Agolli: The parties want to hide the truth about the crimes of the three Marches “First in ’91, again in ’92, and finally in ’97” DRITËRO AGOLLI The March conflict must be resolved by history: whoever is guilty should be punished according to the law, if we claim to have built a real democracy, through which we hope to enter Europe, as has become customary to say. March is not the first, nor is it an isolated March, like a flood or an earthquake. During these stages of the democratic process, Albania has been burned and looted three times, as in the era of the invasions by nomadic hordes after the fall of slavery. Albania was burned and looted once in the winter and spring of 1991, again in the winter and spring of 1992, and a third time in the winter and spring of 1997. Three great vandal invasions, amid smoke, flames, looting and blood, in three winters and three springs, have brought troubled and exhausted Albania to the edge of the precipice. Every time the country has prepared for elections to the People’s Assembly, it has been burned; and when deputies opened the first sessions of three legislatures, they smelled of smoke and soot, their heads [with?] and shoulders blackened by the brushwood, bricks and stones. Reeking of smoke and soot, they have pointed their fingernails at one another, shouting: “You burned Sh... [?]” ... the thieves and murderers of the three winters and three springs of 1991, 1992 and 1997!... And before these invasions, amid dust, smoke and flames, the great machinery of hatred was at work, fueled by the platforms of parties and associations, the pages of newspapers and television screens. On the eve of the opening of the weapons, dynamite and TNT depots, State Television, known as TVSH, revealed all the strategic secrets on screen; it showed where the weapons tunnels were, where the shelters were, and what was hidden at Pasha Liman, Porto Palermo, Shëngjin, Dajti and Moravë. Directly and indirectly, the arsonists, thieves and bandits were officially [?] shown where to go. “Attack—here are the strategic points!” The program called “Fokus” is not forgotten; it gave a detailed account of all the tunnels and all their secrets on the eve of the struggle against communism. The host of this “Fokus,” Robert Papa, was rewarded for revealing strategic secrets with a diplomatic post in Washington from the government of the time. Looking briefly at the three burnings of Albania and the three ineffective waves of commissions tasked with discovering those responsible, I can say that these culprits should not be granted amnesty; instead, investigations should be intensified by a competent judiciary, independent of political passions and this blinding smoke, which prevents the truth from being sought and uncovered. This crime, this phantom, becomes a novel for the parties, a novel used in political-war propaganda: “You burned Albania; I didn’t.” That is why I think the parties have no interest in uncovering either the crimes of March 1997 or the crimes of the other massacres. The parties know that there will be an election campaign, rallies and newspapers... If the crime is uncovered, all the rumors and phantoms disappear. But our parties cannot live without rumors and phantoms. Secrecy—or its synonym, enigma—creates the image of the parties as unassailable in this great test of theirs, which we often call, or say in Turkish or Arabic, “vatan.” The first sessions of the legisl...atures smelled of smoke and soot, with heads wearing hoods and faces blackened by the shopkeepers, bricks and stones. Reeking of smoke and soot, they raised their fingers, fingernails pointed at one another, shouting: “You burned Albania!” “I didn’t burn it—you did!” Amid these shouts and this smell of smoke, governments were formed to govern the great country and to appeal to Europe for aid, accompanied by armed forces, with divisions named “Pelikan”, “Alba”, “Shqiponja” and so on. Parliamentary and government commissions were set up to uncover those responsible for the fires and looting. Dozens of services and dozens of parties, at home and abroad, were set in motion. But the culprits have remained ghosts, impossible to catch with the eye or the hand: ghosts slipping through mountains with felled and burned forests; ghosts appearing in the jungle of kiosks; ghosts trudging through the earthquake markets of leeks and cabbage, underwear and socks; ghosts appearing at night in the dreams of children and old people worn out by coughing, sometimes dry and sometimes with phlegm. And so, the arsonists and looters have remained ghosts,

OPINION / “The land that caused two revolutions cannot be returned” Large landowners should not be compensated Kristo Frashëri The history of private ownership of land is far too difficult to summarize in a few words. Nevertheless, so as not to leave the question unanswered, it can be said that land ownership has developed in two directions: building land, that is, land on which various structures have been built (houses, mills, shops, workshops, etc.), and agricultural land, that is, land intended for agricultural cultivation (fields, meadows, pastures, forests, etc.). Both have ancient origins, but building land as private property is older. In addition, they differ in terms of ownership. When the Turks [?] conquered the Balkans, they introduced the Islamic legislation of Sharia throughout the region, including Albania. In accordance with this legislation, they recognized as private property only building land, or what they called mylk (erz-i mylk, private land), which the owner had the right to sell, buy, inherit or otherwise dispose of. By contrast, they declared agricultural land to be state property: mirie Continued on page 10

