From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Dec 2 12:58:17 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 09:58:17 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfP: Nationalism, society and culture in post-Ottoman Southeast Europe European Studies Centre OUBS Graduate Workshop 2004, Oxford, 28-29, 2004 Message-ID: <20031202175817.12669.qmail@web11505.mail.yahoo.com> > Subject: [balkans] CfP: Nationalism, society and > culture in post-Ottoman > Southeast Europe European Studies Centre OUBS > Graduate Workshop 2004, > Oxford, 28-29, 2004 > Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > boundary="AKIAfkKKyzucG5KwCv50-pigG44pI0QXbXUYXJJ" > Content-Length: 3924 > > The Oxford University Balkan Society > > The Second OUBS Graduate Workshop 2004: Nationalism, > society and culture in > post-Ottoman Southeast Europe > > European Studies Centre, St Antony's College, > Oxford, May 28-29, 2004 > > Call for papers > > The decline of the multiethnic, multireligious and > multilingual Ottoman > Empire set the scene for the emergence of successor > states shaped and > dominated by their respective nation-building > projects. The carving outof > homogeneous nation-states in most cases reflected > the German romanticist > notion that saw nations as existing from time > immemorial and deeply rooted > in their territory, language, architecture and folk > idioms. In consequence, > larger minority groups were considered undesirable > and had to be reduced > through population exchanges, forced migration or > concerted massacres. > National myths and hegemonic historiographies > emerged, which devalued the > ethnic or religious Other (the Turk, the Muslim, > Greek, Armenian etc) and > exalted the Self. Languages were purified, while the > material culture of > the Other (churches, mosques, public buildings and > houses) was > (re-)appropriated either through destruction and > neglect, or by re-writing > its history. > > There has been some scholarly debate on the > continuity or discontinuity of > a common Ottoman legacy in Southeast Europe, even up > to our days*. This > workshop, however, aims to go a step further and > explore the processes of > and the extent to which exclusionary nation-building > projects have shaped > the historical discourses, the language and the > material culture, in the > successor states we live in today. > > The questions, which we would like to address in the > workshop, are related > to historical and recent processes: > > 1. To what degree have the homogenizing > projects in particular > countries produced histories, languages, cities, > architecture and > geographies, devoid of the perceived Other? To which > extent have they been > directed against the Other? > > 2. Are there trajectories of nation-building > in the region, that were > more inclusive and accommodating of ethnic and > religious difference? > > 3. How are the homogenization projects > related to the politics of > democratization and ethnic conflict at present? > > 4. How do the processes of nationalist > nation-building, as described > above, affect intra-regional co-operation in > Southeast Europe today? > > Looking at those questions, we hope to arrive at a > more comprehensive > understanding of the workings of nationalism in > wider Southeast Europe in > the 19th and 20th centuries. We wish to investigate > the processes involved > in homogenising multicultural cities, geographies > and histories. We are > also concerned with collective memory as it relates > to conceptions of Self > and Other. > > Proposals for the workshop will be accepted from > post-graduate students and > scholars who work on Ottoman successor states in > Southeast Europe, > including Turkey, in all fields of the social > sciences, especially history, > anthropology, politics, geography, cultural studies, > urban studies, > architecture and linguistics. Scholars in Armenian > and Kurdish studies are > also encouraged to submit proposals. > > The proposals should give an outline of the argument > in not more than 300 > words, and contain a detailed CV, affiliation of > participant and full > contact information. Please send your applications > to > dimitris.antoniou at sant.ox.ac.uk or > kerem.oktem at sant.ox.ac.uk until January > 15, 2004. > > Authors of the papers selected for the conference > will be notified in > February 2004. Participants will be required to > submit the full text of > their respective papers to the conference organisers > by April 15, 2004. We > will be contributing to the travel expenses of the > invited participants and > arrange for their accommodation. > > Informal preliminary inquiries regarding paper > submissions are welcomed, > and may be directed to the Organising committee at > the e-mail address > indicated above. > > Organising Committee: Dimitris Antoniou, Dimitar > Bechev, Kerem ?ktem (St > Antony's College) > > Academic Advisory Committee: Othon Anastasakis > (Southeast European Studies > Program, Centre for European Studies, St Antony's > College), Renee Hirschon > (St Peter's College), Philip Robins (Program on > Contemporary Turkey, Middle > East Centre, St Antony's College) > > > > > > > > > > > * cf. Brown, Carl: Imperial Legacy. The Ottoman > Imprint on the Balkans and > the Middle East (New York,1996). > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Dec 3 22:14:03 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 19:14:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] Job: Country Director - Kosovo / ECMI Message-ID: <20031204031403.63973.qmail@web11502.mail.yahoo.com> > > COUNTRY DIRECTOR - Kosovo > > ECMI in Kosovo > For more information on ECMI's activities in Kosovo, > please consult the > ECMI websites http://www.ecmi.de and > http://www.ecmikos.org. > > Qualifications > The successful candidate will have: > * An advanced university degree in one of the > following areas: > administration, political science, sociology, or > another relevant discipline; > * A minimum of 3-5 years of progressively > responsible positions in the > areas of development and project management; > * Fluent English as well as skills in one or more > languages spoken in the > region; > * Knowledge of the region; > * Proven track record in successful liaison with > government agencies and > with both bi- and multi-lateral donor agencies; > * Excellent presentation skills; > * Computer skills covering entire the Microsoft > Office package; and > * A valid driver's license. > > Job Description > The Country Director supervises project > implementation through a national > team. In addition to providing general > administrative and financial > supervision, s/he oversees the development of the > project website. Taking > an active part in the development of new projects to > be implemented in the > region, the Country Director seeks funding for new > initiatives as well as > the renewal of funding for existing ones. > Based in Pristina, the Country Director reports on