Yesterday in the People’s Assembly —Presidential decrees will be considered when Prime Minister Meksi arrives in Parliament NDREKE GJINI The People’s Assembly held a plenary session yesterday. At the beginning of yesterday’s plenary session, the Speaker of the Presidium, Mr. Pjetër Arbnori, informed the deputies of the proposal to add to Parliament’s work plan the consideration of several other draft laws, as well as two decrees of the President of the Republic. They agreed to consider the two presidential decrees, but did not accept that Mr. Vrioni appear in place of the Prime Minister, who, as they stated, had not yet received approval under the relevant constitutional provisions to take up the designated post. After discussion of this issue by Minva, Abdiu, Arbnori, Spahia, Selami, Hajdari, Teta, Dokle, Pashko, Metani, etc., it was decided that the texts of the decrees would be considered when Prime Minister Meksi returned to Parliament; he is on a working visit abroad. The plenary session yesterday then continued with discussion and approval of the law “On the Status of Persons with Disabilities,” which provides legal confirmation in support of the relevant category of people. The approval of this law by the Albanian Parliament also provides support for this Albanian Parliament also provides support for those suffering from occupational diseases and those injured at work. Under the law approved yesterday, it was determined that the Association of Work-Injured Persons would be funded by the state. At yesterday’s plenary session, the Ratification of the Agreement between the Republic of Albania and the International Development Association (IDA) concerning the loan for the Durrës water supply rehabilitation project was also approved. This project will rehabilitate and expand the water supply and sewerage system in the city of Durrës, the pumping stations, improve the water intakes, reduce network losses, and repair the reservoirs in Durrës and Shijak. The main purpose of the project to be implemented is to prevent water shortages, while protecting the population from the possible risk of infection and improving the infrastructure of the water supply and sewerage system. In connection with this project, IDA has secured through the World Bank a long-term loan of 11.6 million dollars, with a maturity of 40 years and a repayment period of 25 years, including 6 years’ grace, at an interest rate of 7 percent per year. That concluded yesterday’s proceedings. The next session opens today at 10:00. Sali Berisha, concerning the dismissal and appointment of several ministers. These proposals by Mr. Arbënor prompted much debate and discussion, after which they were put to a vote and approved by a majority. The debate focused mainly on introducing, for expedited consideration, the President’s two decrees on the dismissal and appointment of ministers. The MPs accepted in principle It then continued with the discussion and adoption which embodies legal harmony in support of and assistance to this category of people. The adoption of this law by the Albanian Parliament puts respect for their fundamental rights to a dignified life into practice and creates real conditions for their integration into society. Under this law, those who benefit first are people with cardiovascular, neurological and mental illnesses. This law establishes legal protections and benefits Sali Berisha, on the release and appointment of several ministers.

Albania’s position has particular geostrategic importance, and we are firmly committed to it. Our relations are at a very high level, but they must develop further in the future, so that each stage we reach sets the course for an even better one than the previous stage,” said the Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey, Army General Ismail Karadaj, at a meeting with his Albanian counterpart, Major General Sheme Kosova, held yesterday afternoon at the Ministry of Defense. For his part, Kosova welcomed the Turkish guest, briefed him on the changes made in the Albanian army, and thanked him for the considerable assistance his country has provided in the field of defense, especially in training new military officers at Turkish schools. He went on to say that our relations with Turkey are very good, but particularly strong have been our relations with Turkey. Our relations with NATO with Turkey. On the other hand, we are convinced that Turkey will support our request for NATO membership. “I have followed your changes very carefully, and I must say they have been significant,” of Turkey, Army General Ismail Karadaj, who concluded his remarks by saying: “I wish to assure you that I have the greatest respect for Albania, its people and its army.” The meeting was also attended by Turkey’s ambassador in Tirana, Metin Ornekoll, the military attaché at the embassy, Mustafa Cobanoglu, as well as the team of officers accompanying the Turkish general. A briefing with the General Staff of the Albanian Army was held afterwards. Turkish schools. He went on to add that our relations with Albania, the Albanian army in general,

Returning on Saturday from the Vatican, from the Paul VI Hall, which is the largest, there was much applause for his life and work. He is now a year older than last year; his back is bent because, as he says, he worked for ten years in the middle of the water. But despite that, he is radiant. He is 92 years old; to think of him as old—he is magnificent. Last year, when I went to meet him, I was amazed. Some old friends were trying to recall his musical works... Returning on Saturday from the Vatican, from the Paul VI Hall, which is the largest, there was much applause for his life and work. He is now a year older than last year; his back is bent because, as he says, he worked for ten years in the middle of the water. But despite that, he is radiant. He is 92 years old; to think of him as old—he is magnificent. Last year, when I went to meet him, I was amazed. Some old friends were trying to recall his musical works as well... Read on page 6 the interview with Bernardo Citterio, assistant to the Archbishop of Milan, a schoolmate of the first Albanian Cardinal, Mikel Koligi, and his close friend.

