— Reports Now the students are also in Tirana. Our capital has always felt better with young people, with their presence. . Our capital has always felt better with young people, with their presence. Perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, their spirit and their magic touch our capital, which is accustomed to students, to their love, their fear and their revolution. December 1990 has become a symbol of democracy, but above all it has turned into a metaphor for freedom, for the student spirit. The protagonists of that revolution have now gone off across Albania and around the world, seeking their fortunes, seeking life. Those who were then in their first year are now in their fourth; those who then found themselves in the dungeons of the dictatorship, beneath volleys of bullets and rubber bullets, now head important sectors of the democratic state, in the economy, politics, diplomacy, etc. THE STUDENT CITY IN OCTOBER On 1 October 1993, the “Student City” was caught up in the rhythm of students’ final preparations to return to the lecture halls. That day ... lecture halls. The rooms they had prepared over the course of three months were, today, greeted by the eager eyes of the students. In the excitement, the anxious anticipation, and the surprises that will accompany this school year: this is the eternal arithmetic of the city of youth. The director of “Student City,” Mr. Gjin Progni, told us that we have made preparations to receive the students in the most normal conditions possible. All the buildings have been painted and cleaned, new showers have been installed in every student dormitory, and measures have been taken for the heating and lighting systems, much better than a year ago. This year we will accommodate 846C students, which is beyond our capacity. Mr. Gjin Progni, the “Student City” is completely stirred with emotion on 1 October. Old acquaintances, loved ones and those who have missed one another meet again. There are also those who face loneliness and sadness. At the University of Tirana, the new students begin the academic year, with 172 students continuing in the first year alone. In the lecture halls, in the courtyard and everywhere, one could find students who had spent their holidays everywhere from Greece to Germany. A particular feature of this day is that Evis Bega, a third-year geography student, spent her holidays in Athens and has just returned for the new school year. “Athens is beautiful,” she says, “but you can’t compare any other capital with Tirana. This is where our life is, our past and our present.” Missionaries of democracy and progress. The engineers, these serious students at the Polytechnic University, were the pillars of the revolution and the anniversary. Anyone who knows the student world well will have no difficulty understanding that these people (although in peacetime they may seem completely indifferent) closely follow political developments, the course of life, and changes in these fields. Ilirian Pe… …NOW THE STUDENTS ARE ALSO IN TIRANA Now the students are also in Tirana. The final figures for those continuing their studies this school year have not yet been released, but that can be left to the notices and reports. Tirana has felt their presence and their wonder. Autumn in the capital is now more complete. After the rains, the leaves and the days without storks, it will also be stirred by the tears of beautiful girls who today, 1 October 1993, sat down in the lecture halls of the newly built universities. MUJE BUÇPAPAJ Tirana, 1 October 1993 ..., a fifth-year student, is one of the most likeable figures of the December movement. A person who has worked only with courage and composure in the DP, in the Youth Forum, and in the DP branch, together with his friend Admi-rim Lakra. Today they are quiet and, as they told us, they will be mostly preoccupied with school, their degree and defending it. But we will not be inattentive to issues of democracy and its consolidation. This is not another mission of theirs that we can deny. It is connected with our lives, with our future. Arben Dushi, deputy chairman of the Pan-Albanian Student Union, tells us that regardless of the conditions at the outset, we will continue to make demands aimed at protecting students’ rights. Last year, Prof. Berisha recognized our demands and granted full scholarships to every student. This greatly improved the lives of Albanian students. This support

The Faculty of History and Philology, with its characteristic bustle, began another year of student life. Those lecture halls where just a few years ago we ourselves sat now welcome the familiar students Afrim Krasniqi, Agron Tufa Marku, Rudi Erebara, Alban Bala, etc. Mr. Krasniqi completed his degree this year and is deeply moved. “Our generation,” he says, “had to contribute a great deal to democracy, to breaking the old mould, and to establishing genuine social morality. We hope,” Afrimi concludes, “that this year will be peaceful and courageous, and that it will raise the name of the students of our universities even higher in the fields of knowledge and science.” Koçi Petriti, the Faculty’s new dean, is more preoccupied than ever. “As a dean’s office,” he stresses, “we have made every preparation. The entire faculty building has been painted, and the documentation for the new academic year has been prepared, in which 172 students will continue the courtyard and everywhere one could find ...”