a > regular basis to > ECMI's headquarters in Flensburg, Germany. > > Contact > Application BY ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY; no phone calls > please. A letter of > application with the reference "CDKos", accompanied > by a curriculum vita > and contact details (including e-mail addresses) of > three referees, should > be sent to Astrid Voss at astrid.voss at ecmi.de. Full > application materials > can be found on the following web page. > http://www.ecmi.de/doc/about_staff_vacancies.html > > Due to the volume of applications received for ECMI > positions, only > short-listed candidates will be contacted. > Candidates not contacted by 31 > December 2003 should consider their application > rejected. > > Application Deadline > 15 December 2003 > > Joining Date > January 2004 > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Dec 3 22:18:05 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 19:18:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Harvard Film Festival Message-ID: <20031204031805.64589.qmail@web11506.mail.yahoo.com> http://www.harvardfilmarchive.org/calendars/03_winter/europe.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Dec 3 22:24:36 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 19:24:36 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] Conference: Islam in the Balkans, Tirana, 4-6.12.2003 Message-ID: <20031204032436.18845.qmail@web11501.mail.yahoo.com> -> From: Ircica > Subject: Program of the Tirana Conference on Islam > in the Balkans > Date: December 3, 2003 > > For Information: Program of the Tirana Conference, > starting tomorrow > > > SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON > ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN THE BALKANS > > Tirana ? Albania, 4-6 December 2003 > > The international symposium on ?Islamic Civilisation > in the Balkans? is > jointly organised by the Research Centre for Islamic > History, Art and > Culture (IRCICA), the Academy of Sciences of > Albania, the General > Directorate of Archives (Albania), and the > University of Tirana, in Tirana, > Albania, on 4-6 December 2003. > > The symposium will review and study the sources and > development of Islamic > civilisation in the Balkans with a comprehensive > approach, covering the > subject matter in terms of the material culture > (written, architectural and > other tangible assets and heritage) and spiritual > culture (oral, artistic, > literary and other intangible aspects of culture and > heritage), the stages, > trends and patterns of the expansion of Islamic > culture and civilisation, > the formation and the legacy of the Islamic cultural > heritage, its present > state and prospects, with specific thematic or > regional focuses. The > symposium is expected to throw light on the > contributions, the role and > place of Islamic civilisation in the region, its > relations and interactions > with other cultures and civilisations, and also, to > illuminate the future > prospects regarding peaceful co-existence and > positive cultural dialogue > among the peoples of the region. At the same time, > it will be an occasion > to take note of the new studies to be presented > during these sessions, to > assess the state of scholarly research and > publication in this field, and > to deliberate on the problems and prospects of the > study of Islamic > civilisation in the Balkans as a field of academic > research. > > The languages of the symposium are Albanian, English > and Turkish. > > If you are interested in participating in the > symposium, we will appreciate > receiving your positive reply as soon as possible, > an abstract of your > proposed article by April 2003. Please kindly send > it to the following > addresses: > > E- mail: congress at ircica.org > Fax: +90 212 2584365 > Telephone: +90 212 2591742 ext: 139 or 177 > > > SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON > ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN THE BALKANS > Tirana, Albania, > 4-7 December 2003 > > PROGRAM > > Working languages of the symposium are Albanian, > English and Turkish. > Simultaneous translation will be provided. > > > SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON > ISLAMIC CIVILISATION IN THE BALKANS > > Organising Committee > > > Ekmeleddin IHSANOGLU Director General, OIC Research > Centre for Islamic > History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Istanbul > Ylli POPA President, Academy of Sciences, Tirana > Luan OMARI Vice President, Academy of Sciences, > Tirana > Shaban SINAN Director General of Archives, Tirana > Ethem LIKA Faculty of History and Philology, > University of Tirana > Halit EREN Assistant Director General, OIC Research > Centre for Islamic > History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Istanbul > > > Symposium Secretariat > > International Coordinators National Coordinators > > Halit EREN, Istanbul Shaban SINANI, Tirana > Ali ?AKSU, IstanbulEntela Muco Lefter NASE, Tirana > > OPENING CEREMONY > Tirana International Hotel, Tirana > > Friday, 05 December 2003 > > Addresses > > 10.00 H.E. Fatos Nano Prime Minister of the Republic > of Albania > 10.10 Ekmeleddin ?hsano?lu Director General, OIC > Research Centre for > Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Istanbul > 10.20 Ylli Popa President, Academy of Sciences, > Tirana > > > Symposium Program > Tirana International Hotel, Tirana > Friday, 05 December 2003 > > Plenary Session Hall A > Chairmen: Ekmeleddin ?hsano?lu - Ylli Popa > > 11.00 Aleksander Meksi: Aspects and problems of the > architecture of the > sanctuaries in Albania > > 11.15 Machiel Kiel: S?leymanic Avlonya (Vlora): The > Building Accounts of > the Largest Otoman Work of Fortification in Albania > (1537-1539) > > 11.30 Elisabeth A. Zachariadou: Intercultural Oral > Tradition > > 11.45 Mehmet ?p?irli: Remarks on Ottoman > Bibliographic Sources on the > Balkans and their Authors > > 12.00 Alexander Fedotoff: Islamic Studies at St. > Kliment Ohridski University > > 12.15 Discussion > 13.00 Lunch > > Session I Hall A > Chairman: Mehmet ?p?irli > > 14.30 Maurus Reinkowski: Ottoman Implementation of > Reforms in Northern > Albania in the Middle of the 19th Century > > 14.45 G?khan ?etinsaya: A Glance at Abd?lhamid II's > Albanian Policy > > 15.00 Orhan Kolo?lu: Faik Bey Konitza's Memorandum > of 1899 > > 15.15 Cezmi Eraslan: A Glance at the > Ottoman-Albanian Relations in the 2nd > Me?rutiyet Period > > 15.30 Halil Bal: Albanians in the Ottoman Parliament > (Meclis-i Mebusan) and > Albanian Independence Movement > > 15.45 Discussion > 16.15 Coffee Break > > Session II Hall A > Chairman: Hans Georg Majer > > 16.30 B?lent Bilmez: The Construction and the Use of > the Myth of "National > Intellectual" in the Modern Turkish and Albanian > Press: Shemseddin Sami > Frasheri Bey > > 16.45 Gazmand Shpuza: Sami Frash?ri in the Albanian > and Turkish world > > 17.00 Shaban Sinani: The sanctuary of Sherie in > Berat, an encyclopaedia of > the