Here is everything the French negotiator told the judges The document of Arsidi’s account “What happened with the 1.6 million dollars...” “For the first time, I came to Albania about 20 years ago. Former President Alia also invited me to come to this country.” “All I did, I earned only 6,400 dollars. The rest of the money was returned to Albania” EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA - The sought-after witness comes to Albania. Although now—after the interruption of the trial that bears his name—he cannot testify publicly. His name is Nicola Arsidi, the man who, before the French judges accusing him of “fraud,” sought to defend himself. Indeed, he did so by harshly accusing others through his testimony, which is nevertheless not unfamiliar to the Albanian judges or lawyers in this case. But Arsidi’s voice had never before been heard in Albania. Nor had his stories in this country—told in the first person—or those about the people who connected him to the mystery of the 1.6 million dollars still missing from Albania. Arsidi tells stories that, in his view, should be believed. Even in the cases involving the most serious accusations—when he says he handed Hoti 1.3 million dollars—he admits that, apart from his associate, he has no witnesses or documents to prove it. Now that we have heard how some of the Albanian defendants have defended themselves against Arsidi’s accusations, today we “hear” how he accused them. ARTICLE ON PAGE 3

Following the Court’s decision TIRANA - The Tirana Court’s decision to suspend the Arsidi trial is acceptable even to the accused themselves. As the lawyers say, none of the defendants will initiate an appeal before the Court of Appeal. This closes one of the two possible avenues through which it would be decided whether the case should be reviewed by the appellate judges, who might perhaps give it a different turn. Now, with only a few days left before the appeal deadline, only an initiative by the Prosecutor’s Office could bring this case before the judges. A protest by the Prosecutor’s Office—as would an appeal by the defendants—would necessarily send the Arsidi case into another, and indeed very swift, trial. Nevertheless, a few more days must pass before it can be definitively confirmed whether the Arsidi case will once again be sent back for investigation, marking a rare occurrence in Albanian justice. If the Prosecutor’s Office also makes no protest, then the case necessarily remains with that office, which—also in accordance with the instructions the Court gave it—must widen the circle of people implicated in the major financial scandal. For now, however, the question is whether or not the decision to suspend the trial will go to the Court of Appeal. When this date passes, another story begins.

Emin Mysliu speaks: Someone does not want the truth Emin Mysliu speaks: Someone does not want the truth FATOS BAXHAKU on page 3

The PD Group: “Let Justice decide” PD Group: “Let Justice decide” Brozi: “I have faith that the MPs will protect me” Now it is up to Parliament The matter will be placed on the agenda after Arbnori returns from Russia TIRANA - “I have faith that the MPs will vote for the truth.” Immediately after the preliminary decision by the PD Parliamentary Group—at a meeting also attended by the President—to lift the immunity of the head of the Court of Cassation and have his case examined by the Justice system, Zef Brozi speaks to Gazeta Shqiptare and again expresses hope. His only hope now rests with Parliament, which will have to make the final decision about him: “I am convinced that the MPs will maintain the same dignified position they took toward me at the outset, on December 29.” Brozi learned of the Parliamentary Group’s decision only the day before yesterday, and it seems not to have surprised him: “Not all MPs and the Democratic Party are against me,” Brozi told Gazeta Shqiptare. “Only that part of it that dislikes my refusal to make Justice toe the political line is against me.” Meanwhile, yesterday Brozi held a series of meetings with MPs. At around 1:30 p.m., Ali Spahia was also in his office; their conversation seems to have produced nothing beyond what had already taken place at the PD group meeting. But beyond expressing hope, the head of the Court of Cassation does not hesitate to make accusations and recall the practice, as well as the role played by those who took part in that game which, he says, has been organized against him for some time. “I think Berisha has violated his constitutional position in communicating with Parliament,” Brozi says. “He cannot go and chair the Parliamentary Group. Therefore, I call on him to reconsider his repeated interventions in the PD group with predetermined views.” Brozi’s accusations continue: “I want to denounce the secretive way this is being done and the efforts to deny me the opportunity to speak before the PD group and Parliament itself.” Indeed, according to the head of the Court of Cassation, these covert efforts are also spreading to the court itself, where “they are manipulating judges to write against me,” Brozi concludes. The PD Parliamentary Group’s decision came after a lengthy meeting held the night before last. “We have identified a formal irregularity in Brozi’s actions,” Tritan Shehu commented to Gazeta Shqiptare, “and for this reason we decided that everything should be verified by the relevant bodies.” Nevertheless, the final word has not yet been spoken. Under the relevant procedure, Parliament must decide whether or not to Cassation. But in order to make a final decision on this matter, the MPs must now wait for the Speaker of Parliament, Pjetër Arbnori, to return from Russia: Deputy Speaker Malaj has refused to put the matter on the agenda before his arrival.

