Alarm grows at Bajzë railway station. But the Bonn government finally announces: “We have 1.4 million marks ready to solve the problem.” More open railcars are still being found. Meanwhile, the German spokesperson says: “There are another 3,600 tons of pesticides in Albania.” Investigations continue to identify those responsible for the scandal. PESTICIDES Alarm grows at Bajzë railway station. But the Bonn government finally announces: “We have 1.4 million marks ready to solve the problem.” The poisoned containers are still being stolen More open railcars are still being found. Meanwhile, the German spokesperson says: “There are another 3,600 tons of pesticides in Albania.” Investigations continue to identify those responsible for the scandal. EDMOND LAÇI SHKODER — There is still no sign of fear about the expired pesticides that have been sitting for a long time at Bajzë railway station. The containers of poisonous pesticides — although constantly guarded by police officers — increase the risk of accidents in the surrounding area every day, as people seek to use them for one thing or another. The pesticide scandal has long since crossed Albania’s borders, and has been discussed at both the German Foreign Ministry and the Environment Ministry. The danger posed by the pesticides is now real. “A toxic cloud could form that could threaten the city of Shkodra and, depending on the direction of the wind,” the German daily Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung wrote about the issue, “could also engulf Montenegro, and even areas of Italy.” For this very reason, last Saturday the Bonn environment minister allocated a fund of 1.4 million marks, to be used to move the pesticides from the railcars to safer storage facilities. A few days ago, the pesticide scandal was also discussed in the Albanian Parliament, when Blerti Çela — Chairman of the State Control Commission — revealed that criminal proceedings had been initiated against the former commercial representative of the Albanian Embassy in Bonn. The story of the expired pesticides began in November 1991, when the German company “Schmidt” began talks with officials at the Albanian Embassy in Bonn, offering 465 tons of pesticides as emergency aid for Albanian agriculture. In February 1992, the first 265 tons arrived at the Port of Durrës, but were immediately isolated under strict controls by the port authorities. Only a few months later, in September, a Hungarian train carrying a further 217 tons of pesticides crossed the northern Albanian border and entered Bajzë railway station. There are 17 railcars, whose cargo is now not only under threat from thieves, but has also begun seriously polluting the area. On both sides of the railcars, scorched ground and black and yellow stains can easily be seen. German specialists who have assessed the situation in Albania say that these pesticides contain mercury and dioxide at very high levels, as well as chlorinated solutions, which are carcinogenic. The Albanian Environment Committee told the Albanian Gazette: “The containers were used to transport a pesticide based on zibile, containing ethyl flan.” According to experts, this type of pesticide is highly poisonous: just 30 kilograms of it are enough to poison 3,000 people. A case of mass poisoning has already been documented in Albania: in 1966, an entire village near Përmet was poisoned and two people died after eating wheat disinfected with filizan. Even though the wheat had been washed several times with water, the poison can still cause problems years later. The German experts go further, warning that because the containers are no longer airtight, both the population and the nearby waters of Shkodra are at risk. Yet despite all this evident danger, the situation at Bajzë station remains unresolved. This year, 11 containers ready for sale were discovered at the station, while others were found empty, which means that someone had taken the pesticides. “The substance is extremely dangerous, and I urge everyone who has such containers not to use them for household purposes,” said Andrea Mato of the Environment Protection Committee, speaking through the Albanian Gazette. But the problem at Bajzë and the pesticides held there is not the only one. After the Environment Committee reported the danger posed by the donated pesticides, it was discovered that the first shipment that had reached Durrës had by then mysteriously been distributed to Milot, Fier and Lushnjë. According to a spokesperson for the Environment Ministry in Bonn, a total of 3,600 tons of pesticides have entered Albania so far, but not all came from the German company. Other exporters include the World Bank and the European Union, which are also seeking to undertake initiatives similar to those of the German government to manage the environmental pollution caused by pesticides in Albania. The 1.4 million marks recently allocated by Germany will also be accompanied by the arrival in Albania, shortly, of a group of German experts, who will supervise the work to be carried out by Albanian army personnel to repack the containers and move them into warehouses. But the German authorities, who have now grasped the danger, are not promising that the pesticides will soon be returned to Germany. Each railcar in this poisonous shipment has cost the Albanian railways 18 dollars a day, while the damage to one hectare from the pesticides has yet to be assessed. Environmental damage is always measured years later. Train carrying a pesticide shipment stopped at the Albanian border

