The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, received Ambassador Gert Ahrens of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, with whom he discussed the national and human rights of Albanians in Macedonia and Kosovo. THE AMBASSADOR OF MALAYSIA The President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia, Dato Tan Kun San, who presented his Letters of Credence. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Serreqi, attended the ceremony for the presentation of the letters. The ambassador was accompanied by diplomats from the Malaysian embassy. PROF. NIKOLLA PANO “I am pleased to meet you, and I want to thank you for all your contributions, from the very beginning, to the democratic processes in Albania,” President Berisha told the distinguished intellectual from the Albanian Diaspora in the USA, Prof. Nikolla Pano. The President spoke with him about the indisputable role of our nation’s intellectual potential in ensuring the steady progress of a free and democratic Albania. (ATSH)

In the ministries THE FRUITS OF AGRICULTURAL REFORM The food situation of the peasantry— 502.6 thousand hectares of land distributed— 430 thousand tons of wheat in 1993— 180 thousand more head of small livestock than in 1992— Economic reform in agriculture is being successfully implemented and has entered an important phase characterized by economic developments, improving macroeconomic indicators and positive trends in the overall transformation of agriculture and rural areas. After total agricultural production grew by 12% in 1992 compared with 1991, in the year just ended this indicator increased by a further 14% compared with the previous year. Before even two years of the Democratic Government had passed, the FOOD SITUATION OF THE PEASANTRY had improved markedly; it can be said that, for most food products, they are self-sufficient. The Albanian countryside is no longer in the tragic, dire state created in the 1980s by the communist regime, when basic agricultural products such as milk, meat and other food products were entirely absent from every Albanian peasant family. Following the privatization of Agricultural Mechanization Enterprises, procedures have also been accelerated for privatizing agrotechnical and land-reclamation enterprises. Specifically, 268 state enterprises have been privatized, and another 320 in the agriculture and food system are in the process of privatization. ALL INDICATORS BETTER THAN IN 1992 The collected data show that in 1993, 155 thousand hectares sown with wheat were harvested. Production reached 430 thousand tons, compared with 261 thousand tons in 1992, or 65% more. 1993 brought very positive results in the rapid growth of livestock numbers, particularly cows. At the end of 1993, the number of cows reached around 370 thousand head, or 46 thousand more than a year earlier, an increase of 14%. The number of small livestock also increased by around 180 thousand head, namely 100 thousand sheep and 80 thousand goats. PRODUCTION DECLINE IN STATE ENTERPRISES What can be observed in the production activity of state enterprises in the agri-food industry during the first nine months of 1993? A gradual decline from one quarter to the next, due to the privatization of some of them, which have not yet become fully operational, and consequently to a shortage of raw materials for processing. An average of 21,083 people worked in enterprises in this system, compared with 31,828 in 1992, or 10,745 fewer. This decrease in employment was caused by privatization in this sector. In 1993, the average monthly wage for one employee in the agri-food industry sector was 2,535 lekë, compared with 1,513 lekë in 1992 and 504 lekë in 1990. THE REMEDY FOR GROWTH: PRIVATIZATION Compared with 1992, state enterprises also produced less flour for bread. There was also a decline in the beverage, canning and dairy industries, etc. This refers to domestic production. Fishing activity also declined. During 9–10 months of 1993, only 334 tons of fish and 35 tons of mussels were caught, compared with 2,637 tons of fish and 357 tons of mussels in 1992; nevertheless, there was fish in the market every day... The remedy for growth in this enterprise, too, is PRIVATIZATION. Prepared by: DYLEJMAN KARAJ ...so that, as regards most food products, it is self-sufficient. The Albanian countryside is no longer in the dire, tragic every Albanian peasant family lacked basic agricultural products such as milk, meat, eggs, etc. THE BASIS OF THE CHANGES: PRIVATIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION These qualitative changes in the countryside are undoubtedly based on the decentralization of agriculture and the privatization of land, a process that is nearing completion. At the relevant ministry, we learn that the situation up to the last months of 1993 is as follows: The area of land allocated to the peasantry is 502.6 thousand ha. In addition, 3.7 thousand ha have been allocated to agricultural specialists. A further 61.2 thousand ha of land remain to be distributed, mainly in the remote areas of the districts of Dibër, Has, Malësi e Madhe, Mat, Përmet and Sarande. Four districts—Devolli, Gramshi, Kuçova and Puka—have completed the land distribution, while Pogradeci, Tepelena, Librazhdi, Korçë, Kavaje, Gjirokaster and Durres are in the final stages (over 98%). Furthermore, the privatization of small and medium-sized enterprises has been a primary task in industry

Yesterday morning, at the PDSH headquarters, PDSH chairman Mr. Eduart Selami received and held talks with European parliamentarians from the Liberal Democratic Group, Ms. Meshtild Fon Aleman and Mr. Jash Gavorfski. Among other things, Mr. Selami thanked them for the support that the Liberal Democratic Group in the European Parliament has given to the democratic processes in Albania. “This is support that we value and want to see continue,” Mr. Selami stressed. Mr. Selami briefed the guests on the structures and functioning of the Democratic Party, its composition and the proportions of different social groups within it, and the attention being paid to attracting intellectuals and organizing Democratic women and youth, etc. “The PD,” Selami stressed, “is a popular party, with a program consistent with its values, and with a statute and organizational rules that enable and promote tolerance and constructive debate.” The PD is a centre-right party on the Albanian political spectrum and has close ties not only with EDU but also with other European and world political forces. The discussion then focused on developments in economic reform. The guests praised the reduction in inflation and unemployment, the privatization process, and the beginnings of foreign investment. “Albania,” Selami stressed, “having emerged from yesterday’s state of anarchy and collapse, is today recognized even by international institutions as the country with the highest rates of production growth.” The guests expressed interest in issues of public peace and order, whether or not capital punishment would be abolished, the education system, etc. They praised the achievements to date and pledged the continued support of European Liberal Democrats for democratic processes in Albania. Also present at the meeting was PDSH board member and chairwoman of LDGSH, Ms. Flutura Hasko.

