From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Oct 1 18:37:57 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 15:37:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Koha Jone: Dokument dhe Koment Message-ID: <20031001223757.5688.qmail@web11506.mail.yahoo.com> E Merkure, 01 Tetor 2003 DOKUMENTI SEKRET PD-PBDNJ Marreveshje bashkepunimi e percaktuar sot me date 10.9.2003 ne Himare ndermjet Partise Demokratike dega Vlore, perfaqesuar nga kryetari i kesaj dege zoti Shpetim Xhymeri dhe ndermjet kandidatit per kryetar bashkie i paraqitur nga PPDNJ, zoti Vasil Bollano, kjo marrveshje percaktohet si me poshte: -Partia Demokratike nuk do te paraqese kandidat per kryetar bashke ne Himare dhe mbeshtet publikisht zotin Bollano. -Nga komisioneret te pakten dy ne KZQV dhe ne cdo KQV do te miratohen edhe nga zoti V.Bollano. -Nga ana e saj PPDNJ merr persiper qe keshilltaret ne vendet perkatesisht ne listen proporcionale 2,4,7,9 te miratohen detyrimisht edhe nga perfaqesuesit e PD-se ne Himare. -Po ashtu pas fitores te z V.Bollano ne pushtetin qe do te vije dy nga postet drejtuese "ndermjet nenkryetarit te Bashkise, kryetarit te keshillit bashkiak dhe sektretarit) do te propozohen nga Partia Demotratike. -Te dy palet marrin persiper te respektojne kete marreveshje. -Te kater personat qe futen ne listen shumeemerore te PPDNJ, krahas kesaj marreveshje te bejne deklara te motivuar per doreheqje nga Keshilli Bashkiak, ne rast se prishetmarreveshja deri 12.10.03. Per degen e PD, Vlore, kryetari Shpetim Xhyheri ======= E Merkure, 01 Tetor 2003 DOKUMENTI QE TRONDIT SKENEN POLITIKE Ky eshte teksti integral i marreveshjes konfidenciale lokale mes Partise Demokratike dhe Partise Bashkimi per te Drejtat e Njeriut per Bashkine e Himares. Deklaratat e derisotme te krereve te larte te te dy partive politike e kane mohuar ekzistencen e nje dokumenti autentik, i cili te mund te jete nenshkruar zyrtarisht nga funksionare, perfaqesues apo te zgjedhur te dy forcave politike. Por redaksia e gazetes "Koha jone", permes botimit te dokumentit origjinal, hedh drite realisht mbi marreveshjen konkrete te arritur mes perfaqesuesve te dy forcave politike. Botimi i ketij dokumenti i ve kreret e larte dhe institucionet e komunikimit publik te partive ne fjale, para detyrimit te pranimit te kesaj marreveshjeje konkrete e cila deri me sot eshte komentuar si nje kthese e papritur e kreut te opozites dhe e kreut te partise qe kryesohet nga perfaqesues te pakices greke. Nenshkrimi i nje dokumenti te tille natyrisht qe ka hapur komente dhe debate te ndryshme mes anetaresise se te dy partive, nderkohe qe ajo sipas deklarimeve lokale nuk eshte mbeshtetur nga kjo anetaresi edhe per shkak te pozicionimeve te ndryshme gjate periudhes politike te tranzicionit. Gjithesesi dokumenti autentik hed perfundimisht drite mbi bashkepunimin konkret lokal mes dy forcave politike, njera prej te cilave kreyson opoziten, ndersa tjetra zyrtarisht vazhdon te konsiderohet parti ne koalicinin qeverises, duke pasur ne qeveri me socialistet edhe nje minister. Botimi i ketij dokumenti, perfundimisht ekspozon te verteten qe lidhet me qendrimin politik te PBDNJ-se, e cila nenshkruan marreveshje bashkepunimi me opoziten per zgjedhjet lokale dhe ende mban poste ministrore ne qeverisjen qendrore. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Mon Oct 6 16:25:17 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 13:25:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Opportunity Announcement Message-ID: <20031006202517.22260.qmail@web11506.mail.yahoo.com> > > > > The Kokkalis Program would like to announce the > following two > opportunities: > _______________________________________ > 6th Annual Graduate Student Workshop on Southeastern > and East-Central > Europe > Call for Papers > > The Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and > East-Central Europe, John F. > Kennedy School of Government, and the Southeast > European Study Group, Minda > de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard > University, will hold the > sixth annual Kokkalis Graduate Student Workshop on > February 5-6, 2004. > > Doctoral students are invited to submit proposals > for papers to be > delivered at the workshop. Proposals should be a > maximum of 500 words and > should fall into one of the thematic units listed > below, relative to one or > more of the countries specified below: > > Thematic units: > - Southeastern Europe and the United States > - Religion in Southeastern Europe: Historical and > Contemporary > - Post-Communist Transition and the Prospect of EU > Membership in > Southeastern Europe > > Countries of focus: > Albania - Bosnia-Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - > Cyprus - Greece - > Hungary > F.Y.R. of Macedonia - Moldova - Romania - Serbia & > Montenegro - Slovenia - > Turkey > > A number of grants for travel and accommodation are > available. > > Deadline for submission is November 14, 2003. > > Proposals and CVs should be submitted online at > http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/scholarship_form/GSW/index.html > Alternatively, they may also be submitted via email > at > Kokkalis_Program at ksg.harvard.edu > > For more information on the Graduate Student > Workshop please visit > http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/kokkalis > > ________________________________________ > > Master's in Public Policy, Public Administration, > and Public > Administration/International Development > Fellowships for 2004-2005 > > > The Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and > East-Central Europe awards > fellowships to enable individuals with outstanding > intellectual promise > from its region of focus to pursue Master's degrees > at the John F. Kennedy > School of Government, Harvard University. > > Eligible to apply for the 2004-2005 Kokkalis > Fellowship Program are natives > of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, > Greece, Hungary, the > Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, > Romania, Serbia and > Montenegro, and Turkey who are applying to one of > the following degree > programs at the John F. Kennedy School of > Government: Master in Public > Policy (MPP); Master in Public Administration > (MPA2); Mid-Career Master in > Public Administration (MC/MPA); Master in Public > Administration in > International Development (MPA/ID). > > Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree > recognized by their native > state and an academic and/or professional background > in one of the > following fields: social sciences, public policy > and/or administration, the > non-profit sector, law, economics, business, or work > experience in related > fields. All applicants should demonstrate a strong > commitment to public > service and the region of Southeastern Europe. > > Candidates must complete both the Kennedy School > application for admission > and the Kokkalis Fellowship application and can > submit all materials > electronically. Prospective applicants should visit > http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/kokkalis/fellowships.html > for details on the > full application process. > > Information on the Kokkalis Fellowship Program and > paper copies of the > Kennedy School application may also be obtained > from: > > Ankara: The Fulbright Commission +90 > 312 428 4824 > Athens: The Kokkalis Foundation +30 > 210 610 5451 > Belgrade: U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Office +38 > 11 306 4771 > Bucharest: The Fulbright Commission +40 > 21 230 7719 > Budapest: The Fulbright Commission +36 > 1 462 8040 > Chisinau: U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Office +373 > 2 233 772 ext. 8915 > Istanbul: The Fulbright Commission +90 > 212 244 1105 > Podgorica U.S. Consulate +381 > 81 225417 > Sarajevo: U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Office +387 > 33 619 592 > Skopje: Liaison Office of Greece > +389 2 130 198 > Sofia: The Fulbright Commission > +359 2 981 8567 > Tirana: Embassy of Greece +355 > 423 3329 > Zagreb: U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs > Office +385 1 661 2243 > > - Deadline for submission of the Kokkalis > Fellowship application is > December 12, 2003. > - Deadlines for admission to KSG vary according to > the degree program, and > applicants should consult the following website for > details: > http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/apply/deadlines.htm > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Oct 7 11:31:35 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 08:31:35 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfP: Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development Message-ID: <20031007153135.26367.qmail@web11502.mail.yahoo.com> > > > Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and > Development announces a > > > > ROLLING CALL FOR PAPERS > > > > KIPRED seeks to elicit policy research papers for > its Policy Research > Series from distinguished scholars and > practitioners. Papers must be > policy oriented and have Kosovar or regional focus. > > Permanent research priorities: > > Performance of Institutions > > Stability; performance; efficiency; political