Without in any way diminishing the importance that the Dayton agreement has for us Albanians, we must be struck by the fact that in the talks there not a single word was said about Kosovo and Albanians in general The peace agreement, signed the day before yesterday in Dayton, can be considered, in the full sense of the word, a historic agreement that will open a new era for the Balkans, shaken by the waves of an extreme nationalism, now, after the collapse of the communist system in the countries that had been part of its empire. Peace was achieved after 21 days of intensive talks, among which the consecutive marathon nights can be mentioned as a special record. The process carried out in Dayton went through many twists and turns; indeed, it can be said that at some moments it seemed success would not be achieved. The so-called “Posavina corridor,” which linked the territory controlled by Bosnian Serbs in the western part of Bosnia, the status of Sarajevo, and the issue of the rights of the two units created within the Bosnian state were some of the issues over which the delegations could not find common ground. Precisely at the moment when it was thought that the parties were packing their bags without reaching any agreement, President Clinton announced the breakthrough, the achievement of an agreement. “It is a historic and heroic choice made by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia,” said President Clinton in his speech when he announced the achievement of the agreement. “Today, Bosnia moves from the period of the horrors of war to the hopes of peace,” he would later add. Signing the agreement in Dayton, Ohio, does not mean that the difficulties are over; indeed, it can be said that now they may be even greater. A few hours after the agreement was announced, some of the Bosnian Serb leaders opposed it, calling it a “cold shower” for them. “We have signed nothing, Milošević has no right to speak for us. This agreement is wrong.” This is how Momčilo Krajišnik, the president of the parliament of the Bosnian Serbs, declared, while in Dayton, in the delegation led by Milošević. Krajišnik also said that Milošević had signed the agreement without his presence. Until yesterday at noon there had been no reaction from Karadžić and Mladić, who, under the Dayton agreement, are excluded from political life as indicted by the Hague Tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. In Belgrade the reactions are generally positive. The leader of the largest opposition party in Serbia, Vuk Drašković, considered it as • The various ultranationalist currents, disappointed by the terms set out in the Dayton agreement and outside control, could turn Bosnia into a Lebanon in the heart of Europe • The peace achieved in Dayton can be called only a first, uncertain step, after four years of bloody conflict. • In the three-week Dayton talks, what is surprising is not the success, achieved thanks to the constant pressure of the Americans and the understanding that the logic of war could not provide any solution, but the fact that failure was always in the air. continues on p. 5

The report on the draft law “On the vetting of the profiles of officials and other persons connected with the defense of the democratic state” has reached the lawmakers’ desks. It contains eight legislative and subordinate legal acts that will be on the agenda of Parliament’s discussions next week. Yesterday the leadership of Parliament added it to the agenda for next week. This draft law aims to exclude from participation in political life those persons whose activities have been detrimental to the interests of the Albanian people and of Albania. Such a legal act will ensure the country a clean democratic life, in this transition period, free from the remnants and memory of past actions, and it represents a necessary step in condemning communist terror and its acts, which will serve the future. The draft law, in its first article, sets out the conditions for working in important legislative and executive bodies and functions, in the Judiciary, in elected or appointed media positions, in higher education institutions, and in financial institutions. Article 2 defines the bodies and functions in which work during the period from 28.11.44 to 31.03.1991 bars one from being elected or appointed to the positions provided for by this draft law until 31.12.2001. To verify these activities, a commission made up of 7 people is established. continues on p. 5

The “mission” of the Scientologists ends The Scientologists are in court. This came after a lawsuit filed by the American-German Gorg Hagi, representative of the Scientologists in Albania, against his Albanian associate A. Demiraj for the return of 420 thousand dollars and another enigmatic sum drawn from the profits of the activity over these three years in Albania. As is known, the Scientologists are members of a religious sect whose main program is to generate large profits through investments in tourism and construction. The American-German had brought machinery and many devices to Albania, which were used for construction in Albania, but six months ago this collaboration went bankrupt and thus the final problems of Scientology in Albania remain to be resolved only by the court. P. V.

P. 4

The smokeless industry of Be- rat P. 3

What is certain is the surprise that accom- panies every week P. 7

Together with Miss Albania, this time Miss Politics will also be chosen. Polls say the main candidates will be 27 people. The new law on participation in politics is a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of spies. If the files are carefully examined, there are plenty of “collaborators” who have reported only the truth about those they have seen and heard. For the cold days in the absence of electricity, gas, and fuels, heating is recommended with stormy applause and light ovations.