Through its boycott, the SP aims to spread its crisis throughout the country’s entire political life From the moment talk began of reforming the SP, especially after Fatos Nano’s successive messages from prison, the first signs of a split appeared on the horizon. The calls for unity made at that time by the current socialist leaders could in no way conceal the process of differentiation taking place within the ranks of this party. Over the years, reform has been the main weapon with which other political forces have fought the largest party of the left-wing opposition. But this, despite its position in the previous ... ...could have gone much better. Many hypotheses have been put forward over the years concerning the Socialists’ reluctance to kick out the past of the PPSH, but current developments show that the hypotheses made about such a thing are far removed from reality. The motion and Nano’s messages about so-called reform or renewal are being interpreted in such a way that everyone seeks to implement reform processes of this kind in order to secure a seat on the party leadership. Most recently, theorizing has also been under way about the ways of choosing the leading cadres ... ...the deputy chairmen will be the party’s leading figures after the chairperson. Thus, debates have begun to rage over nothing more than defining the party’s new structures, even before the proceedings of the congress, which will be held next week, have been inaugurated. In this wave of claims to bring key positions in the party under control, Marx, reform, and even the very chairperson who sparked such a movement within the party have all been forgotten. Now that Nano himself has also entered the fray without reservation, he can no longer serve as a balancing factor to soften its effect ... The SP, through its boycott of political initiatives, is seeking to extend it throughout the country’s entire political life. A.D. the left-wing opposition. But this, despite its stance in its previous positions, does not mean that it was identical to the attacks by its opponents, who claimed that the uproar about reforming the SP was more of a means of disqualification, a diversion used intensively by President Berisha and the SP’s other opponents; nevertheless, had it followed another path, things would have ... each to secure a seat on the party leadership. of choosing leading cadres in the party’s governing forums. One person argues that things should continue as before; someone else says the chairperson should be elected by the Steering Committee rather than by the party congress. Someone else wants this practice to be extended to the secretary as well, who, following the abolition of the positions of ...

Security measure imposed on the super-criminal The super-criminal Agim Murati, sentenced to 101 by the First Instance Court of Larisa for the murder of three citizens, the serious wounding of another, and the robbery of several people, is also the sponsor of the most luxurious restaurant, called “Parisi”, on the banks of the Lana, near the former “Albania Today” Exhibition. This new fact, together with the entire mechanism of the crimes he committed in Tirana after arriving from a Greek prison, became known yesterday in the courtroom, where the security measure for the super-criminal A. Murati was assessed. Yesterday, the judicial panel, chaired by Judge Ahmet Metalia, decided to ... plastic surgery and then go to the USA. On 8 August 1996, he went to the “Parisi” establishment, which he had sponsored, and asked the owner of the establishment, D. Murati, for 10,000 dollars; he is also his first cousin. After giving him a considerable amount of money from the day’s takings, the owner of the establishment proposed that he give him the remaining sum at his house. But on the way he changed his mind. He hid from the defendant Agim Murati among the apartment blocks and went to report that he had been robbed. The operation, organized perfectly by the police, showed that this time their net had caught a highly sought-after super-criminal. In the rob-bery. the courtroom, the defendant denied everything and put forward an alibi, saying, “My cousin was drunk and was joking when he went to the police.” He even tried to defend himself with a statement from his cousin. He ... Continued on p. 3

Yesterday morning, for the third consecutive day, the meeting of the PR KD with the chairpersons of the Party’s Branches in the districts continued. With this meeting, at which the Branch chairpersons reported on the work done so far to select candidates, the first phase of preparations for the local elections has concluded. In his conclusions, PR Deputy Chairperson Mr. Fatmir Mediu emphasized the careful selection of candidates, calling for people of sound moral character, capable and competent to solve people’s problems. He stressed the need to engage all the party structures and to organize efficiently at the grassroots level in order to succeed in the elections. Mr. Mediu told the Branch chairpersons that failure to meet the deadlines set for submitting candidate lists would not be tolerated, and that the Branches would not be allowed any negligence in carrying out their assigned duties. With the completion of the first preparatory phase, the second phase begins. During this phase, following the final determination of the candidacies, meetings of the KD of the branches in the districts will be organized, at which the candidacies will be ratified and the required documentation submitted to the Central Headquarters. The schedule has also been set for PR KD members to travel to the districts and take part as Central representatives in meetings of the Branch KDs and during the campaign.

The Pentagon has expressed its concern over the Turkish-Iranian agreement, signed on Monday, to build a gas pipeline. “Turkey urgently needs energy. We understand what prompted it to conclude this agreement, but it raises problems,” Pentagon spokesperson Bejken said. He said that Washington views very unfavorably any trade agreement that could strengthen the Iranian army or terrorist organizations supported by Iran.

On Saturday, 17. 8. 1996, at 10:00, the chairpersons or secretaries of the PR Branches in the districts of Berat, Gramsh, Pukë, Malësi e Madhe, Sarandë, Tepelenë, Vlorë, Elbasan, and Kolonjë are to attend the meeting at the PRSH Central Headquarters. THE PRESIDIUM

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