Albania appoints NATO membership negotiators

17/04/2008

TIRANA, Albania -- Two weeks after receiving an invitation to join NATO, the government established a negotiating group Wednesday (April 16th) that will lead the effort to make that membership a reality. Prime Minister Sali Berisha predicted that with continuing reforms, Albania will join the Alliance sooner than expected. "There should not even be a single issue from our side that will postpone this historic process," he said.

In other news Wednesday, Albania signed four financial agreements with the European Commission aimed at boosting cross-border development. Regions that will profit most are near the borders with Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia.

Also Wednesday, parliament's legislative committee approved a series of proposed changes to the constitution. One would limit the term of the country's chief prosecutor to five years. Another would change the electoral system from a mix of majority and proportional systems to a regional proportional system. A third would place oversight of the Central Elections Commission under the Election Code rather than under the constitution. The changes move next to the full parliament for consideration. (Shekulli, Shqip, Panorama - 17/04/08; VOA, BalkanWeb, Top-Channel, Albanian Ministry of Integration, Alsat - 16/04/08)