The former DP chairman reveals his secret: “In Strasbourg they spoke to me about the imprisoned chairman of the SP” From the Council of Europe: “It depends on what the opposition does” A surprising statement during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee SP leader Fatos Nano Eduard Selami TIRANA - “The second request made by senior government officials at the Council of Europe has made Albania’s ties to the Nano issue a condition.” Eduard Selami, the now-dismissed leader of the Democratic Party, put it into words yesterday. At an ordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the People’s Assembly, Selami—who chairs it—lifted the veil on his second secret. Just a few days ago in Shkodër, and later at his latest press conference in Tirana, he had said that he could not make its contents public at the time. “I mentioned the successful meeting of senior officials of the Council of Europe. The opposition’s position on the Nano issue will be decisive; if they decide to play this card, then this will undoubtedly become an obstacle to Albania’s admission to this organization. That is what I said at the meeting,” Selami told the Albanian Gazette yesterday. This statement may perhaps cause a stir, though not as much as Selami’s first revelation about the Constitution. On that occasion, too, Selami had said that senior European officials had told him they saw no obstacle to the Constitution being passed in parliament, ahead of the Constitution and the others. As far as they were concerned, they had to get life started; the Council of Europe—which had said that the vote on the Constitution should not be confused with Albania’s admission to their organization—could not do this. The Council of Europe is an international organization that makes recommendations on the admission of countries to the organization. Likewise, the former DP chairman’s statement does not appear likely to pass without provoking debate. Selami himself considers his step a sincere gesture toward the SP. Wouldn’t this news be a gift to socialist politics, he was asked. “On the contrary, what I said was said as a warning to them,” Selami replied. “They should not act in such a way that the ‘Nano issue’ obstructs Albania’s admission to the CoE.” Selami has not backtracked on his statements, even in his most difficult moments, and says his aim will remain a strong DP. The socialists’ response is now awaited. They may have long since laid out their position on Albania’s admission to this European organization, and have repeatedly insisted in their materials for international institutions on several issues they have raised as fundamental; among them, almost invariably, has been the case of their imprisoned chairman. Fatos Bakhaku In the political storm Nano’s shadow appears again in the political storm TIRANA - The Nano issue reappears like a shadow on the Albanian political scene. The day after the storm that swept through the Democratic Party with the dismissal of its president, a new revelation comes from Selami himself. “Yes,” the former DP leader tells our newspaper, “at the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, in the Council of Europe they told me that if the opposition raises the Nano issue, this could be an obstacle to Albania’s admission to the CoE.” The news must have caused a sensation throughout the socialist political sphere. So this is something whose truth he seeks in Strasbourg on the first day of the week; the revelation was not withdrawn at the time, when he was obliged to say that the Council of Europe had made two requests for Albania’s admission to the CoE. The first was the election of a head of state; a much-discussed matter, he said, although nothing had explained that this was the sole external reason in this particular case. Perhaps Selami’s latest statement will not change anything in the declarations. Even today, Albania has no obstacle but does have conditions, and must at least meet them as its own requirements. Thus, the day and month will surely pass until his plan concerning ties with admission to the Council of Europe is completed. Perhaps this will remain a path to peace, if such a thing is possible, but only one thing is being said: “If, like Nano, that is, the whole socialist movement and its likeness, some …, but also …”. There is also a spontaneous question to be asked: Is it possible that the socialists know nothing about a condition imposed by the CoE? And in this regard, while maintaining their position on admission to the CoE, have the socialists not raised these issues as part of the process of their country’s admission to these organizations? This is a matter that risks being misused or misinterpreted.

The Labour Code protects women 8 MARCH Best wishes, ageless TIRANA - Farewell to night-shift work for women. And with it, farewell to the time when pregnant women were allowed to work right up to the last day before giving birth. These are precisely the matters that the new amendments to the Labour Code—the new draft labour code, still under review by specialists and parliamentary groups—will define more concretely. The aim is to strengthen protection further and make it possible to protect women at work. These are new employment relations that now seek to reflect an entirely new reality. One of the “illnesses” of the past was women working the night shift. Not only doctors, nurses and shift inspectors, but also textile workers, lathe operators and street cleaners were obliged to work a full eight hours at night. The importance of this issue has grown, and women had to work at times when their families needed their work and support. Now that is a thing of the past. Pregnant women, too, welcome the draft: they will not be allowed to work during the 35 days before the expected date of childbirth. For women who give birth after five months of pregnancy, the leave is apparently 60 days. They will therefore be spared the need to work during the first 42 days after giving birth. Meanwhile, income during this maternity period and its duration are determined by the law on social insurance. Women who adopt after childbirth will also have the right to the leave provided for by social insurance. The draft code stipulates that, after a specified period, no employer may force a woman who has adopted a child to work. Gjerji Pilika