and > financial accountability; > consensus building > > Political Parties > > Inter-party relations; party organizations and > structures; intra-party > relations > > Local Government > > Reform; satisfaction; perceptions; efficiency; > territorial division and > competencies > > Interethnic Relations > > Power sharing arrangements at all levels; main > problems for minorities; > cultural and educational arrangements > > Electoral Systems > > Reform; political effects; cost/benefit > > Security > > Democratic control and accountability; performance > > Foreign Policy > > Relations with its neighbors; Euro-Atlantic > integration; free-trade agreements > > Temporary areas of research interest: > > -Political process of the status of Kosova: > Negotiations > > -International missions: analysis; lessons learned. > > Who should apply? > > The applicants should be of high academic standing: > > Minimum Master of Arts > > Language: The papers should be in English or > Albanian. > > Target audience > > The audience of KIPRED work is the international > community that deals with > the Balkans, the policy and expert community in > Kosovo and foreign > academics that deal with the Balkans or theoretical > issues of trends > present in the Balkans such as international > trustees, conflict resolution, > peace building, transition and related. > > How to apply? > > Prospective authors should send one-to-two page > abstracts at any time of > the year to leon.malazogu at kipred.org as a recent > Microsoft Word file. > > What should the research proposal contain? > > Prospective authors should send a one-two pages > description of the project > that answers the following questions: > > Whats the main problem that needs to be answered? > > Formulate the problem! > > Number several arguments and examples! > > Delineate an initial hypothesis! > > Describe the methodology to be used! (Show how you > will conduct > qualitative research and extract sound empirical > data) > > Identify who the main stakeholders are! > > How does it match the overall strategy and priority > of KIPRED? > > How relevant is it to Kosovas public policy needs? > > Is it realistic that it will be completed within the > given time frame? > > Is it realistic that it can be completed with given > resources and funding? > > Whats the forecasted impact on public life in > Kosova in general and on > specific stakeholders? > > What is the value-added to KIPREDs internal > capacity? > > A strong focus on public policy recommendations > > Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult > literature on public policy > papers. KIPRED can make this literature and other > more detailed guidelines > available upon request. > > Time-line > > The project proposal should also present a tentative > time-line and the > author should be ready to respect deadlines tightly. > > Documents to submit > > The proposal must be accompanied by: > > -CV, one paragraph bio, list of previous > publications > > -A previous writing sample (preferably published) > > Deadline: Rolling throughout the year. If the > summary has been approved as > an idea, the author is then sent the guidelines for > completing the > publication as well as the contract. > > Resources that we offer > > We would like to inform you that KIPRED, in > cooperation with ESI (European > Stability Initiative) has created a Smart Library, > an online catalogue of > the hard copy resources that we own. We strongly > encourage that you make > use of this. The software is finished, though few > entries have been > entered, but this will increasingly get enriched. > Please visit > www.kipred.org under Smart Library. > > KIPRED can make available a research assistant for > up to twenty days of > field research, data collection, interviewing, > statistical analysis with > SPSS, photocopying, data entry, information > verification or else. You may > choose a research assistant of you own, however, we > encourage that you > select one from the pool of research assistants that > KIPRED has been > training so far. Some of them have extensive > experience is the type of > work listed above. > > KIPRED monitors the media for a number of research > topics, and always > enters the topics that have been approved. In order > to get this file, > please contact us. > > Remuneration > > Apart of the research honorary of up to 1,500 euros, > which is equivalent to > three months of part-time research, please note that > there is a $500 book > allowance dedicated to the research project you are > undertaking, and we > would encourage you to already start looking into > the books that you will > need throughout the duration of the project. The > books must be returned to > KIPRED at the termination of the project, before the > final reimbursement is > made to you. > > For any other information, please e-mail > info at kipred.org. This > announcement can also be found at www.kipred.org. > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Oct 7 11:30:55 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 08:30:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfA: Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships Message-ID: <20031007153055.7413.qmail@web11505.mail.yahoo.com> > > ANNOUNCEMENT: 2003 - 2004 FELLOWSHIPS FOR > THREATENED SCHOLARS > > > Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships > > The Institute of International Education's Scholar > Rescue Fund > provides > fellowships for scholars whose lives and work are > threatened in > their home > countries. These fellowships permit scholars to find > temporary > refuge at > universities and colleges anywhere in the world, > enabling them to > pursue > their academic work and to continue to share their > knowledge with > students, > colleagues, and the community at large. When > conditions improve, > these > scholars will return home to help rebuild > universities and > societies ravaged > by fear, conflict and repression. > > How the Scholar Rescue Fund Works: > > ++Academics, researchers and independent scholars > from any > country, field or > discipline may qualify. Preference is given to > scholars with a > Ph.D. or > other highest degree in their field; who have been > employed in > scholarly > activities at a university, college or other > institution of > higher learning > during the last four years (excluding displacement > or > prohibition); who > demonstrate superior academic accomplishment or > promise; and > whose selection > is likely to benefit the academic community in the > home and/or > host country > or region. Applications from female scholars and > under- > represented groups > are strongly encouraged. > > ++Universities, colleges and research centers in any > country may > apply to > serve as hosts. > > ++Applications and nominations should be made to the > Fund's > Selection > Committee. Institutions interested in hosting a > particular > scholar should > submit a letter with the scholar's application. > Fellowships are > awarded to > institutions for support of specific individuals, to > be matched > in most > cases by the institution or third-party. Fellowship > recipients > are expected > to continue their work in safety at the host > institution-teaching, > lecturing, conducting research, writing and > publishing. > Fellowships from 3 > months to one calendar year will be considered with > up to 25 > fellowships > awarded annually. The maximum award is US $20,000. > > ++Applications are accepted at any time. Emergency > applications > receive > urgent consideration. Non-emergency applications > will be > considered > according to the following schedule: > > Fall 2003: Applications received by October 1; > decision by > December 1. > > Winter 2004: Applications received by January 1; > decision by > March 1. > > Spring 2004: Applications received by April 1; > decision by June > 1. > > > How to apply: > > To apply or to learn how your institution might host > an SRF > scholar contact: > > IIE Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowships > 809 U.N. Plaza, Second Floor > New York, New York 10017 > Tel: (USA) 1-212-984-5472 > Fax: (USA) 1-212-984-5401 > E-mail: SRF at iie.org > Web: http://www.iie.org/SRF > > > Location: US > Deadline: Ongoing > Website: http://www.iie.org/SRF > > Source: www.conflicttransformation.org > > All the best, > > Lidia Elena DASCALU > Public Relations Responsible > ============================================ > The European Centre for Resources and Consultancy > CERC Iasi > Iasi, Str. C. Negri 8, Bl. G1, Ap. 7 > tel/fax: 0232 258 425 mobile: 0745 887 246 > e-mail: lidia at centrueuro.ro website: > www.centrueuro.ro > ============================================= > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Oct 5 22:36:07 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Kosova Crisis Center News and Information) Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 22:36:07 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [Kcc-News] NAAC Reiterates in Washington that an Independent Kosova is the Only Option Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- National Albanian American Council 