On Monday, during a brief stay in Vlorë for a short break, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, received in a working meeting the chairman of the district, Agim Kadiu, the mayor of the city, Thanas Sharra, as well as deputies and district officials. At this meeting, the officials of the Vlorë district briefed the President on the situation in their district, the progress of the reform, and the difficulties arising during this process. They requested that Vlorë receive greater support from the Government, particularly with regard to infrastructure, supplying the population with drinking water, rehabilitating the road to Llogara, and improving the electricity supply. They also stressed that although Vlorë, as a port and an important communications hub for the whole country, has problems with crime, the Vlorë police are active and always respond to crime and criminality with courage and resolve. Thus, this year there has been a significant decrease in crime across the district. From a peak of 98 crimes in a month last year, the figure has fallen to 39 crimes this year. However, they stressed that the state of the justice bodies in the district is unsatisfactory. Their inactivity is a discouraging factor for the work of the law-enforcement bodies. The progress of privatization also took a prominent place at the meeting. The President pointed out that it was unsatisfactory and slow, and that this slowness was unjustifiable. In the privatization process and in reforms in general, we will firmly adhere to the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number. Likewise, very soon we will begin compensating owners through securities, creating a market for them and a land market. However, the delays in the privatization process, Vlorë officials stressed, are connected more with administrative factors and obstacles, and with ambiguities in implementing government decisions, than with claims by owners, who as a whole agree with the principles set out in the Meksi government’s program. At this meeting, after congratulating the officials, deputies and civil servants of the Vlorë district on their work, the President stressed that during the coming year the Government would focus its investments mainly on supplying the population with drinking water in the districts and in the first instance in the major cities, but that these projects would also extend to smaller towns, villages and everywhere else. This will be one of the priorities in the government program. The President then dwelt on the need to open a university in Vlorë. Vlorë fully deserves to have its own university, he said, and the Ministry of Education is studying and defining measures to open one. We should aim to open in Vlorë those faculties that the country lacks and that would be useful to all Albania. The commercial secondary school will become a higher-education institution and will gradually complete the framework of a university. Regarding the concern raised about renovating the building of the former Party of Labour Committee and the hotel in central Vlorë, which has remained under construction for several years, as well as the road to Llogara, the President said: it is up to you to draw up the project for renovating and using the former Party Committee building, and the Government will provide you with the relevant funds; as for the hotel, the Ministry of Tourism will resolve the matter during the coming year. Making use of the privatization process in your district, the President concluded, must be one of the main priorities, and in this regard the Privatization Agency in Tirana must help and support you more. The President requested that the Municipality and the Vlorë district have a complete poverty map of the district, which should identify not only the regions, villages or communes but also individual families, and that a program be drawn up on its basis to help them. (ATSH)

In a separate letter sent to Fatos Nano, Mr. Gavrosh Pogaçi also presents some of the problems that have arisen so far as a result of the humanitarian aid given to our country by Italy. The letter ends with the words: “We request your opinion on how to proceed.” In this letter, Fatos Nano writes: “Comrade Gavrosh. Agreed. A copy also for Comrade Shkëlqim to follow up and ensure implementation.” We have previously published a document on the pages of «RD», but since «ZP» took responsibility, the invoices submitted later show that the goods were valued at retail prices, with other expenses added to them... In general, the goods supplied did not meet our most urgent needs; given the urgency with which this aid was delivered, goods were also brought that did not even meet second-priority needs, such as peas in liquid, tuna fish and perhaps fruit juice.” Further below, Mr. Pogaçi stresses: “To Fatos Nano, that ‘no documentation has been drawn up that ...’ dictatorship. But the leadership of the PS and «ZP» are not interested in the administration of justice. This is because Fatos Nano is not alone in the PS leadership: in his criminal and corrupt deeds, he is inseparable from others. With ... this leadership and its spokeswoman, «ZP», may conceal this truth by speculating with phrases about understanding, etc. Their purpose is extremely devilish. They seek to bring justice to its knees, justice that has been misused by those who ended history in disgrace, with concentration camps and dictatorship. We request your opinion on how to proceed. Respectfully, Gavrosh Pogaçi By Gavrosh Pogaçi Gradually, and in this way too, to act... [partly illegible handwriting] [The upper part of the article is outside the frame.] ... to deceive and ... to establish technical and commercial terms that would enable us to seek adjustments to mutual relations and obligations during execution. We did not designate any specialized treaty body to enter into relations with “Levante Co” (the company appointed to deliver the goods), either to specify the goods needed or to set other requirements such as prices, delivery terms, and so on; in this respect, this company may also have acted in its own interests. These further observations and suggestions by Gavrosh Pogaçe fall on Fatos Nano’s deaf ears. For several days, “ZP” has been demanding, in an imperious manner, that Nano be released. But to defend him even after the facts have been clearly presented, and to demand his release, means serving the defense of corruption and crime. The people demand justice, not ultimatums—justice as in the case of the hundreds of millions of dollars that were “disappeared,” or, more accurately, stolen. It is enough to read “ZP” to reach this conclusion. Fatos Nano will be tried on the basis of documented facts, some of which have been made public and others of which will emerge at trial. What falsification could you bring to bear against Pogaçe’s statements and his documents, you masters of forgery, in order to defend the crime to the very end? Fanaticism carried to the point of absurdity is blindness, and blindness leads nowhere except to lies. As the saying goes, everyone has the right to choose their own fate. Perhaps you have chosen yours because you have chosen nothing else. That is your affair. Justice has its own job to do. You will neither be able to bring it to its knees nor dictate versions of events to it according to your own preferences. In a state governed by the rule of law, such phenomena are dead, even if you are nostalgic for things that can no longer return to Albania.

