Continuing their meetings, the Parliamentary Members of the Council of Europe met today at 18:00 with the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha. At the outset, the President thanked them for their visit and for the assistance the Council of Europe has given Albania. In his overview of developments in Albania, he stressed: As you know, the Democratic Government took responsibility for a totally devastated country: destroyed schools and severed telephone lines, fallow land, a debt of around 500 million dollars, a completely paralyzed economy, a galloping rate of inflation, and a total halt in production. Add to this the lack of experience, and our road became very difficult. Nevertheless, after 18 months I can say that political, legislative, institutional and economic reform has been an undeniable and genuine success. In political reform, political pluralism and freedom of thought in Albania have gained new horizons and become more firmly established. The number of political parties, organizations, associations and NGOs has grown. Today Albania has the highest number of newspapers per capita; more than 80% of them are privately owned. Freedom of religion is fully guaranteed. On the legislative front, through persistent work, the Albanian Parliament managed to fill the great void we inherited. Hundreds of old laws were replaced with new laws; among them, I would say that the Charter of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is one of the most advanced in Europe. Profound changes have also taken place institutionally: the institutions of the rule of law are being created and consolidated every day, including the courts. Important achievements have also been made in the economic sphere. Thus, in financial terms, we managed to bring inflation under control, and the price index this month, even after the price of bread doubled, was 1.6%. Our currency is stable. Our economic reform consists of carrying out privatization as quickly as possible, with the fundamental principle being: the greatest good for the greatest number. The distribution of land is now almost complete. Six hundred small and medium-sized enterprises are in the process of being privatized, and next year privatization will extend fully to large and medium-sized enterprises, such as ports, roads, hydroelectric plants, PT, etc. All these measures have yielded positive results and led to increased production. In 16 months we signed three agreements with the IMF, and a medium-term cooperation agreement is being prepared. Production growth had been expected to begin at the end of ’93, but 1992 closed with a 20% increase in agricultural production, while 1993 has seen a significant increase in overall production. In this regard, what is especially encouraging is private initiative. In the private sector, around 110,000 people have found employment to date. Thus, I can say that Albania is moving away from emergency aid programs and transitioning to medium-term cooperation programs. The President went on to say: The Council of Europe can help us, first, on the issue of the embargo. We would appreciate your insistence that the damage caused by the embargo against Serbia be compensated, since we are the only state that respects it. And second, we nee- …comes into motion … of the … we in the Parliament of Albania managed to fill the major gap we had inherited. Hundreds of old laws were replaced with new ones; among them, I would say that the DNLJ Charter is one of the most advanced in Europe. Deep changes were made at the institutional level: consolidated every day, including the constitutional court, independent justice bodies, etc. The army and all armed services underwent a process of profound reform in cooperation with NATO and other equivalent institutions in democratic countries. Local government elections were held under extremely difficult conditions. Today, throughout Albania, in central and local government alike, people elected by free vote have been installed everywhere. We have now prepared the laws governing the functioning of local government, which are fully in keeping with the European Charter of Local Self-Government and were drafted in cooperation with specialists from the Council of Europe. Once again, the issue of minorities is relevant: Albania wishes to be a model in their treatment. In Albania, they live in harmony and fundamental tolerance, and certain conditions are vital to the development and existence of the minority; first and foremost, the development of their identity. In this regard, they are guaranteed all the freedoms and rights recognized by the Helsinki Charter; they have their parties, associations, councillors, mayors, and members of parliament. They have schools and religious institutions, and are free to go anywhere. But in Albania, the tendency for their integration into Albanian life is equally well developed. Thus, they have ministers, ambassadors, members of parliament, and judges nominated by other parties, because in Albania no one asks about a person’s nationality when hiring them. This second tendency risks being undermined by the new chauvinist course of today’s Greek government. I would therefore like you to convey this concern to the authorities of the Council of Europe.

