CIVIL ALLIANCE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE VLORA BAY

0 HLCAS1WPXXXX ORGANIZACIÓN DE AVIACIÓN CIVIL INTERNACIONAL
2 FORM 12 CIVIL ENFORCEMENT REGULATION CLERK’S
2 IMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL

3 CEANSWP ORGANIZACIÓN DE AVIACIÓN CIVIL INTERNACIONAL
3 CIVIL MARRIAGE ACT CLERK’S STAMP COURT
6 INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION WORKING PAPER

Civil Alliance for the Protection of the Vlora Bay

Tirana Office: Rr. S. Frasheri, P. 20/10 P.O. Box 7466

Tirana ALBANIA

Ardian KLOSI – Lavdosh FERUNI

Tel.: (+355) 69 20 82 884 or 69 20 99 047

E-mail: [email protected]

9 June 2006

Re: Response of the Albanian Government to your letter of 12 April 2006 to the Vlora case

Honorable Jeremy Wates

Secretary

Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making

and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

Environment and Human Settlements Division

Bureau 332

Palais des Nations

CH-1211 Geneva 10

Switzerland

E-mail: [email protected]

Dear Mr. Wates,

Thank you for informing us about the answer to your letter of 12 April 2006 by the responsible government agency in Tirana, which we read very carefully.

We regret that the representatives of our Government insist that there was a public information and participation process in the question of the Thermal Electrical Power Plant (TEP) designated to be built near the city of Vlora. On 7 January 2006 we sent you evidence that there was no meaningful and inclusive public information process at all; we submitted to you a lists of the participants in the mentioned meetings, wich prove that those participants were only or mainly officials or employees of the Albanian state. The people of Vlora were informed about the dangers that TEP posed for their lives, their city and for the whole Bay of Vlora only in the recent months due to the work of our Alliance, of several investigative journalists and other actors of the Albanian civic society.

In the last paragraphs of the above mentioned letter they refer to three meetings which took place in Tirana and Vlora on the 22.10, 29.10 and on 11.11.2005. A special Commission was set up in this occasion, and representatives of our Alliance participated in it.

These are true facts, but what was the result? We believe that a meaningful and inclusive public participation is such when the government would be willing to listen and to take into consideration the opinion and the will of the people, even though it could be contrary to that of individuals within the World Bank or other creditors. Otherwise, public participation process is reduced into a mere rubber stamp of the decision of the government and of the World Bank. Indeed, the positions remained as opposite as they were at the beginning. The Albanian Government was not interested to hear the arguments of industry experts, environmental specialists, concerned citizens of Vlora and community activists, who pointed out that TEP and the deposits and refineries of La Petrolifera and other oil-related projects would be a death sentence to the natural habitat, environment, tourisms, cultural heritage and of a true sustainable development for Vlora as a whole. At the end of this parade of three so-called meetings, the Albanian Government declared its intent to build the TEP and to let the works of La Petrolifera take place as foreseen by the former Nano-Government.

We believe that the government went as far as to pressure the Central Electoral Commission to undermine and illegally block the initiative of the people of Vlora for submiting the TEP project to a local referendum, something which is even provided in the Albanian Law on Enviroment Protection. We regret to inform you that we have also noticed an increased pressure from World Bank officials especially after your letter copied to the World Bank.

The response of the people of Vlora to this charade was a series of demonstrations, rallies, meetings and other civic actions against those plans. There were protests in Tirana as well, before the government buildings and in front of the residence of the World Bank in our capital.

Therefore we do not see any substantial change as to the situation that you evaluated in March 2006. We would be very grateful if the Committee could send your representatives to Vlora in the next weeks.

Yours sincerely,

Ardian Klosi, Aleksander Mita, Lavdosh Feruni

Executive Board of the Civil Alliance for the Protection of the Vlora Bay

CLARK COUNTY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MEETING IN ATTENDANCE
DEMANDA CESACION DE EFECTOS CIVILES DE MATRIMONIO CATOLICO
DEMANDA DE DIVORCIO DE MATRIMONIO CIVIL POR MUTUO

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