POLITICAL / Tension reignites after the Cassation Court decision “Yet Nano remains chairman” POLITICAL / Tension reignites after the Cassation Court decision Socialist revolt “Yet Nano remains chairman” TIRANA — “Fatos Nano, nevertheless, will continue to remain the sole chairman, the first and only one. Despite the decision of the Court of Cassation, the political conviction has remained unchanged: Nano is innocent of what he is accused of, he is a political prisoner.” While political tension has unexpectedly continued to rise, it is Bashkim Zeneli, one of the main leaders of the Socialist Party, who tells Gazeta Shqiptare his party’s position after the final stage of the Nano case. The latest Cassation decision to uphold the second-instance ruling — 10 years in prison — has finally dampened the PS’s hopes for a swift release of their leader. The imprisoned Socialist chairman — despite being hopeful himself — will thus suffer a rare fate. The Socialists’ future political stance was widely discussed at a meeting of their General Steering Committee. There it was decided that “efforts for Nano’s release will continue with all the democratic means used so far, while continuing the denunciation.” The Socialists once again have PS sympathizers — mainly elderly people — who were protesting in the square in front of the Court headquarters. After the first exchanges, the tension kept rising to the point that the police also put rubber batons into use. Many people were taken by police vans to police premises. Even an attempt by PS sympathizers to sit on the many benches of “Rinia” Park, only a few meters from the Cassation building, did not work. In this attempt, rubber batons were used and the clubs in the park were shut for a short time. At lunchtime — also by blocking some main roads — the police managed to control the entire area near the Court. The police intervention was also accompanied by some instances of violence. A baton even flew through the window of an ordinary passer-by, even of some woman. Outraged, the Socialists immediately reacted: “The police intervention and conduct worthy of the protest was completely absurd,” their statement says. Fatos Nano at the latest trial on this occasion his serious stance toward the organs of justice, considering them “subordinate” to the orders of those in power.” The tension, which for a few moments also turned into violence, had already begun to ease on Thursday morning, precisely in the hall in which the Cassation proceedings for Nano and the other accused in the “Italian aid scandal” were being concluded. In the early hours of Thursday morning the police intervened to disperse groups

The issue will be reviewed in September At the ECOFIN meeting Athens places political conditions on the Albanian government TIRANA — Greece has once again blocked the transfer of 35 million ECU that the European Community had allocated to Albania for the balance of payments. The issue will be reviewed in September Greek veto returns: EC aid blocked At the ECOFIN meeting Athens places political conditions on the Albanian government TIRANA — Greece has once again blocked the transfer of 35 million ECU that the European Community had allocated to Albania for the balance of payments, once again casting a veto at the latest ECOFIN meeting, the Council of Ministers of Economy and Finance. The Greek representatives stated that the reconsideration of this issue would be postponed to the next meeting of the Foreign Ministers, due to take place in September this year. Athens’ new stance seems almost inexplicable in light of the decision taken last week by the Greek government at the EC meeting, where it had declared that it was abandoning its veto on the aid allocated to Albania. It once again made the disbursement of the 35 million ECU conditional on political reasons, a position rejected by the other 11 countries of ECOFIN. “You cannot settle issues according to political stances,” the representatives of the other 11 countries objected. But this was not enough to change Greece’s decision, whose representative once again cast the veto. (A. M.)

The minister explains the cuts TIRANA — Not all of the 10,500 teachers who are deemed economically unsustainable for the state budget will be cut. TIRANA — “Not all of the 10,500 teachers who are deemed economically unsustainable for the state budget will be cut.” This is how Education Minister Xhezair Teliti spoke about the delicate problems of staff reductions in schools, which could be carried out on the eve of the new school year. The number of teachers to be cut is not clear. Teliti confirmed that in many schools across the country there are teachers who have not shown up to work or who are working on the basis of unofficial contracts. The minister stressed that educational reform does not aim to reduce the number of teachers, but to modernize the country’s education system, starting from the objective that “the school should never be without a qualified teacher.”