A continuation of the deepening of the SP’s destructive and anti-national political line Namik Dokle, speaking on behalf of the SP, says Albania should not join the Council of Europe for the time being. — Namik Dokle, speaking on behalf of the SP, says Albania should not join the Council of Europe for the time being — — The minority representative of the PBDNJ, Mr. Vasil Melo, was also very evasive on this point — The day before yesterday, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Committee also met with representatives of our parliamentary parties. The DP was represented by its chairman, Mr. Eduart Selami; the SP by Namik Dokle; the PSD by Mr. Teodor Laco; and the PBDNJ by Mr. Vasil Melo. At this meeting, the representatives of the above-mentioned parties expressed their political views and specific assessments. It is worth describing part of the statement made on this occasion by the PSD representative, Mr. Laco, whose views and assessments showed political culture, realism, tolerance, and a national and constructive spirit. But what made the greatest impression, and was most regrettable, was the moment when the chairman of this Committee, Mr. Atkinson, with a short and direct question, asked the party representatives whether Albania should join the Council of Europe or not. Namik Dokle replied that the conditions in Albania were not yet ripe and that, for now, it would not be good for Albania to join the Council of Europe. likewise very evasive on this point. At that moment, the DP chairman, Mr. Selami, expressed regret that two representatives of Albanian political parties had voiced their wish for Albania not to join such an important European organization. This act, he stressed, has nothing to do with the DP’s membership, as someone might blindly and out of party jealousy imagine. It is an act concerning the interests of all Albanians. Even if there are many things that need fixing, as there are in every country, not only Albania, it is better to fix them as a member of the Council of Europe than from outside it... From my experience as a delegate to various European organizations, I repeat the same words: the opposition in non-member countries

— ANOTHER “SMALL” MISTAKE BY “ZP”: Published side by side are the letter from the respected figure and friend of Albania, Katerinë Lalumier, and the letter from the President of the Greek left. In this way, “ZP” gives everyone an opportunity to tell the difference. As we have written before, the PS leadership has, in one way or another, sent its “messages” all over the world, describing what they claim is the present-day Albanian “reality”—a country where dictatorship has been established. Meanwhile, “ZP” occasionally publishes replies sent to the writers of these letters. Perhaps this serves them to show that the world “cares” about Nano, but they make a small mistake: alongside letters from PASOK or the Bulgarian Communist Party, they publish polite replies from distinguished European figures. Such was the case with Mr. Martinez. The mistake lies in giving readers the opportunity to distinguish between these two kinds of replies. Continuing this “mistake,” on Tuesday “ZP” published the reply that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mrs. Katerinë Lalumier, sent to Mrs. Nano, and immediately below it published the reply from the head of the Greek left, Damanakis. As is well known, the Greek left sends letters every other day, sometimes as PASOK, sometimes as an individual MP, and so on. The content of these letters is always the same; they seem to have been written in E. Hoxha’s (or Nano’s) office, and they all demand Nano’s “immediate release.” Damanakis’s letter is of the same kind: it “orders” Albanian justice to “release Nano immediately.” This is the latest proof that many Greek politicians need to become better acquainted with international conventions on human rights. “ZP” itself offers a better lesson on the matter through the letter of a genuine public figure, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mrs. Lalumier. “You will understand that I cannot intervene in a legal procedure which is currently at the investigative stage,” Lalumier writes. Such a sentence should have made the “ZP” comrades think carefully before publishing it. This means that Mrs. Lalumier does not consider Nano a political prisoner at all. Like many other public figures, she has confidence in the justice system and expects—without issuing ultimatums—that justice will have its say regarding the charge against Nano. Further below, Mrs. Lalumier makes this other point clear as well: “In a state governed by the rule of law, every person facing criminal proceedings must enjoy the right to a fair trial... These principles include, among other things, a procedure based on clear charges, the unrestricted right to a lawyer, and the opportunity to communicate, especially with family members.” Which of these rights has been denied to Nano? The charge against him is clear: “abuse of office,” and Nano has publicly acknowledged this charge on TV. He has a lawyer. As for contacts, he has not only had them but has used them to write the prison regulations. The latest evidence of this is the interview given to “KJ.” As is well known, by publishing replies, “ZP” is poking its own eye instead of raising its eyebrows. Or perhaps these replies are published for that section of the PS “intellectuals” who know only the words: “Sincerely yours”? Let them be sure... this phrase is by no means a request to join the PSH. EDI PALOKA