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 481 8th Avenue, Suite 922, New York, NY 10001 Brigada e Krajishtes, No. 8, 38000 Prishtina, Kosova Telephone: (202) 466-6900 Fax: (202) 466-5593 Web: Email: naac at naac.org ________________________________________________________________________ For Release: October 3, 2003 Contact: Valbona Sherifi (202) 466-6900 PRESS RELEASE NAAC Reiterates in Washington that an Independent Kosova is the Only Option Washington, DC: October 3, 2003: The National Albanian American Council (NAAC) issued the following statement regarding the meetings that NAAC Chairman Ilirjan Rusi and Executive Director Martin G. Vulaj held recently in Washington, D.C. with members of Congress and DOS officials. An Albanian version of this release follows at the end of this text. Pictures of this event can be provided upon request from the media. UNMIK should immediately empower Kosova's institutions and the international community should finally accept that an independent Kosova is the only solution, stated two representatives of the National Albanian American Council (NAAC) on October 1, 2003 during an official visit to Washington, D.C. In light of the upcoming technical talks between Prishtina and Belgrade, scheduled to start on October 14, 2003 in Vienna, NAAC Chairman Ilirjan Rusi and Executive Director Martin G. Vulaj were in the nation's capital to share with the United States Department of State and with the U.S. Congress their organization's view of the current situation in Kosova. Messer. Rusi and Vulaj provided DOS's Mike Bosshart, Deputy Director for Kosova, and Joshua Black, Kosova Desk Officer, with an update on NAAC's recent visit to Kosova. Among other things, NAAC informed Messer. Boshart and Black of a project that the organization is working on in conjunction with the prestigious Harvard University. Titled "Justice in Times of Transition", the project will put the top leadership of Kosova in the same room with other political figures from post-conflict places, such as Northern Ireland, South Africa, El Salvador, etc. The goal is for the Kosovars to strengthen and consolidate their institutions in preparation for the processes ahead. NAAC stated optimism for the outcome of the initiative, which by enabling our politicians in Kosova to share experiences with other politicians whom have been in similar circumstances will hopefully help them deal with their present situation, especially with regards to internal dissention, consolidating a government, developing a vision, reconciliation of outstanding issues. NAAC thinks that all of the above will help them prepare how to deal with final status challenges. Committed to the project so far are John Hume from Northern Ireland, Nelson Mandela's two top negotiators as well as an expert negotiating team from Harvard University. Mr. Vulaj, who just returned from Kosova after an 18-day visit where he was initially joined by Ambassador William Walker and Tim Phillips of Harvard University, informed Mr. Bosshart that all three institutional leaders, President Rugova, Prime Minister Rexhepi, Speaker of Kosova Parliament Nexhat Daci and the two other party leaders, Democratic Party of Kosova Chairman Hashim Thaci and Allegiance for the Future of Kosova Chairman Ramush Haradinaj, had committed to attending the conference scheduled to take place in Cambridge, England later this month. Mr. Bosshart of DOS expressed support for the idea, stating that it is exactly what Kosova needs. NAAC also pointed out that the project would have greater chances of succeeding if the Kosovar politicians take ownership of this upcoming process. Calling for UNMIK to immediately empower Kosova's institutions, NAAC argued that any decisions made by the Kosovars would be binding and not subject to UNMIK Veto. Only in this way will the process have the mandate of the people and the SRSG cannot be the decision-making authority, stated Mr. Rusi and Mr. Vulaj, adding that the current model is a recipe for inherent instability in the process. They also stressed that the only workable solution to the Kosova Question is for it to become independent. The longer that it is delayed the greater the risk of instability in the region and the more room for extremist action, they underlined. Referring to recent reports by international media of Serbia offering to participate in U.S.-led peacekeeping missions, NAAC protested at the prospect of Serbian military personnel who were active in Kosova and are suspected of human rights abuses and war crimes to be included in activities in Afganistan and/or Iraq. Mr. Rusi and Mr. Vulaj shared with the DOS officials Albanian community's outrage over this possibility, and stated that this would reflect extremely poorly on the U.S. and the current Administration. During the recent visit to Washington, D.C., the NAAC officials met with several lawmakers who have been long-standing supporters of the Albanian people, including Congressman Mark Kirk, Congressman Elliot Engel, Congresswoman Sue Kelly, Congressman Vito Fossella, Congressman Sander Levin, and Congressman Joseph Crowley. The primary purpose of these meetings was to put together a Congressional Delegation that would go to Macedonia, Kosova, Albania and Montenegro early next year. All of the members expressed interest in going and have begun working on putting the logistics together to make it happen. NAAC informed the American lawmakers of the organization's findings from its recent trip to Kosova including the economic pressure that the country is under as a result of the lack of a defined final status. "Kosova must become independent and it must happen soon," Mr. Rusi told Congressman Fossella. "The country lacks basic infrastructure and serious investment cannot occur under current conditions." The NAAC Chairman went on to stress that the U.S. must take the lead in resolving the Kosova Question as the European policy of wait-and-delay has unnecessarily resulted the stagnation of the entire region. Congressman Engel, Co-chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus, who is tireless in support of the Albanian people, stated that the community must remain engaged with their representatives in every district where Albanian-Americans live. He vowed to continue supporting NAAC's mission and stated that, "with the community working together far more can be achieved." Congresswoman Kelly, the other Co-Chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus, pledged to immediately start working on putting together a congressional delegation that will visit the region and see first hand the state of affairs in the Albanian-populated area of the Balkans. "The job is not finished in the region," the Congresswoman stated. "Kosova must become independent and we must strengthen the democracies there to secure American interests, like fighting terrorism." Mr. Rusi informed the Congresswoman that the U.S.-brokered Ohrid Peace Agreement of August 2001 was far from being completely implemented, thus threatening the fragile peace in Macedonia. He asked that Congress do more to put pressure on the relevant parties in Macedonia to ensure the full and rapid implementation of this important Accord. Congressman Kirk, a former F-16 fighter pilot who flew bombing missions over Serbia during the NATO aerial campaign, stated that he was proud of the Albanian-American community's work on behalf of people back home. He expressed great interest in going back to the region, especially Kosova where he went immediately after the war of 1999. Congressman Crowley expressed enthusiasm about going back to the region for another visit. He sated that he would like to see first hand what kind of progress has taken place since his last visit there in the aftermath of war, recalling entire areas doted by refugee tents and countless civilians who had been brutally forced to flee their homes. NAAC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for Albanians and promoting peace and economic development in the Balkans by fostering democratic policy, promoting respect for human rights, and conducting educational and developmental programs. For more information on the National Albanian American Council please visit us on the web at www.naac.org ### ______________________________________________________________ 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 Mon Oct 13 06:29:06 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 03:29:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: [balkans] CfA: Individual Advanced Research Opportunities Program (for US Students) Message-ID: <20031013102906.85319.qmail@web11507.mail.yahoo.com> > > INDIVIDUAL ADVANCED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM > (IARO) > Deadline: November 1, 2003 > > Grants of one to three months are available to US > master's students for > research in Europe and Eurasia on policy-relevant > theses or equivalent > projects. > > Grant Provisions: > > *Round-trip airfare from the US to the host country > and visa fees. > *Stipend for housing and living expenses. > > Eligible countries: > > Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, > Croatia, Czech > Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, > Lithuania, Macedonia, > Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, > and Slovenia. > > Eurasia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, > Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, > Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, > and Uzbekistan. > > For more information on the program, including > application materials to > download and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), > please visit the IREX > website at http://www.irex.org/programs/iaro/. > > The master's student grants for IARO are funded by > the United States > Department of State (Title VIII Program). > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Oct 15 06:46:26 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 03:46:26 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Jobs Message-ID: <20031015104626.26355.qmail@web11508.mail.yahoo.com> > Subject: [grassrootsclark] Help wanted - from the > official blog - for all you techies in here > > > Help Wanted: Desktop Support & Programmers > > The Clark For President campaign needs your help. We > currently have > multiple open positions for desktop support > technicians and web > programmers. These jobs require relocation to Little > Rock, Arkansas for > a minimum of three months. The pay is not high and > the hours are long > but you will be working with some of the best and > brightest people in > the country. Opportunities for advancement are high. > Apply now and help > us change the world. > > Desktop Support Position: > > Job skills required: > > * Windows 98/2000/XP > * Mac OS X > * Debian Linux > * Printer configuration and support > * Microsoft Office and Open Office expertise > * Outlook and Eudora configuration (familiarity with > other mail clients > and IMAP is preferred) > > Web Programmer: > > Relevant job skills: > > * PHP, Perl, Python (LAMP) > * MySQL > * HTML, XML, RSS/RDF > * Apache > * Linux System Administration > > Send resume and cover letter to > techjobs at clark04.com. > > Update: Please do NOT send your resume in Word > format. Plain-text is > perfectly fine. Better yet, just include the text of > your resume in the > body of your email. > > > -- > > http://www.mwo1.com/clarkbushjp.jpg > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Fri Oct 17 17:03:41 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 14:03:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Journal of Human Rights - Call for Papers Message-ID: <20031017210341.50515.qmail@web11507.mail.yahoo.com> > > Dear Friends, Colleagues, Editorial Board Members: > > Please find attached a call for papers for a special > issue of Journal of > Human Rights on "Human Emotion and Human Rights." > The volume is being > co-edited by myself and Thomas Brudholm of the > Danish Center for > Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The focus is on > the place and value of > so-called "negative" emotional responses to human > rights abuses and crimes > against humanity and their relation to calls for > forgiveness, closure, and > reconciliation, but we are open to all ideas and > queries. > > I'd be very grateful if you could participate in > this issue and circulate > the attached call for papers to colleagues whom you > think might be > interested in contributing. > > Very sincerely yours, > > > > > Thomas Cushman > Professor of Sociology > Department of Sociology > Pendleton East, Room 334 > Wellesley College > Wellesley, MA 02481 > U.S.A > (781) 283-2142 > (781) 283-3664 (fax) > > Editor, The Journal of Human Rights > JHR at wellesley.edu > http://www.wellesley.edu/JournalofHumanRights > > > > > > ATTACHMENT part 2 application/msword name=Human Emotion and HR.doc; x-mac-type=5738424E; x-mac-creator=4D535744 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Sat Oct 18 17:15:37 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 14:15:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] LSE/OSI/FCO Chevening Faculty Fellowship Programme, Visiting Junior Fellowships 2003- 2004 Message-ID: <20031018211537.78194.qmail@web11502.mail.yahoo.com> > > > LSE/OSI/FCO Chevening Faculty Fellowship Programme > > Visiting Junior Fellowships 2003- 2004 > > > > General Information for Applicants > > > The London School of Economics and Political Science > (LSE), with the > funding from the Open Society Institute (OSI) and > the Foreign and > Commonwealth Office (FCO), offers up to ten > individual grants for 3- month > study visits at the London School of Economics and > Political Science for > junior level faculty from Albania, Bosnia- > Hercegovina, Croatia, Former > Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia > (Republic of Serbia, > Republic of Montenegro and Kosovo province at > present under UN > administration). > > > Awards are for academic staff employed by the > universities and higher > educational institutions in the aforementioned > countries specialising in > social sciences. They are intended to enable > prospective candidates to > upgrade their teaching and research skills, teaching > methods and curricula. > > > Prospective candidates: > are nationals of and normally resident in one of the > aforementioned > countries at the time of applying for the award > have held a teaching position at a university or > higher educational > institution in the country of residence for more > than 2 years > have a PhD or have submitted a PhD thesis > are not older than 45 at the time of applying for > junior fellowship > > > Each award will provide a stipend for living > expenses sufficient for a > single Fellow, return economy airfare and book > allowance. The costs of > health insurance will also be covered by the grant. > On completion of the > fellowships, faculty are expected to return to their > home country. > > > Junior fellows who manage to develop collaborative > research and/or teaching > activities with their LSE counterparts will be > eligible for the renewal of > the grant. > > > Every application must comprise: > > > > a) four completed copies of the Application > Forms > > b) an outline of proposed course syllabi and > research proposal > > c) applicants CV > > d) 2 reference letters sent directly to the > LSE/OSI/FCO Administrator > at the address below > > > > > > Completed application forms should be submitted by > registered post or > e-mailed to reach the LSE at the address below > > > > LSE/OSI/FCO Administrative Officer > > Centre for the Study of Global Governance > > Room M210 > > London School of Economics > > Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE > > United Kingdom > > e-mail: m.tesic at lse.ac.uk > > > > > > Short- listed candidates will be required to attend > an interview shortly > afterwards in one of the countries included in the > fellowships scheme. The > costs of travel for an interview will be covered by > the grant awarding body. > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Oct 21 07:02:57 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 04:02:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] CfA: Balkan Case Challenge 2003 Message-ID: <20031021110257.76244.qmail@web11508.mail.yahoo.com> > > Student case study competition: > > Balkan Case Challenge 2003 > December 04-08, 2003 > Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina > > Application deadline: > > November 03, 2003 > > Target group: > > Students enrolled at a university in > South East Europe > (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, > Macedonia, Romania, > Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo) > > > We are looking for exceptional students with > excellent skills/academic > performance to take part in a valuable and > informative event. Those > interested must be on the verge of completing their > social science > studies within the next eighteen months. At the > BCC2003 you will have > the opportunity to meet South East Europe's leaders > of today and > tomorrow, challenging you to put theory into action > by discussion, > teamwork and critical analysis. For participation > the following options > are available: a Model United Nations (for students > of political > science, international relations and related > disciplines), two Business > Case Challenges (for students of > business/economics/management) and a > Law Moot Court (for students of law). The best > students will be awarded > internships/scholarships/research visits and > participating companies use > the BCC for recruitng. All costs will be covered by > the organizer and > its partners. > > > For further information and application go to: > > www.wus-austria.org/balkanchallenge > > > Organizer: > > WUS Austria and SUS BiH in cooperation > with students from > South East Europe. > > Supported by: > > Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign > Affairs, DAAD, Open > Society Institute, Balkan Trust for Democracy, > South East Europe > Enterprise Development, Swiss Development > Cooperation, Bosnalijek, Coca > Cola, British Councils for SEE, Europronet, Sunce > Insurance, ABA CEELI, > Barpeh, Raiffeisen Bank, ACCESS, EFM Student Radio > and the University > of