Yesterday in Tirana 1) It reaffirms its declaration for 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 concerning the electoral law. Other parties that have joined the declaration of the 13 parties may also be invited to this meeting. 3) LDSH entities are to complete their lists of parliamentary candidates within January. The selection of joint candidates will be made by the LDSH plenary meeting in the first days of February. 4) Within 15 January, the explanatory material on the 14 points of the declaration is to be sent to the coordinating commissions in the districts for use in their work with the electorate. 5) The LDSH work program for January-February is to be drafted, giving priority to strengthening the coordinating commissions in the districts. Within 10 days, a special plenary meeting of LDSH is to be held to review the progress of the electoral law and adopt the relevant decisions. The current chairman of LDSH SABRI GODO

Council of Europe reporters “photograph” Albania Yesterday afternoon, the chairman of PRSH, Mr. Godo, and the general secretary 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 the course of the talks, after thanking by name on behalf of PR and LDSH the gentlemen of the Council of Europe delegation for their friendly attitude and their concrete contribution to Albania's admission to the Council of Europe, Mr. Godo presented the vision of PR and LDSH regarding the problems of governing the country, which should be addressed with particular attention to the issue of land ownership and the electoral law. Presenting the views of the Right on these matters, Mr. Godo emphasized the stance of the parliamentary majority toward the petition signed by around 300,000 citizens with voting rights, a stance that was reflected in the petitions law approved by Parliament itself. Mr. Kolumberg commented on this issue, assuring that throughout yesterday the Council of Europe reporters held contacts with representatives of the main political forces in Albania. The Council of Europe reporters did not express opinions on specific issues, but listened to the views of Albanian politicians. At the center of the statements by Albanian politicians were human rights issues, 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 BBC that Albania is completely free, even to the point that there is sometimes abuse of that freedom. Regarding the courts, Arbnori said that they are independent and that he has requested specialists from the Council of Europe to correct the shortcomings in this field. The Council of Europe reporters will also hold meetings 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. During this routine visit, the Council of Europe reporters have come to see whether Albania is fulfilling the commitments stemming from its membership in this forum. On these matters, Mr. Godo emphasized the stance of the parliamentary majority toward the petition signed by around 300,000 citizens with voting rights, a stance that was reflected in the petitions law approved by Parliament itself. Regarding the electoral law, Mr. Godo presented the position of PRSH, also supported by 12 other parties through the signature of the joint declaration, that under the current conditions a law with majoritarian tendencies would not serve the development of democracy in the country.

Miss Albania ends the year with an "accident" The Albanian beauty of ’95, Hygerta Sako, spends the New Year 1996 in the police station. The reason for this unusual “celebration,” just 9 days after she was crowned Miss Albania, was the car accident that occurred on the last day of December 1995 at the railway station intersection on the embassy roads, when the beauty, in a car from the newspaper “Koha Jonë,” was on her way to celebrate New Year's Eve together with the editorial team of the rival newspaper Edjlit. En route, the driver hit another car, injuring the driver of the vehicle. The Traffic Police arrived immediately at the scene and stopped the newspaper’s car, ordering them to appear at Police Station No. 1 to give explanations. Although the collision was unusual, the beauty escaped unharmed except for the shock. Police Station No. 1 learned that the entire incident ended with the driver paying a fine. A.GJ.

Tirana Customs shaken up The head of Tirana Customs and 60% of customs staff have bid farewell to their jobs for failure to comply with the law, failure to comply with the Customs Code, and involvement in smuggling networks and contraband. The former director Jani Ziso, who had taken the post of Head of Customs in January 1994, loses it, leaving room for clarifying the problems that are not working in this customs office. Besides many employees who were transferred for rotation reasons, there were also many others who were dismissed for smuggling. In any case, the dismissal has not yet been completed and it will take a little more time for everything that happened at Tirana Customs to be fully clarified. At the General Directorate of Customs, the personnel department learned that work at Tirana Customs was not going well and therefore Continues on p. 4

On New Year's Day Migrants return The New Year's days seem to have been working days for the Greek police. Yesterday, 187 Albanian refugees returned to the Kakavijë border crossing, including two corpses: 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

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Tirana like London and Sarajevo Page 3

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The electoral challenges of ’96 Page 6

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's entry into the European Council, freedom has been so restricted that people are dying of asphyxiation. Sources close to reliable sources made it known that from Wednesday a cold spell is expected, which will affect both the government and the opposition. The first thing Parliament will do this season is pass a law that will prohibit the use of whistles one day after the elections. This is done so that politicians use other ways to poke each other in the eye. Politicians who will not enter the elections because of the genocide law will cheer in the handball stadium.