Iodine deficiency: This is how nervous disorders are caused A lack of iodine: This is how nervous disorders are caused TIRANA—Thyroid disease threatens 40 percent of newborn babies. A lack of thyroid hormone causes damage that cannot be healed for a person’s entire life. If these conditions are not treated within the first four weeks after birth, the disease can no longer be eradicated, while treatment costs reach extremely high figures. The low iodine content in salt and the mountainous character of the country place Albanians at the top of the list of those suffering from this disease. “In newborn children, it prevents the many disorders it causes in the body; it also prevents growth and development, and is accompanied by all the other psychological complications,” say officials of Minister Solis’s Cabinet. On page 5

The names of the people who have their Italian visas ready On page 12

The people of Vlorë await Nano: “Long live Commander Hoxha” But the SP leader is preparing a democratic party like Clinton’s Overnight operation. The dictator’s name is written in large letters Enver Hoxha takes over the walls along the streets and the slopes of the hills overlooking the southern cities, as hundreds of old Communists have toiled all night to put up the name of their idol. The first rays of today’s sun may have found the whitewash still fresh on the stone slogans bearing the name of the former dictator, while the fanatics of Communism have gone without sleep on the night before his 90th birthday. The Communists have used all kinds of original methods to celebrate Comrade Enver’s birthday, but the most original have been a group of 50 young people, who marched for four days in a row along the route taken by the General Staff during the Winter Operation of 1943. They set out from the village of Labinot, crossed Galigat, stopping at the place where the famous hut had stood, and then made their way to the villages of Korçë. Yesterday afternoon, the PKJ’s [sic] have set off from the south in the direction of Tirana. The Enverists will begin today with visits to the home of their leader’s widow in the early hours. After that, they will head to the Shara cemetery to pay their respects and lay bouquets of flowers on Enver’s grave, where commemorative speeches by Albanian Communist leaders are expected. On pages 2–3

FATOS BAXHAKU Old and new politicians: this is how the class of people who have governed Albania in recent years has begun to grow. In fact, many have puzzled over the gray hair on the head of the “young” Majko and the black hair of many of his colleagues, all of whom are over 40, and everyone must answer for it. Unlike their older colleagues, the class of “young” politicians has the advantage of not having been put to the test—a test that in Albania is conducted with merciless rigor. But that does not mean salvation has now arrived. In fact, if you look at the two groups that are now vying to take power, the only card they can play is their very weak connection to the past—that is, the absence of political-revenge complexes, which are as present today as the centuries-old vendettas of the Kanun of the Mountains. These are the two camps, with their strengths and weaknesses. Caught in the middle of their struggle are ordinary Albanian citizens, weighing the dilemma of whether to support one or the other, or “the old ones,” regardless of which political force they belong to: “I like this one, but he seems very young; the other speaks logically, but it seems his time has passed.” Which of those following recent political developments anxiously has not faced this dilemma? In fact, it seems the two have the same shared history, regardless of whether one was born earlier or the other later. The two groups have only one date in common: the date on which the dictatorship was overthrown. Both sides, old and young, have set out on the same parliamentary political path to power, regardless of the history and personality they represent, or that of the other side. Therefore, the differences dividing them are smaller than the things that unite them. As long as this remains the case, and as long as the difference between generations lacks a true, profound and meaningful moral foundation, political reflections will remain blurred. Old and young will continue to [unclear], while we will continue to pray for the values of experience, even when it has gone badly, and youthful energy. Parallel histories experienced by other peoples show that this situation can be overcome only by exceptional individuals who rise above the game of generations and circumstances. Let us wait and see whether representatives of both sides will act this way. ... old women and young people, that is how it happened. This is how the class of people who have led Albania in recent years will be divided. In fact, many people have wondered, seeing the wrinkles hair of many of his colleagues, who are also more than 20 years old. What does it mean to be an old or young politician, and should politicians be divided up this way? This question has begun to circulate, seemingly without anyone noticing, in Albanian political life, with only the young seen as a possible solution. All the logical arguments favor the group called “the young.” They are more zealous, have more energy, took part in the well-known movements against Enver’s dictatorship, have been known for moving forward, and speak a great many foreign languages. All this has led many people, not only in Albania but also within the international community, to see the rise and hoped-for new political governance of these entangled Albanians as the most likely solution. The others, naturally, should be wearing jeans and sneakers, T-shirts, and riding bicycles through the streets of Tirana; but because they are older, they are understood to be driven by their professions to appear in suits and ties, even when the Tirana sun begins to scorch all its inhabitants. The others, those with grey hair, say that they have a wealth of experience, an equally great wealth of sacrifice and hard work, and therefore have the right to influence and direct the affairs of this state at least as much as their colleagues who have begun climbing the rungs of a political career. In fact, a feeling has begun to crystallize ever more clearly in public opinion: “We have seen what both sides have brought this country.” The pothole-ridden roads, poverty, bread that people still have to beg for in various places, the lack of hope, and a difficult life that drives people to leave this country—this is the result of governance. The division into “old” and young has become what has been left to us, moreover ...

KOSOVO Serbs bomb peace TIRANA - Kosovo is once again shaken by bombardments. Last night too, the heavy artillery of the Yugoslav army heavily struck many regions of Kosovo, hurling them into a global super-di-plomacy. On page 8

Serreqi signed the membership application. I also have the speeches by Genc Ruli, Kopliku and Shehi. Berisha, meanwhile, has kept everything secret. On page 3

The translator Vedat Kokona passes away

DURRËS NEWSPAPER The French open a cement factory On page 7

SHKODËR NEWSPAPER This is how the Republika Cinema is dying On page 6

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