The Municipality’s major operation has begun in Tirana In Kodër-Kamëz and the outskirts, walls are coming down The Municipality’s major operation has begun in Tirana They demolished the unauthorized buildings Walls are coming down in Kodër-Kamëz and the outskirts EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — The demolition of unauthorized buildings has just begun in Tirana. After Durrës and Shkodër, the capital’s Municipality is now taking its first major step against illegal construction. So far, action has been taken in only two areas: Kodër-Kamëz and the area of Tirana’s Grand Park, where 10 structures have been demolished, including buildings worth around 10 thousand dollars. The first reactions from residents have also begun. The day before yesterday, Sali Kelmendi, Mayor of Tirana, also took part in the second major operation to demolish unauthorized buildings. “It is a very major undertaking,” Gëzim Kallçiu, Deputy Mayor of Tirana, told the newspaper, “because there are around 1,700 structures across the city of Tirana that have been found to lack permits.” The capital Municipality’s latest decision was made on the basis of a Council of Ministers decision. The decision instructs all municipal authorities to organize teams to demolish unauthorized buildings. The Ministry of Public Order, the Ministry of Defence, the Prosecutor’s Office and other authorities are also required to take action on this issue. Accordingly, a commission to demolish unauthorized buildings was set up at the Tirana Municipality, headed—in order of importance—by the Mayor himself, Kelmendi. The latest decisions were based on reports from the 11 urban planners in Tirana’s neighborhoods, who are part of the Legal Urban Planning section within the Directorate of Territorial Regulation. “Initially,” Deputy Mayor Kallçiu continued, “an [unclear in source] on the outskirts of the city is being demolished.” Last Saturday, the first large-scale operation against unauthorized buildings focused on the Kodër-Kamëz area, where 6–7 structures were demolished. The day before yesterday, the Municipality’s special commission focused its work on the area of Tirana’s Grand Park. A total of 10 unauthorized structures have been demolished in the first two operations alone. Although the undertaking is very difficult, members of the Commission assure us that the work begun that day will continue at a rapid pace. As with the first two operations, the Commission established at the Municipality will be supported by the Public Order forces—which cordon off the illegal structure beforehand—and by the Army, which provides demolition equipment such as bulldozers and excavators. In fact, the Municipality had issued its first warnings against unauthorized construction some time ago. In the first six months of this year alone, 800 residents were fined. Seventy residents and 62 military personnel have been referred to the District Prosecutor’s Office for land occupation and failure to comply with an administrative order. In addition, during this period, 15 foundations and 8 houses belonging to citizens who were former landowners were demolished. Cooperation is also continuing with the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate of Protection to address administrative violations, such as registering plots in the land registry more than once or issues involving plots that have been transferred or donated. The major operation by the Municipality of Tirana has only just begun. “No deadline can be given for demolishing all unauthorized buildings,” Gëzim Kallçiu concluded, “because a new problem arises every day, most of them involving buildings without permits.” In particular, the first unauthorized structures have only just begun to be demolished. A view of Skënderbe Square in Tirana

