Kosovo in the Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe P. 6

P. 2

P. 5

P. 3

Passers-by or civil servants who happened to be near Tirana Municipality noticed that its outer door was closed around midday, at an hour when municipal officials begin receiving the public. Nobody was allowed to enter, while those leaving were thoroughly searched by people who were not from the Municipality. It was surely from those leaving the Municipality that word got out that police and SHIK personnel were conducting a search in its offices. Such a “cordon” made one think that something alarming must have happened. According to information from municipal employees, though not officially confirmed, the reason for this “cordon” soon became known. Continued on p. 2.

In 1994, one third of the families in Albania’s capital found themselves involved in a legal dispute. We arrive at this estimate by looking at the number of families in Tirana and the number of court cases registered and heard in this court during 1994. Tirana, with 75,000 families, had 9,327 civil cases and 1,770 criminal cases registered in 1994, or 12,097 court cases involving around 30,000 families as parties to lawsuits. What should be emphasized is that, while 59,000 court cases were heard in the Republic, in 1994 alone the Tirana court heard 6,697 civil cases and 1,228 criminal cases, leaving around 1,500 to be completed in 1995 (according to this court’s statistics as of May 31, 1995), though the accurate figures are 2,630 civil cases and 542 criminal cases. If you study the nature of the legal disputes that have driven the capital’s population into litigation at an extraordinary rate, you will find that property cases rank first, with around 3,000 cases, followed by divorces, property divisions and certifications of facts, with around 3,000 cases. Only one third of the court cases concern other aspects of life… Ministry of Justice

A representative from the Albanian embassy is absent A meeting entitled “Let’s get to know Albania” was held recently in Padova, Italy. Those present at the meeting were briefed on developments in our country, on Albania’s culture, traditions and history, and on the role Albanians have played in particular historical periods. The meeting also discussed our literature and the arts in general, with well-known Albanian artists presenting their work to those attending, among whom were prominent Italian figures, Albanians living in Italy, etc. According to reports, the only invitees absent from the gathering were the well-known writer Ismail Kadare and a representative of our embassy in Rome. Kadare may have been busy with various activities to which he is often invited, but the absence of a representative from the Albanian embassy in Rome is inexplicable. Could the diplomats at our embassy in Rome really have so much work that not even one junior employee could be found to go to Padova? “Republika” correspondent

They have left our city without a seal. Those who committed this serious crime have no moral right to engage in politics. Perhaps they did not do it intentionally, but in any case, they have no political legitimacy either. According to some inside information, the seal was so badly worn that it was due to be replaced with a new one within a few days. Not only was it worn out, it had also been compromised, having been used to stamp all sorts of documents. Today I have something to tell you, consisting of these two issues: the first, the second and the third. Let’s start at the end, with the fourth: one must not think that the opening of S... was ever commendable. Democracy also has its good sides… you did not know this, but today that day has come when we can say this fact freely, without fear of being declared nostalgics. When the environmentalists left, they left behind 46.2 tonnes of rubbish in the form of cans, San Benedetto bottles and a few slogans such as “we want a hill and an ecological penal institution,” “refugees, don’t throw cans from the boats,” etc. Between the falsehood and the truth there is always a newspaper. Between two truths, there is a political party.