The Audit Commission finds irregularities TIRANA - This time, the Arms Factory is the focus of an intervention by the State Audit. The irregularities found have led not only to administrative measures but also to criminal ones. According to a confirmed source, the Arms Factory committed 11 legal violations. Seven cases involved financial losses valued at 1 million 689 thousand lekë, and a debt of 29,297 dollars—one single case—was enough to make the State Audit add the Poliçan Mechanical Plant to its long list of institutions with legal violations. The first measure was dismissal from office: the Arms Factory director, M. Beka, and then the head of the Economic Department, Mithat Rama. Meanwhile, the Audit has decided to file a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office so that the people it considers responsible can be prosecuted. Gramsh: “Violations at the bank” GRAMSH - The State Audit Service has reported on the National Commercial Bank in Gramsh. It found that three quarters of the loans were overdue, a rate four times higher than the average level. The immediate implementation of legal sanctions by the Financial Police was requested, as well as the dismissal of the bank’s director, Rita Lupo.

ELBASAN - This year’s 7 March was a special one for Elbasan. Along with celebrating the now-traditional Teachers’ Day, the people of Elbasan also celebrated the anniversary of a historic event: the founding of the Elbasan Normal School. Eighty-five years ago, one of the country’s most distinguished schools began operating in Elbasan. Thousands of teachers graduated from its classrooms and later spread culture and education throughout the country. The president of the Republic, Sali Berisha, attended the important event and took part in the commemorative ceremonies.

He had deceived her with promises of marriage BERAT - He promised to marry her, then raped her. It happened in Berat—the second such case in a few days—when a 26-year-old from a remote village assaulted a girl who lived in Berat; he was later arrested by the police. The young man promised the girl that he would marry her and took her in his car, a Fiat van. They went to Lushnjë, where near the “Bleri” restaurant the girl was assaulted several times by her “lover.” He then promised the girl that he would take her with him to Italy. When she returned home, the girl told them everything that had happened. The latter reported the incident, and the police detained the rapist.

Buxpapaj writes to Parliament about damage to repeaters One third of the country without TVSH Butka: “The government should provide 500 thousand dollars” TIRANA - Albanian television, TVSH, risks being unavailable across more than 30 percent of the territory of the Republic. This is due to the theft of and damage to TVSH signal repeaters. The problem has come to a head in recent days, as a large part of the television repeater network in Gjirokastër is affected. In a letter addressed by RTSH Director General Buxpapaj to the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Information Media, the committee chairman, TV Butka, has asked the government to provide for them in the budget. It has also been requested that local authorities take strict measures against the administration in the areas where the television repeaters are located, especially where there have been numerous incidents. In the Korçë district alone, five cases of damage and theft have occurred over the past two years. The capital will soon have its own public TV station TIRANA - The capital will have its own public television station. This was decided by the Tirana Municipal Council at its latest meeting. Along with TV, there will also be a local public radio station. The council began its work by recognizing the great advances made by the powerful mass-media outlets today. As for financial matters, it was emphasized that the project would be put into practice after the law on public television is passed by Parliament.

Gjirokastër, Elbasan: marijuana trade GJIROKASTËR - “They attempted to take a bag full of the narcotic plant out of the country.” This is the charge now facing two brothers in the dock at the Gjirokastër Court. The trial, which has just begun, will seek to bring justice to two of the people at the center of a high-profile police operation in Gjirokastër. The two brothers, N. Tefa and A. Tefa, were stopped and then arrested by the criminal police while travelling on a bus on the Kavajë route. The criminal case was opened only two days later, after the results of laboratory analyses of the plants they had in their travel bag arrived. The experts had no doubt: the evidence found on the bus was marijuana. Cultivated cannabis: 3 years in prison ELBASAN - The Court of Appeal upheld the district court’s three-year prison sentence. The person sentenced, a 23-year-old farmer from the mountain village of Gjinar in Elbasan, had remained at liberty during the trial. The Appeals Court ruling was issued several days ago. The farmer, who was arrested last summer, had been charged with cultivating narcotic plants. In fact, the police had found a quantity of cannabis sativa among the corn planted in his field. The young man himself said that he had been pushed into this activity by a Greek man who had travelled to Greece.

Hoshafi: “Kapedani is just the beginning” It was one of our recent misattributions: Tasim Hoshafi—the author of the famous film “Kapedani”—had devoted his passion to bringing it back to the TV screen, but we mistakenly credited this creation to another director, Muharrem Fejzo. Apologizing to director Hoshafi, and to our readers for this inaccuracy, we once again congratulate the author on his impressive creation. A famous scholar of earthquakes in Albania One of the world’s most famous earthquake researchers has just arrived in Albania. Invited by the director of the capital’s Seismological Center, Bertim Muço, the American professor Bruce A. Bolt—from the University of “Berkeley”, California—has come to Albania with his 15-year experience at the head of the US seismological association. It is expected that Bruce, in addition to meeting his Albanian colleagues, will also be received by Albania’s highest authorities.

The year’s economic indicators INSTAT publishes the figures Private units but unemployed On page 3