Albanian President Rexhep Meidani on Monday called for Italy to spearhead a campaign against organized crime as well as human and goods trafficking in the region.
Such a drive, to be "organized, modeled and led by Italy would be very efficient," Meidani said after talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato in Rome.
The Albanian leader said he had sought Amato's approval for the initiative but no further details immediately emerged from the talks.
Italy has long argued that only a joint initiative by all European Union members could stem the flood of illegal immigration and smuggling of merchandise, weapons and vehicles to and from the Balkans.
In the latest known crackdown on organized crime, Italian customs officials on Saturday seized firearms, ammunition and three stolen luxury cars in the southern port of Bari, all destined for Albania -- ROME (AFP)
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