Albanian-Turkish relations > > 17.15 Nehat Krasniqi: The Contribution of the > Albanian Nobility to the > Development of Islamic Culture in Albania during the > Ottoman Period > > 17.30 Discussion > 17.45 Break > > > Session III Hall A > Chairwoman: Elisabeth A. Zachariadou > > 18.30 F. De Jong: Centres of Islamic Learning in the > Balkans and the > Mobility of Scholars in Ottoman Lands > > 18.45 M. Sait Ozervarl?: The Contribution of Balkan > Scholars to the Growth > of Ottoman Kalam Thought > > 19.00 ?brahim Hatibo?lu: ?n?ai Interpretation of > Islamic Sciences in the > Transition to a Multicultural Environment in > Bulgaria in the First Half of > the XXth Century: The Case of Yusuf Ziyaeddin Ezheri > > 19.15 Sabaheta Gacanin: Libraries as the Islamic > Cultural Heritage in > Bosnia and Hercegovina > > 19.30 Zorka ?vanova: On the History of Vak?f > Libraries in Bulgaria: > ?epintzi Vak?f Library > > 19.45 Discussion > 20.00 Opening of Exhibition on "Islamic Manuscripts > in the Albanian > Archives and Ottoman Fermans About Albanians" > 20.30 Dinner > > > Saturday, 06 December 2003 > > > Session IV Hall A > Chairman: Ferit Duka > > 09.00 S?leyman K?z?ltoprak: The Administration of > Ta?oz Island Assigned to > Mehmet Ali Pa?a's Vak?f in Kavala and Related Issues > > 09.15 S?leyman Din?: Ottoman Vak?fs in Romania > According to the Archival > Registers of the General Directorate of Vak?fs > > 09.30 Mustafa ?zer: Turhano?ullar? Family's > Construction Activities in the > Balkans > > 09.45 Slavka Draganovan: Ottoman Archival Documents > in Bulgaria on Scutari > and Tirana > > 10.00 Sadik Mehmeti: The Oriental Manuscripts in the > Archives of Kosova > > 10.15 Discussion > 10.30 Coffee Break > > > Session V Hall A > Chairman: Mihai Maxim > > 11.00 Mehmet G?nay: Post-Ottoman Religious (?er'iye) > Courts in Bulgaria: > Historical Development, Structure and Functioning > > 11.15 Fatmag?l Demirel: The Judicial Reform Carried > Out in Vilayet-i Selase > during the Period of Abd?lhamid II > > 11.30 ?mer Turan: The 1919 Regulations on Religious > Administration of > Muslims in Bulgaria > > 11.45 Nathalie Clayer: The Cadis of Gjirokaster and > Libohove > > 12.00 Petrika Thengjilli: Judicial Power of the > Pragmatist Ottoman State > During the XVII- XVIIth Centuries > > 12.15 Discussion > 13.00 Lunch > > > Session VI Hall A > Chairwoman: Zeynep Ahunbay > > 14.30 Mihai Maxim: Tuna-i Amire: Some Ottoman > Castles in the Lower Danube > in Romanian Lands > > 14.45 Aleksander Antonov: Architectural Complexes > (Menzil K?lliyesi) in the > Bulgarian Lands (XVI-XVIIth Centuries) > > 15.00 Osman Tutal: Ottoman Housing Culture in the > Balkans > > 15.15 Ferit Duka: The naval facade of Albania in the > Ottoman time: the town > of Vlora" (XVI-XVIII) > > 15.30 Emin Riza: The Albanian town and building in > Balkanic space during > the XV-XIX centuries > > 15.45 Behic?ddin ?ehabi: Skopije Stone Bridge (Ta? > K?pr?) in the Light of > the Latest Interventions > > 16.00 Discussion > 16.15 Coffee Break > > > Session VII Hall A > Chairman: Machiel Kiel > > 16.30 Sulejman Dashi: Characteristics of the > Albanian Mosques (history, > architecture and restoration) > > 16.45 Zoran Pavlov: Single-Domed Mosques in > Macedonia > > 17.00 Neval Konuk: Architect Sinan's Works in the > Balkans > > 17.15 Mehmet Zeki ?brahimgil: Mehmed the Conqueror's > Mosques in the Balkans > > 17.30 Zeynep Ahunbay: The Restoration of Sevri Hac? > Hasan Mosque in Mostar > > 17.45 Aneta Tanevska: Conservation of a Cultural > Monument: Yahya Pasha Mosque > > 18.00 Discussion > 19.00 Concert > 20.00 Dinner > > Sunday, 07 December 2003 > > > Session VIII Hall A > Chairman: Shaban Sinani > > 09.00 Tomor Osmani: The application of the Arabic > alphabet in the tradition > of writing of the Albanian language > > 09.15 David Luka: The contribution of the Onomastics > of the Osman cadastral > Tefters of the XV century ( 1431, 1467, 1485 ) on > the history of the > Albanian language > > 09.30 ?rfan Morina: The Etimology of Turkish Words > in Albanian Epic Poetry > > 09.45 Emil Lafe: Tahir Dizdari's "Dictionary of > Orientalisms" as a > Reflection of the Influence of Islamic Culture among > the Albanians > > 10.00 Discussion > 10.15 Coffee Break > > > Session IX Hall A > Chairman: ?rfan Morina > > 11.00 Shefik Osmani & Njazi Kazasi: The Albanian > Alhimiada > > 11.15 Rahim Ombashi: The Albanian literature and its > relations with Islamic > culture > > 11.30 Bardhosh Ga?e: Bektashism and the Albanian > poetry > > 11.45 Fatbardhe Hoxha: The oriental poetic in the > thoughts and practices of > those writers who wrote in Arabic alphabet > > 12.00 Ramadan Shkodra: Islamic Publications in the > Albanian Language in > Kosova (Tradition, Challenges and Reality) > > 12.15 Discussion > > Friday, 05 December 2003 > > Session I Hall B > Chairman: Luan Omari > 14.30 Qazim Xhelili & Arian Kadiu > Hafez Vehbi Dibra, His Figure and the > Celebrity Muslim > Personality As a Well Known Activist of the National > Movement > 14.45 Mehmet Canatar > Mehmed Mehdi Bey of Frasher and His Work > 15.00 Entela Mu?o > The influence of Ibrahim Temo in the field > of culture, in the > light of archival documents > 15.15 Hatidza Car-Drnda > Mostar: Legacy of Islamic Culture and > Civilization > 15.30 Farudin Krutaj > The Islamic Civilization and the > Environment > 15.45 Discussion > 16.15 Coffee Break > > > Session II Hall B > Chairman: Ethem Lika > > 16.30 Ayd?n Topalo?lu: Abrahamic Traditions in the > Balkans: Jews, > Christians and Muslims - Coexistence and Cooperation > of Believers > > 16.45 Jashar Rexhepagiq: The scientific values of > the Islamic learning and > the meaning of tolerance > > 17.00 Mark Tirta: Aspects of the inter-religion > harmony among the Albanians > > 17.15 Arqile B?rxholi: The interreligius tolerance - > a phenomenon of the > civilization of the Albanian social environment > > 17.30 Faikh Luli & Islam Dizdari: The > inter-religious tolerance and the > dialogue between religions in Shkodra > > 17.45 Zeko Braho: The inter-religious cooperation on > national question and > the on the progress in Vlora > > 18.00 Discussion > 18.15 Break > > > Session III Hall B > Chairman: Gazmend Shpuza > > 18.30 Tahsin ?zcan: The Role of Cash Vak?fs in the > Construction and > Development of Balkan Cities > > 18.45 Svetlana Ivanova: The Large Charity > Foundations of Ottoman Elite in > Rumelia (17th-18th Centuries) > > 19.00 Mustafa G?ler: Waqfs from Balkan Lands > Assigned to the Two Holy > Cities of Mecca and Medina > > 19.15 Levent Kayap?nar: The Charitable Foundations > of the Family of Turahan > Bey who Conqured Thessaly Region in Greece in the > XVth-XVIth Centuries > > 19.30 Ay?e Kayap?nar: The Pious Foundations (Vak?fs) > of Gazi Mihalo?ullar? > in Bulgaria in the XVth-XVIth Centuries > > 19.45 Discussion > 20.00 Opening of Exhibition on "Islamic Manuscripts > in the Albanian > Archives and Ottoman Fermans About Albanians" > 20.30 Dinner > > Saturday, 06 December 2003 > > Session