The project in its final stage TIRANA — “The government will set the minimum wage; then the parties, through the contract, will determine the wage on which they agree.” The new Code is coming: here is how the labor rules will be TIRANA — “The government will set the minimum wage; then the parties, through the contract, will determine the wage on which they agree, which in no case will be lower than that minimum.” This is just one of the formulations in an important document, the drafting of which has now reached its final stage. Soon, relations between employers and employees will be regulated by the Labour Code. The current one, based on an outdated legal and economic foundation, has long ceased to be applicable. The final remarks are being reviewed, and it is thought that in August the law will be on the Government’s table and then approved. The new Code has been drafted by a group of well-known European specialists in this field. Its author — Gabriel Aubert, Professor of Labour Law at the University of Geneva — worked under contract from the International Labour Organization. During his year-long work Aubert consulted all the current and previous documentation of Albania, that of other countries’ labour systems, and received opinions from trade-union bodies and private company managers. The Code is a substantial document — almost a book — comprising 215 articles, which regulate the work of all employees except public-sector officials and other persons whose professions are governed by special laws. With its approval, forced labour and any kind of discrimination at work will be completely prohibited. The Code guarantees trade-union rights and the right to strike. How the individual and collective contract will be made, what the employers’ obligations are and what working conditions the employer must provide — all these points are extensively detailed in the Code. One of the most interesting chapters is Chapter IX, which sets the daily or weekly working hours and the days of rest. The working day may not last more than 9 hours — 6 hours for workers under 18 — while night work may not exceed eight hours. Every hour worked between 19:00 and 22:00 must be paid with an additional 20 percent. If work is performed later, from 22:00 to 6:00, then each hour is paid more, with a 50 percent supplement. According to the draft Code, the supplement will also include work done on rest days and holidays, as well as overtime. A completely new institution will be established once it is approved. This is the National Labour Council, which will include representatives of employers, employees and the Government. Its creation will aim to coordinate efforts to establish fair labour relations. Heavy fines are also предусмотрены for anyone who violates its provisions, which in some cases will range from 25 monthly minimum wages up to 100 such wages when the violator breaches provisions such as the right to strike, the use of forced labour or discrimination at work. (fa.bax)

Watering... Death from faulty grounding TIRANA — A tragic incident has led to the death of A. C. Zema, 49, from Tirana. It was an electric shock — caused by a faulty connection — that took the life of the Laprakë resident. On Thursday, Cema got up in the early hours of the morning to water his yard. After preparing everything, he connected the hose to the tap and went out as usual to water. While at first everything went very well, a strong electric shock knocked Cema to the ground. The shock came from the tap to which the grounding had been connected and was so strong that the 49-year-old first lost consciousness and then, unfortunately, died. Taking him to the Military Hospital nearby could not change Cema’s fate in any way; he thus remained the victim of negligence that cost very dearly. (a. r.)

The body had been buried beside a stream Rain uncovers a baby’s corpse DELVINË — A sudden downpour, unusual in these hot July days, has become the protagonist of an event that has caused a stir in Delvinë. From the fury of its waters an unidentified corpse was revealed, also unusual. Passers-by found beside a stream, on the edge of the roadside embankment, the body of a newborn child. Shocked by the sight before their eyes, the passers-by immediately ran to the police, which promptly began investigations to identify the causes of the baby’s death. So far no concrete result has been made known, except for the fact that in this case too we are dealing with a classic case of abandonment of an unwanted infant. It is only known that the dead infant was female. This event reminded citizens in the south of another one that occurred in Gjirokastër exactly one year earlier: at that time, a student from the city’s institute, after giving birth in the dormitory where she lived, had thrown the newborn from the third floor of the building. Fortunately, the event of a year earlier had a happy ending; the baby had managed to survive despite serious injuries. (Ra. Ko.)

