|
|
|
Albanian Times, 96-06-24
Albanian Times
June 24, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Ministry Spokesman Attacks Opposition
[02] Luxury Hotel in Tirana
[03] Jeeps In Albania
[04] Korean Automaker Explores Albanian Market
[05] Old Communists Return To Game
[01] Ministry Spokesman Attacks Opposition
TIRANA, June 23 - Albanian government has launched another sharp attack on the
opposition blaiming it for undermining democracy and stability by boycotting
the recent parliamentary elections. A foreign Ministry spokesman said the aim
of the former communist opposition is to conceal their defeat and create open
civil conficts. The spokesman said the decision to repeat the elections in 17
constituencies was taken for the sake of fairness and was done in a way that
benefitted the opposition Socialists. The spokesman rejected a statement by
the U.S. State Department alleging widespread irregularities as the reason for
the partial rerun. He said, serious irregularities were found in only one
zone and another zone was suspected of rigging, while the remaining 15 zones
were targeted for rerun after considering the complaints made by the parties
to the election officials and not because of any irregularities. The spokesman
also revealed that the head of the U.S. mission in Tirana together with a
mission chief "f
rom another friendly country" had persuaded two of the boycotting parties, the
Democratic Alliance and the Social Democrats to participate in the repeat
elections and to file a demand with the Constitutional Court for postponing
the partial vote. According to the spokesman, the diplomats had briefed the
Albanian government on the mediated agreement reached on June 14. However, the
spokesman added, in their demand to the Court, the two parties had backed off
from the agreement, asking instead to declare the May 26 vote illegal. The
Court rejected the demand. The two parties have yet to comment on the
spokesman's statement. (Albanian Times/Radio Tirana)
[02] Luxury Hotel in Tirana
TIRANA, June 23 - A powerful Kuwaiti business group is building Albania's
first ever luxury hotel in a forested area of capital Tirana, an investment
estimated between $60 and $65 million dollars. The Mohamed Abdul Mohsin
Kharafi Group with annual sales in excess of $600 million has built the 18-
story Alahli Bank in downtown Kuwait City, 60% of Kuwait's sewage system and
other landmark structures in the Middle East region. The new Hotel Inter-
Continental Tirana should be finished by mid-1997. The group has an operating
and management agreement with Hotel Inter-Continental Vienna which plans to
employ 150 to 200 people and additional 50 by the time the project is
finished. The projected 262 room hotel will have fitness center, outdoor
swimming pool, tennis courts, state-of-the art communications systems and
convention facilities, a luxury nightclub and an original food-and-beverage
concept. Inter-Continental hotel officials said they believe the future of
Albania will continue to improve and with it, the
need for first-class accommodation to cater to the professional teams leading
the projects to rebuild the country's infrastructure. And in time, they say,
there will be a need to provide accommodation for the leisure traveler who
comes to experience the unspoiled beauty of Albania. (Albanian Times)
[03] Jeeps In Albania
TIRANA, June 23 - Chrysler Corp. Jeeps will be sold throughout Albania by
Cepo, now the authorized seller. Cepo also will exclusively sell Chrysler's
full European lineup as well as Peugeot SA Citroens. Cepo is a joint Albanian-
Greek venture, but all sales will be handled through its Tirana office. More
than 150 Jeeps were reportedly sold to public institutions and companies
throughout the country after Cepo displayed the cars during the May 1996 fair.
(Albanian Times)
[04] Korean Automaker Explores Albanian Market
TIRANA, June 23 - In an attempt to break into new markets, Daewoo Motor Co.
Lt. is bringing its cars to Albania. Last month, the Korean automaker
displayed the Espero, Nexia and Racer in Tirana for six days. The cars were
introduced by a Hungarian franchise of the company along with Alba-Citizen, an
Albanian company. Daewoo is expected to open a car service center in Tirana to
ensure quality service and spare parts for its products and other Far East
manufactured cars. Other Korean companies have already marketed cars,
textiles, electronics and other consumer goods in the country. Albania is one
of several former Communist countries targeted for expansion by Korean
companies. (Albanian Times)
[05] Old Communists Return To Game
WASHINGTON, June 23 - In a news analysis, Charles J. Hanley of the Associated
Press says "we're five years into the ``post-communist
age.'' But if the ``ism'' looks like history, the ``ists'' definitely do not."
The tote boards lighting up for the hammer and sickle in Moscow are only the
latest sign of life for communists and their offspring, Hanley says. Most of
the 15 former Soviet republics are today dominated by communists or their
renamed political heirs. The communist comeback began in Poland in 1993, when
the Democratic Left Alliance -- the old communists -- won parliamentary
elections. In 1994 elections, Hungary's reorganized communist party -- the
Socialists -- swept a populist-nationalist government out. Later that year,
Bulgaria's new-look communists regained power in an election landslide.
Albania's ex-communists were expected to do the same last month, but the
incumbents kept control in elections that international observers said were
rife with vote fraud. The ex-communists promise relief, but they can do little
more than slow down liberalization. And why should they? After all, in the
rush to dispossess the Marxist state,
many of the coal mines, weapons plants and truck factories fell into the hands
of their friends, the enterprises' old communist managers, AP's news analysis
said. (Albanian Times/AP)
This material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & Consulting
International. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, please
write to AlbaTimes@aol.com
Copyright © ATCI, 1996
|
