Newspapers unite for the good of everyone CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA - The Albanian world of information is worried. The increase in printing costs, caused by the rise in paper prices on the international market, and the existence of many taxes that weigh on newspapers’ balance sheets threaten the survival of many newspapers. The problem concerns all newspapers, both party-affiliated and independent, but also the entire public opinion—and therefore all readers: those on the right, those in the centre, those on the left, and naturally young people, including those who, through surveys conducted recently, have made it clear that they have no particular interest in politics. A newspaper on its own may be political, but all newspapers together constitute a cultural heritage for the whole country, one that extends beyond parties and particular interests. In recent days, a group of fourteen newspapers (including the Albanian Gazette) decided to establish a committee for the protection of the press, whose sole aim is to begin a dialogue with the Government and Parliament so they can jointly reach a solution. One thing should be clear to everyone: this is not a political committee, because there is nothing political about protecting information. Its five representatives stand for democracy as a whole, together with the protection of the press throughout Albania. We have already established that Albanian newspapers face serious administrative difficulties. Opening a dialogue with the administration is an investment and a necessity, to ease the burdens on an enterprise of the mind. Our wish—as a serious, independent newspaper—is for this committee to stand alongside all Albanian newspapers, because its objective is shared: to solve the problem of taxes on the press in order to protect pluralism in information. This objective has nothing to do with the content of newspapers, but concerns their survival. We are now making our own intervention: to overcome, once and for all, ideological barriers and prejudices among newspapers, and to remain united in the name of our profession. There is no reason for confrontation, only a problem to solve. Without barricades and without heroics, let us remain united solely by the urgent need to protect what we consider to be in everyone’s interest.

The investigated icon case is closed A friend from Paris: “He told me they were accusing him of espionage” Diplomats in Tirana remain silent. Prosecutor’s Office: “That is not the charge” EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA - Another adventure involving the man of adventures, the Albanian-French “bestseller” author Sizia Zyke. But this time in Albania, where Zyke first came face to face with investigators in February this year. Arrested by the port authorities in Durrës together with his Albanian wife, the French director had faced not only the charge of taking two valuable icons out of Albania, but had also spent several days in a cell. And when the Zyke case seemed almost forgotten—the arrest measure had been changed to house arrest—the author famed for his adventures sought refuge at the French Embassy in Tirana. This high-profile move immediately set French diplomats in motion, while in the Albanian capital it caused considerable surprise. It all seems to have begun with a close French friend of Zyke, named Sam Assevedo. According to him, the latest move is linked solely to Sizia Zyke’s fear “of ending up in prison again.” Meanwhile, late on Wednesday, the official French news agency was the first to broadcast the bombshell that “Zyke has been accused of espionage by the Albanian authorities,” again citing a recent phone call from his friend. The news that the protagonist had taken refuge on the premises of the French Embassy in the Albanian capital was soon confirmed by officials at Quai D’Orsay—the French Foreign Ministry—who, through their spokesperson, officially confirmed Zyke’s entry into the French Embassy in Tirana, and also undertook to “clarify this situation and the reasons that led to this action.” In Tirana, however, the episode is seen quite differently: “Zyke has never been accused of espionage in Albania,” senior officials of the Republic’s Prosecutor’s Office told the Albanian Gazette yesterday. Indeed, in Albanian justice circles, the initiative by the Albanian-French Zyke is regarded as an ordinary act of bravado that need not be treated in the manner presented in the foreign press. “Our position is to resolve his case objectively,” Albanian investigators say, “and the fact that the charge and the security measure against Zyke were changed confirms this very well.” In any event, Zyke and his Albanian wife are now staying inside the French Embassy in Tirana. The only “Albanian” confirmation, from Zyke’s wife’s family in Tirana, says that they are currently there, but does not acknowledge the reasons that prompted this initiative. In the embassy premises, Zyke is allowed to stay for the time being; Albanian investigators and the French Foreign Ministry said yesterday that “there is no evidence of an espionage charge against the writer Zyke.” Currently charged only with “purchasing an item derived from a crime,” Zyke’s case is being investigated by the Durrës Prosecutor’s Office. His security measure—house arrest—merely prevents him from leaving Albania until the investigation is concluded, and has also entailed the temporary confiscation of his passport. “I don’t understand where all this panic came from,” an official of the Republic’s Prosecutor’s Office told Albanian journalists yesterday. Sizia Zyke, author of the “bestselling” book Oro—which sold a million copies—has become the protagonist of another adventure, this time in the land of his origins. A mystery that may perhaps be illuminated by another “bestseller” by Zyke, now written as a new adventure. The French Embassy and director Zyke

