The People's Assembly began its work for '94 TIRANA — "Soon the Constitution will be presented to the Albanian Parliament." When asked, Arbnori, Chairman of the Presidency of the People's Assembly, expressed to Gazeta Shqiptare his optimism about this issue at the start of work for 1994. "I think the Commission on the Constitution has worked in greater detail and the fundamental chapters have been prepared, and I hope it is nearing completion." At the same time, Arbnori also takes a position against rushing this issue. "The Constitution is a fundamental law that is not made in one or two years, but perhaps for 100 years," he continues, "whoever abuses the word Constitution is making a mistake." The adoption of the Constitution will undoubtedly be a central act in Parliament's work this year. It was precisely this issue which, while it may bring Parliament prestige, became the subject of controversy last year. But while the "challenge" of the Constitution seems to have been somewhat set aside, other problems have revived the political situation on the eve of the start of work. The murder in Shkodër of the young Gjonllin Çekini has again sharply polarized relations during the day between the Democratic Party on the one hand and the Democratic Alliance on the other. Will this situation be carried into Parliament's sessions? It is a possible premise also for the Chairman of Parliament, who tells Gazeta Shqiptare: "We are dealing with a planned inflaming of the situation, inspired by events in Poland, Russia or some other country, with only one aim: to disrupt Parliament." Meanwhile, it seems Parliament will need, already in the first sessions, to postpone the lifting of immunity for PAD deputy Petrit Teta. It is an interview of his, given to the newspaper "Koha Jonë", that had prompted Eduard Selami, leader of the PD, to file a complaint against him with the Prosecutor's Office. "No, we in the Presidium of Parliament have not received any request," Arbnori replied on Wednesday to the Republic Prosecutor's question regarding the procedure to be followed for lifting deputy Teta's immunity. A day earlier, Tirana prosecutor Arben Qeleshi had told Gazeta Shqiptare of the possibility of opening a criminal case against Teta, but only after Parliament lifts his immunity. Parliament building

TIRANA — "My explanations had nothing at all to do with the Nano case..." TIRANA — "My explanations had nothing to do at all with the Nano case, but with several letters that I had sent — through lawyer Cardilli — to the Italian authorities, thanking them for their help." Gramoz Pashko, deputy in the People's Assembly, told Gazeta Shqiptare about his questioning — in the capacity of witness — by the Tirana Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday morning. A little earlier, Sabit Broka, an SP deputy and former Minister of Health, had also been questioned. One day before the questioning by the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, both deputies had publicly spoken out against their explanations before the investigators. Meanwhile, Fatos Dervishi, head of the Investigative Group for the criminal case against the former prime minister, had stated — during a television interview — that he would ask the Parliament Presidency for permission to question the two deputies as witnesses. "I went there of my own free will," says Pashko, "and on 17 January the Chairman of the Presidency of the People's Assembly had recommended that I use my testimony to help Italian justice, which is investigating its officials concerning aid that had arrived in Albania." According to Pashko, the hearing before the investigators was conducted normally and there are no charges against him. "I testified only about the Italian part," Pashko concludes.

TRANSPORT / Albania in two years with 150 thousand vehicles One out of every 20 inhabitants is a driver TRANSPORT / Albania in two years with 150 thousand vehicles Cars, the new fashion One out of every 20 inhabitants is a driver TIRANA — In Albania, over the last two years, the fashion has been the car. A fashion that has in a certain sense also become an indicator of well-being. Currently in Albania — according to statistics processed by the Road Police Branch — there are more than 140 thousand vehicles. There are approximate figures showing that for every 20 inhabitants, one should be a driver. The increase in the number of cars in Albania took a very strong leap after 1991, when private individuals were first allowed to enter the field and benefit from car ownership. Only during the last two years have about 80 thousand different vehicles been brought in, mainly minibuses; from 1,050 of them in the capital, there are now more than 1,200. The city in last place for these vehicles this time is Fier with 266. Yet Shkodër has still retained first place for trucks: more than 2,900. Buses are last with only 123. But in this whole context of figures and enthusiasm, what is troubling is the fact that the vast majority of cars brought into Albania are used. Thus, in the first half of 1993 alone, out of 12,800 cars brought from abroad, only 2,400 were new. The state continues to be the only entity able to determine this ratio. Among private individuals — most of whom are Albanian emigrants in Western countries — cases of unused cars are very rare. 146,876 vehicles in Albania Type city countryside Passenger cars 50,513 10,973 Minibuses and buses 7,134 1,450 Trucks and light trucks 32,253 4,947 Others 36,530 3,076 (In the category "Others", the countryside column includes only privately owned wheeled tractors) Traffic on the roads of Tirana Ar.Me.

TIRANA — An unusual accident has drawn attention. This time it is not a person lying dead on the road, but on the railway. Last Saturday near the junction of NSH Tulla 3 — the Tirana-Durrës-Shkodër train — crushed an unidentified person. After that, days later, police authorities arrested Jordan Topo, 25, the driver of locomotive 1057, whom they suspect was the author of the previous day's accident. The victim's body — unidentified — was taken to the Tirana morgue.

