At yesterday’s meeting of the leadership, through a press statement, PS has, for the first time, indirectly accepted the law on the verification and control of the background of senior state officials. “We have 104 thousand members and thousands of other supporters capable of carrying out the tasks set by the times,” says the PS press release. So this time PS seems to be seriously thinking about the elections, and the discussion of elections and candidacies has been left to the “party conferences in the districts.” After the law on the screening of officials comes into force, which sidelines until the beginning of the next century the old guard of PS (PP), which has been quite active and has directed the socialists, the time left is short to popularize figures from among the “members and thousands of other supporters capable.” The election campaign, launched several months ago out of fear that early elections might be called, seems that PS will base itself on the biography it has drawn up for the PD, on the “success” in the July ’92 local elections, on the results of the referendum on the constitution in November ’94... Although the forthcoming electoral law is expected to have a majoritarian emphasis, from yesterday’s PS press release it appears that the election campaign by the socialists will be conducted as if the law were 100% proportional: the candidates will promise to fight corruption, support businessmen, remove Nano... The concrete promise for now seems to be the decision of the PS leadership at yesterday’s meeting to “complete the drafting of the electoral program at a rapid pace.”

Page 4 With the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Dr. Bujar Bukoshi

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Witnesses also Ruçi and Nano Today in Shkodër the trial takes place against former policeman Pal Nika, one of the figures involved in the events of April 2, 1991. Nika is one of the four policemen who disappeared in an unknown direction on April 3, 1991, just a few hours after the gruesome killing of four innocent citizens had taken place. If the other two former policemen were caught and convicted in August 1994, Nika’s capture became possible only after the investigation into the events of April 2 was launched for the fourth time. After returning from Greece in the spring of 1994, the former policeman was living in his village in Bogë, in Malësia e Madhe, working as a bus conductor disguised with a mustache. Nevertheless, on July 17, 1995, he was caught and made a defendant, accused of illegal possession of weapons and of fleeing in an unknown direction after the April 2 massacre, shrouding the event in mystery. In his trial, the witnesses are expected to include the then Minister of the Interior, Gramos Ruçi, and the former prime minister Fatos Nano, who is today serving his sentence in the prison of Bënça in Tepelenë. Also to testify in this trial will be Dilaver Paraja, Çapajev Gjokutaj, Xhemal Dymylja, and the police chief of that time. Nika’s testimony is expected to shed light on many enigmas that have surrounded these events, which, although investigated five times, remain obscure. Bashkim Malo

What the Italian army did this summer, our border protection forces are now seeking to do in our coastal waters A blitz operation by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, and the Vlora Police Station to protect the Albanian coast from the launching of clandestine speedboats toward the Italian coast. Yesterday special forces were sent from Tirana to take part in this operation, considered the largest so far. The operation was prompted by recent events involving the sinking of two speedboats near the Italian shores. Unlike previous times, the operation will continue for a long time in order to restore a state of calm along our coastline. Although the operation has begun, according to the latest data there have also been cases of intercepted motorboats and attempts on their part to change the launch base. The police have placed all Albanian vessels under full control and have shown great severity toward everyone who tries to violate border rules. All clandestine departures take place at night, which is why the police have titled the operation “24 hours guarding the coastline.” The special forces from Tirana arrived because three speedboats stopped yesterday by the police not only ignored the order to stop, but also tried to overturn the police motorboat. In these attempts, one speedboat pilot who did not obey the police stop order was also injured. B.M

Yesterday the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, left for an official visit to the U.S. , where he is expected to hold important meetings with officials of the Clinton administration, in the U.S. Congress and Senate, — reports the Kosovo Information Centre (QIK). After the U.S., President Rugova will visit several West European countries. Details about these visits have not yet been provided. The results of Rugova’s visit are awaited with particular interest, now after the signing of the peace agreement for Bosnia in Dayton, U.S., which according to current analyses concerns the solution of the Kosovo issue as part of the broader settlement of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

Yesterday, at the meeting of the 15 EU foreign ministers, Albania was awarded 1.3 million dollars as urgent humanitarian aid, says the communiqué issued on this occasion, taking into account the worsening living conditions and the flight of refugees to the northern areas and around the cities. The aid will be delivered in cooperation with the British humanitarian association “Feed the Children” and another humanitarian organization. According to Deutche Welle

1. Because Namik Dokle says so and his mother has died. 2. Marx will be included in the school curriculum. 3. There will be no shortage of textbooks in schools as there is now, since the old textbooks will be put back into circulation. 4. Extraordinary taxes will be imposed on all merchants who enriched themselves during the transition with the people’s blood, and there will be more money for the poor strata. 5. Administrative reform: the socialists will not do it like the democrats through laws, but by means of the town crier they will inform officials that from tomorrow onward they must come to work. 6. The article on agitation-propaganda will be reinstated and thousands of people will be employed in SHIK. 7. Cigarettes and Galaret will be saved, and they will be declared kulaks. 8. Fatos Nano, leading a dog’s life today, will not allow the street dogs to be killed along with him. 9. American imperialism will be exported (?) through placing a bomb in the embassy, and on that occasion scores will be settled with some intellectuals of the opposition. 10. Even though PS will have nothing, it will share it with all the working people. 11. Because Namik Hoti will become Minister of Ecology. 12. The five (those who were expelled from the PS leadership) will be subjected to special investigation. 13. After 5 years, Dosen Ruçi, Pellumbi, Meta, etc. will send it to RD.