of Visit: Month-long or more > Cost of Trip: Budget (less than $100/day) > Size of Your Group: Less than five > Best Suited For: Students > Time of Year You Went: Jun - Aug > Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at > http://www.hotmail.com > > _______________________________________________________ > ALBSA-Info mailing list: ALBSA-Info at alb-net.com > http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/albsa-info __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Sat Aug 26 20:15:00 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 17:15:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Vizioni i Prodit Message-ID: <20000827001500.7165.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> ADN0253 EST 22:37 UE: PRODI, DOBBIAMO ALLARGARLA AD EST Rimini, 26 ago. (Adnkronos/Ign) - ''Dobbiamo allargare l'Europa ad Est. Sara' una sfida enorme perche' non possiamo permetterci di costruire un altro muro di Berlino e di dividere nuovamente l'Europa''. E' questo il monito lanciato da Romano Prodi, presidente della Commissione Ue, dal palco del Meeting di Rimini tra gli applausi del popolo ciellino. ''Certo, dobbiamo lavorare molto perche' i dodici Paesi che hanno chiesto di aderire all'Unione adeguino le loro legislazioni nazionali, dobbiamo anche essere analitici e pedanti ma non possiamo perdere tempo di fronte a questo allargamento'', ha aggiunto. (Sin-Inf/Pe/Adnkronos) 26-AGO-00 22:37 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From kbejko at hotmail.com Sun Aug 27 19:28:57 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 23:28:57 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Gossip:Dushku's ethnic make up Message-ID: Well it's official: Eliza Dushku is part Albanian (and Danish) and from the below it sounds like the blood bond is still alive. Very pretty girl...though can't beat Leelee Sobiesky:) Growing up, Dushku signed for the deaf in theaters and did reading for the blind, and would like to do more such volunteer work. One issue which hits close to home for her is the plight of the Albanian refugees, being of Albanian and Danish descent herself. "It's hard with all this war stuff. They're helping the Albanians, but you can never say you're happy about bombing. I don't know how I feel on the issue. I watch the news, I'm watching Albanian refugees piling onto trains, and they look like me and my brothers. I feel like I'm watching my family, and it's so disturbing." (read the full article at http://www.anotheruniverse.com/tv/interviews/elizadushku.html) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From iliri at hotmail.com Mon Aug 28 10:02:44 2000 From: iliri at hotmail.com (F_L_I _R_I) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 10:02:44 EDT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] soros information Message-ID: Mr Pepivani the address that you request you can find to www.soros.al Flir Mosho _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From albanianpride at hotmail.com Mon Aug 28 17:16:08 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 17:16:08 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Re: Refimet....... Message-ID: Zoti Endro shkruajti: Megjithe opinionet pozitive qe ky "gjeolog" amerikan jep per Shqiperine, nje gje nuk mund ta kuptoj: Cfare kerkon ne Shqiperi, ne "fshatrat qe nuk ekzistojne ne harta", ky "gjeolog" ne "udhetim pune"? C'jane keto fshatra qe s'jane neper harta dhe pse pikerisht ky person duhet te shkonte atje? Nje udhetim i tille nuk me le shume pershtypje pozitive, duke ditur edhe histori te disa amerikane te cilet jetonin ne fshatrat e Lezhes neper shtepite e fshatareve duke pyetur, vizatur dhe studiuar cdo pasuri natyrore dhe pike strategjike? ............................................... Gjeologu te pakten shprehet qe vizitova disa qytete te bukura ,frekuentova disa restorante dhe bare normal,gjithashtu vend i bukur ,popull miqesor etj.Ai thekson edhe prapambetjen qe ekziston ne disa fusha si ne infrastrukture etj.Nuk eshte turp qe kemi infrastrukture te dobet etj.Ajo qe me ka revoltuar kohet e fundit jane opinionet e disa bastardeve te huaj (ndoshta nuk kane qene as ne Shqiperi ndonjehere) te cilet mashtrojne opinionin nderkombetar. Nje fare mbeturine Jonathan Miller shkruante para pak kohesh ne nje gazete Angleze ' Sunday Times' "Mizerja Shqiperi" .Kushedi sa genjente ne ate shkrim,paraqiste Shqiperine si sketerre .Nje tjeter bastard ja harrova emrin shkruante ne Shqiperi do te gjesh si rruge vetem " via Egnantia" pra nje rruge te krijuar para dymije vjeteve prej Romakeve.Jemi te ndergjegjshem qe ne Shqiperi rruget nuk jane si ne perendim (kohet e fundit po ndertohen disa akse rrugore te rendesishme)po nje poshterim i tille qe ne Shqiperi ekziston nje rruge e krijuar para dy mije vjeteve eshte i papranueshem dhe fyerje per popullin Shqiptar.Krijimi i nje imazhi te tille prej disa bastardeve te huaj eshte shume i demshem per vendin.Para 10 ditesh takova nje grup shokesh te huaj qe kishin kryer nje vizite 1ditore ne Sarande ,Butrint dhe Borsh.Ata do kalonin nje jave pushime ne Korfuz dhe kishin menduar te benin nje xhiro-njeditore ne Shqiperi .Nje Antropolog profesor ne nje Univeristet te Amsterdamit dhe part-time profesor ne disa universitetet Evropeane me tregoj rreth asaj jave qe po kalonin pushimet ne Korfuz per te rezervuar edhe nje udhetim nje ditor ne Shqiperi .Gjashte Travel Agents e kishin refuzuar per te udhetuar ne Shqiperi.Skenari i njohur :teper rrezike,s'ka restorante,mesjete dhe perralla te tilla.Fatmiresisht nje travel axhensi u kishte rregulluar udhetimin .Korfuz -Sarande 25minuta me traget shume te shpejte .Atje i kishin pritur dy autobuza te Alb-turizmit (kishte pasur shume turista Angleze dhe Nordike).E pyeta si tu duke aventura ne Shqiperi.'Cfare aventure me tha,krejt normale ,Butrinti ishte shume i bukur ,keshtjella Veneciane,amfiteatri dhe Porta qe ka ndertuar Ali-Pashe -Tepelena i kishin lene pershtypje.Ne internet ne Amsterdam lexova theksoj Antropologu qe Butrinti ishte nder 100 monumentet me te rrezikuara ne bote.Por per mendimin tim une nuk pashe asnje rrezike dhe qyteti antike ishte ne gjendje shume te mire.Tek Borshi kishin kaluar ne dreke nje piknike teper te rralle tek nje burim-ujevare.Mbremjen e kishin frekuentuar ne nje restorant luksoz ne Sarande.Pershtypje i kishte bere djegja e Hotel-Butrintit megjithse lideri i udhetimit kishte theksuar qe shpreson qe Hotel-Butrinti te riparohet vitin tjeter.Plazhet e Sarandes ishin plote .Rruga Sarande-Butrint ishte e lodhshme (me kujtoj Spanjen dhe Greqine e viteve 70 ).Antropologu shprehej qe gjithe ajo propagande dizinformuese ne Korfuz behet me qellim qe Turistat e huaj mos ta frekuentojne Shqiperine por parate ti shpenzojne ne Korfuz.Infrastruktura e dobet nuk lejon masa-turizem u shpreh ai por turista ne grupe ,turizmi kulturor dhe ai tranzit mund te zhvillohen shume shpejt shprehej antropologu. Personalisht mendoj qe ne 200miljone turista qe vizitojne cdo vite gjithe shtetet e Mesdheut gjenden 1 apo 2miljone ne vite qe mund te vizitojne Shqiperine.Por artificialisht imazhi i keq qe eshte krijuar jashte shtetit pengon turistat per te frekuentuar Shqiperine.Pritet te dalin disa Guida te reja nga Shqiperia per tregun Evropean te turizmit por ministrija e Turizmit eshte teper e ngathet.Bregdeti jugor Shqiptar eshte stabil dhe kriminaliteti atje eshte shume i ulet ne krahasim me qytet e medha Shqiptare.Mungon iniciativa por ka dhe shenja pozitive ne Gjermani,Belgjike,Hollande ,Austri dhe vendet Skandinave disa Tour-operators shume shpejt do te ofrojne grup-travel ne Shqiperi. ............................................................. Me poshte mund te lexoni nje artikull te marre nga Albaniannews te dates se sotme rreth Butrintit dhe turizmit ne Shqiperi. Of All the Great Archaeological Sites of The Mediterranean, Butrint Is the Least Spoilt BUTRINT - Of all the great archaeological sites of the Mediterranean, Butrint must surely be the least spoilt. Set amid groves of eucalyptus trees by the shores of a deserted salt-water lake, it combines around one castle-topped hill the spectacular remains of nearly 3,000 years of successive civilisations: towering Illyrian walls, ancient Greek amphitheatres and temples, Roman bath houses and mosaics, Byzantine basilicas and baptistries, Venetian towers and French and Ottoman fortifications. But for all these glories, Butrint attracted only 262 foreign visitors last year. No souvenir shops, ice cream vans, tourist coaches or car parks disturb the tranquillity of a city once compared by Virgil to Troy and only abandoned in the 19th century. Instead crickets, lizards and harmless snakes have the run of its well-kept ruins. The explanation for this startling lack of interest is that Butrint is in Albania. Europe?s poorest country, Albania is still reeling from