[ALBSA-Info] Omonia?!

[aalibali at law.harvard.edu]

OMONIA asks redimension of policy towards Greek minority

TIRANE, Jan 27 (ATA)-By G. Dilaveri, The Democratic Union of Greek Ethnic 
Minority (OMONIA) at a news conference in Tirane on Thursday asked the 
redimension of the Albanian policy towards the Greek minority.
"It is high time the Albanian state policy towards the Greek minority in Albania
is redimensioned in the context of the latest developments, expected during the 
implementation of the Stability Pact in the region," said Vangjelis Dules, head 
of the OMONIA political-social organisation, laying the stress mainly on issues 
of education, mother tongue, public order and property.
He said that "in principle the Greeks do not enjoy the right to education in 
their mother tongue, (neither that of learning) in all zones".
Considering the ratification last June by Albania of the framework convention 
for the protection of ethnic minorities as a significant step, the chairman of 
OMONIA said that "its implementation through concrete legislative measures is 
again required".
By the beginning of this month Premier Ilir Meta visited several minority 
villages in the districts of Gjirokaster and Sarande. He expressed the 
commitment of the Albanian government to invest in the zones of the Greek 
minority in Albania to respect the minorities and restore law and order in these
zones.
/lm/