Tirana, work is under way to repair the faults TIRANA — Again, two more sources of contamination of drinking water in Tirana. This time they have been discovered in the pipeline network that supplies water to the homes of the "Ali Demi" block. In this case too, the cause of the contamination — officials at the Directorate of Hygiene and the Sanitary Inspectorate told Gazeta Shqiptare — is the seepage of wastewater into the drinking-water pipes at the moments when the supply is cut off and the pipes remain empty. Meanwhile, residents of several apartment buildings in this block — forced to escape the large amount of polluted water with the help of some tub or basin — have had for several days a visible contamination. But apparently this process has not stopped. The network faults discovered in the past few days on the streets "Muhamet Gjollesha", "Gjike Kuqali" and "Sami Frashëri" have still not been repaired. The main difficulty — according to specialists — is the lack of modern equipment for the rapid localization of faults in underground pipes. Experience has shown that contamination has been more frequent — and therefore more likely — at points where the drinking-water network pipes cross those of the sewage network. There are around 20 thousand such crossings in Tirana's network, designed and built many years ago under technical conditions that provide for a minimum distance of less than 1 meter between the pipes of the two networks at these crossings. But the worst thing is that — as also happens at the Directorate of Hygiene — such breakdowns have become increasingly frequent because of the age of the network and pipes and the new load it must bear. Meanwhile, an emergency unit equipped with vehicles as well as public taps has still not been created to ease residents' difficulties in such cases. An. St.

Diplomacy TIRANA — Albanian President Sali Berisha will pay an official visit to Malaysia and Brunei. TIRANA — Albanian President Sali Berisha will pay an official visit to Malaysia and Brunei from 24 to 29 January, at the invitation of the Sultan of Malaysia, Yang Di-pertuan Agong, and the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddah. These two visits follow the one made a few months earlier to Tirana by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and aim to deepen relations and exchanges between the countries. One of the objectives of the visit will be the signing of the agreement on investment protection, the trade agreement, the technical-scientific cooperation agreement, and the agreement on the elimination of double taxation.

The 16-year-old Greek girl follows the emigrant from Tepelenë TEPELENË — It is once again confirmed that love knows no borders. This time it did not respect the state borders between Albania and Greece, traveling from the island of Crete to Salari in Tepelenë. Fotinla, a 16-year-old Greek girl, has fallen madly in love with an Albanian from Tepelenë. Everything happened very simply and within the well-known formulas of love. The Albanian youth — who has long been working and living in Greece — had met Fotinla and, apparently, the feelings of the two young people are such that they have even decided to marry. The love was so strong that the 16-year-old Greek girl decided to follow the Albanian youth all the way to his birthplace. But the feeling between the two young people risks ending with an "incident." The news, which spread in Crete, was also received with noise by the island's inhabitants. Yet it seems almost unbelievable that one of their girls would marry an emigrant. And as is known, in such cases attempts are made and have been made to separate them. The matter even reached the Greek newspapers and then the Greek ministries. The Albanian youth was called a kidnapper and accused of having taken the girl by force. But the truth turned out quite differently — according to the Albanian official press agency — he had been detained by the Greek police, after they heard in Crete about Fotinla and the escape from Tepelenë and that she had not been seen the next morning. With this scene the Greek police and many Albanians as well as the intervention of the authorities of the Greek Consulate in Gjirokastër, the situation was settled. The latter gave in, and even the girl's parents. They were convinced and left the couple in Albania in peace, but in the language that continues to maintain the Albanian presence. But the girl's parents returned to Greece; Fotinla and the circle now belong to an Albanian.

SILVER OBJECT The Municipality has also intervened to clarify it The Prosecutor's Office is looking for the hero's "place of residence" SILVER OBJECT The Prosecutor's Office is looking for the hero's "place of residence" The disappearance of "Skënderbeu on horseback" The Municipality has also intervened to clarify it TIRANA — The fate of Skënderbeu and his horse is still unknown. In fact, the matter has gone as far as the Prosecutor's Office, which is reportedly investigating the disappearance and searching for the person responsible. "Skënderbeu on horseback" — a silver work depicting our national hero with a height of 192 [?]. The story had begun immediately after a decision by the Council of Ministers, which had decided that the former central office of the Socialist Party Committee, the 17-storey People's Assembly, would receive the beautifully adorned "Skënderbeu on horseback". The representative of the Tirana Municipality, who had come to take it with his hand from this office — which later became that of the People's Assembly — has not found the valuable silver object. To clarify the matter at least somewhat, Sali Këlmendi, Mayor of Tirana, also intervened, issuing an order — through a letter to the Prosecutor's Office — to place hands on this "important person" of pennies and find it. Meanwhile, suspicion also falls on the PS Committee. In any case, the fate of Skënderbeu and his horse is still unknown. Monument of Skënderbeu Edmond Laçi

AMERICAN MILITARY DELEGATION LEAVES ALBANIA — After the talks between the working groups on defense matters, the U.S. military delegation led by senior Pentagon official Dr. Ruxel left Albania. The purpose of his visit had been precisely the first meeting of the Albanian-American Bilateral Cooperation Group on Defense issues. Discussions were held on security, cybercrime, and the main achievements of the democratic process in Albania, organized at the conclusion of the first meeting of the Cooperation Group in Tirana. ISA BOLETINI THE HERO IS COMMEMORATED IN TIRANA — The Cultural Society for the Youth of the Albanian Nation organized a meeting in memory of the People’s Hero Isa Boletini, on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of his birth and the 79th anniversary of his killing by Serbo-Montenegrin chauvinists. Present there in the halls of the Army Cultural Center where the event was held were personalities and many onlookers. At the end of the activity, a commemorative speech was delivered. SWISS AID FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF GJIROKASTËR — "EUROPE CARES?" — Artistic literature in French and Italian, several typewriters and a considerable amount of paper for them, as well as 9 computers: this was the list of items making up the aid provided by the ADR foundation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, to the "Eqrem Çabej" University of Gjirokastër. At the same time, this foundation also plans to implement an exchange program for teachers in the field of computer use. This aid will also make it possible to concretely teach mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.

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