ELBASAN - The city’s traffic lights have also paved the way for a scandal at the Elbasan District Council. - The city’s traffic lights have also paved the way for a scandal at the Elbasan District Council. State Audit inspectors, after finding irregularities in the implementation of the project to install 13 traffic lights, have called for the dismissal of two members of the District Council. According to them, only one bid was accepted in the tender—that of the company “Andrei SRL”—which led to the traffic lights being purchased at very high prices. In addition, the State Audit claims that the steam supply line from the Metallurgical Combine, which cost 80 thousand dollars, was damaged in order to install the traffic lights. By contrast, council members reject the accusations and defend the tender procedures. It is expected that the traffic-light affair will end up in the prosecutor’s office. Me.Kl.

TIRANA - Another step by Albania toward closer ties with NATO. Yesterday, an agreement on reciprocal military and political cooperation was signed in Brussels within the framework of the general Partnership for Peace agreement. Integration into NATO’s political and military structures,” Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister Arjan Starova said, “is a priority of Albania’s foreign policy. The more present NATO is in the Balkans, the safer this region will be.” As for its relations with its neighbors—Serbia and Montenegro to the north, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south—Albania has been described by the commander of the Atlantic Alliance’s forces in Europe, General John Joulwan, as “a key strategic position for NATO.” Regarding the still unresolved problems between Tirana and Belgrade because of the Albanian population in Kosovo, Starova said that “Albania wants to stay out of any conflict, but if the Albanians in Kosovo are massacred and expelled from the territories where they are masters, for everyone to see, nothing will remain for us to do but respond as a nation.” The number of countries that have joined the Partnership for Peace agreement has reached 24, 10 of which have also signed reciprocal politico-military agreements with NATO. (p.re.)

The government decision will take effect on January 1 Pensioners: “They should be increased tenfold” The government decision will take effect on January 1 Higher Maximum Pensions Pensioners: “They should be increased tenfold” TIRANA - More money for those receiving maximum pensions. On Monday, it was decided that the highest pensions in Albania would reach 4,100 lek per month, excluding compensation for the effects of changes. This decision takes effect from the past January 1. The previous upper limit was 3,840 lek, and it began to apply on another date last year, when it was also decided for the first time that the lowest pensions in Albania should not be below 2,200 lek. This limit will remain in force, and once again it has managed to satisfy the pensioners themselves. At a press conference held by the General Association of Pensioners, its secretary-general, Petër Shehu, called for a pension to be set at 10 times the amount they had proposed in line with the parallelization of the economy, so that it would keep pace with the same level of price increases. They also called for pensioner status, special pharmacies for them, holiday homes, and treatment centers. Regarding the distribution of valuable papers, the leaders of this association, which has 17 thousand members, requested that they be the most privileged after the political prisoners. There are also parallel pensioners’ unions: the Independent one and the Confederation. There are currently around 500 thousand pensioners in Albania, of whom approximately 150 thousand receive cooperative-member pensions of 700 lek, while also having the right to land ownership. gje.pi.

17-year-old girl abducted in Durrës released in Italy Three criminals arrested ON PAGE 2 Love, Work, Health and everything for PISCES Here is what the horoscope says for 1995 ON PAGE 5

TIRANA - From the “6 out of 45” lottery drawn last night TIRANA - In the “6 out of 45” lottery drawn last night—according to the inspectors on television—the following numbers came up: 21, 42, 25, 15, 28, 13. This time, a considerable sum of 1,231,308 lek has been recorded as available to the winners.

TIRANA - “The museum in Gjirokastër Castle is a museum of weapons manufactured in Albania and of trophy weapons captured from the occupiers... although no aerial battle involving American servicemen is known to have taken place to date, it is entirely understandable that the aircraft on display is not at all compatible with the character of the Gjirokastër Weapons Museum.” This is how the Ministry of Culture explains its decision, taken a few days ago, to remove from the castle walls a sculpture of an American military aircraft, which lately—especially in Gjirokastër—has become the subject of discussions and often heated debates. The sentence quoted above comes from an official statement by the Ministry’s permanent spokesperson. Speculation about the plane’s origins will not be the subject of the Ministry’s article. The same statement emphasizes that it “does not undertake to provide a solution” to the long-running debate on this issue. (p.re.)