The Interior Minister in Parliament Musaraj against Dragoshi The Prosecutor General responds: “But the police also file pointless complaints” TIRANA - Mutual attacks between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office. It was Minister Musaraj who, during an interpellation in Parliament yesterday, criticized the work of the Albanian Prosecutor’s Office. According to him, this body is pursuing a lenient policy in its fight against criminals. Just a few hours after the minister’s remarks, the Prosecutor’s Office issued a rebuttal: Alush Dragoshi rejected the criticism directed at the prosecuting authority and counterattacked with further accusations against the police. Yesterday, Interior Minister Musaraj appeared before MPs to present the work carried out by the police and data on crime in Albania, as a representative of the Social Democratic Party. But after giving an overview of the actual state of crime, Musaraj also accused the Prosecutor’s Office: “The action this body takes against crime is lenient.” To substantiate his criticism, the Interior Minister presented a series of figures. Thus, during 1994, according to data compiled by the parliamentary department, 380 perpetrators of crimes were sentenced. “...and released. In Shkodër alone, 40 people who had been in custody with leave were prosecuted while at liberty.” But Musaraj’s criticism went further. According to him, in many cases the Prosecutor’s Office releases criminals apprehended by the police, thereby artificially increasing the number of people declared wanted. The Prosecutor’s Office immediately responded to the Interior Minister’s accusations. In a statement issued to the BBC, Prosecutor General Dragoshi rejected the attacks made by Musaraj in Parliament and also criticized the police, which in some cases had obstructed the work of his office. “Musaraj cannot judge the activities of the Prosecutor’s Office,” Dragoshi said, “especially when he has problems with the police, which often makes false reports.” The Prosecutor General did not elaborate further, saying that he “could make these figures public without first comparing them with ours. The Interior Minister,” Dragoshi concluded, “should have come first to see our figures as well.” This is not the first time that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has criticized the Prosecutor’s Office in its assessments. In its report, made public at a press conference by Musaraj some time ago, the work of the Prosecutor’s Office was described as a shortcoming that needed to be corrected.

TIRANA - Yes. The Albanian Guard’s non-commissioned officer had been tasked by the foreign businessman with monitoring the President’s movements. But, given his official duties, he had no real opportunity to do so, even though he had been placed at the service of a foreign intelligence agency. It is Fratos Dervishi, Deputy Prosecutor of the Republic, who is now seeking to clarify all the accusations recently made public by the Albanian businessman concerning the Yugoslav citizen Begri Leshovici and his associates. The latest confirmation in this case was made public on Friday, in response to questions following the conclusion of the investigation and the submission of the case to the Shkodër Court for further examination. As had reportedly been announced earlier, the Albanian citizen faces not only the charge of “threatening with a liquid” and possessing military information, but also the charge of “treason against the homeland by placing himself at the service of a foreign intelligence agency.” Meanwhile, all of this is connected, according to “Leshovici”—and according to the accusation—to the crime of “smuggling and illegal border crossing.” As the cable with eight points is said to be verified during the trial, which will begin soon, according to the Albanian Gazette: “If it is true that the trial we have heard about will bring many people and many officials to court, I will also be among the defendants.”

