Albania to renegotiate Albtelecom with Turkish Calik consortium

TIRANA, Sept. 11 – Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Monday that authorities would renegotiate the privatization of the sale of state phone company Albtelecom with the Turkish Calik Enerji Telekomunikasyon A.S. consortium after an international audit showed defects in the previous contract. “Ahmet Calik (the Turkish company’s president) has shown a clear will to renegotiate,” said Berisha, speaking to parliamentarians after a visit to Turkey last week. “It is a general opinion, after the international audit, that the contract should be renegotiated. I hope talks will give a pleasant result for all the sides.” The Democratic Party-led government canceled the contract with the Turkish consortium after his party took power in September 2005, claiming irregularities in the sale through an international tender. Calik was awarded the contract earlier that year from the Socialist Party government of former premier Fatos Nano. Berisha’s government chose auditors Deloitte Czech Republic to investigate the sale of 76 percent of Albtelecom to the Turkish consortium by Albania’s former Socialist government for 120 million euro. Calik Enerji was the only international company that bid for Albtelecom. Ten other companies _ from Slovenia, South Korea, the United States, Kuwait and Ireland _ had expressed interest earlier but did not submit bids. Albtelecom, which the government valued at about 145 million euro in January 2004, is the only fixed-line telephone company in the country and it can also operate a mobile phone network, which is expected to begin services soon. Two mobile phone companies _ AMC and Vodafone _ also operate in the country.