IV Hall B > Chairman: Jashar Rexhepagiq > > 09.00 Ayten Ardel: Ilbasan Sanjak According to XVIth > Century Tahrirs > 09.15 Arzu Terzi: Professions in the City of > Prishtina > > 09.30 Ahmet Cebeci & G?ray K?rp?: Demographic > Changes in the Christian and > Muslim Populations of Albania after the Ottoman > Conquest according to > Tahrir Registers > > 09.45 Mahmut Ak: The Rumelian Impressions of an > Ottoman Traveler > > 10.00 Danuta Chmielowska: Balkan and Bosnian > Impressions of Polish > Travellers Bronislawa Prasek-Calczynska ve Teodoraz > Komorowskich Krajewska > (19th-20th C.) > > 10.15 Elizabeta Koneska: Inscriptions on Ottoman > Copper Vessels from Macedonia > > 10.30 Discussion > 10.45 Coffee Break > > > Session V Hall B > Chairman: Alexander Fedotoff > > 11.00 Yllka Selimi: The Islamic tradition - rites, > customs, and ceremonies > of man's life from cradle to the grave > > 11.15 Gentian Kuke: Aspects of the Islamic culture, > the end of the XIX > century and the beginning of the XX century, in the > light of archive documents > > 11.30 Ruzhdie Qafmolla: The contribution of the > Islamic ethics on the > traditions of the Albanian family > > 11.45 Agron Xhagolli: Parallelisms and influences on > the Turkish-Albanian > folklore > > 12.00 Af?rdita Onuzi: Phenomena of the religious > tolerance in the Albanian > folklore > > 12.15 Discussion > 13.00 Lunch > > > Session VI Hall B > Chairman: Halit Eren > > 14.30 Yusuf K???kda?: Sufi Life, Tekkes and Zaviyes > in Ilbasan during the > Ottoman Period > > 14.45 Markus Koller: Islamic Life in Ottoman Bosnia > - Dervish Orders in the > Light of Local Chronicles (18th and 19th Centuries) > > 15.00 Slobodan Ilic: Wahdat al-Wujud, > Melami-Bayramis, and the 17th Century > Ottoman Balkans > > 15.15 Re?at ?ng?ren: The Characteristics of the Sufi > Activities in Albania > > 15.30 Tacettin B?t??i: The Spread of the Halveti > Order in Kosova and its > Contribution to the Development of the Islamic > Civilization > > 15.45 Mustafa Eravc?: The Mevlevi Order in the > Balkans and ?sa Bey > Mevlevihane in Saraybosna > > 16.00 Hamid Algar: ?lhami Zepcevi (1773-1821): > Bosnian Sufi, Poet and Rebel > > 16.15 Coffee Break > > > Session VII Hall B > Chairman: F. De Jong > > 16.30 Ali Arslan: Transition to Education in the > Albanian Language and the > Response of the Ottoman Administration > > 16.45 Kemal Yakut: Alphabet and Education Debates in > the Albanian > Independence Movement According to Ottoman Sources > > 17.00 Mesut ?driz: Ijazah in the Traditional Muslim > Education in the Balkans > > 17.15 Parim Kosova: The Prizren Medreses > > 17.30 Discussion > 19.00 Concert > 20.00 Dinner > > > Sunday, 07 December 2003 > > Session VIII Hall B > Chairman: Emin Riza > > 09.00 Peter Mentzel: Islamic Civilization and > Technology Transfer in the > Late Ottoman Balkans > > 09.15 Ali Aky?ld?z: The Extension of German Capital > in the Balkans: > Selanik- Manastir Railway > > 09.30 Ibrahim Gashi: The Islamic influence on the > Albanian chronology: the > calendars of Lunar Hejira and Mali - Rumi > > 09.45 Ramiz Zeka: The Arabic calligraphy and its > influence on the Albanian > material culture > > 10.00 Muzafer Xhaxhiu: Aspects of the influence of > the Oriental > civilization on the European one > > 10.15 Qemajl Morina: The Influence of Islam on > Albanian Names > > 10.30 Discussion > 10.45 Coffee Break > > > Session IX Hall B > Chairman: Orhan Kolo?lu > > 11.00 Agop Garabedian & Rumiana Komsalova: The > Millet System in the Balkans > > 11.15 Shemsi Ajvazi: Concepts of Ottoman Empire's > Historical Experience > > 11.30 Jusuf Bajraktari: The Role of the K?pr?l? > Family in the Ottoman Empire > > 11.45 Mustafa Bilge: Vizier Kara Mahmut Pa?a, > Governor of Alexandria > > 12.00 Mehmet Hac?saliho?lu: The Change in the Place > Names in Bulgaria Since > the Independence > 12.15 Discussion > > Sunday, 7.12.2003 > > 12.30 Closing of the Symposium (Hall A) > 13.00 Lunch > 14.30-18.30 Visit to Kruja > 19.00 Reception at the Turkish Embassy > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Dec 10 21:12:33 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 18:12:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] Conference: Ottoman Empire & Balkan Nationalisms 1789-1932, Rethymno (Greece), 13-14.12.2003 Message-ID: <20031211021233.87871.qmail@web11508.mail.yahoo.com> > > The Ottoman Empire and the Rise of Balkan > Nationalisms, 1789-1832. > An international conference, 13-14 Dec. 2003 > > The Department of History and Archaeology of the > University of Crete > announces an international conference, which will be > held in Rethymno, > Greece, on 13-14 December, 2003 ("Xenia" Students' > Cultural Center). > The topic of the conference is "The Ottoman Empire > and the Rise of > Balkan Nationalisms, 1789-1832: Conflict, > Transformation, Adaptation". > > Conference Program > > Saturday, 13 December 2003 > Morning Session > > 9.15 Opening - Addresses > > 9.30-9.50 Gergana Georgieva (Sofia), Administrative > Structure and > Government of Rumelia in the Later 18th and Early > 19th Century > > 10.00-10.20 Viorel Panaite (Bucharest), Wallachia > and Moldavia according > to the Ottoman Legal and Political View, 1774-1829 > > 10.30-10.50 Antonis Anastasopoulos (Rethymno), > Karaferye (Veroia) in > the 1790s: How Much Can the Kadi Sicilleri Tell Us? > > 11.00-11.20 Cedomir Antic (Belgrade), The Formative > Years of the > Principality of Serbia (1804-1839): Ottoman > Influences > > 11.30-12.00 Break > > 12.00-12.20 Rossitsa Gradeva (Sofia), Secession in > the Ottoman Balkans: > The Case of Osman Pazvantoglu > > 12.30-12.50 Rachida Tlili Sellaouti (Tunis), Le > nizam-i cedid, Osman > Pasvant Oglu et l'Empire ottoman (1789-1806) > > 13.00-13.20 Dimitris Dimitropoulos (Athens), Aspects > of the Working > of Fiscal Machinery in the Areas Ruled by Ali Pasha > > Evening Session > > 17.30-17.50 Martha Pylia (Komotini), Conflits > politiques et comportements > des primats chretiens en Moree pre-revolutionnaire > > 18.00-18.20 Dimitrios Stamatopoulos (Thessaloniki), > Constantinople in > the Peloponnese: The Case of the Dragoman of the > Morea (Tercuman Bey) > Georgios Wallerianos > > 18.30-18.50 Anna Vlachopoulou (Munich), Like the > Mafia: The Ottoman > Military Presence in the Morea on the Eve of the > Revolution > > 19.00-19.30 Break > > 19.30-19.50 Christos Loukos (Rethymno), Suggestions > for a > Bolder Incorporation of Studies on the Greek > Revolution of 1821 > into their Ottoman Context > > 20.00-20.20 Panayiotis Stathis (Rethymno), From > Klefts and Armatoloi > to Revolutionaries > > 20.30-20.50 Mehmet Seyitdanlioglu (Ankara), Greek > Independence in > Ottoman Chronicles > > Sunday, 14 December 2003 > > Morning Session > > 9.30-9.50 Christine Philliou (Princeton), Breaking > the Tetrarchia and > Saving the Kaymakam: To Be an Ambitious Ottoman > Christian in 1821 > > 10.00-10.20 Hakan Erdem (Istanbul), "Perfidious > Albanians" and > "Zealous Governors": Ottoman-Albanian Relations > during the Greek > War of Independence > > 10.30-11.00 Break > > 11.00-11.20 Vassilis Demetriades (Rethymno), > Conflict of Interests > between Central Administration and Local Society in > Crete in the > Course of the Greek Revolution of 1821 > > 11.30-11.50 Cengiz Kirli (Istanbul), Balkan > Nationalisms and the > Ottoman Empire: Views from the Streets of Istanbul > > 12.00-12.30 Concluding Remarks - Farewell > > The conference is kindly sponsored by: > The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation > Alpha Bank > Emporiki Bank > Piraeus Bank > Metaichmio Publications > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Thu Dec 11 07:01:11 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 04:01:11 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfA: The Coimbra Group Hospitality Scheme Message-ID: <20031211120111.63139.qmail@web11507.mail.yahoo.com> > NEW OPPORTUNITY for RESEARCHERS of EASTERN AND > CENTRAL EUROPE > The Coimbra Group Hospitality Scheme > > One of the aims of the Coimbra Group of Universities > is to create more > opportunities for non-EU students to study at one of > the European member > universities. A hospitality scheme was launched in > the year 2000 to fund > young academics from South East Europe. The idea > stems from a meeting in > Oxford, where a similar hospitality scheme was > established in the 1970s for > researchers from Central and Eastern European > Countries. > Through this Hospitality Scheme, 20 Coimbra Group > Universities offer > short-term visits to scholars from countries of > South East Europe, the so > called non-accession countries (Albania, Bosnia and > Herzegovina, Croatia, > Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia). From 2004 > onwards, taking into account > the European enlargement, the programme will also be > open to scholars from > Ukraine. > The main aim of the scheme is to enable scholars to > undertake research on > which they are engaged in their home institution and > to help them to > establish academic and research contacts. > The scheme is intended for younger academics. > Applicants should be current > or recent staff members of a university or an > equivalent higher education > institution, and, in most cases, should be of > postdoctoral or equivalent > status, although some institutions may offer > opportunities to doctoral > students. Candidates not currently working in a > university should continue > to be involved in academic activity and be intending > to return to > university employment in the future. Applicants must > have sufficient > knowledge of a relevant European Union language to > be able to benefit from > their stay. > The duration of the stay will usually be one month > but in some cases > universities may offer longer visits. Visiting > scholars will normally be > provided with a working place and access to Internet > facilities. They will > also be given access to such other university > facilities as appropriate for > their work, depending upon availability at the host > institution. > Participating universities will offer accommodation > and meals (or an > adequate stipend to cover these expenses), and in > some cases also funds for > minimal day-to-day expenses/pocket money. The > precise terms of the award > will vary between universities. Visiting scholars, > or their institutions, > will normally be expected to meet travel costs, > although in special cases > some assistance may be considered. > Deadline for submitting applications is March 1st > every year. The completed > application form (including two letters of > recommendation and other > diplomas) should be sent to the Coimbra Group Office > (119 rue de Stassart, > B-1050 Brussels, Belgium). > Further information about the programme, application > form, participating > universities etc can be found at the Coimbra Group > website: > www.coimbra-group.be (under Coimbra Group projects). > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ From mentor at alb-net.com Thu Dec 11 16:07:26 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Kosova Crisis Center News and Information) Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 16:07:26 -0500 (EST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [Kcc-News] Serb Policeman Describes Massacre in Kosovo Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/international/europe/11SERB.html Serb Policeman Describes Massacre in Kosovo By NICHOLAS WOOD Published: December 11, 2003 ELGRADE, Serbia, Dec. 10 - For the first time since the end of the 1990's wars that broke up Yugoslavia, a former Serbian policeman went before a local court on Wednesday and described how his police reserve unit had taken part in the massacre of at least 14 people, including 7 children. The policeman, Goran Stoparic, said his unit, known as the Scorpions, was sent to the town of Podujevo in eastern Kosovo on March 28, 1999 - five days into the war with NATO over Kosovo - and rounded up a group of women and children and shot them. The unit was withdrawn from Kosovo into Serbia proper the same day, he said. The trial of one member of the unit, Sasa Cvjetan, who is accused of killing 19 people, is the eighth in Serbia to tackle crimes committed in the three main Yugoslav wars of the 1990's. While witnesses at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague have detailed the involvement of police officers and soldiers in war crimes, Serbian courts so far have excluded accusations pointing to government involvement. Even senior members of the Serbian government that succeeded the wartime administration of Slobodan Milosevic deny that the government had any role in massacres or brutal expulsions of non-Serbs in the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Mr. Stoparic described how his unit had been deployed to Kosovo after the start of NATO's bombing campaign. He said the unit had been issued weapons close to the border of Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, which is inhabited mostly by Albanians. He said the men had been driven in two buses to Podujevo and told that they were to seize territory captured by the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army. Once they entered the town, he said, the unit's commander instructed them to find accommodation in local houses. In one house, Mr. Stoparic said, Mr. Cvjetan led a group of women and children into the backyard, where they were joined by several other unit members. A minute later, Mr. Stoparic testified, he heard four to five bursts of automatic gunfire. He said that he had not seen any bodies, but that Mr. Cvjetan and three other unit members left shortly afterward, reloading their guns as they went. A member of a special antiterrorist unit, identified only as Vuk, then entered the backyard and reappeared with a wounded girl, Mr. Stoparic told the court. The man called Vuk stopped a colleague trying to enter the yard, saying: "They've killed them. There is nothing to see." The colleague then