Statutory amendments in the Socialist Party, a reflection of Nano’s motion Out of the party all those who “are implicated in crimes or have taken part in politically motivated judicial proceedings” United Renaissance First issue: 11 May 1991 License No. 036967, TTI Branch. Sixth year of publication 172(981) Price 30 Lekë, 300 Dr. Tuesday, 23 July 1996 The Socialist Party will refer to the law “On genocide...” immediately after the Congress. An added point in the conditions for joining and being elected to the country’s largest opposition party identifies all those who “are implicated in crimes or have taken part in politically motivated judicial proceedings”. This point, very similar to and perhaps borrowed from the “genocide” law, will undoubtedly provoke considerable reactions within this party, which has inherited leaders and a sensitive electorate from the former PPSH. The addition is confirmed by Et’hem Ruka, a member of the Presidium and of the working group on amendments to the statute. He rejects the claim that this addition is an application of the famous law criticized by the SP: “There is no question of introducing the genocide law into the Socialist Party’s statute; no such proposal has been made, nor could it be made, given that the SP’s position in parliament was firmly against this law, which condemns people en masse without establishing their guilt in court.” But this addition does exist, although not within the Socialist Party’s statute. “Nevertheless,” Ruka backtracks, confirming the news that had come from party sources, “in the criteria, or in the spirit in which we work, it is essential that credible people be elected to SP forums, from the lowest to the highest levels—people who are not implicated in crimes, or who have been involved in judicial proceedings proven to have ruined people’s lives.” But this is also one of the provisions of the law against genocide and the law “On the verification of credentials...”—laws that disqualified many socialist politicians before the 26 May elections. A seven-member commission was also set up for this purpose, and it may perhaps be applied within the SP as well. Those interested in joining this party or being elected to its forums will, immediately after the Congress, be subject to a thorough vetting by the relevant leaders. The method of selection will not be the same as under the genocide law. “The main method of verification is the applicant’s curriculum vitae,” Ruka explains. He describes this as a way of ensuring that people with “such baggage” do not join the SP. As presented, this directive is a moderate form of the law that eliminated many SP politicians. But the working group on amendments to the SP Statute has also proposed other changes that have been closely watched. The proposal concerning the body that will elect the chairman remained provisionally accepted. Ruka confirmed this proposal yesterday, but declined to reveal its author. According to internal sources, the author was the socialist deputy chairman who heads the group on statutory amendments, Luan Hajdaraga. His proposal was that the chairman be elected by the General Governing Committee, rather than by the Congress. (Continued on page 3) Yesterday in Varna, Bulgaria: One of the 100 Russian tanks Moscow allocated to the Bulgarian Army REUTERS

“I’m also issuing authorizations for law studies” Arbnori invites the MPs The Speaker of the Albanian parliament, Arbnori, informed the new MPs yesterday that the parliamentary Presidium would issue authorizations in the coming days to study law by correspondence, for all MPs who have not yet completed this faculty. At the same time, Arbnori informed all the MPs that, in response to the Presidium’s needs, foreign-language training courses would be opened. “We lack interpreters and the parliament needs them greatly. Therefore, all new MPs from every party, without exception, should come to me to receive authorization to study law by correspondence,” Arbnori said yesterday, and “invited the MPs to take his advice seriously. ‘This is a worthwhile sacrifice for you and for parliament, so take these studies seriously,’ Arbnori went on to say. ‘It will also help you with foreign-language courses. You know languages, but you will practise them as well, and you will need them in your relations with foreign parliaments,’ Arbnori told around 127 MPs yesterday, 90% of whom had stated in their personal profiles that they knew more than one foreign language. But Arbnori, who seems also to have been influenced by experience communicating abroad on behalf of previous parliamentarians, aims with the launch of these training courses to teach foreign languages to around 11 current MPs who appear to be “poor” at communicating with their foreign colleagues. B.V

The new government: here is what we will do page 6 Today: meeting of the SP’s KPD Presidium: No report from Bënça page 9 Embassy: “Here is where the murdered Germans are buried” page 5 Tirana and Athens linked by a Treaty Ratified the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, Good-Neighbourliness and Security between Albania and Greece page 3