A horrifying discovery in the south of the country The frost kills a 14-year-old girl A horrifying discovery in the south of the country After Berat, Tepelenë: another hellish hospital The frost kills a 14-year-old girl TEPELENË — (p. re.) — The child had been taken away from the psychiatric hospital in Berat, where the hygienic conditions were appalling. To save her, she had been transferred, together with 14 other children, to the hospital in Tepelenë. Another hospital of horrors. But here, Teuta Krapaj, the 14-year-old from Berat, died after suffering terribly, killed by the cold. The psychiatric hospital in Tepelenë is located on a hill at an altitude of 800 metres: it is a facility with no windowpanes, no heating, no kitchens and no beds for the patients. The unbearable state of affairs can be shown only partially by the photographs we are publishing (the first to arrive from Tepelenë). The hospital authorities tried to inform Teuta’s parents about the tragedy. But when they called Berat, only a neighbour answered: “Her parents aren’t here; they work in Greece,” he explained. The child was buried at the municipality’s expense. But this unbelievable tragedy does not end here, because the other 14 children are also at risk of dying from the cold. Anyone who can do so has a duty to intervene to protect these sick children. The horror in Berat (entirely similar to what has now been discovered in Tepelenë) had shocked international public opinion. Deeply affected by the images from that hospital, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, had also come to Albania. The children who had been staying in Berat were transferred to the hospitals in Korçë, Vlorë, Shkodër and — precisely — Tepelenë. Here, the little ones endured their daily ordeal with the meagre food provided. A child who was nine or ten years old made the discovery, but warned that the international community now has a moral duty to intervene.

AN ALBANIAN DELEGATION TAKES PART IN THE MEETING OF THE CSCE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS — Alwiu? Serreqi, Foreign Minister, heads the Albanian delegation taking part in the meeting of the CSCE Council of Foreign Ministers. This meeting — the forum’s highest-level activity — will examine several documents of great importance in the field of military security. Afterward, the chairmanship of the Council will pass to Italy. MEETING BETWEEN ARBNORIT? MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ALBANIAN DIASPORA — Representatives of the Albanian diaspora who had come to Albania for the national holidays were received by the Speaker of the People’s Assembly at a special meeting. Josif? Dlugos?, a former American congressman of Albanian origin, also took part. The diaspora spoke about the work of the Albanian-American Movement to defend the rights of Albanians in Kosovo and beyond, and to strengthen the Albanian lobby in the United States. AN AMERICAN COMPANY INVESTS 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN A CULTURAL CENTRE IN SARANDA — 200,000 dollars will be invested in building a cultural centre in the Saranda district. This time, the funding has been provided by an American company. The centre, whose construction work will begin shortly, will host lessons, various performances and activities. THE FUEL PROBLEM IS SOLVED IN BERAT — There is no concern in Berat about heating with firewood. All distribution points have received the necessary fuel supplies. In addition, firewood stocks have been fully replenished; the Forestry Services Enterprise began its work in the spring months.

TIRANA — (p. re.) — An alarm system using infrared beams will protect the artworks at the National Gallery of Figurative Arts in Tirana. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has provided the 5 million lekë needed to purchase this sophisticated security system. The apparent impetus for this undertaking was last year’s theft of a painting measuring the equivalent of seven paintings by Ticidani, as well as the damage inflicted on a work attributed to Rembrandt. The alarm system will also operate when there is no public in the gallery halls.

Interview from France The writer speaks about the Albanian dictator ACCOUNT Interview from France Kadare: “Hoxha was homosexual” The writer speaks about the Albanian dictator TIRANA — (p. re.) — Kadare speaks about Enver Hoxha. It is not something he likes doing, but he does it to show that there is nothing new in what he has to say. The publisher of the book “Laure de l’ombre” interviewed the writer for Italian television Rai? The writer Kadare. And Kadare Be? says of Hoxha that he was homosexual and could have been a dictator. Kadare speaks about ... as an intellectual, who I cannot say created ... for me ... but ... The writer Kadare speaks about Hoxha, saying ... “Hoxha was homosexual” ... In a ... he too ...

Burrel: 6 apartments burn BURREL — (p. re.) — In addition to the daily difficulties with the cells, the overloading of the electrical grid has also begun to threaten citizens’ lives and property. Six apartments in a four-storey building in Burrel became the starting point of a sudden fire. Fortunately, no one was injured, although many parts and furnishings of the apartments in question were damaged. The prompt intervention of the firefighters put out the fire, while crews arriving from Kruja, Laçi and Lezha prevented it from spreading to the other floors of the building. The investigation team that went to the scene identified the electrical grid as the cause of the fire, along with the electrical system being affected by the use of numerous electrical appliances in this neighbourhood of the city, which is called “Drita”. A commission to assess the damage and arrange emergency assistance for the affected families has been set up at the Burrel District Council and Municipality.

The agreement signed between the PLO and Israel is at risk Clashes and demonstrations by the population ON PAGE 2 How to drink without harming your health Alcoholic drinks and their consequences ON PAGE 3