the economic and social breakdown that followed the collapse of communism, the grotesque pyramid investment scheme crisis, mass emigration and the Kosovo war. The Foreign Office continues to issue blood-curdling warnings about travel to Albania. But the external neglect of Butrint cannot last. The site could hardly be more accessible, lying little more than a couple of miles across the sea from Corfu, one of Fortress Europe?s more successful magnets of industrial tourism. Fifteen years ago, the Albanian coast opposite Corfu bristled with pill boxes, built by the Stalinophile Enver Hoxha to defend his Balkan fastness against all comers, and legends abounded of unsuspecting yachts people who accidentally strayed over to the ?land of the eagles? and spent a night in the cells. Now there are daily excursions by hydrofoil three times a week from Corfu Town to the Albanian port of Saranda, with a bus laid on to take visitors the 12 panoramic but pot-holed miles to Butrint. But they are scarcely marketed with enthusiasm by the Corfu tour operators, who greet requests for tickets with thinly disguised incredulity and distaste. ?The Corfiots tell people we have horns and a tail,? says Spiro Angjeli, Albanian polyglot economist turned tour guide and brother of the country?s finance minister. ?But, as you see, they?re only very small tails.? There has been little traditional love lost between Greeks and Albanians and the combination of the post-communist influx of desperate Albanian migrants and the Kosovo imbroglio has only made things worse. It is also possible to detect some anxiety on the part of the Corfiots, who can boast nothing quite as exceptional as Butrint, a Unesco world heritage site. ?The Corfiots are greedy, complains Angjeli, who comes from Albania?s Greek minority. ?They don?t realise they won?t lose out by bringing people here - tourists like the idea of getting two countries for one.? Butrint visitor numbers are already climbing back from last year?s Kosovo-inspired nadir, clocking up more than 8,000 so far this year, including Albanians. But strolling along the seafront at Saranda - a strikingly unthreatening place - Angjeli describes the danger he sees for the future of the town in the shape of two English lords: Rothschild, who owns a stretch of Corfu overlooking Albania, and Sainsbury, the supermarket chain president. The pair set up a Butrint Foundation in the early 1990s with the aim of developing the site and their Albanian representative, the smooth-talking Auron Tare, is now director of the Butrint National Park. Tare confirms Angjeli?s fears that the foundation has all but given up on the Corfu Saranda route in favour of bringing upmarket eco-tourists to Butrint by road from mainland Greece. If that happens, Angjeli says, Albania will lose out and Saranda will be denied the salvation it has been hoping for from the long-awaited tourist boom at Butrint. Me nderime Ardi...... Te punojme per te pastruar imazhin e keq ndaj Shqiperise te krijuar prej disa bastardeve te huaj . _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Mon Aug 28 15:02:04 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:02:04 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] FW: Immigrants' stories Message-ID: From: AIM Maillist Server by way of Greek Helsinki Monitor Date: Sat Aug 19, 2000 6:00pm Subject: AIM: Albanian Immigrants' Ordeals as Heard on Greek State Radio *** Albanian Immigrants' Ordeals as Heard on Greek State Radio AIM Athens, August 19, 2000 I'm not entirely alien to journalism....Besides the fact that it attracts me (though there are thousands of reasons to be repulsed), every so often I blurt out some article - usually about racism and the Balkan. On "sweep-up operations" and those "presumed to be Albanians" and the "barbarians outsiders" and Balkan ethnocentricity - namely, "pan-hostility." In fact, at the zenith of the war in Kosovo, I even reached the point when the best I found to propose was "Traitors of All the Balkan Peoples, Unite!" (which happened to be translated into English by Verso Publications...) At any rate, since I want to take this elsewhere, I have to curb my meandering. Let's go straight to the point. Four months ago, totally by surprise - the way miracles usually happen - I got an offer from ERA [state-owned Hellenic Radio] to produce a weekly one-hour show in Albanian addressing Albanian immigrants. Two years before, ERA had opened its doors to the needs of immigrants - legal and otherwise - to be informed. Anyone knowing the situation also knows how much courage, social (self)awareness and open-mindedness to the future one has to have to undertake such an initiate. Naturally, I accepted the offer. So, every Saturday, from 3 to 4 pm, the "The Weekly Notebook" is broadcast over the ERA2 airwaves. Now, four months later, to my good fortune and satisfaction, the program has become quite well known -- if the bombardment of phone calls I'm receiving is any evidence, since I have no other way of measuring. In the case of a native audience, how to prepare such a program or how to "treat" its listeners might have just been another journalism lesson. But how you prepare a program for immigrants and what's on the minds of these "types," who we see on TV (more and more frequently) only in paddy wagons in the police report, and (more and more rarely) in various "magnanimous" stories that aim to play on our heartstrings. So, I decided to quote you the following example: Sotir C. from Elefsina: - They held on to my green card validation at Kakavia because, as they said, I'd overstayed the two-month residency allowance in Albania. I'd only stayed 15 days. My employer can also confirm this. I've been enrolled in IKA [Social Security] three consecutive years. But then they recalled my papers. When I went to the OAED [Organization for the Employment of Human Resources], they told me I could get my papers back only if the police say I didn't stay [outside Greece] past the 2 months. I ended up going to a lawyer, who promised me I'd get my papers back. I've already paid him 150,000 drachmas - but I haven't seen any papers. What should I do? Where can I turn? I have IKA, I'm paying a lawyer and I'm living without papers. Can you help me? There are others like Sotir. Some have stayed outside Greece past the 2-month time limit, which is what the law stipulates. But who informs them of this? Where's the information bureau for them to go to? Others say that they hadn't stayed past the limit, but that the police officer at the border claimed they had. To those who protest, the law (since it's enforced to de-legalize them) then gives them the right to lodge an "appeal" to the Special Commission. But at one OAED they tell you that you have this right, at the other OAED they tell you that a similar case received a reply from the Special Commission that "it's the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Order." Where, in the end, can the immigrant turn? To the lawyer, of course, which lately has become a magic word to immigrants. And the immigrants pay. Sotir: 150,000 drachmas (without a receipt!). Veton: 250,000 -- you read it right!- (with a receipt!). Veton had a white card. But when he went to get his green card validation, the clerk told him that he had to prove that he'd been living in Greece since before December 1997 - with paid electric and phone bills or an apartment lease. Where was he supposed to get that stuff, since he's been illegal for 7 years. Where can he get vouchers of his legal status? He "didn't exist" before, so how can he now prove that he "existed"? Well, it's up to him! Otherwise, he could go to the Special Commission. And let him get his IKA stamps the usual way. And so, Veton falls into the hands of the lawyer, who asks those fat sums for an application - and, naturally, into the hands of a probable deportation, since the validation you get when you make an application to the Special Commission says that "the concomitant paper does not ensure the residency of its bearer." What's more, the Special Committee takes at least a year to reply! Which is why Veton leaves his home only to go to work (which he combines with shopping). When he uses transportation, it's mostly taxis (to avoid buses, trains and boats). He very rarely leaves his home. He avoids public squares. There are many others like Veton and Sotir. They comprise the category of "more illegal than legal." Roland, too, is one of them. He had the required IKA stamps [contributions] for 1996 and 1997, but he couldn't manage to accumulate the requirement in 1998. Which is why he can't get a green card. He, too, is sent to the Special Committee. Roland also has another problem. The registry office refuses to register [the birth of] his daughter because - they say - she's not of Greek origin. Then