Graz. > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Wed Oct 22 15:41:51 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 12:41:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Event at Harvard Fwd: **Today Dr. T. Couloumbis/ Mon 10/27 US Ambassador to NATO N. Burns** Message-ID: <20031022194151.88467.qmail@web11501.mail.yahoo.com> > > The Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and > East-Central Europe invites you to > the following events: > > __________________________________ > *TODAY* Wednesday, October 22, 2003 > 4:00 PM > > Debalkanizing the Balkans > Dr. Theodore Couloumbis, Professor of International > Relations, University > of Athens and senior visiting scholar of the > Alexander Onassis Foundation > USA University Seminars Program > > John F. Kennedy School of Government > Littauer Building, Room 382, 3rd Floor > 79 JFK Street, Cambridge > > ____________________________ > **SPECIAL EVENT** > Monday, October 27, 2003 > 4:00 PM > > The Transatlantic Parntership > H.E. R. Nicholas Burns > United States Ambassador to NATO > > The Charles Hotel Pavillion > Longfellow Room > 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge > > Co-sponsored with the Belfer Center for Science and > International Affairs, > John F. Kennedy School of Government > > For more information on these events and upcoming > events please visit our > website: www.ksg.harvard.edu/kokkalis > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From albboschurch at juno.com Fri Oct 24 06:15:43 2003 From: albboschurch at juno.com (albboschurch at juno.com) Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 08:15:43 -0200 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Bishop Pelushi and Baba Reshat attend Mother Teresa Ceremonies Message-ID: <20031024.082647.1472.34.albboschurch@juno.com> Date: 2003-10-22 Beatification Pleased Albania's Muslims and Orthodox Religious Leaders Attended Ceremony for Mother Teresa VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2003 ( Zenit.org ).- Albanian religious leaders were delighted with Mother Teresa of Calcutta's beatification last Sunday. A delegation of religious leaders from Albania, including Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims, participated in the ceremony, in a visit that was arranged by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Members of the delegation included Bishop Angelo Massafra of Shkodre, and Monsignor Dode Gjergji, secretary of the Albanian episcopal conference and head of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue. Reshat Bardhi, leader of the Bektashi Muslim Confraternity, present in Turkey and Albania, told the missionary agency Fides: "We are very happy to have participated in this solemn celebration." "Mother Teresa is a daughter of Albania, but now she belongs to the whole world," Bardhi said. "She has obtained the title she merited and it is a great honor for us that it has been given to her. I am profoundly grateful to Pope Wojtyla." Joan Pelushi, leader of the Albanian Orthodox Church, said that "the beatification was a great event for Albania. We hope it won't be limited to the ceremony, but that there will be profound reflection which will bring together the religious communities and teach us to love one another more." "From this little Albanian religious, who is our pride, we want to learn to work for dialogue, tolerance and respect to serve humanity," Pelushi added. Archbishop Robert Sarah, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, added that he hoped the beatification "will bring great blessings for Albania and serve to increasingly improve Christian-Muslim relations." -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From albboschurch at juno.com Sat Oct 25 02:59:22 2003 From: albboschurch at juno.com (albboschurch at juno.com) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 04:59:22 -0200 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Harvest Bazaar at Saint George Cathedral - Saturday, November 1 Message-ID: <20031025.045936.1984.25.albboschurch@juno.com> The Ladies Guild of Saint George welcomes you to the HARVEST BAZAAR 2003 on Saturday, November 1st from 10 am. - 3 pm Two Floors for Holiday Shopping! 523 East Broadway in South Boston *Collectibles *Toys/Books *Boutique *Pastry Shoppe *Select Clothing *General Store *Seasonal Gifts *Spinach Pies LUNCHEON CAFE with our famous Sauteed Lamb Dinner Proceeds benefit our Parish Education Program and Cathedral Restoration -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From aalibali at yahoo.com Sun Oct 26 18:00:53 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (Agron Alibali) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 15:00:53 -0800 (PST) Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Conference: Balkan Muslims and Islam in Europe, Poitiers, 13-14.11.2003 Message-ID: <20031026230053.72386.qmail@web11510.mail.yahoo.com> > > Balkan Muslims and Islam in Europe > > > > 13-14 November 2003 > > MSHS, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France > > > > Conference Organisers: > > The French Association for Balkan Studies (AFEBalk) > > MIGRINTER (CNRS, University of Poitiers) > > > > > > > > Thursday 13 November 2003 > > > > > > * 9.00-9.30: Welcoming and Introduction > > > > - Kamel DORAI, Migrinter, Centre national de la > recherche scientifique > (CNRS), Poitiers. > > > > * 9.30-10.00: Opening lecture > > > > - Jorgen NIELSEN, Center for the Study of Islam > and Christian-Muslim > Relations, Birmingham. > > > > * 10.00-10.15 Coffee break > > > > * 10.15 13.15 Workshop I: Bosnian Muslims in > Northern Europe > > > > - Fikret KARCIC, Faculty of Islamic Sciences, > Sarajevo: historical > background; > > > > - Nadje AL-ALI, Institute of Arab and Islamic > Studies, Exester: Bosnian > Muslims in the Netherlands; > > > > - Kristina GRUNENBERG, Department of Sociology, > Copenhagen: Bosnian > Muslims in Denmark; > > > > - Panel Chair: Xavier BOUGAREL, Etudes turques > et ottomanes, CNRS, Paris. > > > > *13.15 15.00 Lunch > > > > * 15.00 18.00 Workshop II: Local Muslims and Muslim > Migrants in Greece > > > > - Dimitris ANTONIOU, St Anthonys College, > Oxford: Local and Foreign > Muslims in Athens; > > > > - Jeanne HERSANT, Institut fran?ais d?tudes > anatoliennes, Istanbul: > Western Thrace Muslims in Germany; > > > > - Panel Chair: Samim AKG?N?L, Centre de > recherche sur lAsie > int?rieure, le monde turc et lespace ottoman, CNRS, > Strasbourg. > > > > > > 19.30 Dinner > > > > > > > > > > > > Friday 14 November 2003 > > > > * 9.30-12.30 : Workshop III: Albanian Muslims in > Western Europe > > > > - Albert PRETRESHI, School for Slavonic and East > European Studies, > London: Albanian Muslims in Great Britain ; > > > > - Fabrizio Speziale, Ecoles des hautes ?tudes en > sciences sociales, > Paris: Macedonian Gypsies and Sufi Orders in Italia > ; > > > > - Panel Chair: Nathalie CLAYER, Etudes turques > et ottomanes, CNRS, Paris > > > > > > * 12.30-14.00 Lunch > > > > > > * 14.00-17.00 : Workshop IV : Islamic Networks as a > Link between Balkan and > Western European Muslims > > > > - Alexander CAEIRO, Ecole des hautes ?tudes en > sciences sociales, > Paris: the European Council for Fatwa and Research; > > > > - Gerdien JONKER, Department of Religion > History, Marburg: the > S?leymanci and Neo-naqshbandi movements in Europe ; > > > > - Bekim AGAI, University of Bochum: the > Fethullahci in Germany and > Albania; > > > > - Panel Chair: Mustafa DRAPER, Center for the > Study of Islam and > Christian-Muslim Relations, Birmingham. > > > > * 17.00- 17.30 Coffee break > > > > * 17.30 - 18.00 Conclusion > > > > - Xavier BOUGAREL, Etudes turques et ottomanes, > CNRS, Paris, and > Dimitrina MIHAYLOVA, Linacre College, University of > Oxford. > > > > *18.00 19.00 General discussion > > > > - Panel Chair: Fikret KARCIC, Faculty of Islamic > Sciences, Sarajevo. > > > > > > * 20.00 Dinner > > > > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From aalibali at yahoo.com Tue Oct 28 07:19:55 2003 From: aalibali at yahoo.com (AAlibali) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 12:19:55 -0000 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] Fwd: Greece: Case GRC 161003 - severe beatings, injuries and/or killings of Albanian citizens at border areas in Greece Message-ID: --- In balkanhr at yahoogroups.com, "OMCT" (by way of Greek Helsinki Monitor ) wrote: Case GRC 161003 Violation of personal integrity / Extrajudicial execution / Impunity The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Greece. Brief description of the situation The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Greek Helsinki Monitor, a member of the OMCT network, and the Albanian Rehabilitation Center for Torture and Trauma, of the severe beatings, injuries and/or killings of 17 Albanian citizens at border areas in Greece. According to the information received, on Monday, September 15th, 2003, at about 5:00, Albanian citizens Ligor Halimi (age 41), Mili Halimi (43) and Rahman Pashollari (62), were severely abused by Greek policemen. The three Albanians had been working since September 5th, 2003 in Greece and were returning to Albania when they were stopped near the border