We have entered a new year. A person may now ask themselves many questions. What will I do in 1995? What will I give my family and myself in 1995? A person who has hope and faith in themselves and in democracy will find it easy to answer these questions positively. They look back and are convinced that something positive has entered their life through the changes they have experienced, and therefore look to the future—and thus to 1995—with optimism and realism. But, just as until now, the benefits brought and to be brought by the consolidation of democracy do not come easily. They have come, and will come, by overcoming difficulties and challenges. First of all, and perhaps above all, we must begin this year with greater faith in ourselves, in the strength of the free individual who, in the spaces of freedom brought by democracy, is able to express their energy, talent and sense of responsibility. The truth is that it is precisely this free individual, in villages and cities alike, whose work has changed the face of the market and the prosperity of families. Only the nostalgic nihilists of yesterday’s past [text unclear] are fully capable of dealing not only with the structures of the DP, but also with its many supporters, who have strong ties to the DP. Only in this way can we feel stronger, freer and more united, and advance the achievements of democracy even further. The year 1995 is a year of major objectives. As President Berisha also stressed in his New Year’s greeting to the Albanian people, the major objectives for this year are the development and consolidation of democracy, its values, and the market economy based on free initiative. It is precisely the consolidation of democracy and the corresponding democratic institutions that is at stake for the future of Albania and our nation. However, for democracy to be consolidated and strengthened, everyone must work together with democratic culture and tolerance. Those who do not want tolerance, who do not want laws to be applied and, moreover, do not work to ensure that laws are applied, are acting against democracy. Therefore, let us further develop a sense of understanding and respect for the law, because this is how we open [text unclear]. The fight against corruption has been and remains a constant objective. From the very beginning of its political life, the DP struck at corruption, which had spread like cancer metastases through the state apparatus of the communist dictatorship, and it has declared and demonstrated that corruption has only one color: black. Aware of its role as a party with a mission to develop and consolidate democracy in Albania, the DP is convinced that much work remains to consolidate the achievements made so far and thereby demonstrate even more forcefully the superiority of the free initiative of the individual—the free Albanian—and their extraordinary strength in the country’s economic development. Those who draw comparisons with this or that country should not forget that during these years of democratic governance Albania has demonstrated political stability, low and controlled inflation, and significant economic growth. Therefore, anyone trying to destabilize the situation to secure their own seat of power should know that they will fail disgracefully, because Albanians have fresh memories and know well that while state bunkers were being built in other Eastern countries, bunkers were being built in Albania. Albanians will not return to the age of bunkers, and they have not forgotten those times. That is why they have supported and will continue to support democracy in Albania, and why they will always stand in defense of stability and the preservation and development of democratic values. This is also, at the same time, their serious commitment to Albania’s integration into Europe. Speaking on this issue, President Berisha said that compliance with legal procedures is a condition of democracy and a respect for legitimacy. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Arbnori, explained his response to the letter sent by the Prosecutor General on the last day of Parliament’s 1994 session, clarifying that he had not attempted to... The spaces of freedom brought by democracy enable him to display his energies, his talent, his contribution. appearance of the market and the well-being of families. Only the nostalgic nihilists of yesterday’s bunkerized past, those who have forgotten the long queues and ration coupons, refuse to acknowledge the changes for the better. Democracy, therefore, must not stop affirming its achievements; it must not give free rein to nostalgics who, having lost their seats, darken everything. Thus, even among some discouraged people, strengthened belief prompts them to work harder for themselves and their families. The challenge of confronting the demagoguery of those who want to create mistrust among people is not an easy one. It requires greater commitment from the structures of the Democratic Party, especially its sections, but we can all work together to meet this challenge, tolerance, who do not want the ensure that they are applied, are acting against democracy. Let us therefore further develop a spirit of understanding and respect for the law, because that is how we open up even greater prospects for ourselves and strengthen democracy in Albania together. The year 1995 will undoubtedly be a year of accelerated reforms. It will be the year of mass privatization and of further consolidating rapid economic growth. That is why all the structures involved in privatization must show even greater commitment, and economists in particular must demonstrate their professionalism. Delays in this field must undoubtedly be strongly challenged, as must manifestations of corruption wherever they are observed, since for the DP and democracy in general, the fight against corruption is tied to stability and to preserving and developing serious commitment to Albania’s integration into Europe. They must remember that during these years of democratic government visible benefit that while states built in Albania. Albanians will therefore not only never return to the era of bunkers, but they will not soon forget them either. support, democracy in Albania; that is why they will always stand for preserving stability and safeguarding and developing the values of democracy. to Albania’s integration into Europe. President Berisha, commenting on this issue, stated and the People’s Assembly, Mr. Arbnori, explained the reply he sent to the letter from the Prosecutor General on the final attempted to visible benefit that while states forget them either. of democracy. issue, stated and attempted to

