On 27 July, the Shkodër branch of the Republican Party organized a broad meeting with the city's businesspeople. Attending were the chairman of the Republican Party, Sabri Godo, the prefect, Iliaz Vrioni, and representatives of several political parties and associations in the district. The open discussions, which lasted three hours, showed that confronting the authorities with alternative proposals and economists' views is an urgent need of the day, if we truly want work to begin in industry and other sectors and to emerge from the crisis. At the broad meeting of the RP branch in Shkodër, the chairman of this branch, Fejzullah Begani, said, among other things: We are all witnesses to the fact that millions of dollars and foreign currency enter Albania, and therefore our Shkodër too, through Albanian emigration. Has the time not come for these individual capitals, or groups of individuals, to invest in reviving the economy and developing industry in Shkodër, beginning with small and medium-sized enterprises in light and food industries, for which the district has a tradition going back many years? In this way, this foreign currency will not return to where it came from in exchange for basic consumer goods; it will be an investment that pays off for Shkodër's future, employs people, fills the market with domestic goods, reduces unemployment and relieves the state budget of millions in assistance payments. I ask what is preventing this process from being carried out and opening the way wide for their reconstruction and restructuring! What is preventing the rapid privatization of enterprises in this system? To be discuss…? what has been done, what is being done, or what is the outlook for the factories in this perspective? We believe Holding such consultations, first and foremost in Shkodër, is a natural thing. This city flourished from the earliest times as a center of trade and crafts. Last year, at a public meeting, I raised the issue that Shkodër, with the surrounding areas and Lezhë, could develop into a large and powerful economic region, seeking connections and other trade routes that led especially toward Venice. Shkodër has all the human and material resources for such development, and this does not at all mean drawing only on other parts of the country. On the contrary, if the prefecture seeks and finds its external partners and develops according to its own potential, then we will achieve (continued on page 2)

The Albanian Embassy and Amnesty International are searching for them. Greek state institutions remain silent. The Albanian Embassy and Amnesty International are searching for them. Greek state institutions remain silent. Page 3

A reminder: 45 years ago, Greek troops attacked Albania 2 August 1949, 5:00 a.m. Around 1,000 Greek army infantry troops, reinforced with artillery, along a front approximately 800 meters wide. They take advantage of their initial superiority and advance about 400 meters into Albanian territory. An unprecedented, grave provocation, carried out against Albania by the Greek monarcho-fascists. (continued on page 3) Two portrait photographs of men.

• The Greek Government reinstates its veto and blocks the European Union's aid of 35 million ecu for Albania • Athens has a “disagreement” with its ambassador in Tirana • Whether Albania makes progress in democratizing the country is judged (?) and decided (!) by Greece!!! Greek provocations, as a permanent feature of Albanian-Greek relations, have manifested themselves in full, reaching the point of military expansion. Albanians have not forgotten August 1949. And while the new Albanian state and its policies toward its neighbors and in international relations are trying to open a new page, aiming to bring peace to the region and achieve European integration, it is Greece itself and its policies that continue to speak the language of the past. The latest Greek provocation goes beyond the bounds of bilateral relations. Thus, the Greek Government, exploiting its veto power in the European Union, is blocking the aid of 35 million ecu that the EU has granted to Albania. The eleven EU members are supported by aviation, launch a surprise attack on the Albanian border in the district of Korçë, in the Bozhigrad sector (pyramids 54–55), with “forced” to wait for Greece's approval before the economic aid can be sent to Albania ... through Greece (!) This is not the first ambush set for the members of the European Union. When Jacques Delors condemned Greek policy toward the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, declaring that it “is good neither for the structure of Europe nor for the family spirit within it,” Europe was, in fact, waiting for Greece. When Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Klaus Kinkel, (also in connection with the Greek blockade against the new state of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) declared that “the European Union is waiting for Greece to show solidarity with the other countries (EU—editor's note),” it could hardly have been stated more clearly that Europe was waiting for Greece. Greece is a member of the new Europe, and this same Greece was Europe's president a month ago and may be so again. Greece's membership in the main European institutions makes Europe wait. Greece's holding of the European presidency makes Europe wait even longer. Greece has demonstrated this. Does Europe have time to wait for Greece? With its new political move of blocking aid to Albania, Athens and its policy are not in “the family spirit of Europe.” But, as we said, this is nothing new. The small new development is that Athens no longer speaks with one voice with its ambassador in Tirana. Greece's ambassador in Tirana, Kristos Caliqis, told Albania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Serreqi, that Greece had approved the European Union's aid, while the ambassador's superiors in Europe blocked it. The Greek ambassador's “disagreement” with Athens is not particularly significant... When Ambassador Caliqis told the Albanian Government (our Minister of Foreign Affairs) that the aid “will be granted once the progress Albania makes in democratizing the country has been established...” (which means that the Greek ambassador issued a threat), we hope that this statement, this threat, is the ambassador's second “disagreement” with Athens, because whether Albania makes progress in democratizing the country is not for Greece to judge, much less to decide. JUNIK MYRSELI

