Fini: “Elections as soon as possible. Interim rule is a swamp” Page 5

1) Reaffirms its position on an independent Kosovo with the right to self-determination. Yesterday in Tirana LDSH Plenary Meeting 1) Reaffirms its position on an independent Kosovo with the right to self-determination. Any other solution that leaves Kosovo under Serbian rule is unacceptable and would have serious consequences for the national cause. 2) LDSH considers it necessary to urgently convene the thirteen parties to discuss developments regarding the electoral law. Other parties that have joined the statement of the 13 parties may also be invited to this meeting. 3) LDSH entities are to complete their lists of parliamentary candidates by the end of January. The selection of joint candidates will be decided at the LDSH plenary meeting in the first days of February. 4) By 15 January, the explanatory material on the 14 points of the statement should be sent to the coordinating committees in the districts for use in their work with the electorate. 5) The LDSH work program for January-February should be drafted, giving priority to strengthening the coordinating committees in the districts. Within 10 days, a special LDSH plenary meeting should be held to review the progress of the electoral law and take the relevant decisions. Current chair of LDSH SABRI GODO

The head of Tirana Customs and 60% of the customs staff have said goodbye to their jobs for failing to uphold legality, failing to comply with the Customs Code, and involvement in networks and smuggling. Tirana Customs shaken up The head of Tirana Customs and 60% of the customs staff have said goodbye to their jobs for failing to uphold legality, failing to comply with the Customs Code, and involvement in networks and smuggling. Former director Jani Ziso, who took the post of Customs Chief in January 1994, is losing it and leaving room for the clarification of the problems that are not working in this customs office. Besides many employees who were transferred for rotation reasons, many others were dismissed for smuggling. In any case, the dismissal has not yet been completed and it will still take some time to fully shed light on everything that happened at Tirana Customs. At the General Directorate of Customs, the personnel department has learned that work at Tirana Customs was not going well, and therefore Continued on p. 4

Tejall In the local elections I will run only with independent candidates. In the enthusiastic atmosphere of the New Year, politicians forgot that their mission is to make noise even on these days, since that is what they are paid for. Some politicians regretted the approval they gave for Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe. Yesterday they offered convincing arguments that, after Albania entered the Council of Europe, freedom has been narrowed so much that people are dying from asphyxiation. Sources close to reliable sources reported that from Wednesday a cold spell is expected, which will affect both the government and the opposition. The first thing Parliament will do this session is pass a law banning the use of whistles one day after the elections. This is done so that politicians use other ways to put each other’s eyes out. Politicians who will not enter the elections because of the genocide law will cheer in the handball stadium.

The 1995 Albanian beauty, Hygerta Sako, spent New Year 1996 at the police station. Miss Albania ends the year with an “accident” The 1995 Albanian beauty, Hygerta Sako, spent New Year 1996 at the police station. The reason for this unusual “celebration,” only nine days after she was crowned Miss Albania, was the car accident that took place on the last day of December 1995 at the train station intersection on Embassy Street, when the beauty, traveling in a car belonging to the newspaper “Koha Jonë,” was on her way to celebrate New Year’s Eve together with the publishing team of the rival newspaper Edjlit. On the way there, the driver hit another car, injuring the vehicle’s driver. The Traffic Police arrived immediately at the scene, stopped the newspaper’s car, and ordered them to report to Commissariat No. 1 to give explanations. Although the collision was unusual, the beauty escaped without any injury apart from the shock. Commissariat No. 1 says the entire incident ended with the driver paying a fine. A.GJ.

The New Year holidays appear to have been working days for the Greek police. During the New Year holidays Emigrants return The New Year holidays appear to have been working days for the Greek police. Yesterday, 187 Albanian refugees returned to the Kakavijë border crossing, among them two bodies: Asllan Bega, 44, from the district of Lushnja, and Ismet Agaullu, 18, from Velabisht, Berat. Among those returned yesterday there were also people who had been mistreated

Bolshevik euphoria makes Ylli Polovina brave Page 4

Tirana like London and Sarajevo Page 3

The electoral challenges of ’96 Page 6

Yesterday afternoon, the chairman of PRSH, Mr. Godo, and the secretary general of PRSH, Mr. Mënganataj, met with members of the Council of Europe delegation, led by Lord Finsberg, chairman of the Political Committee, and Mr. Kolumberg, chairman of the Legal Committee. Council of Europe reporters ‘photograph’ Albania Yesterday afternoon, the chairman of PRSH, Mr. Godo, and the secretary general of PRSH, Mr. Mënganataj, met with members of the Council of Europe delegation, led by Lord Finsberg, chairman of the Political Committee, and Mr. Kolumberg, chairman of the Legal Committee. In his remarks, Mr. Godo, after thanking the gentlemen of the Council of Europe delegation on behalf of the PR and LDSH for their friendly stance and concrete contribution to Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe, presented the PR and LDSH vision for the country’s governance problems, focusing in particular on the issue of land ownership and the electoral law. Setting out the Right’s views on these issues, Mr. Godo emphasized the stance of the parliamentary majority toward the petition signed by around 300,000 voting citizens, a stance reflected in the petitions law adopted by Parliament itself. Mr. Kolumberg commented on this issue, assuring that throughout yesterday the Council of Europe reporters had held contacts with representatives of the main political forces in Albania. The Council of Europe reporters did not take positions on specific issues, but listened to the views of Albanian politicians. At the center of the Albanian politicians’ reports were human rights, the independence of the courts, the press, the electoral law, property issues, etc. The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Arbnori, who is also the head of the Albanian delegation to the Council of Europe, said in an interview with the BBC that Albania is completely free, perhaps even too free at times; regarding the courts, Arbnori said they are independent and that he has asked for specialists from the Council of Europe to help correct shortcomings in this field. The Council of Europe reporters will also meet with representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, the courts, etc. Also today, the Council of Europe reporters will meet with the President of the Republic. In this routine visit, the Council of Europe reporters have come to assess Albania’s fulfillment of the commitments arising from its membership in this forum. On these issues, Mr. Godo stressed the stance of the parliamentary majority toward the petition signed by around 300,000 voting citizens, a stance reflected in the petitions law adopted by Parliament itself. On the electoral law, Mr. Godo presented PRSH’s view, supported by 12 other parties through the signing of the joint declaration, that under current conditions a law with majoritarian tendencies would not serve the development of democracy in the country.