The Prosecutor General’s request to lift the immunity of MPs Ruli and Uka is discussed Yesterday at midday, the DP parliamentary group met under the direction of its chairman, Mr. Alia Spahia, to discuss the request by Prosecutor General Alush Dragoshi to lift the immunity of two DP MPs, Genc Ruli and Rexhep Uka. The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, also attended the meeting. First, the floor was given to the Chairman of the State Audit Commission, Mr. Blerim Çela, who informed the MPs about the substance and handling of the case by the State Audit Commission and the Prosecutor General’s Office. [The source text is garbled here: it says that someone] hindered procedures when seeking more detailed clarification about the Prosecutor General’s request; on the contrary, [someone] stated that the matter would be included in Parliament’s agenda. In their remarks, the two MPs, Ruli and Uka, presented the case they are accused in, offered explanations and denied responsibility. In his remarks, among other things, MP Rexhep Uka pointed out that before 22 March, the Euro-Alba company had exported 540 m³ of walnut wood, but nobody had been accused and no criminal case had been initiated. The chairman of the PDSH, Mr. Eduard Selami, stressed that the discussion in the parliamentary group was not intended to obstruct justice, but to clarify the matter. The DP Secretary General, Mr. Tritan Shehu, called for transparency regarding the issue under discussion. Defense Minister Zhulali said that all people accused of corruption should face justice. Beginning on Thursday, the House is to start working on the 10 bills included in the Contract with America, a platform on which most candidates for the House had campaigned. The House’s Republican leaders promised a vote after 100 days. While in Arkansas for a private stay, President Bill Clinton challenged the Republicans, inviting them to vote on his tax-cut program, offering them... State, Mr. Blerim Çela, who informed the deputies about the report and the repeated referral of the matter from the State Audit Office to the Prosecutor General’s Office, and added that the Prosecutor General’s Office had secured new evidence and materials concerning this matter. The deputies continued with questions and discussion, putting different ideas side by side. In the end, all the deputies agreed with the proposal of the Chairman of the DP, Eduard Selami, that the matter be examined by the Mandates Committee. “RD” CORRESPONDENT

A building surrounded by trees. [?]

Commentary WASHINGTON, /AFP/ — Souk Chantalangshi writes: Wednesday’s opening of the 104th United States Congress marked the end of 40 years of Democratic dominance over the Capitol [word in source garbled] and a triumphant beginning for the Republicans, who have called for a political “partnership” and “dialogue” under the patronage of both Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. “Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, we have one great thing in common. We are all Americans (...) We must create a partnership worthy of the American people,” declared the new “Speaker” (chairman) of the House of Representatives, Republican Newt Gingrich, the undisputed star of this “historic day.” In his first speech after being elected to this important post, third in the hierarchy of the state, Gingrich emphasized the need to “begin a dialogue” and to demonstrate an “openness completely different from what people are used to seeing in United States politics.” Starting on Thursday, the House is to begin work a lesson in the virtues of moderation in political debate. At the inauguration of a private school named after Sherwood, in the Little Rock area, Clinton told the young students that he would return to Washington to “challenge Congress” by compelling it to approve his tax-cut program. As for the “new Speaker,” he assured them that the Republican contract “will be presented every morning, starting today.” “For the first time in 40 years, we have won a majority with a precise document and precise commitments (...) We will pass these reforms,” Gingrich declared. Americans appear skeptical about the significance of the change. According to a CNN–“USA Today” poll published on Wednesday, 40 percent think that the arrival of a Republican majority will change nothing, while 41 percent believe it will help improve the country’s situation. Although Gingrich was at the center of attention, the new Republican majority leader, Bob Doll, was also present throughout the day. “I’m not in the habit of doing this, but from now on I’ll always get up at 5 in the morning,” he promised. Doll has introduced a bill providing for the United States to lift its arms embargo in favor of the Bosnian government, as well as another text restricting the use of funds and the deployment of American troops in peacekeeping operations undertaken by the UN.

A delegation from the Albanian Ministry of Agriculture and Food is taking part in an international conference on the future of agriculture and the food industry in Europe. The conference, entitled “Farmers Dialogue 1995,” will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, with the participation of numerous European delegations from France, Great Britain, Sweden, Scotland, etc. It will seek to find a path for the further development of agriculture and the food industry in the face of Europe’s major demographic and social changes. European veterinarians, agronomists and farmers, including, for the first time, their Albanian counterparts, will discuss at this conference the potential of agriculture to meet the continent’s population’s ever-growing food needs, while also respecting the natural balance between the environment and the economy. Among the topics for discussion by agricultural specialists at the conference are bringing the standard of living of European farmers into line with that of city dwellers, expanding the strategy of the food production and distribution industry, and farmers’ participation in the rural development of their countries. Miranda Kora