The implementation of the embargo has created problems for Shkodër, problems that do not exist in the rest of the country. - The government has been asked to carry out privatization with payment in installments. - A programme to encourage private-sector activity has been drawn up and is expected to be approved by the government. Asked by the ATSH journalist how Prime Minister Meksi’s appeal at yesterday’s government meeting—to the officials and ministers to assist and support the Shkodër district—had been received, the chairman of the district council, Ali Kazazi, said: “I am sure this will create all the necessary conditions for support and for Shkodër’s economic development to advance much further than it has to date.” Assessing the district’s economic situation, Mr. Kazazi pointed out that, despite the achievements so far, Shkodër’s economic situation leaves much to be desired when compared with districts such as Tirana, Durrës, Fier, Korçë, etc. He cited two factors that have contributed to this. First, the embargo that was imposed and the closure for many years of the borders with neighbouring Montenegro, which have hindered not only the free movement of people but also road, water and rail transport. The implementation of the embargo has created problems that are currently felt neither in Central Albania nor in Southern Albania. The recent meeting between Albania’s President Berisha and Montenegro’s President Bulatoviq has therefore created the conditions for goodwill to be expressed about cooperation and the opening of routes, though this is naturally conditioned by the embargo. Second, the industry inherited by Shkodër uses extremely outdated technology and produces low-quality, high-cost goods for which it cannot find a market. According to the chairman of this district council, changing this industry and making it efficient and productive will require, alongside considerable work and continuous effort, substantial financial resources. Asked by ATSH about the specific areas in which the government could support Shkodër’s economy, Mr. Kazazi said that, considering the economic situation of the city’s residents, workers and specialists, Shkodër faces country. - payment in installments. - and is expected to be approved by the government. The district council, its administration, and the group of specialists and economists considered it necessary to present two development programmes to the government. The first programme concerns accelerating the privatization process in order to prevent further deterioration of existing enterprises. It was considered essential that small and medium-sized enterprises be privatized with payment in installments, that is, with repayment spread over a period of 5, 7 or 10 years, depending on the value of the enterprises and the group of people buying them. The second programme concerns encouraging private-sector production. Plans have been made to establish around 36 production units in the food industry, as well as other units in handicrafts and construction, sectors in which Shkodër has inexhaustible resources, and in artistic metalwork, mechanics, woodworking, etc. Specialists worked on this programme for three months, and it has also attracted particular interest from the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, Mr. Kazazi pointed out. He also said that the programme has been presented not only to the Council of Ministers but to every ministry, according to its area of responsibility, and that in future work will be carried out with local authorities to establish realistic costs for each production line or workshop to be set up, with the aim of making it possible to finance them and bring goods produced in Shkodër to market. In conclusion, the chairman of the Shkodër district council expressed optimism about securing the funds needed to finance these programmes, which will create the right conditions for the launch of Shkodër’s economic recovery. (ATSH)

Mr. P. Korça, writing in Alternativa Sot, dated 29 September, says: “... in Kuwait, nor after returning from Kuwait. It is simply an unacceptable deception by the author of the article, who, with a complete lack of responsibility, attributes to the Head of State a statement he has never made.” Spokesperson to the President of the Republic

In recent days, two ships carrying food aid from the USA arrived at the port of Durrës. The ship «Virginia» brought 22,150 tons of rice, most of which is being transported to the state reserve warehouses, while the remainder is being distributed to commercial enterprises in the districts. The ship «Karmen Cita» brought 2,500 tons of butter, which is being stored in the country’s refrigeration facilities. (ATSH)