what? Drita from Kifissia: She works as a domestic. She has Saturday night and all day Sunday off. She has two children, 18 and 16 years old. Her voice breaks: - I came in March, 1998. I'm illegal. My elder son was caught by the police and deported. It was very hard, but I managed to him back here. Since his run-in with the police, he's very scared and and doesn't go out of the house, ever. Drita bursts into sobs: - I am sorry ...Every day my son says to me, "Mama, I feel like I'm in prison here. Let's leave. Please Mama, I can't take it anymore." I feel so awful that my child is so terrified. But I want to stay. I've found work here. It would be hard for me to make a living in Albania. I'm illegal. The lady I work for went to IKA because she want to pay my social security. But they told her that since I'm not legal I can't have social security stamps. Can't something be done for us? Loulieta is in the same category as Drita. A few days ago she wrote: "My husband and I work. But we didn't manage to become legalized. We've remained illegal. I have children who are growing up. Are they going to remain illegal, too?" How do you answer them? An entire population of second-generation illegal immigrants is growing up in this country. What's in store for them? What are their choices? First choice -- voluntary: to go back where they came from. Second choice - involuntary: the paddy wagon of some "sweep-up operation" and "expulsion". Third choice - obligatory: most will learn to survive illegally, like their parents. They'll learn to perfect the wretched art of being illegal, of not existing. Except that, unlike their parents, they'll know more about this society. And they'll perceive the rejection with greater clarity because they've either been here since early childhood or have been born here. And they'll have even more resentments. They'll be even more dangerously marginalized because they've forfeited the dream of return that their parents once had. Next week, some of these people - numbered among our audience - will find out that they're not welcomed at our hospitals. And besides that, they could come to be treated and end up in a paddy wagon. So, when they get sick where do they go? Why, let them go to hell! And there's the possibility that some of them will, in fact, make an appointment to go to hell. At any rate, what's most disturbing is that an entire population is growing up certain that, "I was born illegal and excluded, and that's the way I'll live." What's their future? The sociologists have the floor. As far as those responsible for immigration policy, I'm afraid they've solved the problem: "sweep-up operations"! Time will tell. I only hope their future won't resemble a trash bin. Dend from Pangrati: He has the misfortune to travel to work on a bus line highly favored by "sweep-up operations." Dend has papers. He's O.K. Yet, he's lost three days wages to date; three times he was taken to the police station and made to wait several hours: "check of identity papers." "Each time I wake up," he writes, "I cross myself (Dend's Catholic) and pray they won't take me off the bus again and take me to the police station." Even though many immigrants have been equipped with papers for two years now, they're still ending up at police stations. The justification: check of identity papers. For how many more years? God knows. It looks like immigrants (with preference to those from Albania) will remain "hostages" for a long time to come. Nothing will deliver them from this "curse," not even a green card. If we're honest, the real content of the words "verification of data" mean humiliation and blatant discrimination. Let me go on... Another phone call: Eddie from Lamia: - When that compatriot hijacked the bus, I was at my brother's in Crete. The police picked me up. A policeman tore up my green card confirmation. I had a photocopy without an original signature. They deported me. They deported me illegally and I came back illegally. Now, my green card has been issued. And I have regular IKA [social security]. But at the OAED they won't give me the green card because they say I don't have the original copy of the green card confirmation. What happens now? Really, what happens? But here's where I stop. The dictates of space require it. This was just a small sample. We'll talk again soon. # Gazmend Kapllani From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Mon Aug 28 15:07:57 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:07:57 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Grants Message-ID: 2001 RESEARCH SUPPORT PROGRAM Nature of Program. The German Marshall Fund of the United States offers grants for advanced research to improve the understanding of significant contemporary economic, political and social developments relating to Europe, European integration and relations between Europe and the United States. Projects should involve either comparative analysis of a specific issue in more than one country or the exploration of an issue in a single country in ways that can be expected to have relevance for other countries. The geographic scope of the program includes Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia and Turkey as they relate to Europe, but not the Central Asian countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Applicants. The German Marshall Fund?s program will provide assistance to graduate students, recent Ph.D. or LL.M. recipients, and more senior scholars. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible. Special consideration will be given to applicants seeking support for dissertation fieldwork in one or more European countries and to projects involving parallel or collaborative research by both established and younger scholars, including projects designed on a transatlantic basis. The program will also consider the provision of small predissertation research grants to applicants committed to completion of a dissertation related to Europe who can demonstrate special need for such support. Applications for support for dissertation fieldwork or predissertation research should be accompanied by one or more letters of recommendation from dissertation adviser(s). Selection Criteria. The following selection criteria are important: scholarly qualifications, achievements; quality, importance and originality of the proposed research; disciplinary and/or policy relevance of the project and its expected results; demonstrable need for support that is unavailable from other sources; and the likelihood of completing the proposed research or fieldwork during the support period. Deadline and Review Process. Completed applications must be postmarked no later than November 15, 2000 for dissertation and advanced research applicants and January 15, 2001 for predissertation research applicants. Submissions will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of established scholars. An independent selection committee of scholars will make recommendations to GMF. Awards will be announced by letter no later than March 15, 2001. Support Policy. ? Support for predissertation research will not exceed $3,000 and recipients will be expected to spend at least six weeks in Europe working on the design of their dissertations. ? Support for dissertation fieldwork in Europe will be available for one year in the amount of $20,000. ? Recipients of support for advanced research are expected to work full-time on the proposed project, without teaching or other substantial professional responsibilities, for a period not less than one academic term and not greater than one year. Awards of up to $40,000 will be made for postdoctoral and advanced research (the awards are intended to help meet, but cannot exceed, a recipient?s current income). All award recipients are responsible for arranging their own housing, insurance, benefits and travel (including visas if applicable). Application Forms. For application forms and additional information, contact: The German Marshall Fund of the United States 11 Dupont Circle N.W., Suite 750 Washington D.C. 20036 Telephone (202) 745-3950; Fax (202) 265-1662 E-mail: info at g... Information and downloadable applications forms are also available on the Internet at http://www.gmfus.org. The German Marshall Fund of the United States is an independent grantmaking institution. It was established in 1972 by a gift from the Federal Republic of Germany in appreciation of U.S. postwar economic recovery assistance. From aalibali at law.harvard.edu Mon Aug 28 15:05:00 2000 From: aalibali at law.harvard.edu (aalibali at law.harvard.edu) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:05:00 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fellowships Message-ID: NAS Fellowships for Post-Communist Research NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Governance