Following the signing in Paris of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Republic of Albania and the French Republic, “Radio Televizioni Francez” and the French newspapers “LE MOND” and “FIGARO” published reports and commentaries on the significance of the signing of this treaty. Mr. Meksi also gave interviews to “BBC” and “FRANCE INTERNATIONALE,” which were interested in the prospects for Franco-Albanian relations, Albania’s position on the situation in the Balkans and the conflict in Bosnia, the progress of economic reform in Albania, etc. Yesterday, Prime Minister Meksi left Paris. At the invitation of the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mr. Atef Sedki, Prime Minister Meksi will make a two-day official visit to Cairo.

AFP—Croatia and Albania signed a military-technical cooperation agreement in Zagreb on Tuesday, the official Croatian news agency Hina reported. “This agreement is not directed against any third country; on the contrary, it serves the peace and security of all,” declared the Albanian Defense Minister, Safet Zhulali, after signing the document. Croatia’s Deputy Defense Minister, Josip Juras, for his part expressed satisfaction with the “full understanding” demonstrated by the Albanian delegation regarding the situation in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the beginning of the month, Albanian Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi signed a series of economic cooperation agreements in Zagreb with his Croatian counterpart Nocica Valentic. Croatia’s Deputy Minister A serious economic cooperation agreement.

Press conference by the EU Ambassador to Albania, Mr. Elio Germano

To answer this question, it would first be necessary to take a quick look back, to make a brief retrospective of the past—not the distant past, of course, but at most three years ago, to December 1991. Only by weighing the two periods against each other and objectively assessing the consequences can we reach an accurate and objective conclusion. There is much debate about how to approach the past. Some are in favor of not looking back at all, that is, of forgetting it. This has both advantages and disadvantages. This is something unique, perhaps not only in Europe. Many of its architects, devotees or nostalgics are still alive. Although they have not suffered a scratch, and although they have benefited greatly from democracy’s generosity and magnanimity, they express forgiveness and nostalgic sentiments for the past, honor it and try to bring it back, recreating their own version of it as something radiant. Yet they waver when asked to acknowledge its harsher realities: prisons and internment camps, ration coupons, queues, poverty and deprivation. We forget the mark it left and fail to assess objectively where we stand today; but even if we wanted to forget the past, it has reappeared in concrete, material forms, in tangible fragments, in desires, in forms of government, in practice, in collective organization, and in acts opposed to remembrance and appraisal...

Everyone remembers the state Albania had fallen into in December 1991—at least those aged 10 and over—though some pretend to forget it or indulge in nostalgia, as if the PD had taken power on 28 November 1944 rather than on 22 March 1992. Some professors of Marxism-Leninism or Marxist-Leninist pedagogy may not like it, but it is very close to the truth that Albania in December 1991 resembled Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, or Somalia and Rwanda in 1994. As a consequence of generally deteriorating and ineffective theory and practice, reckless and unsuccessful in politics and economics, implemented demagogically and dictatorially by the PP under E. Hoxha and R. Alia, or by the PS under F. Nano, Albania had been cast to the bottom of an abyss. It would take years of effort, work, sacrifice and patience to climb out; it would require billions of dollars and the consumption of colossal amounts of its wealth and energy. Most industrial production branches and other economic enterprises had been completely paralyzed, while others were merely a bluff, worth billions, without a single bone of their own. The army of unemployed, officially put at 80 percent, or those not declared or kept hidden, numbered around 300,000. According to the statement of former Socialist Prime Minister Ylli Bufi in the Government of Stability, they ensured the people’s bread and The question arises of its own accord: Can the socialist past be forgotten? ... continues Only... 5 days; Albania at that time could also be called the land of African poverty or hunger. Through socialism’s “energy giants,” in people’s apartments—naturally, with the exception of those in the block—the electrical grid guaranteed electricity only for 3–4 60–75W lamps per person, an electric iron, a radio, and a tiny hotplate. Most of the people left behind were forced to make do or use the light of candles and stubs, which facilitated the terrorizing of the people through gunfire, crimes, and thefts, more parts of a scenario than random occurrences. The same refrain was repeated later with drinking water: Albania, with very large water reserves, had an extremely old and dilapidated network that provided people with water on short schedules and in other limited ways. As old masters of demagoguery and partisan manipulation, the communist-socialist rulers and their former activists in “ZP” blamed the “architect of all victories” for the energy crisis, the drinking-water supply crisis, and urban bus services, and attributed them to nature’s unexpected turns, to “the evil drought.” This sheer demagoguery continues even today. Just take a look at the headlines in “ZP” and other newspapers, including those of the opposition. They all dwell on difficulties with lighting and electricity supply, as if PP or PS had come from another planet, and as if this grid had been designed and built by PD after March 22, 1992. The expert and

