PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRIME MINISTER OF ALBANIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRIME MINISTER OF ALBANIA

At a Headquarters press conference Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Fatos Nano of Albania said his country has taken positive steps towards, not only recovering, but also building prosperity after a difficult period. He said he had presented to the General Assembly a general outline for making Albania attractive to European citizens as well as its own people.

The Prime Minister added that his meetings with Secretary-General Kofi Annan and United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were "friendly and motivating". The two leaders assured their continued support of Albania's rebuilding efforts.

On the issue of Albanians who emigrated to Italy, the Prime Minister said the vast majority of them were welcomed by the Italian Government and about 100,000 were integrated into Italian society. The Albanian and Italian Governments had come to agreements on the refugee problem "not by strict legal procedures" but through cooperation and with the goal of helping the refugees.

On the issue of immigrants to Greece, the Prime Minister said procedures for legalizing Albanian citizens there had begun, which would strengthen the climate of partnership and cooperation between the two nations. Like many other European countries, Greece had begun programmes for finding employment for Albanian immigrants. Social and political institutions in Greece and Albania were "completely compatible" for the resolution of problems of transition faced by new immigrants.

When asked about United States support for Albania, the Prime Minister said the United States never stopped helping Albania undertake reforms to establish a strong economy and society. The goal of the support was to help Albania move irreversibly towards European integration and cooperation. American agencies and businesses remained committed to Albania during its time of transition and they were the first to "reopen doors" after the critical period. The Prime Minister said he plans to meet with other United States leaders in Washington D.C. Monday.

In response to a question about Albanian students in Kosovo who had threatened to protest in order to have their schools released from Serbian government control, the Prime Minister said that government would improve the situation by implementing educational agreements that were made in the past. He was meeting with officials from the United States and United Nations about the issue. The goal was to ensure that the rights of Albanians were institutionalized and that they were treated as equal citizens in all countries in the region. "I feel confident that there will be a new positive future for Albanians wherever they live", he concluded.

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