The money belonging to VEFA and Silvë had long been hidden in several Italian banks. Cenaj’s money is in Greece, while secret accounts belonging to the pyramid schemes have also been found in Austria and Germany USURY / Arapi: Interpol has identified the banks; we will soon recover the money VEFA’s and Silvë’s money had long been hidden in several Italian banks. Cenaj’s money is in Greece, while secret accounts belonging to the pyramid schemes have also been found in Austria and Germany. TIRANA — “We have discovered tens of millions of dollars belonging to VEFA and Silva in Italy.” Farudin Arapi, Chief Supervisor of the transparency process, said yesterday at a press conference that contact had been made with Interpol and that the Italian banks holding these enormous sums belonging to the two pyramid companies had been identified. The situation regarding Cenaj’s money, which he transferred to Greece, is difficult, Arapi said. According to Arapi, Austria and Germany have also expressed their readiness to return the financial assets deposited in their banks. “Very soon that money will be returned to Albania,” he said. Meanwhile, merely through the seizure of money illegally obtained by the 68 people identified by a government decision as connected to the pyramid companies, $4.5 million has been recovered for creditors, according to Arapi. On page 11

The power struggle TIRANË - The Socialists unexpectedly propose greater powers for the prime minister, a proposal opposed by the other members of the Constitutional Commission, including its two co-chairs, Godo and Imami. At the commission meeting held in Durrës, the group of PS members on the Commission put forward the idea of strengthening the office of the Prime Minister and reducing the powers of the head of state. This met with opposition from the other members, who want a balance of power between the two heads of state: a strong prime minister, but also a President serving as a strong arbiter. Everything, at least concerning the fundamental issues of the powers of the head of state, has been postponed for discussion in the near future, because the members have not managed to agree or at least reach a decisive majority. Meidani’s legal adviser, while saying that the President is indifferent to the assignment of his powers, also stated that even under the current Constitution they do not create the image of a strong President. On page 3

Those infected with cholera at Kuçova hospital, earlier this year On page 2

“The strongmen” gobble up Velipojë beach SHKODËR — On Sunday, too, around 200 citizens of Shkodër made their first visit of the summer season to Velipojë beach. The holidaymakers spent their day amid a mixed landscape, beneath the scene of the state-owned cabins in disrepair and villas scattered through the forest—a picture of peculiar Albanian capitalism. The one million new lekë allocated by the Municipality of Shkodër for the famous beach was not the subject of discussion at the latest municipal council meeting. On page 6

Gorea: The municipal budget is not even enough for the garbage DURRËS — The 1998 municipal budget is approved, but Gorea retorts: “It is far too small.” The Municipal Council of Durrës, in an open atmosphere, approved the local budget for 1998 on Thursday evening in the municipal government hall. The Council’s requests had given advance notice of this event through local TV, so Durrës deputies and ordinary citizens also attended the meeting, curious to learn the contents of the municipal coffers for this year. On page 8

The Court sues the Treasury: “It does not enforce the rulings” VLORË - Only twenty days into her career as acting Director of the Vlora Treasury, and she risks being sentenced to two years in prison. Although she says she is dedicated to her work and says she only wants to protect state assets, a lawsuit has been filed against her. The enforcement office of the Vlora Court, citing the Director of the Treasury’s failure to enforce its court rulings, has filed charges against the director with the Prosecutor’s Office. On page 7

NATO personnel begin arriving in Albania on Monday At the time of the Washington meeting, Serbian massacres break out near the border WASHINGTON - Rugova meets Clinton. At the first meeting between the Albanian and the US delegation, they discussed the situation in Kosovo and the possibility of resolving the crisis. Clinton once again offered his support to the Albanians of Kosovo, stressing that the only way out of the situation is to continue dialogue with the Serbs. On page 13 Nana and Prodi

The arrangement of bodyguards during ceremonies After the fear of an assassination attempt On page 4 Nana and Prodi

President Meidani TIRANË - The Socialists unexpectedly propose greater powers for the prime minister, a proposal opposed by the other members of the Constitutional Commission, including its two co-chairs, Godo and Imami.