TIRANA - Men, too, need protection from women’s threats. An article supported by some in the new Penal Code—which continues to be debated in Parliament—will also guarantee men the right to divorce. It happened yesterday during the parliamentary session, when debate on an article concerning the termination of marital relations interrupted the almost monotonous pace at which the preceding articles had been approved. The draft code proposes only to protect women’s right to divorce, including charges and penalties for men or their relatives who attempt to preserve marital relations by exerting pressure or coercion on women. According to specialists, these penalties did not need to be introduced in this way, since in practice, they say, no such tendencies have emerged. But this argument did not seem sufficient to convince the deputies. It was deputy Halit Shamata who called for the Penal Code article to provide for the same penalties for those who attempted to preserve marital relations. “There are many cases,” he says, “in which extreme pressure has been exerted on men to prevent them from obtaining a divorce.” This was the second argument, and it prevailed over the first. By a unanimous vote, Parliament decided to amend the article in question in accordance with the proposed changes. Thus men, too, will have the protection of the law in obtaining a separation if their marital relations become unbearable. Naturally, in such cases no time period includes divorce. An.Ste.

Kukës: residents occupy apartments Around 30 newly built apartments in Kukës have been occupied by families without permission and without any documents. These apartments, together with 60 others, are under private construction companies, which had fulfilled the housing needs of the people of Kukës. But the owners of the apartments forcibly occupied refuse even to sign a contract to buy and maintain them. The families’ blockade has concerned the officials of the Kukës Housing Enterprise. The families’ blockade has worried the National Housing Enterprise, which may therefore refuse to provide funds for further construction. Because this could cause the National Enterprise not to provide funds for other construction projects. Berisha leaves for Poland The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, has left for Poland. Invited by the President of the Republic, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Berisha will attend the 50th anniversary of Poland’s liberation. Lech Walesa, Berisha will pay tribute at Auschwitz-Birkenau together with heads of state and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Owner: “I only wanted to entertain my listeners” VLORE - Since yesterday, the familiar voice “This is Radio Vlora speaking” has no longer been heard in Vlora. A group of police officers escorted the owner of the radio station, Ferdinand Llamba, to the Vlora Police Station. All the equipment was also confiscated and, following an incident, Llamba was handcuffed by the Police Station chief himself, who formally communicated his decision to him: “The radio must stop broadcasting.” Llambro’s illegal activity was described as “illegal audiovisual propaganda.” It was Llambro himself who, saddened, told Gazeta Shqiptare the story of the final minutes of his station. “A group of police officers escorted me from the Police Station to my home and, in their presence, shut down the station,” he says. Radio Vlora’s broadcasts had become among the most widely listened to in and around Vlora. “I tried to create a programme that would be as enjoyable as possible for my listeners,” says Llambro. “I wanted us to communicate with as many people as possible, and for that purpose I also put up a telephone number. 23723 had become a communication channel for the families of refugees too, making it easy to communicate and find out about sports and culture; that was the field of my radio activity.” Sta.Ma.

FIER - Apparently following in the footsteps of its Vlora colleague, a station has appeared in Patosi. While Radio Vlora has had to stop its broadcasts, 27-year-old Xhemil Behari from Patosi is steadily increasing the popularity of his radio station, which is also private. The broadcasts of this station can be heard more than 30 kilometres away, in the city of Fier. (e.m.)

accused al[?] ARTICLE ON PAGE 3 FATOS BAXHAKU on page 3

3 go to the Court of Appeal. When this date expires, another story begins. ... according to the head of Kastrioti, the covert efforts are also spreading to the republic itself, where “citizens are being manipulated to write against me,” Brozi concludes. The decision of the PD Parliamentary Group came ar... The Speaker of Parliament Pjetër Arbnori; Deputy Speaker Malashi has refused to put this matter on the agenda before his arrival. Armand Mero

Currency Commercial Bank Buying Selling Albakrediti shpk Buying Selling Free market Buying Selling Dollar 93,40 95,00 94,00 94,80 94,40 94,70 Mark 60,70 61,70 61,20 61,60 61,30 61,45 Lira 58,00 59,50 57,80 58,40 58,00 58,20 Drachma 38,00 38,25 39,20 39,40 39,25 39,35