A major discussion today. Foreign experts and politicians also invited All the main parties agree in principle “Files” on the... table TIRANA — “Lustration and secret files” is the title of a major discussion that will begin today at the International Center of Culture. The round table has been organized by the Albanian Helsinki Committee and the “Soros” Foundation. “The purpose of this discussion is to bring the issue of the files, so widely discussed these days, to the attention of public opinion,” Kujtim Çashku, Chairman of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, told Gazeta Shqiptare. “The arrival of foreign discussants will allow their experience to be compared with ours, thus helping draft a law that is as precise as possible.” Today’s event is also important in another respect. Never before have such prominent figures from the anti-communist dissident movements of Eastern Europe gathered in Tirana. Among the discussants—alongside many well-known researchers and activists from the Helsinki Federation in Eastern European countries—are also distinguished figures from “Solidarnost” and the Romanian revolution of December 1989. TIRANA — The famous issue of the files on State Security informers has once again returned to the center of public attention in Albania. This time, the initiative has been taken by an impartial force, the Albanian Helsinki Committee, which is thus trying to help the young Albanian democracy resolve a problem that has long been tripping it up. For the first time, the parties are now gathering around the same table: representatives of different political forces will discuss one of the most delicate issues in Albanian society today. In principle, all political forces have expressed support for opening the files concerning politicians and senior state officials, but the Albanian Parliament has not yet passed a law on how to proceed with them. Perhaps today’s discussion and the comparison with the experiences of other Eastern countries will help move its review and approval forward. Leaders of the governing party, the Democratic Party, have repeatedly questioned in their press and in discussions whether this issue needs to be resolved by law. On the other hand, when interviewed by Gazeta Shqiptare, most leading politicians from the country’s other major parties did not hesitate to express support for opening the files. Namik Dokle of the Socialist Party—who will be one of today’s discussants—also expressed his party’s view: “Our party’s first position is that the files should be opened. We ourselves, as a parliamentary group, have long since submitted two draft laws on this issue.” For Arben Imami of the Democratic Alliance, however, the issue is not simply whether they should be opened, but the need to establish a firm position regarding their future. “The files are in fact still active today. Personally, I agree that they should be made public for senior politicians and officials, from the President of the Republic down to ambassadors and deputy ministers,” Imami added. Another party representative, Gaqo Apostoli of the Social Democratic Party, also supports the idea of opening them up to politicians and officials up to a certain level. “If we intend to serve national unity, the process of opening the files should have a lower limit,” Apostoli said, recalling that his party had been among the first to raise the need to resolve this issue. The International Center of Culture in Tirana

Suspicions concerning 63 former informers TIRANA — Alarm at the Independent Trade Union of Albanian Radio and Television. A wave of mystery and suspicion has erupted immediately after the sudden resignation of S.V., Chairman of the union’s Governing Council, who, reportedly, had publicly denounced himself as a collaborator of the State Security service as far back as 1976. “This resignation was a heavy blow to the union,” comments Paulin Shkjezi, now the union’s leading figure, on the mysterious resignation. Immediately afterward, at an expanded meeting attended by around 500 employees of Albania’s radio and television system, members of the Governing Council of the Independent Trade Union of Albanian Radio and Television appealed to their colleagues, calling on all those who had collaborated with the former State Security service to resign voluntarily. “There are still old and hidden connections of former Sigurimi agents within our institution,” Paulin Shkjezi told Gazeta Shqiptare, “and S.V. may certainly have been pressured by them into making this public self-denunciation.” Shkjezi, who personally supports opening all the files, refuses to comment on the claim confirmed by a union colleague, who said at Monday’s public meeting that there were 63 former State Security collaborators at their institution. In any case, Shkjezi is concerned about the atmosphere that has been created, full of mystery and suspicion. No particular strategy has yet been established to deal with this situation; meanwhile, the only prompt step may be a meeting with the Director General of RTV, immediately after his return from a trip abroad. The first file has just been “opened” at RTV—and it concerns the union’s top official, who is also a radio journalist in the Foreign Affairs department. It is a shocking episode, and not only for RTV... (e. L.) International Center of Culture in Tirana, the files concerning senior politicians and a law on how to proceed with them. Perhaps — who will be one of today’s discussants — expressed his party’s view: “Our party’s firm Alliance, however, the issue is not resolving this issue. Fatos Bakhaku ...to deal with this situation, while RTV—and it concerns the union’s leading for RTV... (e. L.)

