Shpëtim Nazarko The old fox Alia is being perfected with a computer. He has no intention of responding either to Teodor Laco’s abuses or to Nexhat’s. I ask him to explain something to me, but, as always, he says general things. Perhaps his only skepticism concerns Balzac. “If you want to test whether your beloved really loves you or not, take them to a forest where everything is in flux and not a single person can be found nearby. They will surely express their pleasure or displeasure if they don’t love you.” And Balzac goes on: “That is why kings do not give anyone an audience for more than 15 minutes. Otherwise, they will reveal state secrets that must never become the property of the crowd.” Trying to tease him about his other enemy, Berisha, the old man turns and bluntly states a truth I have heard at least a few times by now. “You don’t understand that many of the state’s affairs—I have seen them—ended up saturated with drachmas, with Berlerin, and they also gave me … for the ‘comrade’s’ therapy. That is to say, we were to jump straight into the fray, even though we were gravely ill. And now we have buried Albania, which we left on its knees in ’90, about twenty fathoms underground.” Perhaps this is the only truth that the crowds and other intellectuals will hear from this man. About four years ago, I did a long interview with Pashko about gradualism or “shock therapy.” Nano defended gradualism. But, looking at current events, I have the impression that he was still under Ramiz Alia’s recent influence. The gradualism he began with …, the two-and-a-halves, extensive agriculture, etc. My present impression of Nano is that, in the best-case scenario, he will leave the country, go off to drink water and fish, preferably somewhere that is not swarming with … When I came “inside” and the fence was put up—that is, the “border,” that is, when it became a village—the geopolitical factor also took on a leading role, that is, the politics of geography. For two thousand years in a row, Albanians—the Albanian citizen—refined and polished their way of life, leaving very little for academics. The conclusion of this lecture is that no matter how Nano and company turn Albania around, they will do nothing but grow on top of the … and its citizens. That is, in “geographical” terms, the country will be densely populated and pastoral, while geopolitically it will be only a transit country, as the Americans explained in Gazeta DSH-ipitare just two days ago. Mediani understood this last point, the country’s role as a transit route, a year ago when he spoke about foreign policy (Corridor 8). Gaqua and Nano have no choice but to implement this matter point by point over the next year. Thus, the Honorable Mr. Nano’s Government has no choice but to respect the first condition, that is, the geographical element (livestock and agriculture). This condition will make a great difference before the IMF. All the more so when Albanians import more than five hundred million dollars’ worth of food a year. This is in a country where the “babazot” has been concerned with making it a country of shepherds and farmers. When Nano rightly says that within a decade the Tirana/Durrës corridor will have over one million inhabitants, he forgets that these one million people will need to be fed. Very well, then, rather than being preoccupied with grand strategies, you should get down to earth and sit with the farmers of Vora, Marikaj, Shishtufinë, to take their gardens seriously, where they grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, tushi, etc., and this is where the road corridor and the network… Nanua advocated that he was still under the fresh influence of Ramiz Alia. He began this gradualism with the small plots, the many sides, extensive smiles, etc.; the rush now is such that, for Nano, at best it has been a little harder than for Pashko to come top of the class, although both could memorize the lesson[n?]. Is that a serious accusation? Or is Berisha to blame for hiding so well from us what this life is like? The Nano we could not even see? A year and ten days ago, television spoke about a strategic plan by the Nano Government for the years up to around 2001. Naturally, the whole story left a bitter aftertaste. Do you remember Nano talking about strategies a year after coming to power? Say, didn’t he have time before, and did he have time to concern himself with his own party but not with these matters? God only knows. Looking at the practical actions of Nano and his Government, one gets the impression that Nano and Pashko, at best, are somewhat victims of circumstances. Neither has understood an elementary principle: the Albanian farmer understood the economic strategies that came before Pashko and Nano back when he was still on his own two feet. From a theoretical point of view, every economic theory considered a fundamental theory is nothing other than the refinement or modification of their great lives. The modernization of their resources. In other words, let us imagine mechanization: replacing the ox with the tractor, and the changes brought about by this speed, the final or real struggle with these facts and with time as well. Let us judge seriously. At the beginning of the world, when states had not yet been created—that is, relations with neighbors—the primary element in the emergence of life was geographical: climatic conditions. Primitive man builds a house beside the forest (that is, for wood and hunting), beside the river (that is ...

Public Health Institute alarm TIRANA—Tirana is gradually turning into one huge gas chamber. According to the Public Health Institute, as stated, the pollution level in the Albanian capital is at least six times higher than the limit set by the standards of the World Health Organization. Cars are slowly killing us, and their smog clouds can be seen only from great heights. We have indeed “gotten rid of” industry, but old cars without exhaust filters are causing lung diseases among Albanians day after day. On page 5

Gjinushi reveals an old agreement “In 1992, on the eve of victory, he reassured Alia too” The DP leader speaks on RTSH after many months: I have not regretted taking that step TIRANA—“Yes, there was an agreement between the political sides, according to which none of the political leaders of that time was to be convicted after the Democratic Party came to power. Alia, Berisha and Nano had reached an understanding.” The opposition leader’s long interview, his first in a long time, on “E diela debat” brought back to the minds of many politicians an agreement reached behind the scenes on the eve of the March 1992 elections, elections that brought the Democratic Party to power. “I do not regret Nano’s conviction”—that was more or less the statement that brought the semi-secret agreement between the three political leaders of the time to mind. Yesterday, Skënder Gjinushi, one of the most active figures in politics at the time, acknowledged to “Gazeta Shqiptare” that such an agreement existed. “This agreement,” he added, “was broken by Berisha, who sent Nano and the others to prison.” The Speaker of Parliament ruled out the possibility of a similar agreement in the new political situation. “Now Justice must decide,” he added. On page 8

