OSCE senior official’s enigmatic departure from Tirana Europe: “600 people to cover 80 percent of ballot boxes. ‘Alba’ will stay for another 45 days after the vote” The meeting in Rome. Final O.K. for June 29 after a week in Vienna TIRANA - Will the elections be held under these conditions or not? This doubt seems to have occurred even to the OSCE’s chief observer in Tirana, prompting him to leave his post. Just two days ago, Pridham resigned from his position on the Tirana mission and returned to England. OSCE official sources explained the decision simply as being “for personal reasons,” but it seems that other reasons lie behind those words. Yesterday, at a meeting in Rome, the Steering Committee of the “Alba” member countries made two important decisions: eighty percent of ballot boxes will be covered by observers on June 29, and “Alba” will extend its stay for another 45 days after the elections. Pridham’s replacement, Tony Welch, attended the meeting. (Above) Pridham, the departing observer

POLL IN TIRANA Leka Zogu On page 4

The return of the money . Can the millions that Albanians lost in the labyrinths of the pyramid schemes be returned to them? A statement by Socialist leader Fatos Nano in Vlorë has once again stirred public opinion, as well as many politicians, prompting debate on this delicate issue, which has recently been carefully avoided at discussion tables and rally platforms. But the issue of the “fajde” money has another dimension that remains to be weighed: is it the Albanian state’s responsibility to return those millions to the people? For a long time, there have been efforts by the state’s narrow authorities, met with skepticism by part of the opposition or fierce counteraction from political rivals, who have dismissed them as an adventure and a demagogic trick. And amid the turmoil caused by the clash of these viewpoints, the question has resurfaced for many: is it the state’s responsibility to return the money? It is also a kind of politics that makes you believe no party will have the courage to answer “No.” But we would hope for something more. Specifically, for the Albanian political world to become aware of the full responsibility it bears toward the Albanian electorate. As nowhere else, the state and the parties in Albania adopted the posture of spectators toward the “fajde” schemes, abandoning the people to fend for themselves. Consequently, returning the money is another moral debt the state owes its people. Not a legal one, because government officials have used history as an excuse for their legal responsibilities, tolerating the law’s silence on the part of “others”—the people. Thus, the people cannot take the state to court. But the state must restore its moral standing in this matter, because alongside life, the issue also concerns property and money. For a phenomenon that results in a tragedy affecting the whole of society cannot be treated as a private matter. Is this the same as—for example—an individual’s drug use? And if the parties say “yes” to returning the money, another question immediately follows: how? Where will the money come from? When it comes to explaining the compensation mechanism, politicians’ statements are highly hypothetical. There is still no defined strategy coordinated with international institutions. There are no alternative formulas, techniques, or deadlines. And if the parties intend to exploit the issue politically once again through the promise of returning the money, then this would only further deepen the Albanian tragedy. Thus it has become clear that the joint, evasive silence of the government and the opposition concerning the “fajde” phenomenon served domestic political interests. This was a rare occurrence in history: this alarm, [?] of common enemies who, from different angles, manifested themselves through the invasions of “h”[?]mes. Later, the Meksi Government tried to rid itself of every responsibility by declaring the pyramid schemes to be “people’s private property.” It was the pressure of mass protests that forced it to freeze the money of two foundations and distribute it. Meanwhile, the opposition knew how to benefit politically from the “fajde” situation by accusing government officials of being thieves. And while hundreds of thousands of people were demanding their money, the opposition almost “forgot” to explain two things: its uncritical silence while the pyramid schemes were flourishing, and the possibility of the lost money being siphoned off in the event of a change of power. And so, in the ritual of this politics—which seems to know how to display duplicity—and in connection with the PS, Nano declared in Vlora that his party’s objective was “to give the lost money back to the people.” This is a declaration that is

“Debts from the ‘fajde’ schemes after the elections” Tiranë - Will the West pay the money from the “fajde” schemes? If this is true, then we are dealing with one of the most sensational stories of recent times. The person to whom this statement is attributed is Massimo Busti, Italy’s Deputy Minister of Defense, who arrived in Albania yesterday. According to the American news agency Brill, when asked about the Albanian tragedy of the “fajde” schemes, he stated that “financial institutions and the international community may consider the possibility of paying the debts that the pyramid companies owe to Albanians, but this can happen only after free and fair elections have been held.” One of the tax agencies yesterday [??] Busti’s position on the “fajde” crisis [??] the explanations that Anastas Angjeli, the Socialists’ finance expert, gave to the press yesterday. Such a meeting also conveyed yesterday the Deputy Minister’s position on the situation in Albania and on the delicate role played exclusively by “Alba.” The latter have become a concern for a week as they tried to save their network. According to the ENTE agency, which cites sources from the “Alba” headquarters, the robbers fled, releasing their “prey” as soon as they saw people approaching, accompanied by Italian carabinieri in armored vehicles. (Above) Pridham, the departing observer

After Nano’s statement. Angjeli speaks . TIRANË - Reimbursement of the “fajde” money? “This will be a long road, but one that will certainly lead to results.” Yesterday, Anastas Angjeli explained some of the paths the PS will pursue to recover the money buried along with the pyramid schemes. Transparency, the companies’ bank accounts, and the fate of the money lost: these will be some of the first avenues of “investigation” for Socialist economists before they begin other financial operations. Angjeli also remembers to mention the assistance expected from international organizations specializing in this field. In any case, the Socialist economist is optimistic when he says that “the next Socialist government will do its utmost to secure special sources of credit.” He

Consumers’ Association: “They are false; nothing will happen” Panic in the cities: the 15th, a black day Frightening rumor: Shops will close TIRANA — Will something bad happen on December 15? Rumors of a catastrophe that will lead to shops closing, roads being blocked, and many other things of this kind have been circulating for days in many cities across the country. Elbasan, Fier, and most recently Tirana. People keep asking one another whether something will happen on the 15th. But who told you? “We’ve simply heard it,” people reply. Yesterday, however, the Consumers’ Association in Tirana, through TVSH, refuted these rumors, declaring that nothing will happen on the date forecast to be a black day and that all commercial establishments will be open. As never before, fear and disinformation have spread almost like an epidemic. It is not known who started it or why, but fear that a major calamity will occur on the 15th has taken hold in other cities too. A few days ago, fear was felt in the city of Elbasan. “Have you heard? On the 15th all the shops will close,” people whispered to one another. The same fear was felt in the city of Fier. Again, there was talk that the shopkeepers would close their shops on Friday, for reasons no one knew. Meanwhile, in Tirana, people were talking about even stricter measures. The shops would close; the roads would be blocked. The claims went even further. “Even the courts will operate only until the 15th” was the latest rumor heard over the past two days. Yesterday, however, the Consumers’ Association in Tirana was the first to respond publicly, refuting these rumors and assuring people that no commercial establishment would close on the 15th.

Çeta

Yesterday before the judges TIRANË Double death: They commit suicide DURRES — Yesterday Ilir Çeta, the perpetrator of Wednesday’s attack on the President of the Republic, traveled to Durrës. His trip to the Durrës court was accompanied by tight security, and the hearing, which finally ordered his detention, was held behind closed doors. Yesterday, detention was also ordered for Flamur Xhafa, one of the people close to the attacker. Çeta was seen only for a few moments as he entered the court. After the hearing, which did not last long, Çeta returned to Tirana.

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In yesterday’s article, “The Works of God and the Works of Politics,” “anti-communist” was mistakenly written instead of “former communist.” We apologize to the reader for this technical error.