in Post-Communist Societies Application Deadline: June 2, 2000 and December 8, 2000 With the support of the U.S. Department of State's Research and Training Program for Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII Program), the National Research Council (NRC) will support scholars to travel to Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union for periods of two to six weeks to conduct research related to "Governance in Post-Communist Societies." The three sub-themes are: Science and Democratization (Central Europe only) Research proposals under this topic should focus on the role of scientists, engineers, and health professionals in the transition and the impact of the transition on the scientific community. Appropriate topics might include issues related to scientists in civil society, such as environmental movements and academics of sciences; epistemic communities; science and nation-building; changes in science policy; and values of scientists. Organized Crime, Terrorism, and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Criminal activity, including counterfeiting ,extortion, money-laundering, narcotics, arms trafficking, diversion of natural resources, terrorism, and proliferation, has increased across the region. As these activities undermine public confidence in governments, harm economic development, and pose threats to international security, research proposals should examine the causes of these phenomena, their impacts, and efforts to combat them. Technology and Industrial Economics Research proposal under this theme should address problems and potential technology commercialization and industrial development. Topics which would be appropriate include issues of intellectual property rights, small business development, industrial research and development, enterprise restructuring, and defense conversion. Eligibility Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents Applicants must be affiliated with American universities or research institutions The program will be open to scholars at the post-doctoral level and to advanced graduate students if the travel and research are directly relevant to their dissertation topic Applications Applicants need to send three copies of: His or her CV Two letters of recommendation A 3-4 page research plan, including research questions, discussion of relevant literature, and proposed institutions and scholars to be visited Length of stay and proposed budget Applications will be strengthened by evidence of relevant language capabilities. Applications in which the American scholar proposes to collaborate closely with a scholar from the region also will receive a higher priority. Grant Levels The exact grant amount will depend on the length of visit and the destination of the scholar, but the range will be $2,500-$4,000. This funding will cover travel costs, including international airfare and travel expenses while abroad. This program does not provide stipends, salary replacement, or indirect costs. Applications materials should be sent to: Christina Maiers National Research Council Office of International Affairs/DSC 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, FO 2060 Washington, DC 20418 For more information on this new program visit the website or contact: Christina Maiers Phone: (202) 334-2658 E-mail: cmaiers at n... From alb2001 at beld.net Tue Aug 29 18:47:20 2000 From: alb2001 at beld.net (ALBANIA 2001) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 18:47:20 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [2001ajs] FELLOWSHIPS for Albanian Women Graduate Students for Study in the US Message-ID: <200008291847.AA119538184@f155.beld.net> -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates of 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Ongoing APR* and no annual fee! Apply NOW! http://click.egroups.com/1/7872/7/_/_/_/967589466/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: AMBOLLC at aol.com Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:34:52 EDT FELLOWSHIPS- Non-US Citizen Women Graduate Students for Study in the US To download an application, or to request an application on-line, please visit our website at http://www.aauw.org/3000/fdnfelgra/internat.html. Women graduate students from countries outside the United States are invited to apply for a $16,860 fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation for study or research in the United States. International Fellowships are available to women who are not American citizens or permanent residents. Of the 47 fellowships awarded, six are available to members of the International Federation of University Women for graduate study in a country other than their own. Award support: * Full-time graduate or postgraduate study in all disciplines for one year * Studies important to changing the lives of women and girls The Foundation also awards several annual Home Country Project Grants ($5,000-$7,000 each). These grants support community-based projects designed to improve the lives of women and girls in a fellow's home country. Eligible Foundation International Fellowship recipients will receive further information on the program. To download an application, or to request an application on-line, please visit our website at http://www.aauw.org/3000/fdnfelgra/internat.html. To receive a hard copy of the application, please contact: AAUW Educational Foundation c/o Customer Service Center 2201 Dodge St. Iowa City, IA 52243-4030 phone: 319/337-1716 -- ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Suite #417 160 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02116 Telephone: 781-843-1056 Telephone: 617-262-6665 Fax: 617-262-2340 E-Mail: alb2001 at beld.net ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Rruga Asim Vokshi Pallati #141 Tirana, Albania Telephone: 355-42-40842 Telephone: 355-42-39748 Fax: 355-42-39748 E-Mail: alb2001 at icc.al.eu.org -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: 2001ajs-unsubscribe at egroups.com From kbejko at hotmail.com Thu Aug 31 10:19:04 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 14:19:04 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Sept2:Finlande-Shqiperi Message-ID: National Soccer Team to Play Finland on Sept. 2 TIRANA - The soccer national team landed in the Helsinki airport on Wednesday, and will start preparations to play against Finland in the first match of the World Cup 2002 ninth qualifying group. Albania will play Finland on September 2. This will be the first official international match of the national team under the direction of the new coach, Medin Zhega. The coach will have at disposal the same soccer players that were collected for the friendly match against Cyprus, played on August 15 in Tirana. The match ended in a scoreless draw. Albania takes part in the ninth qualifying group with Germany, England, Greece and Finland. The teams of Albania and Finland have met four times in the qualifying rounds of the world championships. Each team has two victories on its side, with the home team winning each time. Most of the footballers that traveled to Helsinki play abroad _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From kbejko at hotmail.com Thu Aug 31 13:25:43 2000 From: kbejko at hotmail.com (Kreshnik Bejko) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 17:25:43 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Kosova:Interesting Devs Message-ID: UPDATE 2-West faces dilemma in Kosovo over poll PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Western powers and the United Nations were grappling with a major dilemma in Kosovo on Thursday after Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic"s party said federal elections would take place in the province. The move by Milosevic leaves the West with a choice of trying to ban elections in a territory where it fought to establish democracy or sanction a poll which could be flawed, spark violence and keep an indicted war criminal in power. A senior Yugoslav official raised the stakes further when he said Milosevic himself would visit Kosovo, although he would not say if this would happen during the campaign for the September 24 presidential, federal and Serbian municipal elections. Although Kosovo has been ruled as a de facto international protectorate since June last year, the U.N. Security Council resolution which ended NATO"s bombing campaign states that the province officially remains part of Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia. The territory"s U.N.