Kosovar refugees arrive in Albanian territory TROPOJË - A whole army of refugees is arriving in the villages of Tropojë. According to a government announcement, there are 2,000 people—women, elderly men and women, and children—who have travelled for more than 53 hours to escape the bombardments by the heavy Serbian artillery. For the time being, they have found shelter with the villagers of Tropojë, who are sharing their bread and clothing with them. Meanwhile, seven refugee tents have arrived at the border, and their registration has begun. Representatives of the OSCE and the EU have also arrived in the area. In the meantime, the first aid supplies from Tirana have set off for Tropojë. A convoy has departed under the protection of special forces, which will remain in Tropojë and Kukës for some time to keep any possible situation under control. On page 11

GAZETA of Vlora VLORA—Police send tanks to Çole. After a mad burst of gunfire by a group of drunks in the neighborhood most troubled by last year’s revolts, the police intervened using heavy equipment. “This neighborhood has turned into a real ghetto,” says Police Director Memushi. “We are constantly having problems with people engaged in suspicious activity.” On page 6

GAZETA of Shkodër House arrest for Gjon Gjekën. The Court of Cassation has changed an earlier ruling against the well-known detainee from Shkodër. Prosecutors charged him with robbing the treasury bank during the first months of last year. However, the evidence presented by the prosecutors did not convince the black-robed panel of the High Court. On page 7

DURRËS — The beach is expecting an influx of holidaymakers from Tirana and Durrës, but this time it is dirtier than ever. Dust and sand stolen by house builders. Unlike any other year, the sand has not been cleaned this year, and people have been punished with filth at every step as they move along the beach. On page 8

Draft law discussed TIRANË — Repayment of the money will not begin in June, as promised, but at the end of ’98. Yesterday, the draft law on how to sell the assets of the companies was discussed in the Economic Policy Commission. The time envisaged in the draft law for the sale of all the assets of the companies in question is estimated to be the end of ’98. The methods for selling the assets of the borrowing companies are direct sale and auction. On page 9

Mysterious incident on the outskirts of Tirana TIRANË — “The prosecution has been influenced by the executive.” That was all it took for the Socialists to say, and a debate opened in the Constitutional Commission, touching on all the positive and negative phenomena related to this issue. Imamì, declaring himself opposed, said that this would bring political accountability to this body. On page 5

Parliament teaches the little ones a lesson JUNE 1 / Yesterday, the youngest MPs in the world TIRANË — “And what do they have in common, sitting at those desks? I don’t think they’re all that capable; they don’t know how to play football, they don’t know how to jump rope, they’re more painted than they are smiling, so what do we need them for?” A truly difficult question from Albanian children, who yesterday, on June 1, their traditional holiday, took the seats of the MPs. “These ‘grown-ups’ have surprisingly laughed at the children’s salty jokes, as they make fun by imitating the quips uttered and repeated over and over in Parliament. Albanian children have plenty to say about the madness of adults. From Saranda to Vlora, Durrës, Korçë, Tiranë, Shkodër and Tropojë, many of them, if they have not played with the shells of the bullets fired, have at least wandered the streets—through the looted army barracks—amid the noise of gunshots and other equally frightening sounds still echoing in their ears. Yesterday, in the presence of the country’s leaders, the children played at being ‘MPs’. They amused themselves by ‘taking revenge’ in their own way for the madness of adults. They dressed in ties and jackets, applauded the heat in the parliamentary hall, and rejoiced as they uttered the now proverbial words: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Then the lights went out, and everyone left through the Parliament entrances, with the guards looking solemn and the children happy. Yesterday the child ‘MPs’ believed they had taught a good lesson. Let us hope the grown-ups understood it too.

Kosovar refugees arrive in Albanian territory

On page 4

LIST OF PRIZES WON IN THE NATIONAL TELEBINGO DRAW OF 31.05.1998 MINI-BINGO PRIZE Win the Mini-Bingo prize worth 4,000 lek: all tickets numbered 127 and tickets numbered 896. Each ticket wins 2,000 lek. GRAND PRIZES Win the right to compete for the grand prizes. Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 118; Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 125; Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 95; Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 121; Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 81; Tickets Nos. 127 and 896, Series 6. The 14 winners listed above will compete against one another next Sunday, on May 7, 1998, to divide the cash value of the 7 grand prizes: ONE GRAND PRIZE OF 7,000,000 LEK TWO CARS WORTH 3,000,000 LEK THREE PRIZES OF 250,000 LEK EACH ONE TOURIST TRIP WORTH 150,000 LEK SUPPLEMENTARY PRIZES: Win the fifth supplementary prize worth 60 lek: all tickets in Series 84 Win the fourth supplementary prize worth 120 lek: all tickets in Series 27 Win the third supplementary prize worth 180 lek: all tickets in Series 116 Win the second supplementary prize worth 240 lek: all tickets in Series 149 Win the first supplementary prize worth 300 lek: all tickets in Series 106 Winners of the supplementary prizes and Mini-Bingo can collect their prizes at any Tele-Bingo and Toto-Futboll sales point. Winners of the grand prizes must contact Telebingo Kombëtare immediately at telephone number 414 - 29. For the special draw of June 7, 1998, 100 series numbered from 601-600 have been put on sale.