Calik Enerji said to be meeting court-imposed deadline

The saga of the privatization of Albtelecom is coming to an end as the judicial courts are starting to formalize the acquisition of the state owned monopoly of fixed lines by the Turkish Calik Enerji. Economy Minister Genc Ruli said that Calik has taken significant steps to satisfy the condition of being a strategic investor coming into a consortium with the Turkish telecom. May is the deadline for such a condition and it seems the Turkish purchaser has respected the court-imposed deadline. The telecommunications company owned by the state has been listed for sale since 2001. In a legal declaration approved by president Rexhep Mejdani, clear rules were set out to give no more than 76 percent of the shares to a strategic investor. The Nano government decided upon the Turkish telecommunications company Calik Enerji Telekomunikasyon A.S and was immediately criticized by the opposition as the offer of 120 million euro was not deemed appropriate. An investigation by the well-known auditor Deloitte made it clear that Calik was far from being a strategic investor. On October 13, 2005 the new government did not approve the sale contract. Moving away from its initial position, the right-wing coalition began negotiations with Calik. The visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Kursat Tuzmen had on its agenda the quickening of the process. Calik and Turkish Telecom formed a consortium which got closer to the Albanian expectations of a strategic investor with the Albanian telecommunications monopoly. The Turkish side, however, objects to the tenders being held in the context of the Internet program.