Landowners have priority in privatization, but... This fact is leaving the lawful owners “empty-handed,” depriving them of the right to receive what is theirs by law. If the law gives them priority in privatizing enterprises on their land, why does that law not require the National Privatization Agency to wait for the decision of the Commission for the Restitution of Property? At the National Privatization Agency (AKP), Tirana Branch, the privatization of small and medium-sized enterprises is scheduled to be completed in January 1995. The privatization of this level of the Albanian economy through an accelerated overall process is an important step toward establishing a market economy in Albania as soon as possible. In most cases, the method of privatization has been auction. Exceptions to auction-based privatization have been made only for former landowners during the privatization of properties located on their land, as well as for certain legal entities and individuals. This exception is supported by Decision 234, dated 24.05.1994, of the Council of Ministers, which states in point 2, second paragraph: “Privatization shall take place without auction only for former owners of the land, in application of the right of pre-emption under the law on the Return and Compensation of Property to Former Owners, and for certain legal entities and individuals; for the latter, by decision of the Governing Board of the AKP or the Governing Board of an AKP Branch.” But it is point 6 of this same decision that has left many former landowners “empty-handed.” It states: “Apart from former owners of the land, when a person seeks to purchase an enterprise situated on land formerly owned by that person, within the period for submitting applications published pursuant to point 4, they must submit to the AKP branch, in addition to what is required in point 6, the complete documentation proving that they own the land, together with the relevant decision of the Commission for a certificate from the Preparatory Privatization Subcommission, attached to the Local Government, confirming that the enterprise's land corresponds to the land formerly owned by them, specifying the percentage of the enterprise's land that is former land.” Former landowners have fallen victim to the extremely slow work of the Commission for the Return and Compensation of Property in issuing the ownership decisions they seek. Of the 3,000 applications for the return of property received by this Commission, it has issued around 750 decisions. Meanwhile, the Tirana branch of the AKP continues privatizing small and medium-sized enterprises in order to meet the January 1995 deadline. As a result, many former landowners, because they have not received decisions from the Commission for the Return and Compensation of Property, have been unable to benefit from Council of Ministers Decision 234, dated 24.05.1994, which would allow them to avoid the cutthroat auction process. Whenever we have visited the Commission for the Return and Compensation of Property, they have complained to us about an endless number of difficulties and stated that they were working to the best of their ability. But this does not mean that former landowners should wait contentedly in the hope of receiving a share of the securities. Since laws and decisions exist today that give this category of former owners a chance to regain ownership more easily and quickly, nobody has the right to deprive them of that chance, whether they belong to the commission, the government or parliament. Perhaps the Government has time to make changes to increase the workload capacity of these commissions by adding staff and providing them with specialized assistance. This would solve the problems of some former owners, who sit waiting in front of officials' office doors, ARTUR KOPANI

“The people in power have grown fat because they are plundering” — this is a statement by former minister Genc Ruli, published by the newspaper “Kombi” (29 July 1994). The newspaper in question attributes this statement to the former Minister of the Economy, made [part unreadable] above not publicly, but in an intimate setting where, according to “Kombi”, “whatever the belly brings out, the mouth blurts out”. The newspaper gives no details about Ruli’s statement, as he resigned from the Meksi Government several months ago.

Because of the killings at the Berlin Wall and at the barbed-wire fences, the former head of STASI (the security service in the former GDR) and his close associates will appear in the dock in September, “Deutsche Welle” reported. Erich Mielke, 86, and his associates, in addition to the first charge of murder, primarily on 14 September, will be tried for the killings and the terror at the Berlin Wall.