— The chairman of the commission for drafting the Draft Constitution, Prime Minister Mr. Aleksandër Meksi, answers questions from the parliamentary groups of the PSD and SP, addressed to this commission during the question session in the People’s Assembly the day before yesterday. Mr. Chairman, I will first answer the three questions from the PSD group. 1. What work did this commission carry out from March 1993 to 16 June 1993? — I would say that, although this question is evasive, from the Chairman of the Constitution Committee in Parliament in June of this year, we reaffirm that the entire commission met rarely during this period and with serious shortcomings, in order to build and operate a genuine state governed by the rule of law, on the basis of the most advanced contemporary constitutional standards and our experience over the past two years. Foreign scholarly assistance was present in the work of the Commission; in particular, the opinions of the Venice Commission for Democracy through Law were taken into account. The content of each part of this draft has been formulated with careful regard to Albania’s concrete needs and historical conditions, and above all to the necessity of consolidating modern democracy as the only humane system of governing our people. 2. What activities has the Commission carried out from 16 June until now? What problems have arisen during its work? — From 16 June until now, the enlarged Draft Constitution Commission has met several times. During this period, the examination and approval by the Commission of the two draft Constitution versions began anew, with the aim of arriving at a single version of the draft. However, the high degree of difficulty involved in some provisions has made it necessary, in certain cases, to propose constitutional legal rules in two versions. So far, the Commission has approved Part One: “Fundamental Principles.” Part Two, “Rights (Continued on page 4)

In recent days, the DP leadership in Elbasan organized an expanded meeting attended by the chairpersons of the neighborhood sections and the city’s subgroup sections. The working meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views freely on issues of concern to the DP, particularly its organizational matters. The DP leadership was informed about numerous problems troubling DP members and supporters. In general, these concerns relate to continuing and deepening administrative and economic reform and strengthening democratic governance through the implementation of and respect for the law. It was also stressed that it is extremely important to make clear to DP members and the people at large that the DP will consistently adhere to its original center-right program and does not aspire to power at the extremes, whether right-wing or left-wing. The DP and its government will persistently fight for [unclear] right or left, for economic development, strengthening public order, privatization and implementation of reform, and the elimination of corruption; corruption of every kind will be fought without mercy. Unprincipled opposition attacks will be disregarded. Unprincipled and destructive opposition attacks will be disregarded; the DP and its government are determined to fight for an Albania that belongs to its people, and for all political parties to develop all discussions.

Soon, a laboratory, a veterinary clinic and a pilot farm will begin operating in Elbasan as part of cooperation between Norway and the Elbasan district. Work to establish these modern veterinary science institutions has been under way for some time and has reached its final stage. The Norwegian state, through its representative, Mr. Sigvard Byberg, has so far allocated more than 1 million US dollars to this initiative, while these institutions in the districts of Elbasan, Peqin, Gramsh and Librazhd will receive highly qualified veterinary assistance, which will contribute to increasing livestock numbers and their productivity.

The Department of Education is completing the organizational measures for a good start to the new school year. As part of this effort, the «Luigj Gurakuqi» pedagogical school will convene; this year, classes will begin better than ever before. The tru… has been completed (Continued on page 3)

Despite the good work done by most districts to secure firewood supplies, some districts, such as Fier, Saranda, Skrapar, Tepelena, etc., have not taken the necessary measures to ensure faster supplies, as the winter season is knocking at the door. We draw the districts’ attention to the lack of monthly information concerning the supply of fuel for the population.