asked Vuk if everyone was dead, and Vuk said yes, Mr. Stoparic added. Five children survived the shootings, though, including one girl who had 16 bullet wounds in her arms, legs and back. All five, who now live in Britain, gave testimony in July when the trial started and identified Mr. Cvjetan as having been among the killers. Enver Duriqi, a Kosovo Albanian man, lost his mother, father, wife and four children from 21 months to 9 years old in the massacre. The seven other known victims were all members of the Bogujevci family, also from Podujevo. Mr. Stoparic was to have given his testimony on Monday but pleaded illness at the last minute. Questioned by a lawyer for the victims' families if he had been threatened before the hearing, he said the unit's commander had approached him outside the courtroom. "He did not say he would kill me," Mr. Stoparic said. "He said the consequences would be drastic." Throughout his three and a half hours of testimony, Mr. Stoparic was guarded by bodyguards, and the court ordered protection maintained for him. Asked why he had decided to testify now, he said he felt obliged to do so because children had been killed. "Now I am a Serbian traitor," he said. "Even if I am killed, it would be worth it because of the children who were killed. I participated in wars for 10 years and never saw anyone kill children." Last Friday several other former members of the unit, including its commander, Slobodan Medic, testified that none of them had been present at the shootings. Only two unit members are on trial, Mr. Cvjetan and Dejan Demirovic, who is in Canada and is being tried in absentia. Mr. Cvjetan could face up to 15 years in prision if convicted. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: kcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit KCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/kcc-news From aalibali at yahoo.com Sun Dec 14 14:11:55 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 11:11:55 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfA: Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, Fellowship Message-ID: <20031214191155.97051.qmail@web11508.mail.yahoo.com> > > January 15, 2004 deadline > > The Carnegie Council on Ethics and International > Affairs is now accepting > applications for its nonresidential Fellows Program. > The program supports > promising younger scholars, educators, and > practitioners who are engaged > with the ethical dimensions of international > affairs. The program is open > to junior scholars and mid-career professionals > worldwide. Individuals > from developing countries are encouraged to apply. > All fellows must be > fluent in English. > > Candidates must link their applications to one of > the Council's five > program areas: > > Environmental Values > Ethics and the Use of Force > History and the Politics of Reconciliation > Human Rights > Justice and the World Economy. > > The deadline for applications is January 15, 2004. > Please visit our > website at > http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/page.php/prmID/48 for > more > details. > > Inquiries may be addressed to: > Carnegie Council on Ethics and > International Affairs > 170 East 64th Street > New York, NY 10021 > e-mail: fellows at cceia.org > NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ From aalibali at yahoo.com Sun Dec 14 14:13:34 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 11:13:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] CEP Fellowships Message-ID: <20031214191334.74727.qmail@web11502.mail.yahoo.com> Civic Education Project Teaching Fellowships 2004-05 Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, and Mongolia Social Sciences, Law, Journalism/Media Studies Civic Education Project Teaching Fellowships 2004-05 Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, and Mongolia Social Sciences, Law, Journalism/Media Studies The Civic Education Project (CEP) invites applications for its 2004-05 Visiting Faculty Fellowship Program. Applications will be accepted from October 1, 2003, until March 1, 2004. Fellowships begin in September 2004 and finish in May/June 2005. CEP welcomes applications from faculty, retired faculty, Ph.D.s, and advanced postgraduate students in the social sciences (including area studies, anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, public administration, and sociology). CEP also offers teaching fellowships in law and journalism/media studies. Applicants must hold, or be expecting to receive, a graduate degree from a Western university, and be applying to teach outside their country of citizenship. Visiting Faculty Fellows teach courses for one academic year (two semesters) at CEP partner universities located throughout Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. In addition to teaching, CEP Fellows work on a variety of outreach projects outside the classroom and benefit from the diverse academic network connecting CEP program countries. The fellowship package includes a stipend, round-trip air travel, accommodation, health insurance, and allowances for language lessons and books. For application forms and guidelines, please see the fellowship programs area of our web site: www.cep.org.hu/programs/index.html. For further information please contact our offices: CEP European Office:????????????????????????????????????????????????? CEP North American Office: 1051 Budapest ??? 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW Szent Istvan ter 11./b??????????????????????????????????????????????????? Suite # 506 Hungary ???????????? Washington DC 20036, USA e-mail: cep at cepnet.hu??????????????????????????????????????????????? e- mail: cepdc at jhu.edu tel: (+36) 1 327 3219??????????????????????????????????????????????????? (+001) 202 663 7792 fax: (+36) 1 327 3221 (+001) 202 663 7799 www.cep.org.hu Categories: Anthropology, Area Studies, Economics, Gender Studies, History, International Relations, Journalism/Media Studies, Law, Public Administration, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Sciences Location: CEE/NIs region Deadline: March 1, 2003 Website: www.cep.org.hu __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ From albboschurch at juno.com Mon Dec 29 23:29:28 2003 From: albboschurch at juno.com (albboschurch at juno.com) Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 23:29:28 -0500 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Book presentation at St George Cathedral Message-ID: <20031229.234241.3556.18.albboschurch@juno.com> "Early Shadows:" A Book Presentation On Sunday, January 4, 2004, St George Cathedral hosts Ms Elda Zeko, a graduate student from Albania. She will present a new book entitled: "Early Shadows," which includes art work by Kosovar children, painted while in refugee camps in Tirana in the late 1990's. Ms Zeko has worked with marginalized communities, disabled persons, minorities and refugees in Albania and other Balkan countries, assisting individuals in facing