Fwd: Reuters: Albania Tells Greece It Will Improve Minority Laws

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Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 18:26:17 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Fwd: Reuters: Albania Tells Greece It Will Improve Minority Laws

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Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>

Fwd: Reuters: Albania Tells Greece It Will Improve Minority
Laws 


WIRE:11/17/2000 13:52:00 ET
 
Albania Tells Greece It Will Improve Minority Laws
 
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20001117_2244.html
 
TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania pledged on Friday to draw up improved
citizens" rights legislation after Greece complained about the
mistreatment of the ethnic Greek minority in the south of the small
Balkan country. "The prime minister expressed his conviction that
Albania will compile and apply an advanced legislation, one of the
most progressive in Southeastern Europe," an Albanian government
spokesman said in a statement. "The legislation would further improve
the rights of all Albanian citizens." Greece reacted strongly this
week to what it saw as unfair treatment of ethnic Greeks in Albania
during last month"s elections. Greece"s Foreign Ministry General
Secretary George Savaidis on a visit to Tirana told Albanian Prime
Minister Ilir Meta that Tirana had to review its legislation on
minorities if it wanted to get closer to the European Union. EU member
Greece has cited alleged voting violations during October local
elections in and around the Greek speaking town of Himare, on
Albania"s western coast. Ethnic Greeks in Himare complained that
police kept them away from polling stations. The Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe had said there were "serious
irregularities" in the area. Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou
has written to European Commissioner for External Relations Chris
Patten about what he said was a serious lack of democracy in Albania
and a need to respect the rights of the Greek minority. The EU is
expected to send a committee in early 2001 to discuss a cooperation
agreement with Albania.
 
_______________________________________
Panayote Elias Dimitras
Spokesperson
Greek Helsinki Monitor
e-mail: [email protected]
 
Internet Addresses:
Balkan Human Rights Web Pages: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
The Balkan Human Rights List: http://www.egroups.com/group/balkanhr
The Greek Human Rights List: http://www.egroups.com/group/greekhr
Dikaiomatika! [monthly human rights review in Greek]:
http://www.egroups.com/group/dikaiomatika
Alternative Information Network (AIM) - Athens [articles in Greek]:
http://www.egroups.com/group/aimgreek
 
Mail Address:
P.O. Box 60820
GR-15304 Glyka Nera, Greece
 
Telephone and Fax:
Tel. +30-1-347.22.59;
Fax +30-1-601.87.60
________________________________________

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