Harmony between government structures and the EU is developing and intensifying in a spirit of reciprocity- Long-term programs with maximum impact are the future of cooperation between the EU and Albania- The government program in cooperation with the IMF is necessary- Press conference by the EU Ambassador to Albania, Mr. Elio Germano Yesterday at midday, the EU Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Elio Germano, held a press conference at the Delegation’s headquarters. After first thanking the journalists, he stressed that the purpose of the meeting was to take stock of EU-Albania relations. “In ’94, the EU had the opportunity once again to confirm its political goodwill by making powerful economic and financial resources available to Albania, in order to support Albania in its transition toward democracy and a market economy,” said Mr. Germano, who then presented figures on the assistance the EU had given Albania in ’94. A total of 64 million ECU had been disbursed in various forms, including in agriculture, health, education, road-sector infrastructure, etc. Germano also mentioned the programs on which the provision of aid and loans was based, such as “TEMPUS” and, most recently, “CROSS BORDER”. “The latest decision is for 15 million ECU in balance-of-payments assistance.” Going on to comment on how the assistance was used and how effectively it was being delivered, Ambassador Germano noted that, insofar as it concerned reform, the effects of the PHARE program were not such that they could be seen immediately. These effects would be more visible once the structures had been completed in the country. Explaining that there is a time lag between the approval of a program and its actual implementation, Germano said that a qualitative step forward would help, as would opening construction sites under the 1994 programs. This year, the greatest importance was attached to infrastructure, where much more progress was made than in previous years. In 1994, more than 50% of the assistance was put toward financing and construction sites. Commenting on relations between Albania and the EU, Mr. Germano said that, generally speaking, harmony between government structures and the EU was developing and intensifying in a spirit of reciprocity. “We have encountered some difficulties within the overall framework. You know about these difficulties, but what matters is that their effect is isolated,” he said. The EU’s assistance plan for 1994 remained in positive balance. Future programs formed the conclusion of the presentation Mr. Germano made to the journalists. Discussions have been held between Albania and the Commission with the aim of working out programs covering many years, which represents a qualitative step forward. This will allow the assistance to be used better and will maximize its effects. “In 10–15 days, the overall process for the future will begin.” “I want to make clear that Albania remains linked to the EU by a cooperation and collaboration agreement, which is only the first stage in further, deeper relations,” Mr. Germano concluded. Questions and answers followed. Responding to a question from a journalist with “Gazeta Shqiptare” about the level of aid absorption and the results of this assistance for ’93, Mr. Germano said that several criteria must be borne in mind when discussing aid absorption. Thus, a program launched in ’93 cannot be executed by ’93. There are administrative, preparatory and design deadlines that cause delays. Absorption means the administration’s capacity to define strategy. The Albanian administration has a capacity to absorb assistance, although it operates with limited staff. In response to the “RD” journalist’s question as to whether the difficulties Mr. Germano had mentioned in his presentation about EU-Albania relations referred to Greece’s blocking of aid, he answered in the affirmative. “Nevertheless, the EU is indivisible and decisions are made only unanimously. One decision was annulled, and only for seafood products was it left in force.” The Albanian Television journalist asked how the assistance the EU grants to Albania is monitored—in other words, whether it is used for the purposes for which it was intended. On this, Mr. Germano said: “Of course it goes where it is intended to go. As for monitoring, there are several checks. I am one monitor; the European Commission is another; the Court of Auditors as well; and there are always checks at specific stages. Specialists verify that the funds are used correctly.” Mr. Germano answered other questions concerning the Association Agreement expected between Albania and the EU, the assistance the EU provides to investors coming to Albania, etc. At the end, the EU representative in Tirana, Elio Germano, took his leave of the journalists, wishing them happy holidays at year’s end. Prepared by EDI PALOKA

YEAR IV OF PUBLICATION No. 831 Thursday 15 December 1994 Number of pages: 8 PRICE: 5 LEKË