CURSIVE REALITY CURSIVE REALITY A case of malaria imported TIRANA — Concern about malaria in Albania is spreading again, after only one case in Tirana was confirmed to have been affected by the disease. Fortunately, the three-month-old was imported, as Dr. Aryhan Bazyeri, one of the members of the red cross association operating for some time in the field of health care, explained. Bazyeri arrived from a foreign country and the high temperatures in some diagnoses are not thought to be more alarming, and the inhabitants of Albania are at risk. “Mr. Bazyeri did not contract malaria in Albania. He worked in Kenya and has been affected several times by this disease — that is an indisputable fact. However, his condition has been thoroughly examined because malaria can be spread by mosquito bites; according to specialists, the risk of malaria spreading, even if imported from abroad through foreigners, remains present for Albania,” declared for the newspaper Jurgen Gazis Shpila in Jorg Kosta, an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health. Afterwards, a special trip has already been forgotten, which undertaken the appropriate measures for protection against this disease. (Mr. Me.) Tirana Hospital

Curious data for the first half of this year Out of every 6 marriages, 1 ends in separation Curious data for the first half of this year Elbasan, the capital of divorce Out of every 6 marriages, 1 ends in separation ELBASAN — It is hard to know what is happening in Elbasan, whether life is hard with one another. But one thing is certain: among the reasons, one ends in divorce. And this indeed deserves to be called the “capital of divorce.” The data come from the offices of the city court, whose doors are being visited more and more often by altered faces of people who seek to give up married life. Thus, just in the first 6 months of this year there have been over 110 decisions declaring divorce, while the number of marriages does not exceed 600 cases. In most cases it is the woman who seeks to leave the husband with whom she has shared several years of her life. And the reason appears to be well founded: the men have mistreated them or have been lost to alcohol and numerous lovers. Only 6 women — and the rare tragic cases of the north — have not killed their husbands. However, it seems that often couples are not entirely convinced in the step they are taking. In many cases — 40 proceedings have not ended in divorce — they were the ones who convinced that they are worthy of one another and that they belong together and will go on to live a happy life. (Me. Kl.) Elbasan

THE NEWSPAPER “KOHA JONE” RESUMES PUBLICATION — Yesterday the newspaper “Koha Jone” resumed publication after having been closed a few days earlier by a decision of the Tirana Court following a lawsuit filed by the Tirana printing house “Liria”. Now it is once again the matter which has denounced that the use of the offices by the journalists should not be blocked until this issue is fully clarified. INJURIES MOST PREVALENT IN THE CITY. — One person was seriously injured in Elbasan as a result of an exchange of gunfire between “Lushnja” and a 20-year-old young man. He was brought in by car at the moment when several unknown persons were firing weapons. Along with him, another person who was in the same place was also injured in the arm. TROPOJA, LARGE THEFTS OF ELECTRIC ENERGY — The large-scale theft of electric energy continues in the district of Tropoja. From more than 8,000 inspections carried out by the electricity inspectorate, it has emerged that 80 percent of the fines were issued for electricity theft, both by residents and by private businesses. It is thought to be still only the beginning, since in many premises or families the electricity meter continues to be tampered with. PËRMET, COMMUNICATION BY TELEPHONE STILL A DIFFICULTY — Communicating by telephone in Përmet continues to be a worrying problem and a major burden for many people. The lines are worn out and conversations in most cases are cut off by the many noises that interfere with the connection. The city’s connection with other areas has become almost impossible, and great patience is needed to wait hour after hour until you manage to achieve your goal. LAÇ, SOON THE CITY WITH A NEW MARKET CENTER — It will be a tender organized by the Municipality of Laç that will choose the company which will take on the construction of the road infrastructure for the city’s open market. The project, which comes close to 10 million Lekë, will be financed for the most part by the Municipality, while the remainder will be covered through the help of traders, a debt which will again be repaid by the Municipality.

57 Albanians repatriated 9 traffickers arrested in Lecce Operation on the Italian coast ON PAGE 2 “Flamurtari” trusts talented feet The difficult financial situation continues ON PAGE 3