by six Greek police patrol officers dressed in camouflage uniforms and black hoods. The officers searched them, took the money they were carrying, and reportedly began to punch, kick and hit them with wooden batons on all parts of their bodies. Following this, the three men were taken to a detention facility in Pili (Florina), where their identity data weas recorded. No violence was reportedly used against them at the detention facility, where they were kept for approximately one hour. The policemen then took them to the Kapshtica (Kristalopigi) border crossing point. In Kapshtica, the three men allegedly received no assistance from the Albanian police, even though the gravity of their injuries was clear. They then travelled to their homes in Elbasan, where they sought medical attention at the local hospital. Of the three travellers, Ligor Halimi experienced the most severe injuries, while Mili Halimi and Rrahman Pashollari suffered only light bruises on their knees and arms. Ligor Halimi was hospitalized in Elbasan and was diagnosed with injuries to the abdomen and a ruptured spleen, accompanied by internal haemorrhaging. L. Halimi later underwent surgery to have his spleen removed. Separately, on September 23rd an 18-year old Albanian, Vullnet Byty?i, was shot in the back of the head and killed by members of the Greek police near the Kristalopigi checkpoint while he was attempting to escape arrest. Four other Albanian persons with whom he was travelling to Greece in order to find work, Alfred Ramadan Metaliaj, Emri Saetr Metaliaj, Beqir Osman Metaliaj and Bilbil Selman Metaliaj, were arrested and were later released and returned to Albania on September 27th, 2003. A sixth person, Luan Metaliaj, reportedly escaped arrest and hid for 24 hours before returning to Albania. A bullet reportedly went through his jacket without injuring him during his escape. The Greek police reported that one police border guard shot in the air to prevent their escape as well as their threatening attitude towards one of his fellow guards. There are reports that at the time of his shooting, Mr. Byty?i had stopped running away and did not present any danger. The authorities have reported that the police border guard responsible for the shooting would be tried according to Greek law. He has been prosecuted for reckless homicide and the decision of the Misdemeanour Council is pending as to whether or not he will be referred to trial. In another incident, three Albanians - Leonard Sh?mbilko, Dashamir Brakolli and Sokol Hallko - were reportedly subjected to ill- treatment by Greek policemen on September 22nd. Mr. Sh?mbilko and Mr. Brakolli reportedly regularly visit Greece for employment purposes and had valid documents, but were nevertheless arrested by the Greek police near Kastoria and were beaten with hard objects, before being taken to the Mesopotamia police station, where the beatings allegedly continued for several hours. Of the three, Mr Brakolli received the worst injuries, however he did not officially report the incident to the Greek authorities out of fear of reprisals. In addition, 35-year-old Gani Ibrahim Rama from Kruja was reportedly shot at on September 25th by Greek soldiers, wounding him in the arm, as he was running to evade them having crossed the border illegally. He was arrested and detained for several days before being released and returned to Albania. The whereabouts of 25-year-old Sokol Allkja, 31-year-old Ardian Allkja and Edmond Sula also have remained unknown, according to their relatives, since they left for Greece from Cerrik, Albania, allegedly on September 19th, although reports indicate that Sokol Allkja was wounded by the Greek police and is possibly in Korca hospital, while his brother Ardian is in prison. Nothing further is currently known about Edmond's situation. Arjan Torka, from the town of Gramsh, reported having been beaten and insulted by an official on the premises of the Greek customs at Kristalopigi between the 4th and 5th of October 2003. The police officer checking his passport claimed that it was forged and started punching and kicking him. After refusing to sign a form in Greek that he could not understand, he we was told to leave the Greek territory and to obtain a new passport and visa. The Korca police, who promised to investigate the case, reportedly stated that the passport was not forged whilst there reportedly was an undertaking on the part of the Greek authorities (Director of Police of Kozani) that measures will be taken so that similar incidents do not occur in the future. The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by these recent reports of violent beatings and shootings of several Albanian men who were crossing the border into Greece by Greek police officers; as well as the several previous cases of similar incidents that were not investigated leading to impunity of the perpetrators (see below attached document). OMCT is particularly concerned by the extrajudicial execution of Mr. Vullnet Byty?i and the disappearance of Mr. Edmond Sula. OMCT calls upon the Greek authorities to take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all persons crossing its border, and to order an immediate, impartial and effective investigation into the circumstances of these recent and past events, identify those responsible, bring them before a competent and impartial tribunal, and apply the sanctions provided for by law. OMCT urges the authorities to guarantee that the victims are provided with adequate reparation, including medical assistance. Action requested Please write to the authorities in Greece urging them to: i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all Albanian persons crossing the Greek- Albanian border; ii. immediately locate the whereabouts of Mr. Edmond Sula; iii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, notably the allegations of beating, shootings and the extrajudicial execution, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law; iv. guarantee that adequate reparation is granted to the victims and the family of the deceased; v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards. Addresses ? Constantine Simitis, Prime Minister, Prime Minister's Office at the Hellenic Parliament, Greek Parliament Blgd, Constitution Square, Athens / Greece, Fax: +30 210 724 17 76, Email: Mail at p... ? George Papandreou, Foreign Minister Athens, Fax: 30 210 36 81 433, Email: gpap at m... ? Filippos Petsalnikos, Minister of Justice, Athens, Greece, fax +30 2107489231 ? Mr. Giorgos Floridis, Minister of Public Order, Athens, Greece, Fax: + 30 210 6917944 ? George Kaminis, Ombudsman for Human Rights, Fax 30 210 7289643 President Alfred Moisiu, e-mail: presec at p... ? Atrur Metani, legal adviser to the President, e-mail: legal1_advisor at p..., ametani at h... ? Ambassador Vladimir Thanati, Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva of the Republic of Albania, Fax: 0041 22 738 81 56, e-mail: mission.albania at t... Please also write to the embassies of Greece in your respective country. Geneva, October 16th, 2003 Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply. Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT) World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) Organizaci?n Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) 8 rue du Vieux-Billard Case postale 21 CH-1211 Geneve 8 Suisse/Switzerland Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39 Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29 E-mail : omct at o... http://www.omct.org Annex to Case GRC 161003 Violation of personal integrity / Extrajudicial execution / Impunity Background Information Similar cases of ill treatment, injuries or death of 25 Albanians trying to cross either legally or illegally the Albanian Greek borders have been reported in the past, but most of them have either very inadequately or not been investigated, and the perpetrators have, as a result, never been punished. On 1/11/2000, Bledar Qoshku (23 years old), was killed after an exchange of fire, as claimed by Greek Police (ELAS), but the gun he was supposed to be carrying was never found, while the other six Albanians with him at the time claimed under oath that they were ill-treated during their custody in order to testify that the victim was armed. Albanian judicial authorities started a prosecution, while the Greek Ministry of Public Order stated that the case was archived from both a legal and a disciplinary respect.In addition, the Public Prosecutors Office in Florina refused to submit the evidence requested by the Public Prosecutors Office in Tirana. In another incident, Kreshnik Shenaj (17 years old), reported to have been shot at and then beaten when found by border guards on Greek territory on 16/11/2000. No investigation was carried out by the Greek authorities. Blerina Me?e, was allegedly ill treated by police officers-border guards on 10/2/2001 during her transfer for deportation to the border-point of Kakavia, along with Luftim Krosi, a co-passenger who attempted to intervene. The administrative inquiry concluded that the incident that allegedly took place could not have happened as she had been