-led administration, headed by former French cabinet minister Bernard Kouchner, said it had not yet reached a decision on the Yugoslav elections and would consult with major capitals and local politicians first. The announcement by Milosevic"s ruling Socialists, reported by Belgrade media on Thursday, prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity in the Kosovo capital Pristina as Kouchner met with envoys from the big five Western powers. SOLANA CAUTIOUS Although the possibility that Yugoslav authorities would try to hold elections in a territory they still consider their own had always existed, the move seemed to wrong-foot international officials, who could give no firm position on the issue. "I have been very careful not to give the last word of the European Union," stressed Javier Solana, the EU"s foreign policy chief, on a visit to Pristina. He said the final decision would be for Kouchner and his staff. "In principle, everybody has a right to vote," Solana said. "But there"s practical reasons why the security may not be guaranteed, the time may be too short, et cetera." Solana said the Security Council resolution made clear the U.N. Mission in Kosovo was the only body which could organise elections. But a Yugoslav official said the only role of UNMIK and the NATO-led KFOR peace force would be to provide security. "UNMIK and KFOR have the sole duty to provide a safe life for Kosovo citizens," said Nikola Sainovic, Yugoslav deputy prime minister and senior Socialist, told reporters in Belgrade. He also announced the president"s planned visit to Kosovo. A trip to Kosovo by Milosevic would be like waving a red rag to a bull for the province"s ethnic Albanian majority, who suffered years of repression at the hands of his forces. UNMIK has also made clear Milosevic, indicted by a UN war crimes tribunal for the actions of his forces in Kosovo, would be apprehended if he set foot in the province. "He can come and he"ll be arrested," UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel said. FEAR OF FRAUD But any form of campaigning by Serb politicians is likely to enrage Albanians and prompt more of the sort of violence meted out to minority Serbs by Albanians in the 14 months since NATO and the UN took over responsibility for Kosovo. Even the idea of a Yugoslav election on Kosovo soil could anger many Albanians, who want complete independence for the territory and resent any association with Belgrade. International officials also worry votes from Kosovo could be rigged by Milosevic, whose opponents have accused him of manipulating the Kosovo vote in his favour in previous polls. "Every single vote he can claim from Kosovo, he will -- whether he really got it or not," one Western diplomat remarked. But diplomats are also wary of playing into Milosevic"s hands. Some believe a refusal by UNMIK to let the election take place in Kosovo runs the risk of bolstering his anti-Western stance among voters in Serbia proper. Some officials also question how the UN could physically stop the elections if people in Kosovo"s Serb enclaves decide to organise them, unless the West is ready to sanction major force -- which could also give Milosevic a propaganda boost. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From albanianpride at hotmail.com Thu Aug 31 12:05:35 2000 From: albanianpride at hotmail.com (ardian kanina) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 12:05:35 CEST Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Folklore !!!!! Message-ID: Nder te tjerash demaskimi i Mehmet Shehut (prej vete popullit )."... Sazan? e Karaburun? i kam vatanet e mia..." Monografi p?r Rrapo Meton nje nga figurat me te shquara te Laberise dhe gjithe Shqiperise gjate kohes 1912-1943. nga Flora Dervishi ++++ Rapsodi popullor Rrapo Metoja vrare prej qenve komuniste.++++ Luft?n e 1920-t?s, k?t? ngjarje madhore, Rrapo Metua e p?rjet?son edhe n? vargje si "Selam Musait", "Osman Haxhiut", " Obobo ?'q?nkej kjo Kota ". K?ng? kjo e fundit q? e gjejm? n? disa variante edhe n? fshatra t? tjer? t? Vlor?s, pasi k?nga duke qen? sh?tit?se, anonime, populli shton ose heq vargje, e pasuron ose e nd?rpret, e b?n m? kon?ize te pika kulmore. Lufta e Kot?s ka heroin e saj, Kanan Mazen dhe t? gjith? e japin momentin e plagosjes r?nd? t? heroit, po k?shtu e jep Rrapo Metua: "O Bobo ?'q?nka kjo Kota mbushur mitraloz e topa Vjen Kanan Mazja nga Shkoza me nj? nofull copa copa o djem, se ma mori koka..." Rrapo Metoja ne Kuvend . Viti 1943 kishte densitet ngjarjesh. Qarkori i partis? s? Vlor?s udh?zonte: "... T? izolohen Rrapo Meto e Xhemil Me?o si persona me influenc? n? popull...". N? Vranisht vjen p?r nj? takim me popullin Mehmet Shehu e Dushan Mugosha. Bie briri dhe fshati mblidhet. Kur vjen Rrapo Metua, Mehmet Shehu i gatsh?m p?r ta takuar i pari del p?rpara, e p?rqafon dhe e ul pran? tij dhe Dushanit: Rrapua: Si ta thon? emrin? Mehmeti: Vjosa. Rrapua: Palo paranom ke zgjedhur se Vjosa q? nga buron e nj?ra sa derdhet s'ja ka par? njeri hajrin se p?rmbyt e vithis. Dhe s'i p?lqen dredhia n? njohje dhe p?rs?ri e pyet: I kujt je? Mehmeti: I Shehut t? ?orrushit nga Mallakastra. Rrapua: Ashtu thuaj; t?t at e njoh. Pastaj kthehet nga Dushani. Rrapua: Po ty nga t? kemi? A i kujt je a? Mehmeti: (me ngutje) Esht? miku yn? komunist dhe jep ndihm?n v?llaz?rore n? luft?n ton? p?r liri. Rrapua: Mor bir, e pyeta nga ?sht?? E k? ka baba? (dhe pa Mehmetin me sy ngulmues). Mehmeti: Esht? nga Serbia. Rrapua: Qoft? i nderuar! Ashtu thuaj. Se kemi zakon ta vrasim mikun n? sht?pin? ton?, po serb?t s'mund t? na ndreqin ve? t? na prishin. Shqip?rin? do ta b?jm? vet? t? lir?, ne shqiptar?t, po Shqip?rin? Etnike ama..." Njohja filloi me replika dhe p?rfundoi me p?rplasje. P?r fshatin fjala e plakut zinte vend dhe mbledhja s'ia arriti q?llimit. Rrapo Metua sikur t? mos i mjaftonte rezultati i mbledhjes i b?n konkluzionet me k?ng?: "...Pa d?gjo o Vjosa yn? Mbaje mir? terezin?, Ti n? Pind e ke burimn?, po s'ta ka par? njeri hair?, vithis e merr arratin?. Po qe sa p?r mysafir? Kujto mir? historin?! Kosov?n e ?am?rin?, Ded Gjo Lul Is Boletin? dhe at? shpend Dragobin? Serb?t e pabes? i grin?. K?ta do t'i njohish dhe tin?, po do m? kujtosh t? zin? Kur t? t? ken? z?n? fyn?..." Dhe heshtja mortore pas filozofis? q? kumtonte k?nga ishte dometh?n?se. Brigada mb?rriti dhe n? Vranisht, e udh?hequr nga Mehmet Shehu, pas pak koh?sh... Lajmi se brigada dor?zez? q? zhduk ferrat n?p?r k?mb? (kupto nacionalist?t, qofshin k?ta edhe si Rrapo Metua, kund?rshtar n? pik?pamje) mori gjith? lugin?n e Mesaplikut. Dikush e k?shilloi Rrapo Meton t? fshihej n? male. Ai edhe mund t? arratisej. Po largimin nga fshati i tij nuk e pranoi n? asnj? m?nyr?. Ai as kishte vrar? pas shpine, as kishte tradh?tuar interesat e Atdheut. Pik?pamjet e tij lidheshin pik?risht me t? mir?n e fshatit e t? Atdheut, ndaj dhe po kishte p?r t? vdekur, le t? vdiste. Burrat nj?her? vdesin. Dhe ishte e th?n? q? rapsodi dhe patrioti q? u kishte shp?tuar gjyleve n? luft?n e Janin?s q? vinin zinxhir, bresh?rive t? plumbave m? 1920-t?n, dy burgimeve n? koh? t? v?shtira, t? vdiste nga plumbat e Mehmet Shehut e Dushan Mugosh?s. T? merrje urdh?r nga serbi e t? vrisje nj? patriot, vendi kishte humbur dy shqiptar?, normalisht zbatuesi e urdh?rit p?r t? vrar? shqip?tarin s'mund t? ishte m? kurr? shqiptar! At? m?ngjes Rrapo Metua kishte shkuar p?r ngush?llim p?r plak?n e Bashue. Ishte e h?n? 22 n?ntor 1943. Dita ishte si e mug?t. E sheh fshatin e tij p?r her? t? fundit Sa hyri n? fshat hasi me brigad?n e par?. Nuk arriti n? sht?pin? e tij. S'la as porosi as amanete. Erdhi nga vdekja, po shkonte drejt vdekjes... Mehmet Shehu me Liri Geg?n e mor?n gjoja p?r bisedime n? komand?n partizane n? Brataj, por at? nat? fjet?n n? Vranisht. Rrapo Meton e izoluan n? sht?pin? e Malo Sinos dhe i b?nin roje disa partizan?. Kishte nd?rmjet tyre mustaqe padirsur... Vrulli i tyre duhej, por barra p?r t? vendosur p?r fatet e atdheut ishte e r?nde... Dhe pik?risht p?r k?t? ju dhimbs mundi i atyre q? do t? arrinin dhe gjaku i atyre q? do t? flijoheshin n? em?r t? liris? s? shtrenjt?. Jan? t? rinj! Shqiptar? - mendoi dhe m? t? riut q? kollitej i jep pallton e tij: - Merre, un? i kam b?r? dit?t e per?ndis?! dhe t? tjer?ve t? dridhnin nga nj? duhan t? fort? nga kutia e tij. Ata pan? nj?ri-tjetrin dhe hesht?n. T? nes?rmen kur do t? niseshin her?t p?r n? T?rba?, Malo Sinua, i zoti i sht?pis?, e pyet? - Rrapo ke nevoj? p?r gj?? T? t? jap para me vete? - Jo, Malo jo, t? falemnderit, se atje ku do t? vete un? s'ka dyqane... E shoqja i afron nj? moll? dhe ai e fut n? xhep i menduar duke n?nqeshur...Sheh fshatin e tij p?r her? t? fundit dhe niset p?r n? T?rba? me vargun e partizan?ve. I vjen keq q? nuk puthi dot syt? e dy djemve t? vegj?l 8 dhe 5 vje?, Veliut dhe Aliut, dhe vajzave t? tij t? parritura. N? t? dal? t? fshatit d?gjon nj? z?, aty ku p?rroi krijon hone t? thella: Baba, baba! Ishte djali i madh 16 vje?ar, Dilaveri, q? i ishte qepur mbrapa bashk? me nj? kush?ri t? tij. Jehon?n e p?rpin? honet, por n? vesh?t e babait oshtiu nj? cop? her? dhe u fiksua si refren gjat? gjith? rrug?s e do t'i mbetej nj? peng i madh