In search of a political solution... Compromise should serve the future Since May 26, the most frequent message coming from abroad has been the need to find a compromise among the political forces in Albania, so that everything can return to normal and, ultimately, the stability of the country—and perhaps of the region as well—can be preserved. This may seem normal to many, but if you think about it a little more deeply, it is not. The Constitution is the starting point from which everything begins First, even if we accept that compromise is right, perhaps even necessary, why are our political parties waiting for others to serve it up to us, when they do not know our troubles and problems better than we do? No one understands a home better than its owner. So, if there was a need to insist on finding a formula for compromise, this should have been an internal initiative. Nevertheless, this, too, has not been lacking. The PR was one of the political forces ... Continued on p. 2 THE JULY 1 PARLIAMENT Chart: PD 122 seats. Percentages by party: PD 50.4%; PS 20.6%; PR 5.7%; PBK 4.9%; PSD 3.8%; others (19 parties) 8.7%. PD PS PR PBK PBDNJ Percentages by party

“The leftists are damaging our image in the world” p. 2

As of June 20, 1996, the price of wheat is 20 lekë per kg, or 20% higher than before that date. The announcement was made public to the media by the spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office. All the General Directorates of State Reserves, the Grain Collection Enterprises in all the country’s districts, and NTG in Durrës have been notified to buy wheat from private farmers at 20 lekë per kg. Undoubtedly, such a decision is being made under the difficult conditions involved in securing the wheat reserves needed for the mass bread supply for the coming year. The high cost of buying and bringing wheat from abroad is also another factor that makes such a measure necessary. Recently, to cope with the somewhat difficult situation caused by the shortage of wheat, the Government compensated for it by purchasing around 6,000 tons of wheat in Romania. The largest quantities of wheat brought into our country have come from the USA. But even if all the wheat produced by Albanian farmers were collected, based on the area sown, it would be enough for only five months. The Government guarantees that the necessary quantities will be secured through imports. But this government decision, taken yesterday, also has a downside. In plain language, it means that once the flour reserves at private bakeries run out, bread will have a new price. Undoubtedly, the biggest loser in this case is the consumer, who has been coping for almost a year with an increase in the price of bread in a disguised form. The standard loaf is sold for 40 lekë, its 1 kg portion, instead of the 1.6 it should be. Bejdo Malo

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