Parliamentary delegation TIRANA - Another step forward in the renewed optimism in relations between Albania and Greece. It was Greek Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis himself who received the seven-member delegation of the Albanian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, telling them that “Albanian-Greek relations are at the height of optimism and confidence.” The delegation, which began talks yesterday with Greek political colleagues, also discussed, according to sources reporting from Athens, the fate of Albanian clandestine refugees who have made a living by working for Greek organizations. It is not yet known exactly what was discussed at the Albanian-Greek round tables, but all sources have stressed that the talks were successful. The Greeks, meanwhile, have insisted on guaranteeing all the rights of their minority in Albania. Kaklamanis himself called for “the need to complete and safeguard the rights of the Greek minority in Albania.” The talks, among the first since the ice was broken between Tirana and Athens, will be followed by a meeting of the joint governmental committee, which will examine all the points raised in the other talks between Greek Foreign Minister Papulias and his Albanian counterpart Alfred Sereqi in Tirana.

TIRANA - Hours of debate on another of the most important laws recently passed by the Albanian Parliament. This is the “Law on the Distribution of Privatization Vouchers,” discussion of which began yesterday afternoon in the People’s Assembly. More than 50 questions from the opposition to the relevant specialists, and the importance of the matter under discussion, pushed the debate into the late hours of the night. The issue of privatization vouchers is one of the most delicate, including from a political perspective. The Socialist opposition has long made its position on this point clear: “The division of national wealth should be decided by Parliament, not by presidential decree.”

Protests begin TIRANA - The Valias mine is heading for closure. A recent government decision has stipulated that procedures to shut down the well-known mine begin immediately, with the closure to be completed within a year. As a result of this decision, nearly 350 workers will lose their jobs almost immediately. The union has reacted strongly, demanding that workers who lose their jobs be granted the right to a pension amounting to 60 percent of their salary if they have worked in the mine for more than ten years, and that women be included as well. Otherwise, the union will not allow the closure.

A peculiar reality TIRANA - “Give us the Palace of Culture, but transfer ownership of the former Partizani cinema to us” is the Culture Ministry’s latest response in an effort to get the historic cinema, the last one still remaining in Tirana, back into operation. A disco now operates in the premises of the “Partizani” Cinema; it has rented part of the cinema building, which has fallen into disrepair, under a contract concluded long ago with Tirana’s local authorities. The Ministry is seeking to turn the well-known venue into a cinematheque for the benefit of future generations of filmmakers—it is said that guarantees have also been obtained from the responsible authorities—and to establish a new institution there, planned to have an international character. However, this will also depend on how the Culture Ministry’s latest proposal proceeds. In the course of these negotiations, the Ministry of Culture has also sought the assistance of the State Audit Office. Palace of Culture

Elbasan: from victim to accused ELBASAN - From burglary victim to defendant. This unusual story concerns a citizen from Elbasan, A.H., whose trial began yesterday. A few months ago, his home was burglarized by people who were then unknown. The citizen set out to investigate like a detective and, after an exhausting search, finally managed to identify the culprits: two young men from Elbasan. The enlightened citizen then filed a complaint, and the two suspects ended up in the police station’s cells. But it was precisely here that the story began which turned the owner of the burgled house from victim into accused. According to the statements of the two young men, the homeowner had allegedly asked them for 2 million old lekë on condition that he would then withdraw the case against them. This is where the ordeal began, as the events surrounding the burglary took an unexpected turn. He now began frequenting the Prosecutor’s Office—not because of the story of his burgled home, but because of the charge brought against him by the two young burglars. The trial, which began yesterday, has attracted interest at the city court. According to information from the offices, the fate of the protagonist in this unusual legal case has become a matter of particular interest to the authorities responsible for detention.

Krujë: Mysterious killing of a 35-year-old Another brutal killing in Fushë-Krujë. This time, the victim of still-unknown killers was a worker at the Waterworks Enterprise. The body of 35-year-old Fadil Komova was found in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but according to police sources, he was killed on Tuesday evening. The investigation, which has only just begun, has yet to clarify any details about the cause of the mysterious killing. Gjirokastër: More than 1 ton of butter destroyed Nearly 1,300 kilograms of butter were buried in Gjirokastër that day. The district Sanitary Inspectorate seized the food product because it was outdated—produced in 1990–1991—and unfit for consumption. Kukës: Companies evade taxes More than 60 private entities conducting business in the district of Kukës have not paid taxes and duties to the state. Some of them have not made a single payment for two years. As a result, losses to the state budget are estimated at hundreds of thousands of lekë.