n? zem?r. Ndarje e dhimbshme ! N? T?rba?, n? bregun e Brahgjine, brigada b?ri pushim. Po pse? P?r n? Brataj ka edhe rrug? t? tjera madje m? t? shkurtra. Ishte nj? skenar? Po p?rdorej si shembull, apo si kavie eksperimentale? N? T?rba? Rrapo Metua kishte krushqi me der?n e Mersin Selam Gjonded?s. Vajza e dyt?, Razia, q? ishte martuar fare e re, ishte vet?m 20 vje? me nj? djal? foshnje. Ndaj aty i mblodhi t? gjitha forcat. Ndjenja m? njer?zore e babait p?r t? bij?n t? mbushur me mall, do t'ja njomte syt?, po shpejt qerpik?t e tij rrah?n si krah? shpendi, p?r t? mos r?n? faqeve lot?t. Me T?rba?in s'e lidhte vet?m krushqia. Ai kish aty shok? t? llogoreve t? luft?s s? '20-?s si Cano Aliu, Xhebro Gjika, Laze Malon dhe admirues p?r virtytet e tij, p?r mik?pritjen e bes?n, p?r devotshm?rin? prej atdhetari, si Nuro Ahmeti e Mu?o Delon, m?sues e burra t? men?ur patriot?. -Babai im tregon: E kuptova si q?ndronte puna. Ne n? fshatin ton? nuk dor?zuam njeri p?r pik?pamje. Por ai ishte i njohur, kishte veprimtari t? gjer? dhe shum? gj?ra i thoshte me k?ng?n e tij. N? fjal? nuk e kapje dot kurr?. Po Mehmet qeni s'e njihte toleranc?n, as Liri Gega. Ju luta t? pinte nj? kafe brenda n? sht?pin? time, im vjeh?rr, Rrapua, por Mehmeti e preu shkurt: jo! At?her? n?na ime, q? e d?gjoi e zien shpejt kafen? q? t'ia sillte aty n? breg t? Brahgjine. -Mamaja tregon: N?na ma dha kafen? af?r shkall?ve. Ec shpjere ti, djalin mos e l?sho! - U afrova duke m'u dridhur duart. Babai e mori kafen?. M? puthi n? sy e n? ball?, m? p?rg?zoi Hiqmetin q? s'kishte mbushur ende 2 vje?, po i tregonte me gisht papu?et me xhufka dhe beret?n e bukur q? e kishte dhurat? nga ai. Sa u takuam duhet t? ndaheshim. Vdekja e babait tim ndihej af?r. I drejtova syt? nga gruaja e vetme q? ishte aty, Liri Gega, por v?shtrimi i ftoht? i saj i hedhur ashtu kot nga malet m? b?ri q? t? mos di ku t? shoh. N? net?t e vjesht?s s? lag?sht, ajo grua kishte gjetur nj? streh? t? ngroht? n? sht?pin? ton? dhe mbante akoma veshur nj? nga fustanet e mi m? t? bukur t? nus?ris? q? s'ma dha m? kurr?. Eh! sa gj?ra m? t? shtr?njta humb?m n? at? luft?. Yt at gjen koh? t'i thot?: "Esht? babai i Razies", me nj? v?shtrim ngulmues, por ajo i thot? shkurt: - Nuk kam ?'ti b?j! Engj?lli i vdekjes (Exheli thot? mamaja) ishin vet? syt? e saj. U ndava me babain. M? dha moll?n e vetme q? ?okush ia kishte v?n? n? xhep e m? tha: Mos u lig?shto! I kam b?r? dit?t e Per?ndis?. Sa b?ra k?mb? n? shkall? d?gjova z?rin e m?suesit tim t? nderuar, kur ata u ngrit?n p?r t? marr? rrug?: - Mu?o! i dha dor?n Mehmet Shehu. Mu?ua: Xha Rrapon do t'ma lesh mua se e kam mik! Mehmeti: Kemi pak pun? deri n? Brataj, pastaj kur t? kthehet, Baxhuli t'i ther? kaun e ti dashin. Babai: Burrat nuk luten shum? her?, por un? mora rrug?n p?r n? Brataj pa folur, bashk? me ta. Ishte koh? e trazuar. Sa u afrova te p?rroi i Brashecit, n? t? hyr? t? Bratit, nj? partizan kthehet e m? thot?: Shok! Duhet t? kthehesh ndryshe kam urdh?r t? q?lloj. Ika duke menduar fundin. Dita po thyhej dhe ajo nat? q? po vinte me shi kush e di ?'do t? sillte... Ekzekutimi - Dhe nata ka sy... "...T? strehuar n? nj? sht?pi, filluan t? bisedonin. Sht?pit? ishin t? ulta dhe nga dritarja z?rat e ngritur merrnin dhen?. Se? flisnin, dhe ai p?rgjigjej me z? t? lart?. Pastaj pushuan. Rrapon e fut?n n? nj? katua t? lidhur. Aty nga mesnata nj? partizan i thot?: - Hajde pak. Rrapua p?rgjigjet: Kush m? do? Qeni? do t'm? vras??...". D?shmitar okular: Hakim Vallja - Brataj. "...N?n spital? af?r nj? kamine g?lqerje, n?n ato bok?rrimat q? zbret p?r n? lum? shoh nj? varr t? ri, jo t? thell?. Dheu ishte hedhur rr?muj? e nj?ra dor? i dukej dhe pak kanati i xhamadanit. O Allah! preka dor?n ishte akoma e ngroht?, sapo kishte dh?n? shpirt ashtu m? t? mugulluar sabahu. N? gisht kishte nj? unaz? t? trash? me shkronjat e emrit t? tij. M? duhej ta ktheja nga Qabeja. U mora me t?...Po ta kujtoj edhe nj?her? para se t? vdes, kush e di si vjen koha. U mor vesh q? e kishin vrar?, por e kishin l?n? pa gur varri, dhe un? ashtu e lash? nga frika. P?r 48 vjet e kam mbajtur fshehur. Tani para se t? vdes po ta tregoj. Ti o bir ke qen? f?mij? 9 vje?. Kisha dal? t? mblidhja shkarpa me ty, nuk e di, t? kujtohet apo jo? Ai ishte varri i Rrapo Metos nga Vranishti, dhe varri s'ka m? shenj?. Por as ne s'na kan? pasur me sy t? mir?, si mund t? vija gur??". N? janarin e vitit 1991 ky 9-vje?ar i vitit 1943 tashm? burr? 57-vje?ar ndjen se k?t? amanet t? n?n?s s? tij duhet ta transmetoj? gojarisht. Nuk ?sht? ?liruar ende nga stresi i gjat? dhe don t? mbetet anonim. Troket n? port? si tek miqt?. E mahnit t? bij?n e Rrapos dhe nipi mban sh?nime. Ai thot?: Erdha thjesht p?r amanetin e n?n?s, por edhe p?r ju. Nj? varr t? till? nuk mund t? ket? nj? njeri si ai, me sa kam d?gjuar un?, por asnj? njeri n? bot?... Dhe e motra e Rrapos ligj?ron me vargje q? rezonojn? dhembje e mister: "...Ran? yjet n? p?rrua Bilbili pse s'u d?gjua? Pse nuk pyeti p?r mua? E zeza t? kane larguar qysh do t? qaj kundruall? Bilbil t? vrau partia ndaj u friksua rinia. T? keqen v?lla o ftua! Do t? qaj n? katua se mos m? vras?n dhe mua. N?ntor 1943 Nd?rsa populli k?ndon: N? fshat ka ardhur nj? kart? Rrapo Meton mos e pat?? Esht? nisur p?r T?rba?, me drejtimin p?r n? Brat. T?r? nat?n me dava, nuk u gdhi dot m? saba se? u flit me z? t? lart?, ashtu si e kish zanat. Vall? kush ia b?nte gjyqn? Mehmeti me gjith? Lirin?, (Mehmet Shehudhe Liri Gega) prokurori Miladin?. (Miladin Popovic) Tek kamina n? spital atje ja b?n? meqan? e lan? gjysm? t? gjall?, ?pan? a pa?in belan?? Dhe shtypi i shqiptar?ve n? diaspor?, n? SHBA, shkruan te gazeta "Kombi": "...Komunist?t vran? barbarisht Rrapo Meton . Me nderime Ardi !!!!! _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From mehollim at hotmail.com Wed Aug 30 17:03:27 2000 From: mehollim at hotmail.com (Mimoza Meholli) Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 21:03:27 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [nisjobs] Kosovo Long Term Positions Message-ID: >From: ksmith at acdivoca.org >To: nisjobs at egroups.com >Subject: [nisjobs] Kosovo Long Term Positions >Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 20:35:10 -0000 > >ACDI/VOCA, an international development organization, is seeking >long-term candidates for a proposal for Kosovo. Candidates should >have a strong, senior level background in Business/SME Development, >financial restructuring, and/or accounting. MBAs preferred. >Positions require a 1-2 year commitment. Dependents cannot accompany >candidates to Kosovo. Please respond ASAP to Charles LaDuca, >claduca at acdivoca.org, or by fax: 202-626-8726. > > _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. From mehollim at hotmail.com Thu Aug 31 21:34:35 2000 From: mehollim at hotmail.com (Mimoza Meholli) Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 01:34:35 GMT Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Book: Civil Resistance in Kosovo Message-ID: >-----Original Message----- >From: Howard Clark [mailto:howardcl at arrakis.es] >CIVIL RESISTANCE IN KOSOVO >Howard Clark > >As the Balkan conflict flares up again in Montenegro, this book is a timely >exploration of the ethnic tensions in the region. The world woke up to the >conflict between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians too late ? when the die was >cast for war in 1998?99. Until then, the self-restraint and social >solidarity of Kosovo Albanians in the face of Serbian ultra-nationalism >created opportunities for preventive action which the West had spurned. >Ultimately, however, the nonviolent policy of Kosovo Albanians succeeded >only in postponing war, not in averting it. > >In Civil Resistance in Kosovo, Howard Clark examines how a remarkable >nonviolent struggle by Kosovo Albanians frustrated Serbia?s plans for >Kosovo. Covering key features of the struggle, such as the miners? strike >of 1989, Clark describes the growth and potential of the movement, its >subsequent stagnation and attempts to reinvigorate it. In assessing the >achievements and limitations of nonviolence in Kosovo, Clark suggests how >the policy could have been more effective and draws lesson for >consideration in future peace-building. Clark also addresses the failure of >foreign governments. International diplomacy, he argues, took Kosovo >Albanian nonviolence for granted. It did not respond adequately to the >danger of war and failed to adopt preventative policies and deal justly >with the Kosovo Albanians. Consequently Kosovo Albanians turned to arms, >precipitating Serbian atrocities and Nato military intervention. Clark >reflects on the significance of the Kosovo tragedy for other civil >resistance movements around the world. > >As coordinator of War Resisters? International, Howard Clark was involved >in civil peace initiatives in Kosovo throughout the 1990s. He is also one >of the founders