Among the many meetings held during his visit to the USA, the chairman of the PDSH and chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Eduart Selami, also met with President Clinton’s adviser, Mr. Richard Shifter. The meeting discussed the US government’s latest initiative to include the countries of Eastern and Central Europe in the “Partnership for Peace” within the framework of NATO, the progress of political and economic reform in Albania, and relations between the two countries. Mr. Shifter praised the achievements of reform in Albania and expressed President Clinton’s support for the democratic government and President Berisha. Mr. Selami also met and spoke with Ms. Jane Hall, director for European security affairs at the White House. They discussed the situation in the region, Albania’s relations with its neighbors, and efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading to the south of the former Yugoslavia. PDSH Press and Information Department.

“Women’s political beliefs depend on their sex”—“ZP” divides political convictions according to sex— “Women are generally left-wing,” writes the shameless “ZP,” and yet, judging by this headline, no “Humor” label has been added. Some time ago, “ZP” had another headline, an even more blatant copy: “Artists are left-wing.” For a particular profession, it may be acceptable to say that it tends toward a certain political belief—for example, coachmen are left-wing (PP once even had them in the Politburo), or industrialists are right-wing—but to define convictions by sex as well is something only “ZP” could do. According to “ZP,” the left would be in power all over the world (including Albania), since, as is well known, women outnumber men. In reality, around the world, apart from Lenka Çuko, the other women who have distinguished themselves in politics have not been left-wing. In any case, this need not dampen the enthusiasm of socialist women. I don’t know whether all women (or women in general) are left-wing, but I do know that those who are left-wing have fiery... enthusiasm. For about two weeks now, one of the women of the PS has been proving this to me over the phone. “Inspired” by my articles against the far left in the PS, she calls my family from time to time (not me), and after making the usual threats about throwing dynamite, smashing windowpanes, etc., she brings out the vocabulary that, until now, I thought was street language; but apparently they teach it to professors too, including the firebrands of the PS. As for “ZP,” I would advise all its journalists to register with BGSH(+S), because then no one will doubt their left-wing convictions. E.PALOKA

SOUVENIR D’OSLO

On 4 January 1994 at 8:00, the Naval Forces’ surveillance service spotted a group of unidentified vessels west of the Bay of Durres, 3–4 miles inside our territorial waters. After verification by the Naval Forces’ border service, it emerged that they were the Italian fishing vessels “Polaris-7798”, “Korsario Rosso” and “Riviera”. They had illegally entered our territorial waters and were fishing illegally in Albanian waters, in violation of laws and international regulations. For this reason, the maritime border service acted immediately to stop and seize this group of vessels. The vessel “Polaris-7798” refused to stop, even though our patrol vessel fired a burst of automatic gunfire into the air as a warning. The other two vessels, “Korsario Rosso” and “Riviera”, did not comply with the request made by the border service, seriously violating the authority of that service. After the Italian authorities were informed through diplomatic channels, our border-service vessel continued the pursuit and succeeded in handing over the fishing vessel “Polaris-7798” to one of the Italian warships engaged in the Embargo operations. The Ministry of Defense states that such illegal violations have also been committed on other occasions by Italian fishing vessels. It is enough to mention that only recently there have been more than 4 cases of violations of our territorial waters and illegal fishing by certain Italian fishing vessels. As can be seen, there is a continuing trend of breaches of Albanian rules and laws concerning passage and fishing in Albanian territorial waters. Under these circumstances, our Naval Forces will strengthen the border protection regime, taking measures to prevent violations of our waters as well as any other illegal activity. The relevant Italian authorities, for their part, must ensure that such cases do not recur by preventing repeated violations of Albanian territorial waters. SPOKESPERSON FOR THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE

Ever-increasing production is still not being matched by efficient collection activity. The collection of agricultural and livestock products has fallen noticeably in almost every category, and is even much lower than in 1992. Specifically, in 1992, 2,115 tons of live-weight meat were collected, whereas in 1993 only 338 tons were collected; milk: 11,705 tons in 1992 and 4,229 tons in 1993; beans: 2,089 tons compared with 22 tons, etc. In a free-market environment, this decline in collection figures has its own causes. First and foremost, it is caused by farmers’ loss of interest, owing to low prices compared with the free market, where they have also sold their surpluses. Furthermore, the role of collection enterprises is not adapted to the new conditions created after privatization. Thus, although wheat production this year was 65% higher than last year—that is, in 1992—only 45.6 thousand tons were collected, half as much as a year earlier. Because of the price, the farmer hesitates; the activity of collection enterprises has declined.

FOR HEATING THE POPULATION To help the residents of the capital, a consignment of 600 kerosene stoves has been brought from Italy; part of their cost is subsidized by the state. In addition to these, gas heating is also being introduced in citizens’ homes. Of the 22,000 reflectors available, around 600 have been put up for sale this year.

Asim Vokshi Street No. 49, Tirane, Tel. No. 29609 Account No. 721/110 Editor-in-Chief BASHKIM TRENOVA, Collegium Secretary Xhevat Mustafa