Godo at the head of the League "As the election campaign draws near, with all its burden and heat, it will inevitably require greater work and responsibility from LDSH in order to raise its role on the Albanian political scene. For this reason, at the request of all the chairmen of the LDSH parties, and taking into account the fact that PRSH is one of the most organizationally widespread forces within LDSH, it was decided that this party should currently be at the head of LDSH." This was emphasized yesterday by Mr. Godo at a meeting with journalists at the PRSH headquarters.

The sea tragedy For five years, the dream of 3 million Albanians to reach the West, which existed clandestinely by land, has also had a maritime route. But unfortunately, the clandestine sea route has been accompanied by many victims. Besides the unconfirmed number of people lost at sea in 1991 during the mass departures on ships seized in the port, victims have sadly also not been absent in the following years. Of around 875 names missing from the world of migration, a considerable portion belongs to those lost to the sea waves. In addition to the 36 recorded in drowning lists due to the great overcrowding of improvised boats, there is another list of drownings caused by bad weather, totaling 24 people on the maritime border with Italy and 14 people on the maritime border with Greece. If on the Italian border the victims are due to the large sea waves, on the border with Greece there have also been killings by the Greek police in the middle of the sea. At least that is what happened in August 1994, when a hail of Greek snipers destroyed an Albanian boat together with the 8 people aboard it. In the sea waves around 74 speedboats have sunk, and in most cases rescue was made possible either by foreign ships or because they were near the shore. Around 267 speedboats have also been seized by the Albanian and Italian police. About 19 people have been criminally prosecuted because they violated the border regime and used their sea vessels without a license. In any case, these are vital figures and facts drawn from press reports over these four years. In reality, the figures differ in both reports. B. PERMETI

The new Reporter - a new newspaper "Reporteri i Ri" is, in a sense, a continuation of the journalism students' newspaper, but this time it is published in English, and it is the result of two weeks of joint work between 15 students from the Department of Journalism at UT and 9 students from the Danish school of journalism. The newspaper stands out for its appealing topics, distinctive style, and very good graphic presentation. The newspaper "Reporteri i ri" is part of the project "For the Development of Journalism in Albania," financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Political Parties for... "...the vetting of officials and other persons connected with the protection of the democratic state" Page 2

On 1 December, another tragic incident of clandestine illegal migration was repeated, with the disappearance at sea of 17 Albanians who have still not been identified. The Republican Party shares the deep sorrow of the families who lost their sons, victims of the hardships we are living through. After the tragedy in the Adriatic in which 17 Albanian citizens lost their lives Interpellation with Meksi requested On 1 December, another tragic incident of clandestine illegal migration was repeated, with the disappearance at sea of 17 Albanians who have still not been identified. The Republican Party shares the deep sorrow of the families who lost their sons, victims of the hardships we are living through. The Republican Party views this event as a climax in the migration issue. According to reports in the Italian mass media, in the last six months alone 15,111 clandestine migrants have been intercepted on the coasts of Apulia, of whom 12,079 were sent back and 3,032 were expelled. The bulk of this clandestine migration and its organized flow are described as Albanian. At the same time, it is emphasized that these official figures are much lower than reality. This means that we are dealing with a severe and continuing hemorrhage involving tens of thousands of people, with a back-and-forth flow that has claimed many more victims. This week, RAI aired a highly sensational program about the sale of children in Albania. Just during this year, the number of children sold is estimated at around 250. In the film, a mother was shown selling her numerous "children" for 1 million lire each, or even less. The Republican Party notes that illegal migration, the sale of young girls, and the export of prostitution are phenomena that have a destructive effect on the nation’s morality, while such an image of Albania seriously hinders our integration and cooperation with Europe. Our deputy, Prof. Mehmet Çeliku, has been assigned to request a parliamentary interpellation with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in order to reach the following conclusions: 1) Despite the measures taken, the work of the country's organs to stop clandestine migration has not succeeded in preventing it. These bodies should be freed from negligent elements, mobilized to stop this migration at any cost, and the organizers should be prosecuted and punished. 2) Urgent talks should be sought with the Italian side, as a country that has shown us true friendship, for an official agreement regarding migration, while at the same time addressing the visa issue, which concerns humanitarian matters and cooperation. The Republican Party also calls on all political forces to join these demands, or to express their views in order to raise awareness among the authorities, as well as public opinion, about the tragic reality created by illegal migration, the sale of children, the export of prostitution, and the spread of drugs, as doors and serious wounds being suffered by the nation in this phase of transition. (continued on p.2)

DEMOCRACY: Why we were better under socialism 1. In democracy, everyone complains that nobody works. 2. People have their minds on strikes and demonstrations, not on work. 3. Under socialism we had 100,000 communists; today we have 100,000 cars (very harmful to the environment). 4. Back then we had only one Namik Hot; today we have many. 5. Today you cannot find black bread, only white bread - very harmful to health. 6. Listening to foreign stations is no longer enjoyable. 7. You can bad-mouth the government from morning to night and you are no longer an interesting person. 8. Taking part in elections is no longer accompanied by music. 9. No one commits themselves to implementing the tasks of the Party Congress. 10. Beggars no longer ask you for 2 lekë. l.d.