— FROM PRESIDENT BERISHA’S MEETING WITH MR. MAKS VANDER SHTOEL — The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, received on Monday the CSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Marks van Shtoel. [The first part of the article is outside the frame.] ... Minorities, Marks van Shto-el. The President congratulated the High Commissioner on his serious commitment and his objective reports on the situation of the Greek minority in Albania and Albanians in Macedonia, which contribute to building good interethnic relations in our region. The meeting discussed various aspects of the rights enjoyed by ethnic minorities in our country following the establishment of democracy. President Berisha pointed out that Albania has opened an office for minority issues, that a commission has been established to examine issues concerning the education of the Greek minority in accordance with the Copenhagen Charter, and that a new Greek-language department has opened at the University of Gjirokastër. We will fully respect the Copenhagen Charter— [Text fragment: “...a better climate has been established in relations between the two countries.”] The President told the CSCE High Commissioner that an office for minority issues had been opened within the Government, that a commission had a new Greek-language department had the Copenhagen Charter— [Text fragment: “Parliament.”] The CSCE Commissioner, Vander Shtoel, expressed his satisfaction at observing a better climate in relations between Albania and Greece, which is also reflected in interethnic relations. The meeting also discussed the rights of Albanians in Macedonia and the rights of the Albanian minority in Greece. (ATSH)

Nano on trial at the beginning of ’94 “THERE IS SOME NEW EVIDENCE THAT CONFIRMS ONE OF THE CHARGES” “TODAY, FOR REASONS RELATED TO THE INVESTIGATION, I CANNOT STATE WHETHER WE ARE ALSO DEALING WITH EMBEZZLEMENT.” To bring readers up to date on the latest developments in the investigation into the Nano case, following the decision by the Tirana District Court to continue further investigations into the case concerning Fatos Nano, the newspaper «…» interviewed the head of the investigative group, Fatos Dervishi. Here is what the investigating prosecutor, Mr. ..., had to say: «In this difficult year, the year that ... in uninterrupted practice for Nano, ...» … to proceed with the charges of abuse of office and forgery in collaboration with the defendant Sokrat Plaka and two other defendants, since part of the material has been separated. The district court decided that the case should be returned for further investigation. Specifically, we must question several other people and carry out additional investigations, which has not been possible because of technical problems. The investigative group went to Italy and questioned five people, including, in addition to former minister De Mikeli, the former Italian ambassador in Tirana, Kandin, the administrator of Levante Co, Ponslios, the technical director for aid, Altamura, and the minister responsible for development and cooperation with Eastern countries. (Continued on page 4)

Despite the decision by the Government and Parliament on the demands of the Student Union and the Democratic Youth Forum, the strike continued on Tuesday, 14 December, in various places and at these faculties. When asked, “Why are you on strike?”, the overwhelming majority of students answered: “We don’t know why!” This absurdity is compounded by another: none of the deans, vice-deans, rectors or department heads in economics, philology or foreign languages was at the faculty, although it was past 09:30—two hours after classes began. The third absurdity comes from the rectorate. No representative of the rectorates was with the students standing in front of the faculty entrance. Meanwhile, clandestine groups of anonymous students—their illegal strike notices were typed on the rectors’ computers and photocopied and reproduced by the rectors themselves. Despite protests by the majority of students, no police representative appeared to bring the student organizers of the illegal strike before the law. No representative of the Ministry of Education was present either at the faculties or at the rectorates. So, are the student strikes being organized by the state’s own leaders, against the state? THE ELECTED EXECUTIVE OF THE STUDENTS’ BRANCH Note: This conclusion was drawn from an assessment of the situation at the meeting held on 13 December 99, between the Youth Forum, the Democratic Student Forum, the Independent Student Union, the Persecuted Youth and other pro-democratic student associations.

At the invitation of the chairman of the PDSH, Mr. Eduard Selami, a delegation of the European Christian Democrats led by its President, Mr. Wilfrid Martens, arrives in Tirana today for a two-day visit. In addition to meetings with leaders of the Albanian Democratic Party, the planned meetings include those with the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, the Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Arbnori, Prime Minister Meksi, and the chairmen of the parliamentary groups of the political parties represented in Parliament. PDSH Press and Information Department

Addressed to: Hungarian Democratic Forum Hungarian Democratic Government European Democratic Union It was with deep sorrow that we learned of the death of the chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Forum, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and vice-chairman of the European Democratic Union, Mr. Jozef Antall. The Albanian Democratic Party and I share your grief over the untimely loss of Mr. Antall, who, through his personality, was one of the central figures not only of Hungary’s post-communist period, but also of the democratic developments in Eastern Europe. Please accept our sincere condolences. EDUARD SELAMI Chairman of the ADP Tirana, 13.12.1993

TOMORROW AND THE DAY AFTER, ON PAGE 3: “COMMUNIST TERROR” CONTINUES. THROUGH FACTS AND DOCUMENTS FROM THE 11TH PLENUM OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PRSH. IN BRENAT, ON 23–27 NOVEMBER 1944, URAN BUTKA ARGUES THAT [HE] CONCEALED THE CRIMES AND WAS A DOCILE TOOL OF THE YUGOSLAV CP, WHILE ENVER HOXHA WAS A MANNEQUIN IN THE HANDS OF MILADIN POPOVIÇ AND DUSHAN MUGOSHA.