The first signs of recovery Tourists in Albania: more businesspeople Lower taxes for hotels TIRANA — (an. st., fa. ba.) — The first signs are now beginning to appear that Albanian tourism—a sector on which many hopes have been pinned—is recovering. The data available so far at the Ministry of Tourism point to an interesting phenomenon: Albania has more business tourism than ordinary holidaymakers. Of the 17,732 foreigners who stayed in Albanian tourist hotels during the first six months of this year, only 17.5 percent came for a holiday; the much larger share, 72.5 percent, came for business reasons. Greeks currently rank first among visitors to Albania, accounting for 25 percent of the total, followed by Italians at 24 percent. According to Italian sources, it is precisely the latter among whom renewed interest in tourist Albania has been noticed. According to the same sources, from July until these days, more than 200 Italians—most of them from Puglia—have visited Albania. This is more than a year ago, but the number remains low and far from the targets set by Albanian experts. Deputy Minister of Tourism, Lazarin Mazreku [...] Deputy Minister of Tourism Lazarin Mazreku explains to the newspaper the reasons for the low number of tourists: “The standard of service is still far from what is required. Conditions in Albanian tourist hotels are difficult for anyone spending the night there, starting with the lack of water. In general, the very high prices are not justified by the low standard of service.” Many foreign guests have in fact complained about prices approaching those of good European hotels, while the service could hardly be described as comparable. Hotel managers offer their own explanation: they are required to pay the state treasury 10 dollars for every foreigner who uses the hotel, regardless of its category. A month ago, the President of the Republic, by decree, exempted hotels from this obligation, which had begun to cause harm. They now pay the state only 10 percent of the price of each night’s stay by foreign nationals. Despite the still-low numbers, many tourists—those who prefer unspoiled nature and local traditions—have begun to discover Albania. A virtually unknown country in the middle of Europe, with reasonable prices, is not an everyday bargain. The projects the Ministry of Tourism is trying to implement are undoubtedly also helping. And it seems that something is moving. Recently, an interesting initiative was announced: “Randonnee naturavventura,” a travel agency from Modena, is offering its clients a special holiday. It will be an 11-day mountain-bike excursion through several Albanian cities. A somewhat unusual kind of tourism, intended for those who prefer activity and close contact with nature. VLORA — (an. st.) — The first Albanian tourist village is to be inaugurated in the Llogara area, renowned for its natural beauty. The opening ceremony will take place on Monday. Investments to build this mountain tourist village began in 1989 with the purchase from Denmark of several lightweight “bungalow”-type buildings suitable for the project, officials at the “Albturist” enterprise directorate told the newspaper. After a period of interruption, work resumed in 1992. Initially, the project was intended to be carried out in cooperation with a foreign investor. But, as this proved impossible, the work was completed using the funds of the “Albturist” tourism enterprise and its Vlora branches. The tourist village consists of twelve buildings and a restaurant. The buildings offer tourists ordinary comforts, including water, a bathroom and heating. The restaurant is modern, equipped with cold-storage rooms, electric stoves, a dishwasher and other necessary equipment. Electricity will be supplied through the municipal service network and by a lighting generator for emergencies. The project also envisages building recreation areas, a basketball court, and improving the road network leading to the tourist village.

VLORA — The first Albanian tourist village is to be inaugurated in the Llogara area, so renowned for its natural beauty. VLORA — (an. st.) — the Llogara area, so place on Monday. Investments to build this mountain tourist village—the “Albturist” enterprise directorate told the newspaper—

IN VLORA, A NEW CONSTRUCTION SITE APPROVED. — The Council for the Approval and Regulation of the city of Vlora has recently approved a site for new construction. The project mainly provides for villas and three-story buildings, as well as hotels. The new buildings will be constructed by private entrepreneurs. The state will build only the infrastructure network for this construction site. HIGH DEMAND IN SARANDA FOR SHORT-TERM LOANS. — Since the beginning of this year, the Saranda Agricultural Bank has issued short-term loans to 100 people. These have been used for commercial and agricultural activities. Recently, applications for such loans from this bank have increased. The problem has been made more difficult by the failure of the credit plan for August to arrive. This has made planning the issuance of loans more difficult.

2 million marks allocated to the project TIRANA — (Ed. La.) — Albanian Television is reaching out to Europe. To put TVSH on satellite, all that is now awaited is the signing of the agreement, which on the Albanian side will be carried out by Telekom. At this stage, work is under way—with initial funding of 2 million marks—to install a modern recording and broadcasting studio. The new undertaking is the result of the Albanian Government’s and Kosovo’s joint, pan-national strategy to inform Albanians abroad and integrate them into the European broadcasting sphere. “It will be broadcast via one of the Eutelsat satellites, the most powerful organization in Europe,” Apostol Noth, head of television broadcasts at TVSH, told the newspaper, “and a European intergovernmental organization.” Television executives believe the satellite program will begin in October. The structure of this 100-percent Albanian program has also taken shape: there will be two hours every evening, from 18:30 to 20:30. It will include shows, variety programs, drama, films and sports, as well as news and all the events in Germany. Thus, soon, for the first time, all Albanians in Western Europe will be able to watch their TVSH.