traumas. She presently majors in Rehabilitation Counseling at Assumption College in Worcester. It is a wonderful testimony. The book is more than a simple album, it is a testimony of the pain and the horror children went through during a war. As she says: "I personally believe that the hate that grows in them, is the same, and does not matter if they live in Kosovo, Cambodia, or Afghanistan." Join us after liturgy [ 10 am ] in meeting Elda Zeko and hearing more about her work. She will be available at our Coffee Hour to speak about the book. Albanian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George 523 East Broadway SOuth Boston, MA 02127-4415 -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From mentor at alb-net.com Mon Dec 22 23:56:30 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Albanians-Today News and Information) Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 04:56:30 -0000 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [Albanians-Today] MJAFT! action for better education in Albania Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Albanians-Today News and Information: http://www.alb-net.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- The text below has been sent to the Albanian Parliament by the MJAFT! Movement. (MJAFT = ENOUGH). ---- forwarded e-mail ---- >From "MJAFT subscribe list" Dear Friend, Please find attached the latest information update from the MJAFT! Movement.(English is below the Albanian version.) If you need further information please do not hesitate in contacting us. info at mjaft.org 04 222 389 www.mjaft.org -------------------------------------------------------------- MJAFT! Movement, Network of secondary and elementary education NPO-s, (ROA) and the Institute of Public and Private Finances have recently joined their forces aiming at the increase of public expenditures on education through advocacy and lobbying. We believe that if education is thoroughly a priority for our government than this should be reflected in the public expenditures. Below you can find two documents that give a broader view of the existing problem and our incentive of action. The first is a letter addressed to the Members of Albanian Parliament and the second one is our material presentation submitted in front of Parliamentary Commission of Economy. During this week, MJAFT, ROA and IPPF will organize different activities as TV Shows, meetings with MP-s, and protests. Honourable Members of Albanian Parliament, We, the Network of secondary and elementary education NPO-s, (ROA) the Institute of Public and Private Finances and MJAFT Movement, strongly agree that a nation.s future is created among the school desks and the level of a society.s emancipation is measured and evaluated by the attention and care that it manifests toward citizens education. The impression that Albanian education is decent can be considered an enormous misconception. Foreign as well as Albanian experts claim that the actual situation of education does not generate the needed professional capacities to bring the Albanian economy up to speed. In addition they point out that the actual level of education is below international standards and thus cannot compare to the levels of democratic development in western countries. We jeopardize deterioration in European coexistence if we do not strive to develop European citizenship. Complete reform is a necessity for the education system as a whole. A fundamental precondition for the success of this reform is: More expenditure. During the last ten years, governmental contribution toward education has been around 3% of GDP. The world average on education expenditures is around 5% of GDP. EU countries spend on the average 5% of their GDP, and at the same time persist for a substantial increase in expenditures in order to lead the EU on a path toward a more competitive economy. On average, countries with medium income, among which Albania is counted, allocate 4.8% of their GDP. The average of European countries in transition is slightly higher. (For the year 2000: Byelorussia 6.0%, Czech Republic 4.3%, Estonia 4.4%, Hungary 7.6%, Latvia 4.8%, Lithuania 6.3%, Slovakia 4.7%, Slovenia 4.4%, and Ukraine 4.0%). Comparing country percentages of GDP allocated to Education, Albania is ranked in 93rd in the world. With the actual level of progress that Middle Term Expenditures Framework provides, Albania will achieve the present-day educational level of Macedonia in 57 years. In the National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED) it has been promised to increase the percentage to 3.7%. Education is proclaimed to be a priority. However, until now it obviously has not been taken into account during budget negotiations. An increase, at least to 3.7% of GDP allocated toward education, as promised in NSSED, would testify that politicians are proving their beliefs that the education system exemplifies our responsibilities toward the future generations. Along this path, Albania will accelerate close the gap with other countries in region similar to us, even in their aspirations. We are committed to increase governmental and public interest for the quality of education. We truly believe that we will find allies within Parliament and hope for a positive reply within next week, 15-20 December. Sincerely, Human Development Indicators of Human Development (combination of three basic components): . A long and healthy life; . The level of education; . A decent standard of living. The Problem Education indicators . In 1989 the average amount of education was 11.6 years, while in the year 2000, it had decreased to 8.5 years, which means an average decrease of 3 years in education over a decade!!! . Level of attendance in schools has decreased in pre-elementary school as well as high-school. The numbers show a high dropout rate, respectively 37 per cent and 36 per cent (compared to 1990) . In sub-urban areas school attendance is below average. It is recognized that access to education as well as the quality of education in these areas is problematic Why high level of drop-outs??? The reasons for the high level of drop-outs are diverse for different levels of education. . In pre-elementary education, drop-out is related to the closing of public institutions. . Related to obligatory education, decrease in attendance is mainly caused by 2 factors: . 35 per cent of students that drop-out from school do so due to economic reasons . Meanwhile, almost one of fifth of them drop-out from school because of the poor level and the low quality of education Other problems . The number of schools has decreased with 55 per cent . Their closing has its effect on poor families by bringing a decrease in the level of their education . Urban population growth, large number of teachers without relevant related education - especially in remote areas - are other factors that cause a decrease in the number of the students attending high school . 