Jozefina Topalli, deputy chair of the Democrats, says she is ready to meet with the Socialist leader Namik Dokle, Secretary General of the SP: “I don’t think I’ll meet...” page 7

By FERDINAND XHAFERI In conditions where the lack of transparency is clearly evident, the public, thanks to the persistence of the media, has managed to learn that about 10 days ago, at one of the Stability Pact tables...

In conditions where the lack of transparency is clearly evident, the public, thanks to the persistence of the media, has managed to learn that about 10 days ago, at one of the Stability Pact tables, Albania received very little recognition. of the Stability Pact tables, Albania received very little recognition. I do not think the issue has to do with the fact that we received only 7 percent of the funds allocated to the Western Balkans or received 7 percent of the projects. The main concern should focus on the fact that, even after these clear warning signals, the political establishment is still not aiming to change course. In other words, the Government tries to be as non-transparent as it can, and just as evasive when it has to speak, without wanting to understand that neither of these is a solution. The opposition, for its part, speaks out without hiding its satisfaction, declaring in black and white that the Government lost the Pact. Neither side will come to its senses and consider that 7 percent is a slap in the face for all of politics, which remains absurd as the pain is unfairly charged to the citizen. While the countries of the Western Balkans, even Bosnia, have shown that they have a political class which tries to respect the rules of mutual relations, Albanian politics has remained deaf in this regard. This clearly means that while a senior official from the country most influential and well-disposed toward Albania would declare that efforts to fight corruption must be doubled, I think the Government makes a serious mistake by understanding the message as a call to redouble its efforts to justify corruption. The responsible administration’s inability, combined with delays in preparing projects, also contributed significantly to the 7 percent assessment. We were left with 7 percent even though the leader of the party heading the majority presents the vision that the Stability Pact is merely a springboard to accelerate his political recycling. For this reason, he has created political turmoil, proclaiming himself the first Albanian knight of the Pact and riding a horse that the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has described as made of cardboard. We have no reason to expect more than 7 percent if we bear in mind that opposition leaders are still shouting from Bulqiza to Përmet that they are 777 percent strong and can send the Government out to sea in an hour. Thus, all these kinds of mechanisms have produced the kind of politics that has deserved only 7 percent. It is truly regrettable, among the most devastating tragedies, that the blood, massacres and suffering of hundreds of thousands of Albanians—which served as a moral argument for the West to establish the Stability Pact project—should go shamefully to waste. The chance for the future is being squandered by the political class’s irresponsibility. It remains for us to contribute, and it is still in our hands. It remains for us to contribute, and we hope that politicians will know how to reach an agreement on the local elections, opening the green light from which we can believe that we will know how to repair and consolidate the Democratic Institutions as well. This is what puts Albania on an equal footing with the projects of the Stability Pact.

Dispute at the third hearing. The trial has been postponed again, without being able to begin the investigation VLORE - Heated controversy in the trial of Zani of Vlore. At yesterday’s hearing, which resumed with a new judge on the three-judge panel, Zani stated that the prosecutor had told him in his cell that there was an order to convict him. The lawyer also protested, warning that he would abandon his client if the court “continues to violate procedures.” The third hearing in the case against Zani Çaushi lasted only 60 minutes. The presiding judge of the Criminal Panel, Simo Kolagji, announced the replacement of Judge Mishgjoni with Fuat Muka and, after receiving approval for the composition of the court, turned to lawyer Kiço Nano for preliminary motions. “But the records concerning the preservation of the testimony of witnesses A.SH. and R.L. are still outstanding. I cannot conduct the defense; I cannot make a substantive motion if there has been a violation of the law,” he said. page 15

FSFH President Papadhopulli and Secretary General Starova at yesterday’s press conference photo: P. ILO

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