arrested for theft and had been deported twice on 17/08/2000 and 11/07/2001 and not on 10/2/2001. It is believed that EL.AS. and the Ministry were probably referring to another individual with the same name, an argument strengthened by the fact that the Ministry claimed to have no information on the case of Luftim Krosi either. On 4/6/2001, 15-year old Afrim Salla, was shot and consequently paralyzed from the waist down, after as claimed by ELAS the gun of a Border Guard went off accidentally when he tripped over while firing warning shots against unarmed Albanians trying to enter Greece. The Greek authorities stated that From a criminal and disciplinary respect, the case is archived. Astrit Lleshi, from Rukaj village, Burrel district, Kastriot Rrapi, from Ar?z village, Mirdita district and Dashamir Troshku, from Fier district, reported that on 13/6/2001, they were arrested by Greek border guards as they were attempting to cross into Greece. They were beaten and had their possessions, including money, taken away. As GHM was informed by ELAS on 16/8/2002, no involvement of any policeman or border guard was established, although the money was returned to the persons mentioned above. On 26 July 2001 Greek coastguards opened fire on a speedboat carrying Albanian passengers trying to enter Greece illegally via the island of Corfu, injuring four of them, two of whom were women. The four were admitted to hospital in Corfu. The Corfu port authorities alleged that the passengers had initiated the shooting, with an AK-47 rifle, on the coastguard vessel. This account was reportedly disputed by the remaining passengers on the boat, who, upon their return to Albania, denied that there were any weapons onboard. Initial criminal charges against the Greek coastguards were quashed by the naval military court of Piraeus under ruling 91/2002. Halim Munga from the village of Markat (Saranda district, Albania) was shot dead by a border patrol in the early hours of 1/12/2001 near the Greek border village of Palaba - according to the police in an exchange of fire initiated by the Albanians with a Kalshnikov weapon - reportedly after they had stolen and killed a calf which they were attempting to transport back to Albania on a mule. The judicial preliminary inquiry resulted in prosecution of his companion Veisi Beqir for animal theft and weapons possession, whilst those responsible for Halim Mungas death were not finally prosecuted as they were found to have been acting in self defence. Another fatal incident took place on 2/11/2002 at the Mesopotamia area of Kastoria, when AK, son of D, was shot dead by a border patrol. In its press release, ELAS had concluded, before any investigation took place, that the border guards were acting in legal self-defence. The judicial preliminary inquiry resulted in the prosecution and detention of the other three Albanians that were with AK and the discharging of those responsible for his death. Following a GHM intervention, a judicial inquiry was initiated, although the person responsible for AKs death was eventually discharged from all accusations under a ruling made by the Misdemeanour Council of Kastoria. The CPT (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment), in its CPT/inf (2002)31 report on Greece, has also mentioned two border cases of alleged ill treatment of Albanians, by ELAS and by the military. Two detainees at Igoumenitsa Police Headquarters (north-west Greece) who, according to ELAS, had been arrested on September 28th 2001, near the Greek-Albanian border zone while trying to smuggle drugs into the country - complained to the CPT that they had been brutally beaten by police. One alleged that during interrogation he had been beaten on the back and legs with a truncheon. A medical examination confirmed that he had bruises on his shoulders and left leg. The other detainee complained that he had been beaten on the soles of his feet [falanga]. The Greek authorities replied that The tenability of the allegations made to the Committee were not ascertained by the relevant investigation that was carried out, as the detainees had not made any allegations of ill-treatment to the police and judicial authorities before whom they were brought. Moreover, two Albanians, that had arrested by a military patrol on border duty, complained to CPT in October 2001 that they had been ill-treated by army personnel while being detained on military premises; both of them bore injuries consistent with their allegations. No answer was given from the part of the Greek authorities concerning this case. Finally, during conversations held with law enforcement officials in several of the establishments visited, the CPT delegation reported that it could not fail to note the disrespectful attitude displayed by some officers when referring to detainees, particularly those of Albanian origin.On one occasion, officials even reportedly admitted to the delegation that in certain cases some force was used during interrogation in order to extract information, especially if the detainee had been arrested for drug dealing, but said this was limited to some slapsand that severe ill-treatment was not permitted. The only known exception to the rule where an investigation was launched before the involvement of GHM and related publicity is the case of Ferhat Ceka, an Albanian pensioner, who was shot and wounded near the border by Greek soldiers as he was attempting to illegally cross the Greek-Albanian border on 8/3/2002. The militarys administrative inquiry concluded that the soldiers action was an irregularityfor which he received a ten-day jail sentence as a disciplinary sanction, whilst no criminal prosecution was recommended. However, a prosecutor of the Military Court of Thessaloniki investigated the case and pointed to many irregularities and even criminal responsibilities of the officers involved in the handling of the incident and the ensuing administrative investigation, and asked for a disciplinary and criminal investigation of their actions. A court martial date was set for 3 April 2003, but was postponed as the Greek authorities failed to send the summons to Ferhat Ceka in Albania. Following a GHM intervention, Ferhat Ceka came to Greece and testified before the military court prosecutor on 11/6/2003. The prosecutor has, as a result, widened the investigation to include possible charges of ill-treatment. Geneva, October 16th, 2003 --- End forwarded message --- From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Oct 19 04:19:32 2003 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center News & Information) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 08:19:32 -0000 Subject: [ALBSA-Info] [AMCC-News] Macedonia: 1) Small Victory in Battle Against Traffickers, 2) School Desegregation Plans Shelved Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMCC http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Macedonia: Small Victory in Battle Against Traffickers 2. School Desegregation Plans Shelved ### 1 ### http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200310_464_4_eng.txt Macedonia: Small Victory in Battle Against Traffickers Much trumpeted conviction of human traffickers belies problems in getting successful prosecutions. By Yigal Chazan and Dragana Nikolic-Solomon in London and David Quin in Skopje (BCR 464, 16-Oct-03) Macedonia's battle against people-smuggling was boosted last week with the sentencing of five convicted traffickers to long prison terms, but the country still has much to do if it is to bring more offenders to justice, observers say. A Skopje court sentenced four Macedonians and an ethnic Albanian to a total of 33 years in prison under laws classifying trafficking as a crime, which were introduced in 2002. The verdict came after the court heard harrowing written testimony from the victims, who were not present for the trial. Their statements to investigators, which have been seen by IWPR, show how they were beaten and forced to have sex in brothels across the country. Zan Jovanovski, a Macedonian police liaison officer with the Bucharest-based Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, SECI, tasked with getting countries in the region to do more to combat trans-border crime, commended the authorities' handling of the case, describing it as "an encouraging sign". Vladimir Danailov, senior legal assistant at the International Organisation for Migration in Skopje, said the conviction will have a very "big preventive impact" on traffickers as they will now realise that they face long prison sentences if they are caught. Other similar cases are in the pipeline and the authorities are doing more to combat human trafficking in general: in a first for the region, victims who've returned to their country of origin after escaping their captors or freed by police are encouraged and helped to come back to Macedonia to testify; they are also offered compensation for their suffering, which, it is hoped, will make them more inclined to come forward; and there are plans to try people who are indirectly associated with trafficking gangs. The country, then, is clearly making progress in the battle against people-smuggling - and doing much more than its neighbours in this regard - but, nothwithstanding last week's conviction, it's finding it difficult to bring offenders to justice. Since trafficking was a made a crime, there have been five convictions, with those found guilty receiving short or suspended sentences. Many more have been charged but not successfully prosecuted. The lack of effective protection for witnesses, legislative inconsistencies and limited legal expertise in trafficking cases are thought to have been major stumbling blocks in securing convictions. The IOM in cooperation with the authorities has opened a centre for victims where they are made to feel secure and offered counselling, but more such facilities are required otherwise they simply return to their country of origin and are reluctant to return to testify when their former captors are put on trial. And the fact that under Macedonian law convictions for people-smuggling are based largely on witness testimony, with little or no regard for other material and circumstantial evidence, means that unless victims are prepared to come forward cases simply collapse. Samoil Filipovski, a lawyer specialising in trafficking cases, says there's also a problem with judicial interpretation of the law, " [Trafficking is] a new charge and we do not have any prior court practise in using the legislation." Critics of the authorities' handling of such cases have insisted that recent convictions only came about because the prosecution got lucky, with witnesses fleeing their captors and providing highly detailed evidence, despite inadequate provisions for their safety. Referring to last week's trial, one western diplomat said, "This a step forward but it's mainly due to some very courageous women who testified even though they had no legal protection. If it wasn't for these women, these men would be free." Significantly, diplomatic sources have told IWPR lack of witness testimony is believed to have undermined the authorities attempt to try a leading suspected gang leader Dilaver "Leku" Bojku, currently facing six charges of procuring girls in the south of the country, for trafficking. "Leku is charged for prostitution when everybody knows he is involved in trafficking but nobody dares to step forward as there is no witness protection," said one diplomat. Danailov acknowledges that more should be done to safeguard victims; that the law should be changed so that trafficking convictions are not based just on the testimony of victims; and that judges and prosecutors are better trained to deal with such cases. The IOM official pointed out that efforts are underway to address all the aforementioned problems. The situation, he said, "is not ideal, but getting better and better". Nonetheless, he said the US State Department rates Macedonia as one of the countries doing most to tackle people-smuggling and points out that its efforts to date have actually forced the traffickers to change the way they operate: previously, girls were held in bars and clubs, but increasingly their captors are moving them into rented accommodation making it harder for the police to find them. He says the authorities' attitude towards the problem has changed hugely, as it wasn't long ago that the victims of trafficking were considered little more than illegal migrants and expelled from the country. Yigal Chazan is IWPR managing editor, Dragana Nikolic-Solomon is an IWPR assistant editor and David Quin is an IWPR investigations editor. Saso Dimovski, a journalist with Skopje Sitel TV, also contributed to this report. ------------- ### 2 ### http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200310_462_4_eng.txt Macedonia: School Desegregation Plans Shelved Fierce protests force government to back down over bid to teach Albanians and Macedonian students side by side. By Ana Pteruseva and Boris Georgievski in Skopje (BCR No 462, 03-Oct-03) The Macedonian authorities. controversial attempts to desegregate two schools have been criticised as clumsy and badly-timed by western diplomats and analysts. Plans for an Albanian language class in a Bitola school were halted last week after hundreds of Macedonian students took to the streets in protest, with some insisting that they would never allow an Albanian class in their city. The Macedonian students went back to school, but only after receiving assurances that an Albanian class will not be opened. Protesters threatened to hold further rallies if there is a new attempt to teach students from the two communities side by side. Ethnic tensions also soared last week at the Arseni Jovkov high school in Skopje when Macedonian parents and students rallied against the decision to include seven Albanian classes in the same building. Previously, the Albanian students had been attending a facility in another part of the city. Following the protests, the plan to bring the two groups together was put on hold. Multi-ethnic education has been an explosive issue for more than a decade. Macedonian and Albanian students have been strictly segregated - studying in different schools or, if in the same building, in different shifts - and previous attempts to unite the two have also failed. The latest desegregation initiative was not part of a broader attempt to bring an end to the ethnic divide in the country.s schools, but a goodwill gesture by the governing ethnic Macedonian parties towards their Albanian partners. Education minister Azis Polozani, a member of the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, the ethnic Albanian party in the ruling coalition, faced calls from the protesters to abandon the desegregation plans or resign. Faced with continuing popular unrest over the reforms, the government appears to have shelved the issue indefinitely. .The decision has been put on ice until ethnic tensions calm down,. said DUI spokesperson Ermira Mehmeti. The trouble began immediately after Polozani announced the changes in early September. The minister has since come under fire for trying to implement the reform after the school year had already started, and for not anticipating the likely reaction, especially in Bitola, which was the scene of riots against the town.s Albanian community during the 2001 conflict. "Polozani should have known that this cannot be done without thorough preparations," one western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told IWPR. "He should have consulted people on local level. You cannot make an administrative decision and just hope it will be respected. "The timing was also crucial. If the decision had been made before the school year had already started, it would have been a different situation. Maybe there would still have been tensions, but probably not on this scale." A government source also commented on the poor timing of the move, saying tensions could have been avoided had Polozani announced the decision while the students were on their summer break. .However, there is no justification for the acts of the Macedonian students,. the government source said. Gjuner Ismail, director of Forum magazine, told IWPR that a lack of foresight by the education ministry has fuelled Macedonian nationalist feeling in Bitola. .The minister should solve, not generate problems. He did not respect the reality of the situation," Ismail said. "Bitola is a specific city, and one that was very much involved in the war. This way [the minister] has created an opportunity for those who organised the incidents in 2001 to do so again.. The hard line opposition Democratic Party of Albanians has reacted angrily to the government.s climb-down, describing it last week as the result of a .well thought-out and organised action to prevent Albanians from exercising their rights.. Mirjana Najcevska, who heads the local branch of the Helsinki human rights committee, said that the latest events should not be seen as an isolated problem, but rather as the result of the government.s heavy handedness and lack of transparency over reforms. "We have many situations when a school director or a teacher is replaced without local consultation and parents and students protest,. she told IWPR. .As for the ethnic dimension, on the Albanian side there is a belief that things can change overnight, while the Macedonians are building a wall and absolutely refusing to think of the legitimate and unsatisfied needs of others.. The International community has expressed deep concern over the recent upturn in tensions. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, in Macedonia called the Bitola protests .frightening and unacceptable.. OSCE spokesperson Isabelle De Ruyt said, .It is disappointing to see people mobilising against the a common education opportunity for students. The OSCE believes that the students should be able to go to schools close to their homes, and that multi-ethnic education should be encouraged.. Ana Petruseva is IWPR project manager in Macedonia, Boris Georgievski is a journalist with the Skopje daily Utrinski vesnik ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: amcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit AMCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news