“The trial is manipulated” The prosecution: “The charges against the former communist leaders are not political” TIRANË — At last it was his turn to testify and defend himself. Former President Ramiz Alia finally spoke in the historic trial against the former communist leaders. For an hour, in an angry and heated tone, Alia spoke more about the political situation and the reasons that, in his view, led to the organization of this trial, and less about the episodes that directly support the serious charges against him. “The accusation is a manipulation and a crude setup intended to tarnish my image,” Alia stressed, among other things. His defense lawyer Kleanthi Koçi once again described the trial as unconstitutional. The trial against the highest leaders of the dictatorship began on Friday in one of the courtrooms of the Tirana Court. In the dock were some of the most well-known figures of the last 50 years: apart from former President Alia, former Prime Minister Carçani, former Deputy Prime Minister Myftiu, and two former Interior Ministers, Isai and Simon Stefani. Friday’s hearing had aroused great public interest because Alia and Isai were expected to testify. The latter had previously accused Alia of ordering him to open fire on the crowd protesting during the historic 20 February 1991 events. In fact, this argument was not addressed at all by the two defendants. Sitting side by side — in the morning they had entered bound in the same handcuffs and shackles — Alia and Isai both adopted the same kind of defense, giving priority to the idea that they had acted according to the legal value of the decisions approved by the Political Bureau. There are two Bureau decisions that, according to the indictment, are central to the case: the 1976 “Decision on the special economic treatment of the top leadership of the party and state” and the 1985 “Platform for the work of the State Security organs.” The charges brought by the prosecution against Alia are “embezzlement of state property in cooperation” and “abuse of office in cooperation.” “In every country the leadership has special treatment, even today’s in Albania,” Alia argued in his defense. He dwelt a little longer on one of the episodes on which the accusation is based. Alia is also accused of the unconstitutional sentence handed down in 1967, when religion was banned by law. “They accuse me of having influenced the ban on religion in 1967,” Alia replied, “but the accusation forgets that precisely when I was President of the Republic, freedom of religious belief was proclaimed again, although even then we had not enshrined it in the constitution.” His defense lawyer leveled even more serious accusations against the trial. According to Kleanthi Koçi, a former state official can only be tried with Parliament’s approval if, during the exercise of his state duties, he committed two offenses: a serious crime and a violation of the Constitution. On the other hand, Prosecutor Thana repeatedly replied that the defendant Alia was placed under investigation when he was already a simple citizen of Albania. He spoke at greater length, but appeared to focus even more on the episodes of the accusation, former Interior Minister Hekuran Isai. Already burdened by the weight of the charges for the macabre crimes of fratricide at the border, Isai made a long opening statement in his defense, during which many of the major figures of world communism were mentioned, from Lenin to Fidel Castro. One of the events on which the accusation against Isai is based is the fratricide in the town of Kruja, after Isai had assigned a State Security agent there. The grief-stricken victim had killed himself by jumping from the eighth floor of Hotel Tirana. “That was part of the normal practices of internal work,” said Isai, “and for his suicide I am not to blame. That was the person assigned at the time to be responsible for his security.” (p.r.)

Voting TIRANË — Today the new heads of communes will be elected in five communes of the district. Voters in Zall-Herr, Reç, Libofshë, Ngracan and Greshicë will have the right to participate following the latest local resignations. The main parties in the country — which are also the principal contenders — have mobilized their leaders, who have already held meetings with voters. Candidates from today’s parliamentary parties will compete in all the communes. With the exception of the two communes in Mallakastër, the Social Democrats have not managed to field their candidates. “Elections, although small in scale, are also politically significant between the parties in the opposition field. Today’s test is in fact of great importance for both sides. The Democrats have emphasized their hope that they will strengthen their position through these elections. Their main rivals, the Socialists, have done the same. Both have understood that the results of today’s vote, taking place mainly in a rural environment, are a good example for understanding today’s political reality and the reasons for the trust that the people give to each side. Today’s elections were set by a special decree of President Berisha following changes in the leadership of the commune councils. In some communes a chairman had resigned, in others a chairman had died or was under criminal prosecution. These were the reasons that also led to the request to hold elections in these areas. (pa.bax.)