It was hidden in a truck carrying mineral water TIRANA — (fa. ba.) - Toilet paper has entered the list of goods smuggled into Albania. The sanitary product — used by Albanians only in recent times — tried to pass through the Tirana customs inspection clandestinely, hidden among bottles of mineral water. On Wednesday, the capital’s customs officers discovered it concealed in a corner of a truck coming from Greece. The truck contained 380 cases intended to avoid declaring the goods, although the Albanian trader had sworn on his mother’s life that he knew nothing of their existence. The details of this incident, and who is really at fault, have not yet been established. The customs duty on toilet paper — as on all similar products — has recently increased to 20 percent. Perhaps this is why someone tried to smuggle it into Albania. The story has something to do with the financial police. Someone has been caught, and the appropriate measures have been taken, but all of this is also another indication that this product has become sought-after by Albanians. Similar cases have previously been reported with cigarettes and alcoholic drinks.

TIRANA — (ed. la.) - A theft has been confirmed at the warehouses in LUNdra, on the outskirts of Tirana. This time, the perpetrator was not a stranger but a guard who was watching over the warehouses of the active “Helmision”. An operation by the Criminal Police of Tirana’s Precinct 4 managed to catch the perpetrator by surprise, together with 6 sacks filled with various materials. Immediately afterwards, 10 large sacks of clothing were also found at the perpetrator’s home, their value amounting to a considerable sum. As the investigation continues, the perpetrator remains under police supervision.

2 million marks allocated to the project

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Everyone dreams when they sleep. This is an extremely normal fact, except that sometimes dreams are so beautiful or so bad that they leave you astonished and amazed when you wake up. But dreams can also be “warning” dreams, that is, they may contain a foretelling, a warning of what may happen in the future. Every week, “Gazeta Shqiptare” offers its readers explanations and interpretations of the objects and situations most often dreamed about. FATHER Psychological interpretation: Like the mother figure, the father figure represents both a positive and a negative aspect. The former identifies the father as authority, strength, law and security; for a son he is the person to imitate, while for a daughter he is the model according to which she should choose her partner or husband. In dream visions, the father often becomes a point of reference, the personification of order and justice, sometimes appearing in other forms (a lion, a king...). Moreover, the father may appear in a negative light (especially if, in real life, the relationship with him was unbalanced), as a tyrant, a patriarchal father, a blind and hostile force against which escape is impossible. In these cases, it is easy for the despotic character of the father figure to be represented by alternative symbols (an eagle, a wolf...), in the manner used by dream censorship to disguise the terrifying aspects of reality. Predictions: Seeing one’s father dead is an unfortunate omen, whereas dreaming of him alive is a favorable sign. MOCAL Psychological interpretation: It represents the negative aspects of the unconscious and of the mother figure. It reveals a state of sadness, loneliness and fear. Predictions: Major obstacles, difficulties at work. BREAD Psychological interpretation: Anything essential may be symbolized by bread: bread as a desire to seek a family, or ideals and a true love, or regret for a pure and simple life from which one has strayed. Predictions: Bread is a good omen for marriage and earnings; sometimes it foretells the birth of a boy. But if the bread is unbaked, we should fear for the health of our friends; a long loaf shaped like a cane promises a long life. PARALYSIS Psychological interpretation: Are we afraid to make a decision? Do we feel drawn to something, while at the same time wanting something that is wrong? Are we in a situation we neither appreciate nor know how to direct, with our instincts in conflict? In a dream, this state of confusion is symbolized by paralysis, which reproduces our psychological paralysis on a physical level. Predictions: It foretells misfortune, calamities and poor health.