of the Balkan Peace Team, an international volunteer >project working for Serbian-Albanian dialogue. > >Trim Size: 215 x 135 mm Pages: 288 >ISBN: 0 7453 1569 0 Price: ?14.99 paperback >ISBN: 0 7453 1574 7 Price: ?45.00 hardback >Publication Date: 4th September 2000 > > >REVIEW COPY REQUEST > >Attn: Melanie Patrick ? Please fax on (+44) 020 8348 9133 >Or send to: Melanie Patrick, Pluto Press, FREEPOST, ND 6781, London N6 5BR >Or email: melanie at plutobks.demon.co.uk > >US distribution: >Stylus (22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012, tel: 703 661 >1581) > >Publicity: Kristen Gustafson (kristenipm at aol.com) > > > > > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > * * * * * * * >Howard Clark >normal address: Calle Maqueda 113 - 9B, 28024 Madrid. > >I am staying in Burgos for the birth of our child which should be any day >now. >Spanish speakers can leave phone messages for me on +34 947 20 21 51 > _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 3436 bytes Desc: not available URL: From aalibali at yahoo.com Thu Aug 31 23:50:54 2000 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 20:50:54 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Doreshkrime te lashta Message-ID: <20000901035054.7345.qmail@web106.yahoomail.com> KOHA JONE Deshmi per doreshkrime te lashta ne Shqiperi Moikom Zeqo Nuk mjafton vetem vetedija kulturore dhe qytetare e shkencetareve, por duhet edhe strategjia e planifikuar e Shtetit shqiptar per te ndihmuar financiarisht kete aksion madhor me vlera kolosale per kulturen dhe mbijetesen e vete kombit shqiptar Kerkimtaret dhe doreshkruesit flasin per disa doreshkrime shume te lashta te Shqiperise, qe per fat te keq sot nuk gjenden, ose jane zhdukur, ose ndonje syresh duhet te hulumtohet ne arkivat e kishave apo manastireve te vjeter jashte Shqiperise. Ketu, per here te pare, po jap disa referenca, referenca qe burojne nga nje studim i gjate i botuar nga Shpend Bardhi, dijetar shqiptar, ne revisten "Hylli i Drites", ne vitet '30 te shekullit XX. Dihet ne Antikitet ka pasur disa biblioteka te medha sidomos ne qytetin Dyrrakium (Duresi i sotem) dhe ne Apolloni. Kjo del mjaft qarte nga mbishkrimet e lashta arkeologjike. Nuk dime asgje per keto biblioteka, sidomos per librat qe ato kishin. Ne katundin Terihat te Gjirokastres ka qene dikur nje doreshkrim i vjeter ne pergamene, doreshkrim qe fliste per Paleokastren, ne te vertete per themelimin e vete Gjirokaster nga nje fare princi i quajtur Bala dhe njerezit e tij rreth shekullit VI. Ekzistencen e ketij doreshkrimi e permend dhe studiuesi gjirokastrit, i cili thote se ai mund te gjendet ne Biblioteken Nacionale te Parisit. Manastiri "Lindja e Shen Merise" ne Spile te fshatit te Saraqinishtes, ne Lunxheri te Gjirokastres, ka pasur nje biblioteke shume te rendesishme me doreshkrime te rendesishme te vjetra. Nje igumen i quajtur Dionisi i I-re eshte krijuesi i bibliotekes dhe mbledhesi i doreshkrimeve. Ate e pasoi nje murg tjeter qe u kujdes per biblioteken i quajtur Dionisi i II-te. Dionisi i I-re la kujtim per pasardhesit nje ikone me fytyren e tij, bere nga nje piktor qe nuk ia dime emrin si dhe nje doreshkrim te bere me doren e vet me nje vajtim ne gjuhen shqipe me shkronja greke. Behet fjale per nje doreshkrim shqip ne periudhen e Mesjetes, pak me perpara se libri i pare shqip i Gjon Buzukut. Ne biblioteken e manastirit te Shen Marise ka qene dhe nje Tetraevangjel, domethene kater ungjij po me pergamene. Edhe ky kodik i takon periudhes se hershme mesjetare. Biblioteke te pasur ka pasur edhe manastiri "Fjetja e Shen Merise" ne Bradec te Policanit. Gojedhena popullore thote se biblioteka dhe manastiri u themeluan nga vete perandori ilir i Bizantit, Justiani i Madh. Ne kete manastir ka pasur krisobula perandorake bizantine, dokumente dhe letra te princerve shqiptare dhe te Vllahise si dhe nje ungjill ne pergamene shume te vjeter, i cili eshte zhdukur. Nje biblioteke te madhe me letersi klasike dhe mesjetare ka pasur Kisha e Kryqit ne Labove. Edhe kjo kishe se bashku me biblioteken eshte themeluar nga Justiani i Madh. Kjo do te thote qe doreshkrimet dhe kodiket datohen qe shekulli VI pas Krishtit. Nje biblioteke tjeter ka pasur ne fshatin Mesarat ku ka qene Arqipeshkvia e Pogonit. Ketu ka pasur mjaft ungjij dhe libra liturgjike. Themelues i Kuvendit te Geromerit ne Cameri ka qene nje Nilo Jerihoti. Mbiemri Jerohiti rrjedh nga emri Jeriho, emri i nje qyteti biblik, te cilin e ka marre ne Mesjete qyteti antik i Orikumit. Ky Nilo rridhte nga familja e famshme e Llaskareve te Kostandinopojes. Nilo iku prej kryqezimit bizantin ne kohen e perandorit Mihal Paleologu si nje gjest mospajtimi me perandorin kur ai njohu Papen e Romes me 1277 si kryetarin e vetem te dy kishave te Kishes Lindore dhe perendimore. Niloja vjen ne shtetin e Sevastokratorit (titull bizantin shume i larte) te Joan Dukes, i cili i ishte mbetur besnik ortodoksise dhe kishes lindore dhe qe rebeluar ndaj perandorit. Nilo u vendos ne Jeriho domethene ne qytetin e Orikumit, perballe Kanines se Vlores. Ai mori me vete nga Kostandinopoja doreshkrime dhe kodike te vjeter. Me pas Nilo shkoi ne Filat te Camerise ku themeloi ne 1282 Manastirin e Geromerit. I ndihmuar nga nje Nikolla Aspara dhe nje murg tjeter i quajtur Arisprut Kapandriti krijoi biblioteken e pasur, biblioteke qe u ruajt e plote deri ne shekullin XVI dhe sipas nje dokumenti aty gjendeshin dhe vete doreshkrimet e Nilo Jerihotit si dhe nje kandil i mocem qe ka qene perdorur prej tij. Nje hebre i quajtur Kohen me origjine nga Janina permendet se ka shkuar ne shekullin e XIX ne biblioteken qe ndodhej ne fshatin Saraqinisht te Lunxherise ne Shqiperi dhe ka kerkuar te kopjonte figurat ne miniature te nje kodiku te lashte ungjillor ne pegamene, por nuk e lane te bente kete kopjim, ndonese ai ofroi 100 napolona ar. Keshtu humbi mundesia qe te ruhej e kopjuar dicka nga nje prej doreshkrimeve me te lashta qe ka pasur ne Shqiperi. Duke pasur parasysh qe sot ne Arkiven e Shtetit ruhen disa nga kodiket me te lashte ne Evrope, duke filluar nga Kodiku i Purpurt i Beratit i shekullit VI pas Krishtit ne fare mire mund te bejme pyetjen: a nuk do te ishte me i pasur koleksioni i ketyre kodikeve qe ruhen sot po te mbijetonin edhe doreshkrimet e mocme, per te cilet folem me siper. Megjithate nuk duhet te deshperohemi shume nga kjo mungese. Ka disa te dhena te tjera te lashta, madje edhe ne gjuhen shqipe. Ketu une i referohem studiuesit dhe albanologut te shquar shqiptar, Vincens Malaj. Sipas tij, ne shume biblioteka qe jane dhe sot gjenden doreshkrime te panjohura dhe te papublikuara. D. Farlati ne vepren e tij epokale "Illuricum sacrum" flet per 30 kuvende benediktesh vetem ne Arqipeshkvine e Tivarit ku marrin pjese intelektuale dhe kishtare shqiptare. Te gjitha keto kuvende kane pasur doreshkrime. Ne biblioteken e dominikaneve ne Split ruhen akoma dhe sot shtate libra korale, prej te cileve tre jane libra antifonare me muzike kishtare. Keto libra jane shkruar ne pergamene dhe i takojne shekullit XV se bashku me shume inkunabula, relike prej ari dhe argjendi etj. Dihet qe prej detit te Durresit eshte larguar nje reliktuar se bashku me vepra arti dhe doreshkrime ne vitin 1503 ne kuvendin e Trogirit. Doreshkrime te kishtareve shqiptare jane te shumta. Nje prej tyre eshte ai i fratit Domenik Shqiptarit i quajtur "Neophyta Doctrina" qe ndodhet akoma sot ne biblioteken Nacionale te Parisit. Nje doreshkrim tjeter eshte ai i mjekut dhe farmacistit shqiptar Marin Shkodrani qe ndodhet ne Palatini te Firences. Dr. Malaj thote se prane Raguzes ne Mala Braca kishte gjetur nje inkunabul me shenime dhe vizatime si ato te "Mesharit" te Gjon Buzukut, ku ne faqen e pare shkruhej "ky liber eshte imi, i frat Gjonit". Prejardhja e inkunabulit eshte prej Shqiperise. Ne Mesjete freterit dominikane hapin ne Durres shkollen e larte teologjike te quajtur "Studium Generale", shkolle ne rangun e nje universiteti me nente magjister dhe njeqind nxenes ne shekullin XII. Shume doreshkrime ne gjuhen shqipe ruhen akoma ne arkivat e pahulumtuara te Budvas, Tivarit dhe Kotorrit. Ne shekullin e XV vertetohet se ne Ulqin flitej gjuha shqipe zyrtarisht dhe ekziston edhe nje dokument ku thuhet se noteret ne Ulqin qene dhe mesues te shkolles. Qendra te rendesishme te administrates dhe te kultures me arkiva dhe biblioteka te famshme kane qene ne Mesjete arqipeshkvite e Durresit, Dioklese, Tivarit, Shkodres dhe Shkupit. Dinastia serbe e Nemaniqeve ne shekullin e XIII shkaterron traditen e te shkruarit te librave sidomos ne Shqiperine Veriore, e cila ka qene plot doreshkrime dhe monumente kulturore dhe sidomos dokumentacionin e princerve shqiptare, Balshajve, qe kane qene dhe zoterues te Zetes. Arkipeshkvi i Tivarit Gulielm Adae shkruan ne 1332 nje veper ne latinisht per mbretin e Frances Filipi VI dhe nuk haron te shkruaje kete fraze lapidare: "Shqiptaret kane nje gjuhe krejt tjeter dhe te ndryshme nga latinishtja, kane alfabetin latin ne te tere librat e tyre". Se fundi, kemi dhe je deshmi te patjetersueshme te gjuhetarit gjenial shqiptar Eqerem Cabej, i cili thote se kishte takuar ne Itali dijetarin arberesh Nilo Borxhia ne 1940, i cili i kishte thene se kishte zbuluar ne arkivat e Vatikanit nje doreshkrim te plote ne gjuhen shqipe me te vjeter se sa libri i famshem i Gjon Buzukut i vitit 1555. Eshte detyre urgjente, morale dhe shkencore e Akademise se Shkencave te Shqiperise qe te hulumtoje dhe te gjeje nje pjese te ketyre doreshkrimeve te shperndara neper bote. Keto doreshkrime do te perbenin korpusin e kujteses kulturore te popullit shqiptar. Eshte absurde qe ka nje plogeshti kriminale ne kete drejtim. Por nuk duhet harruar se nuk mjafton vetem vetedija kulturore dhe qytetare e shkencetareve, por duhet dhe strategjia e planifikuar e shtetit shqiptar per te ndihmuar financiarisht kete aksion madhor me vlera kolosale per kulturen dhe mbijetesen e vete kombit shqiptar. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From alb2001 at beld.net Mon Aug 21 09:21:30 2000 From: alb2001 at beld.net (ALBANIA 2001) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 09:21:30 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [2001ajs] Announcement for Lunch with President Meidani on September 10th Message-ID: <200008210921.AA302514580@f155.beld.net> Please see announcement below -- it is also attached in Word if you would like a formal copy to post somewhere, pass on, or fax to anyone. Sunday, September 10 12:30 PM Anthony's Pier 4 Luncheon In Honor of the Visit of President Rexhep Meidani Advance Payment of $50 per ticket is Required by Tuesday September 5th Open Seating Unless a Table of Ten Tickets is Purchased to Reserve a Table Checks may be made payable the President=92s Dinner Committee Please send your payment to: Mr. Ron Nasson 26 Enfield Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 For More Information and Reservations Contact: Ron Nasson 617-522-7715 Meri Treska 617-628-2755 Mark Kosmo 781-843-1056 Anthony's Pier 4 617-482-6262 -- ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Suite #417 160 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02116 Telephone: 781-843-1056 Telephone: 617-262-6665 Fax: 617-262-2340 E-Mail: alb2001 at beld.net ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Rruga Asim Vokshi Pallati #141 Tirana, Albania Telephone: 355-42-40842 Telephone: 355-42-39748 Fax: 355-42-39748 E-Mail: alb2001 at icc.al.eu.org -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: 2001ajs-unsubscribe at egroups.com -------------- next part -------------- [ The following attachment was DELETED when this message was saved: ] [ A Application/OCTET-STREAM (Name="pier4meje(1).doc") segment of abou ] From alb2001 at beld.net Mon Aug 21 09:31:45 2000 From: alb2001 at beld.net (ALBANIA 2001) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 09:31:45 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [2001ajs] Njoftim P=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=EBr_Drek=EB?= Me Presidentin Rexhep Meidani Message-ID: <200008210931.AA1458700592@f155.beld.net> Ketu keni njoftim per dreke me Presidentin Rexhep Meidani. Edhe ka njoftim ne Word si "attachment" ne qofte se ju keni qejf per te printuar ose faxuar. 10 shtator 12:30 PM Anthony's Pier 4 Dreke Me rastin e Visites se Presidentit Rexhep Meidani Pagesa paraprake eshte $50 per cdo bilete jo me vone se 5 shtator Vendet jane te lira me perjashtim te rastit kur nje Tavoline prej dhjete vendesh eshte blere dhe rezervuar paraprakisht Ceqet duhet te jene paguar per "President's Dinner Committee" Ju lutemi Dergoni Pagesen tek: Mr. Ron Nasson 26 Enfield Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Per Informacion dhe Rezervimet Telefononi: Ron Nasson 617-522-7715 Meri Treska 617-628-2755 Mark Kosmo 781-843-1056 Anthony's Pier 4 617-482-6262 -- ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Suite #417 160 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02116 Telephone: 781-843-1056 Telephone: 617-262-6665 Fax: 617-262-2340 E-Mail: alb2001 at beld.net ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Rruga Asim Vokshi Pallati #141 Tirana, Albania Telephone: 355-42-40842 Telephone: 355-42-39748 Fax: 355-42-39748 E-Mail: alb2001 at icc.al.eu.org -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: 2001ajs-unsubscribe at egroups.com -------------- next part -------------- [ The following attachment was DELETED when this message was saved: ] [ A Application/OCTET-STREAM (Name="pier4mejs(0).doc") segment of abou ] From alb2001 at beld.net Tue Aug 29 15:58:24 2000 From: alb2001 at beld.net (ALBANIA 2001) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 15:58:24 -0400 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [2001ajs] Benefit for Albanian Students Association and School for Kosovar Youth Message-ID: <200008291558.AA94110208@f155.beld.net> Please pencil this event into your calendar and pass the word along via e-mail and other methods. The Albanian Students Organization, the School for Kosovar Youth, and the National Albanian-American Council are co-sponsoring the above event, and invite you to lunch on September 16th at Anthony's Pier 4 at 1:00PM. We would like to get 100+ people there to help support the activities of Albanian students. We also hope that people who are not able to attend the lunch for President Meidani on September 10th can come, and also that those of you who do attend the Meidani lunch will also find time to support the Albanian students on Setptember 16th, too. Please also RSVP to me via e-mail if you will come since we would like to get an approximate head count to give to Pier 4. The full announcement and details follow below. Saturday, September 16 1:00 PM Anthony's Pier 4 Luncheon Buffet and Presentation to Benefit The Albanian Students Association (ALBSA) and The School for Kosovar Youth (SKY) $25 Suggested Donation (Larger Gifts Accepted) $10 for Students Featured Speaker: Mr. Richard Lukaj, Senior Managing Director of the Bear Stearns Company in New York and newly elected Chairman of the National Albanian-American Council (NAAC). Mr. Lukaj will speak on "New and Emerging Themes in Albanian-American Leadership". More detailed information will be provided about the event and the organizations which will benefit from the fund-raiser during the week of September 10th after the visit of President Meidani. We hope to get 100+ people to attend the lunch on September 16th to support a good cause, and to meet one of the new leaders of the Albanian-American community. Of course, we hope to have a broad cross-section of the Boston/Worcester Albanian-American community -- students and young persons, professionals, people born in the USA, people who have come to the USA more recently, and ALL types of members of the community. Students and/or people with kids who are (or will soon be) students are especially encouraged to attend the event, but people should not interpret this to mean that this event is for students -- it is for ALL people, with the money to be raised to benefit Albanian students. We look forward to seeing you on September 16th!!! For more information you can visit the following web-sites: ALBSA http://www.albstudent.org NAAC http://www.naac.org SKY http://people.bu.edu/kosovar/globearticle.html http://people.bu.edu/kosovar This announcement is also attached in Word in case you would like to print copies, fax it to anyone, and/or post it somewhere. Please confirm if you plan to attend (preferably via e-mail) to one of the following: "Mark Kosmo" -- 781-843-1056 "Adnan Derti" -- 617-738-5877 "Eriola Kruja" Thank You/Faleminderit, Mark Kosmo, ALBANIA 2001 and Member of NAAC Board of Trustees Adnan Derti, The School for Kosovar Youth and Boston University Eriola Kruja, Albanian Students Association and Harvard University -- ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Suite #417 160 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02116 Telephone: 781-843-1056 Telephone: 617-262-6665 Fax: 617-262-2340 E-Mail: alb2001 at beld.net ALBANIA 2001 Investment and Finance Rruga Asim Vokshi Pallati #141 Tirana, Albania Telephone: 355-42-40842 Telephone: 355-42-39748 Fax: 355-42-39748 E-Mail: alb2001 at icc.al.eu.org -- -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates of 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Ongoing APR* and no annual fee! Apply NOW! http://click.egroups.com/1/7872/7/_/_/_/967579518/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: 2001ajs-unsubscribe at egroups.com -------------- next part -------------- [ The following attachment was DELETED when this message was saved: ] [ A Application/OCTET-STREAM (Name="pier40916(1).doc") segment of abou ]