[ALBSA-Info] Greek foreign ministry investigating illegal visa allegations

[Agron Alibali]

Greek foreign ministry investigating illegal visa
allegations

ATHENS, Greece

 Greece is investigating allegations that some
diplomatic officials may have 
illegally issued visas to  Albanians,  but the
government Monday would not
comment on reports that  Albanian's  foreign minister
may also have been
involved.

   Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas confirmed
reports that the foreign
ministry had launched a judicial investigation into
whether Greek consular
officials in the  Albanian  capital of Tirana and
southern city of Gjirokaster
had issued visas without following legal procedures.

   ''The foreign minister, when informed of the
evidence, asked a judicial
official to begin this investigation so that we could
ascertain exactly how
people moved from  Albania  to Greece with procedures
that were not completely
legal,'' Reppas said.

   According to media reports, the actions allegedly
occurred in 1998 and 1999. 

   Thousands of  Albanians  try to get visas for
Greece every year, mostly to
come here and work. Although there are no accurate
figures, most are denied
permission and sneak across the rugged frontier.

   There are more than 650,000 illegal immigrants in
Greece, most of them from
 Albania. 

   It was the latest investigation involving visas or
passport fraud in recent
months. The United States said last month it would
continue excluding Greece
from a visa waiver program until it tightens its
passport procedures against
fraud, something which Athens hopes will be done by
month's end.

   According to news reports Monday, Greek consular
officials regularly issued
visas to  Albanians  who were on lists purportedly
supplied by  Albanian 
ministers, politicians and business councils without
bothering to check their
applications. The investigation was also looking into
allegations that some
people may have paid bribes for visas.

   The Athens daily Ethnos alleged in a report that 
Albanian  Foreign Minister 
Pascal Milo regularly sent lists of people for blanket
approval. The lists,
Ethnos said, were given to the consular employees
without the knowledge of the
Greek ambassador in Tirana and the Greek foreign
ministry.

   ''The involvement of the name of the  Albanian 
foreign minister should not
be made in this way,'' Reppas said, adding that ''I
have to emphasize that Mr.
Milo, as foreign minister of  Albania,  has in recent
years contributed to a
very important degree to the positive development of
Greek- Albanian 
relations.''

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