Yesterday’s rally, organized by the Tirana PS, was opened by the party’s Tirana chairman, Musa Ulqin, who for his part recalled the ideals of December 1990. The recollection of the December ideals was enlivened by the words of veteran Nexhmi Dibra and of the socialist women’s representative, Margarita Hysi. The vice-chairman, Dr. Servet Pellumbi, delivered an important speech. The former Minister of Security and Socialist Party secretary Gramoz Ruci did not speak…

On 29 July at the PRSH Headquarters, the chairman of this Party, Mr. Sabri Godo, received the Hungarian ambassador, Mr. Ferenc Poka, at the latter’s request. Mr. Godo gave an overview of the political and economic situation, the progress of democratic reforms, and foreign policy developments. He stressed that our economy is currently being transformed into a free-market economy, but is facing (continued on page 4)

At the most recent meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Papulias and Serbian President Milosheviq, held two days ago in Belgrade, unresolved issues concerning the latter’s plan for Bosnia were discussed. According to the statement released after the meeting, Papulias and Milosheviq called for “a peace plan and a reasonable territorial division.” No details were given about what exactly is meant by a reasonable territorial division.

Around 200 members and sympathizers of the Socialist Party gathered yesterday afternoon in “Ali Demi” in Tirana. According to [unclear text], last night’s rally was [cut-off text] and [unclear text] speeches by leaders of the district of [unclear text]. The rally has been christened.

One of the two thousand. Photo: Armando Babani

The initiative group for the Unification of the Veterans of the National Anti-Fascist Liberation War (LANÇL), representatives of the initiative groups in the districts, and those veterans who support the unification initiative announced in Tirana on 27 July the establishment of the United Organization of the Veterans of the National Anti-Fascist Liberation War of the Albanian people, which had been approved a week earlier by the Ministry of Justice. The chairman of the initiative group, Mu- [text cut off] (continued on page 3)

For the first time in Albania… An acrobatic air show Today, at 15:00, at Rinas Airport, AES Airlines Shpk and AES Center Shpk, in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications (Directorate of Civil Aviation), are organizing an acrobatic air show (“Air Show ’94”). Pilots and parachutists with international experience in aerial acrobatics and parachute jumping will take part in the event.

“Leontiev Çuçi and I,” said the madwoman N. of the chief [unclear], “have an invitation on Friday afternoon to visit Cyprus. The invitation is confidential for me,” said the madwoman. “Leontiev and Hajdaragën. The Greeks of Cyprus won’t pay for our travel and meals, nor will those Greeks. The money is provided by the people. Because we eat lunch and dinner at the people’s deputies’ expense. The Socialist Party’s audit and inspection control is investigating Leontiev’s and Hajdaraga’s expenses in dollars in Europe. The witnesses will be the Cypriots. Harlula Papajorgji is proclaimed a political martyr of democracy. The Parliamentary Union will hold a referendum on the martyr before the people. The people are waiting and saying: Europe for Papajorgji. 100,000 people took part in the Përmet rally. Why are Radio-Television and the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit” lying? I was the same then. The Socialist Party defends Albania’s honor in Europe, and the foremost of the Cypriots, [unclear] with the orientation of the PS, are served up to the latter. The blessed Cypriots and the name… [unclear text] N was seen in the unified market… [unclear text] — said the madwoman — and there was indeed a crowd of more than 100,000 people. and the name… [unclear text] Dode. “I don’t know you,” said the madwoman. “I know you,” said the man named Dodë. “You denounced me to the Security Service. I even served prison time,” said Doda, “but I hold you responsible. Prison is for men. Politics is for our former spies. Politics is for you. Only you and others like you can engage in politics for the rich.” “Go away,” said the madwoman. “Now we have democracy’s troubles. That was how things were then. Don’t make me leave politics. I denounced people, and my comrades and I denounced you, who were a spy. We have other problems. Did you hear that an ambassador from a neighboring country resigned because he could not come to an understanding with his government? Today the inter-socialist union will meet in Durrës to defend Kraxhas, who was sentenced to eight years. Didn’t you hear that the quality of the letters you send to Europe about the people’s deputies is below the standards for members of parliament and ambassadors of the European unions? Today, the madwoman mentions, the Greek and former collaborators of the State Security Service are being proclaimed. Are these the real victims? [unreadable text] … Albania’s salvation lies in Albania’s politics. Do the former spies want to see? The former spies want to lose for…” THE CHRONICLER