[NYC-L] interesting excerpt from the Richard Boucher's news briefing today on ethnic composition of Albanian population

[Erkanda Bujari]

FYI. --intersting reply: excerpt..
BOUCHER: It's a document about Albania, not the Greeks who live in 
various parts of the world.


  AMBASSADOR RICHARD BOUCHER HOLDS STATE DEPARTMENT NEWS BRIEFING - NEWS
  BRIEFING

9,498 words
23 June 2004
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STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING

JUNE 23, 2004

SPEAKER: AMBASSADOR RICHARD A. BOUCHER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR 
PUBLIC AFFAIRS

[*] BOUCHER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I don't have any 
statements or announcements for you right now, but be glad to take your 
questions.



..............


QUESTION: In the June background note from Albania, just released from 
your Bureau of European Affairs, you are claiming, quote, "95 percent of 
Albania's people are ethnic Albanian," unquote. Could you speak for us 
the other 5 percent?

BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: But why no?

BOUCHER: Because I just don't know.

QUESTION: You don't. Do you know how large the Greek minority...

BOUCHER: I think for Albanian census statistics, you might want to go to 
the Albanian government for that.

QUESTION: But you are circulating this, not Albanian government.

BOUCHER: I'm sure we have a source for it that is not an independent 
U.S. government source. I don't know if there's a footnote on it or not, 
but I think the best authority on this would be the Albanian government 
for their...

QUESTION: But why are you mentioning other minorities, not a Greek one? 
That's my concern. It's a document. It's from the Department of State.

BOUCHER: It's a document about Albania.

QUESTION: About Albania...

BOUCHER: It's a document about Albania, not the Greeks who live in 
various parts of the world.


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