12-per cent of the population over 15 years old is unable to read and to write, thus is classified as .illiterate.. . The level of illiteracy in urban areas (7 per cent) and the rural areas (19 per cent) is disproportional. . 83,5 % of poverty is found among individuals without education (4.1%) or ones with elementary education (79.4%) (taken from INSTAT) . The Public Education Service suffers from quality problems related to: . Educational tools and instruments; . An increase in the no. of teacher.s without relevant related education; . Serious deficiencies in teacher.s vocational trainings concern outdated or ingrained teaching methods; . Content problems, etc. . The quality of education is lower in urban areas, remote areas and sub-urban areas. The Causes . During the last ten years, public funds for education remain around 10 per cent of budget expenses, but their reflection in the GDP has been decreasing. . From 3, 8 per cent in 1995, this indicator has decreased to 2, 8 percent in 2002, which is much lower than the level of other Eastern European Countries. Commitments of the Albanian Government Millennium Development Goals The Albanian Response "or what YOU have committed" . Goal 3: Ensure that, by the year 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Taken from Albania and Millennium Development Goals, pg.17 Millennium Development Goals The Albanian Response "or what YOU have committed" Increase the level of attendance in elementary education - From 90 percent in the year 2000 to 94 percent in the year 2004 and 100 percent in the year 2015, divided in accordance with groups of population and areas. Increase the level of attendance in secondary education - From 40 percent in the year 2000 to 50 percent in the year 2004 Increase the average of years of education - From 8.5 years in 2000 to 10 years in 2004. UN Recommendations on Millennium Development Goals . Possibilities should be created to increase financing for the educational sector at all levels and in all regions. Thus, an increase of the share of budget expenditures for education (as a percentage of the GDP) should be considered as one of the primary goals that the government should strive for. THE PRIORITIES OF NATIONAL STRATEGY for SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (NSSED) "or what YOU have promised" Priority fields of public demands are: . Health and Education . Infrastructure . Improvement of governance . Economical growth . Social Support . Macroeconomic stability Goals and Objectives from NSSED "or what YOU have promised" The disturbing and acute problems present in the educational system call for direct reforms within this sector. The main goals to strengthen this process of reforms, as well as the objectives of the education strategy are: . Increase participation of population within education services, focusing on poorest level of society and remote country areas; . Improve quality of services and rebuilding and adapting the education system in accordance with market developments and needs; The education sector.s specific objectives within the strategy for economic growth and poverty reduction are: . Increase participation in elementary education focusing on poorest level of society and remote country areas as well as increasing participation in secondary education, especially professional education . Improve the quality of teaching methods . Expand professional education and adapt it better to market needs. . Increase administration efficiency and education system financial efficiency The Strategy translated into funds The major problems of poverty in rural and remote areas of the country are the poor quality of essential services as well as health and education services, requiring more sources which need to be addressed in order to solve these problems. This leads to a decrease in sources available for solving problems of other problematic areas regarding development. Strategic Priorities in MTEF Strategic priorities for public expenditures under 2004-06 MTEF, remain largely unchanged and reflect the policy and program proposals identified in NSSED These are: . To increase the share of GDP allocated to health and education which is very low in comparison to international standards and reflects the poor quality of public services in these sectors; A Comparison to other countries in the world The budget for education as percentage of the GDP . 1st place Moldova 10.3% . 24th place Congo, 5.9% . 39th place Macedonia, 4.9% . 92nd place Sri Lanka 2.9% . 93rd place Albania 2.8% . 94th place Benin 2.7% . 95th place Ethiopia 2.7% . 96th place Antigua and Barbuda 2.6% . 97th place Mozambique 2.6% . 98th place Nicaragua 2.6% . 99th place Bhutan 2.4% . 100th place Uganda 2.4% . Average 4.75 % Strategic Priorities under MTEF "or what YOU have promised on June 2003" According to NSSED, strategic priorities of public expenditures which are sustained by financial sources are: . Increase resources, both in real terms and as a share of the GDP, which are allocated to health and education sectors; Linking MTEF and NSSED . Budget program and resource ceiling for 2004 are based on the priority measures identified under the NSSED. . Linking and settling of the correct ratios between the NSSED, MTEF 2004-06 and the draft Budget 2004 is considered as a process and principal goal of this framework. Linking MTEF and NSSED . MTEF assures all the needed mechanisms through which the main priority objectives, identified under the NSSED, can be integrated in to the budget process Strategic settlement of Priorities . Strategic prioritization of public expenditures is beginning to be achieved through the MTEF process. The NSSED has highlighted the strategic requirements for a relative redistribution of resources toward health and education sectors which address the relatively low levels of spending within these sectors. NSSED Priorities Priority fields of public demands will be: . Health and Education . Infrastructure . Governance improvement . Economical growth . Social Support . Macroeconomic stability In the meantime!?! NSSED Promises that: . Human Development: Education: The percentage of the GDP allocated to education will be increased from 3.4 in 2002 to 3.7 of GDP in 2004 MTEF Promises that: . Education expenditures are envisioned to increase from 3.0% of GDP in 2004 to 3.1% of GDP in 2006. A Comparison to other countries in the world With the above mentioned level of progress of 0.1% in 3 years, Albania will achieve the current level of education of: . Macedonia in 57 years . Congo in 87 years . Moldova in 219 years Budget 2004 . Education expenditures are projected to be 3.1% of the GDP What WE ask for? . Recognition of the promises made regarding the increase of the percentage for education of the 2004 budget from 3.1% in 3.7% of GDP ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: albanians-today-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit Albanians-Today's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/albanians-today