Among the patients there are also many high school and university students In Tirana, 30 procedures are performed every day TIRANË — Abortions are stifling births. Troubling figures are coming this time from the Tirana maternity hospital, where almost 30 unborn babies are aborted every day, a number that exceeds — if only slightly — the number of births in this institution. Added to this alarming fact is another equally serious one: every day, 3 to 4 of the women who undergo this procedure are under 20 years of age. “What concerns us most,” explains Mira Neziri, director of the obstetric hospital in the capital, to Gazeta Shqiptare, “is the fact that abortion has very serious, even devastating consequences for women.” The doors of this institution are always open also to mothers whose daughters want to remove from their bodies a life that has just begun to take shape. Among them are also young girls, high school students and university students, who, with a payment slip of 500 lekë — that is how much it costs to have a child aborted — wait in line for the doctor’s call according to the registration numbers. They spend only a few hours here and then leave this hospital where they have destroyed the creature to whom they should have given life. “In truth we try to persuade them not to have an abortion,” says Neziri, “because especially at a young age, if they have not given birth before, the consequences are very serious. They risk damaging their bodies in the future, and even losing the ability to give birth altogether.” The reasons that push them to choose this path are varied. Among young girls, there is a lack of proper sex education and family planning, which is another important problem. All women seeking an abortion first come to this center, where specialized doctors try to explain the harm caused by the medical intervention in such a case. “We try, at least, to prevent the abortion from happening a second time,” Neziri explains. Abortion in Albania became widespread two years ago when the law allowing it was approved. The drastic increase in its number was accompanied by another negative phenomenon, a very noticeable decline in births. Thus, while in 1990 there were 26,112 abortions and 82,171 births recorded, in 1993 abortions had significantly exceeded 30,000 cases, while births had fallen to around 60,000. And as always, in this case too, freedom becomes harmful when it is abused. Armand Mero Tirana Polyclinic

TIRANË — “Despite the noise of the Greek international machine, the Greek minority in Albania enjoys full freedoms and rights,” said Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi at the Conference on Security and Stability in Europe in Paris. Meanwhile, the war of statements between Tirana and Athens continues. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Albanian authorities had protested to the Greek Ambassador in Albania regarding the spread of false news about new arrests of minorities, a topic that Serreqi also discussed at length in Paris. “The first criticisms have already begun at the Paris Conference. The European Parliament bloc deputy, specialist on minority issues, Aleksandër Langer, one of the three representatives of the European Parliament at the Conference and a figure also well known in Albania, expressed on Friday his disbelief in the success of this diplomatic initiative. ‘A new citizen of Vienna was intended, but in fact it is a soap bubble and it looks like a duplicate of the CSCE,’ Langer said, adding that ‘the Conference does not properly focus on the burning conflicts of today, such as those in Bosnia and the Caucasus, or the latent ones such as in Macedonia and Kosovo.’ (pa.bax.) Alfred Serreqi

— Large quantities of fuel continue to be seized. This time in Fier, the Financial Police initially suspected four trucks with plates from Shkodër and Gjirokastër. After checking the documents accompanying their cargo, the police decided to seize the entire load they were transporting: 50 barrels intended for different cities. According to the information made public so far, all the fuel was seized because it was found undocumented and is believed to be light smuggling [?]. (Bn. hy.)

“What is Nano?” at the Socialist Party press conference — “What is Nano?” is a slogan put forward by the Democratic Party as a weapon against its political opponents,” said the vice-chairman of the Socialist Party at the press conference organized just one day after the conclusion of the trial of Fatos Nano on appeal. Representatives of the PS repeated once again their view that the proceedings against their leader and the court’s decisions “are unacceptable and not based on the law.” At the same time, they reminded everyone once more that the party chairman, the lawful chairman of the PS, and the convicted man will continue to pursue his punishment.