Accused of fatal beatings TIRANA — The trial in Tirana concerning an episode of violence at the Public Order Department in Laç has returned to the center of attention; a year ago, citizen David Leka died there after being beaten. Taf Sopoti, Alfred Hima, Ardian Halili and Musa Hajdari are the four police officers accused “of having jointly committed the intentional murder, in revenge, of David Leka, who was unable to defend himself,” while Preng Laska—the former duty officer at the Public Order Department in Laç—must answer a separate charge of “committing an act contrary to the proper performance of duty, which caused serious consequences for the functioning of the institution and the lawful interests of citizens.” The incident—which had shaken the city of Laç for several days—began at midday on 12 August ’93. After an argument at the farmers’ market, the victim David Leka, according to the prosecution, had stabbed police officer Ilir Dosti, who, with a pistol in his hand, had tried to stop the car in which Leka’s other brothers were also travelling. After the victim was apprehended by the Public Order authorities, he was taken to the Public Order Department, where he was placed in custody. “The violence inflicted by the defendants Sopoti, Hima, Halili and Hajdari,” the indictment states, “was appalling and inhuman.” After David Leka died two days later at Tirana Clinical Hospital No. 2, forensic experts found numerous wounds on his body, covered by around 12–13 diagnoses. That same day, the Prosecutor’s Office brought criminal charges against those responsible and, it must be acknowledged, did so on the basis of reports from the Public Order Department in Laç itself. (e. L.) “It’s the number...” TIRANA — Another important reform for the Albanian Police. For the first time in the history of this force, police employees are required to attach identification numbers to their uniforms. Launched in the capital, the new initiative is thus meeting one of the main objectives set by senior officials at the Ministry of Public Order. From now on, every Albanian citizen will find it quite easy to identify a police officer with whom they may come into contact, simply by means of the number.

DEFENSE MINISTER ZHULALI SPEAKS TO JOURNALISTS AFTER RETURNING FROM THE USA — The Albanian defense minister’s visit to the USA has been described as successful. As Zhulali stated at a press conference, it concluded with the drafting of a joint program providing for assistance to the Albanian army, support in legislation, technical and scientific support, and assistance with engineering activities. In addition to this agreement, the visit to the USA was also considered another opportunity to expand future contacts in the military field. MALËSI E MADHE, FOREST POLICE UNDER THREAT FROM WRONGDOERS — Threats against Forest Police employees continue to recur. This time, within just a few days, inspectors in Malësia e Madhe were put at risk by wrongdoers from among those they had caught in the act of considerably damaging forest trees in the Vermosh sector and later in the Koplik sector. DURRËS, DESPERATE CONDITIONS AT THE INFANTS’ HOME — The 45 young children at the Infants’ Home in Durrës continue to live in miserable conditions. A special fund for the renovation of this Home was allocated some time ago, but the necessary work has still not begun. Meanwhile, the children live in the wholly unsuitable premises of the old maternity hospital, which has now also been claimed by its former owner. The possibility of escaping this situation is meanwhile being challenged. The director of the institution told the newspaper that the fund allocated by the relevant department is small and, moreover, has not yet reached him. “God knows, the Infants’ Home in Durrës. A charitable association, with [unclear] that ends, then, and helps the infants’ home more, [would] renovate the building of the Infants’ Home.”

Elbasan, protest by 600 unemployed workers ELBASAN — More than 600 employees of the Elbasan Nickel-Cobalt Plant are threatening to go on hunger strike. The immediate cause of this decision is the plant’s closure, following the declaration of bankruptcy by the Enterprise Restructuring Agency. “After sacrificing our youth amid the gases and dust of this facility, receiving poverty and occupational diseases in return, with the latest decision we have all been mercilessly thrown out onto the streets, without any means of livelihood,” says the petition the workers sent to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the parliamentary groups. The workers consider the plant’s bankruptcy illegal because, they say, “there are more than 420 thousand dollars in our account”; they blame the management team for the situation, saying it was incapable of putting the various facilities into operation and abused the enterprise’s assets. They are also demanding an investigation into the enterprise’s economic activities over the past three years. The situation is truly critical. Only five days remain before the hunger strike begins—the 28th has been set as the deadline. Meeting their demands—including distributing the enterprise’s assets among the employees or resolving the issue of re-employing them at other facilities in the metallurgical region that are still operating—is the only remaining way and hope of stopping this painful decision by the workers. p. re The metallurgical plant in Elbasan

PUKË — Ndue Mark Pjetri, a 25-year-old employee of the Pukë Police Commissariat, has died from wounds caused by a firearm. — Ndue Mark Pjetri, a 25-year-old employee of the Pukë Police Commissariat, has died from wounds caused by a firearm. The murderer, now arrested, is Ndue Preng Lasha from the village of Blinisht. The serious incident occurred in the darkness of night in the village of Kushnen. A frantic police pursuit to catch Pjetri’s murderer began afterward. Only after several hours of searching was Ndue Preng Lasha stopped by his pursuers near a forest close to Kushnen. Details about the reasons for the act have not yet been made public, but police sources said it occurred for “trivial motives.”

ITALIC REALITY TIRANA — Aid arriving from many countries and associations has also reached our artistic institutions. But—as has happened in other fields—sometimes it has gone unused. This has also happened with a special musical instrument at the Opera and Ballet Theatre. Here, a harp that arrived from Austria some time ago continues to sleep. The reason: so far, none of our instrumentalists has known how to play it. It is well known that musical instruments are among the most expensive goods, but among them the harp ... ... cost the Australians not a little, but 15,000 dollars. By donating it, they intended to help the Albanian orchestra fill a gap with several special instruments that are not used at every concert. Now, it seems, the giant harp will have to wait a while longer. A passionate young instrumentalist is trying to practise on it. Only when the young musician’s hands have fully mastered the giant harp will its sounds blend with those of the other instruments in the successful orchestra of the Opera and Ballet Theatre. (p. re.)

INSIDE Italian foreign minister rejects measures against immigrants “Wrong and selfish solution” ON PAGE 2 Today Italy absolutely must win the match against Norway Benarrivo and Massaro enter the game ON PAGE 3