- The President’s decree «On Pledges and Mortgages» is approved - At the request of 6 independent deputies, an interpellation session with the head of SHIK, Mr. Bashkim Gazidede, was held. - Thursday, the last day of the parliamentary week, saw the morning plenary session take up the President’s decree «On Pledges and Mortgages». The decree in question regulates the obligations between debtor and creditor. Under it, mortgages, pledges and privileges are means of securing the fulfillment of an obligation. The decree consists of four main chapters: general provisions, compulsory enforcement, pledges and mortgages. The deputies asked various questions, to which they received the necessary clarifications from specialists. During the article-by-article discussion, only a few minor changes were made, mostly editorial in nature. In the end, the decree was approved without dissent. Thursday afternoons, according to the Rules of the Assembly, are set aside for question sessions and interpellations. This Thursday afternoon was devoted to an interpellation with the head of SHIK, Mr. Bashkim Gazidede. It had been requested by six independent deputies: Teta, Imami, Pashko, Keko, Jupi and Peshkëpia. In his response to the interpellation, Mr. Gazidede answered questions about whether SHIK had a legal right to inform the Ministry of Justice about the activities of lawyer Spartak Ngjela. In his reply, he explained that, under the Main Constitutional Provisions, the justice authorities are non-political. Therefore, no one has the right to make political statements in a courtroom, as lawyer Ngjela had in fact done at the trial concerning journalist Aleksandër Frangaj. In these circumstances, an SHIK officer who happened to be in the courtroom could not fail to report what was taking place before his eyes. Under Article 4 of the law on the organization of SHIK, SHIK has the right to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice, and SHIK had sent the Minis… - The President’s decree «On Pledges and Mortgages» is approved - - At the request of six independent deputies, an interpellation session with the head of SHIK, Mr. Bashkim Gazidede, was held. - Mr. Gazidede considered the other questions to be repetitions of the same questions he had answered at an earlier interpellation session, almost a year before. He therefore refused to answer them. At the end, taking advantage of the occasion, Mr. Gazidede responded to an insult that deputy Teodor Keko had publicly directed at him some time earlier. «If you, Mr. Keko, publicly insulted me by calling me ignorant, my upbringing does not allow me to call you a drunkard in public». — he concluded his retort. This caused a state of great tension among the independent deputies, especially deputy Teta... On behalf of the independent deputies, deputy Imami gave their assessment of the interpellation. He characterized lawyer Ngjela’s statement as an act that was not unconstitutional and, consequently, according to the law «On the Organization of SHIK», SHIK had broken the law by providing the information to the Ministry of Justice, in Mr. Imami’s view. Throughout his speech, deputy Imami used harsh language. His accusations went so far that he compared SHIK to the State Security, Mr. Gazidede to Feçor Shehu, and said «… we know the arrogance of today’s state…», along with various other «monstrosities» of SHIK and the democratic state. At the end of his assessment, deputy Imami requested an interpellation session with the Prime Minister on SHIK-related issues. He also asked the Prime Minister to «arrange for the dismissal of the head of SHIK, Mr. Gazidede, and request this dismissal from the President of the Republic». With that, this session—and, along with it, the proceedings of this week’s People’s Assembly—came to an end. Among other matters, next week the draft law «On [shpytjen]» is expected to be discussed. Demos. 1-RD-93

A decree and an interpellation over the weekend - Presidential decree “On pledge and mortgage” approved - - At the request of independent MPs, a session was held ...

We apologize to the renowned writer Ismail Kadare for the inaccuracy in the article published in yesterday’s issue of our newspaper, which stated that the writer declared: «I have come to prepare the house for the presentation of the “Nobel” Prize», a statement he did not make at all. THE EDITORIAL STAFF

P. 3 Interview with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Minister Arta Dade. P. 4 Interview with journalist Mehmet Elezi about events in the former Yugoslavia, focusing on Bosnia and Kosovo.

Thanking you sincerely for the invitation you sent to the Journalists’ Association of Albania to take part in the Founding Congress of the Balkan Confederation of Journalists, we believe that such an initiative is useful for strengthening ties among the professional journalists’ organizations of the Balkans. In principle, our Association, as the only institutionalized professional journalists’ organization in Albania, is interested in and supports every sincere initiative that serves cooperation among the journalists’ organizations of the Balkans, which would contribute to creating an atmosphere of understanding in our peninsula. In this context, we would like all the Balkan countries to be represented at the Founding Congress of the Balkan Confederation of Journalists through their officially recognized professional organizations. Ensuring such participation would serve the purpose of establishing this Confederation. Since, in addition to the above, the Journalists’ Association of Albania does not have the relevant information and documentation concerning the Congress, it reserves the right to announce its position after becoming acquainted with them. The representative of the journalists of Albania, as coordinator, must be appointed by the Journalists’ Association of Albania. Sincerely, For the Board of the Journalists’ Association of Albania Chairman ENVER BAZA