Albanian clandestine migrants caught in Otranto Police arrest two sailors and continue searches ON PAGE 2 Draft law on immovable property in Parliament Indicative maps of assets will be drawn up ON PAGE 3

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SELL? DO YOU WANT US TO BUY IT FOR YOU? This space is free for your classified ads. Send your message of up to 15 words to one of our addresses: In Tirana: Rruga Bajram Curri, 370, or in Bari: Viale Scipione l'Africano, 264 State in your message what you are looking for and your first name, surname and address. FOR SALE — construction materials such as counters, tableware, chairs and others. Interested parties should contact the House of Culture at telephone number 2791. FOR SALE — a two-storey house in Kavajë, with two bathrooms and more; it used to be the house of the pioneer. Interested parties should contact Durrës 062/28571. FOR SALE — a shop of 40 square meters plus a monoblock in Neighborhood No. 6 in Durrës. For more information contact Durrës 3344 at any time in Tirana. FOR RENT — a room and a kitchen with a balcony. Interested parties should contact telephone number 2600 or the address: Rruga “Kongresi i Përmetit”, Building 79, Staircase 1, Apartment 1 in Tirana (opposite the Embassy of Yugoslavia) FOR SALE — a shop of about 60 square meters on “Njazi Meka” street, Building 1 — Aliat. Contact the owner at Rruga “Kongresi i Manastirit”, Building 4/2, Apartment 4 in Tirana. FOR SALE — a house with two rooms and a kitchen with a yard, with an area of 150 square meters. Address: Rruga “Ibrahim Dalliu” no. 3 in Tirana. LOOKING FOR a partner to conclude a contract, as I have two new trucks, one of them refrigerated, with a capacity of 22 tons. Tel/fax 2777. FOR SALE — a room in Sarandë, two rooms and a kitchen facing the sea. Address: Neighborhood 3, Building 14, third floor. Interested parties should contact Durrës 2620. Sarandë Post Office from 8:00 to 16:00, telephone 2410. WE ARE LOOKING FOR — a worker for the agency of the company “Drita”. Interested parties should contact us for the necessary information at telephone number 42524.

A CENTER FOR MOTHER AND CHILD IN TIRANË IS ABOUT TO BE INAUGURATED — Preparations for the inauguration of a new health center for mother and child have now reached the final stage. This center will operate in the premises of Tirana Polyclinic 9 — it will provide full and specialized medical services, carrying out the services needed at all the required stages. The staff of this center is led by and will provide, among other things, prompt assistance with proper personnel and the necessary technical equipment. The association has also undertaken projects with several midwives and nurses from Tirana, who will help in the training of their Albanian colleagues. At the same time, the need for care for the mother’s own health has also been carefully planned. DURRËS, DEMANDS FOR THE STATUS OF THE PERSECUTED INCREASE — There have been many complaints about the actions of the policy of communist reform in Durrës. So far, 8,500 files have been submitted with requests to be recognized as politically persecuted, seeking recognition of their rights under the February 1994 agreement. So far, 1,500 people with such problems have been registered at the Durrës police station. The Association of the Persecuted has also declared that the demands have increased and that another 106 people are still affected by violent confinement and torture.

Zattere 1411 - Tel. 0039/41/781611 - Fax 781805 - Tlx 410045 Ferries for Passengers, Cars, Trucks DURRES - BARI - ANCONA TRIESTE - DURRES From DURRES to BARI: every Tuesday departs at 22:00 every Thursday departs at 12:00 From DURRES to ANCONA: every Sunday departs at 12:00 From DURRES to TRIESTE: every Wednesday departs at 19:00 every Saturday departs at 20:00 Agency in ALBANIA DURRES: DETARE SHTETERORE Tel. 052/22233 - Fax 22911 - Tlx 4148 Agency in ITALY BARI: AGESTEA Srl - via Liside 4 Tel. 0039/80/331555 - Fax 330628 - Tlx 810043 ANCONA: MARITTIMI AGENCY Srl - Via XXIX Settembre, 20 Tel. 0039/71/204915 - Fax 202296 - Tlx 560022 TRIESTE: AGEMAR Srl - Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi, 2/a Tel. 0039/40/363222 - Fax 7723 - Tlx 460059