Considering social care for people with disabilities as part of the state’s social policy, a course-of-action strategy addressing this acute social problem has now been defined through a detailed plan. Experts from the Ministry of Health informed ATSH that the plan envisages creating six key conditions in the main categories for their integration into society: education, rehabilitation, education, vocational training, employment, and representation with opportunities for advancement in their careers as women. In connection with this, the relevant specialists have also drawn up so-called social-economic and medical-psycho-social programs, which support their livelihoods and limit further physical, sensory, and mental impairment. Sources specifically said that one of the approaches to organizing the social-care system for people with disabilities will be based on solidarity and the voluntary involvement of individuals who wish to help in this field. At the same time, communities and non-governmental organizations at home and abroad that defend the interests of people with disabilities are expected to contribute effectively to finding financial and material resources. The first presentation of this project took place some time ago at a conference in Tirana organized by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Assistance. At the conference, representatives of charitable, governmental, and non-governmental associations from many countries around the world expressed their willingness to help Albania in this regard. Flora Nikolla

Mr. Alush Dragoshi, Prosecutor General, responds in writing to a question from TVSH journalist Leka Ndoja: Why is the lifting of immunity sought for Mr. Zef Brozi, and is it true that, in violation of the law, he released a drug trafficker? ANSWER: On 29 November 1994, the Tirana Military Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case against the defendant Esat Bruçi, an officer of Unit 313 in Tirana, who on 22 November 1994, acting in violation of Article 188 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and in breach of his duty, released the detainee Kostandinos Kallafatos without a decision from the Court of Cassation. Kallafatos had been sentenced by a decision of the Tirana District Court to four years’ imprisonment for the crime of preparing, possessing, and selling narcotic substances; that decision had been upheld by the Tirana Court of Appeal. The release of the detainee Kostandinos Kallafatos, a Greek citizen and general administrator of the company “Albafoam,” favored the accused by enabling him to evade criminal prosecution and leave Albania on 24 November 1994 on the Tirana–Athens air route, and also hindered the Tirana District Prosecutor’s Office from completing the investigation against him, according to the statements recorded in the decisions of the judicial council of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation. It is established that the release of this detainee was based on letter No. 585 dated 22 November 1994, signed by Mr. Zef Brozi, President of the Court of Cassation. This letter was prepared before the decision Court of Cassation had been drafted, finalized, and signed; that decision had ordered that the case be sent back to the prosecution for further investigation and had made no statement at all about releasing the detainee. The letter presented circumstances that were not reflected in the decision of the Court of Cassation. Sending the letter to the prison hospital to release the detainee contravened Articles 186 and 187 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which stipulate that the decision must be sent to the executive authority. To expedite the detainee’s release in violation of the rules for handling correspondence, the letter was given to the lawyer, who immediately took it to the prison hospital. Although the prison hospital guard officer telephoned the President of the Court of Cassation, Mr. Zef Brozi, and expressed doubts about executing the letter, he ordered the immediate release of the detainee Kostandinos Kallafatos. (Continued on page 2) On the same matter, gave the following interview to TVSH journalist Leka Ndoja: QUESTION: Mr. Brozi, it is known that your immunity has been lifted. It is said that, without being a member of the judicial panel, you released a drug trafficker. How true is this? ANSWER: First, it is not true that a drug trafficker was released. The Greek man on trial, accused of drugs, was charged over 260 grams of the plant cannabis sativa, which were found on him during a repeated police search—or, more precisely, may have been planted by the police deliberately. A petition by the workers of this Greek man’s company in Albania, where he has been operating for four years, asked the Court of Cassation to deliver justice and correct the courts’ mistakes, because certain officials are trying to take the company away from its Greek owner, and therefore have opposed him and set the trap now known to everyone. It is not true that the President of the Court of Cassation released him. The President of the Court of Cassation signed a letter prepared by the presiding judge of the judicial panel in implementation of the decision of the Court of Cassation panel dated 22 November 1994, which overturned the decisions of the district court and the court of appeal and returned the case for further investigation. Since the arrest had been ordered by a final decision was not a security measure imposed by the prosecution, overturning that decision meant that the arrest measure also fell absolutely and immediately, from the moment the decision was announced. Every minute this defendant remained in prison after the decision was announced would have been a flagrant violation of the law on human rights and freedoms. I signed in accordance with both previous and future procedures, because a Court of Cassation decision is declared in court before it is printed and reasoned by the judge; under our practice, that takes no less than two weeks. In fact, in this case the court file was sent by the secretariat and received in person by the Court of Cassation prosecutor, the Prosecutor General, on 6 December ’94. If this defendant had not been released from the moment the decision was announced, then from the 22nd until the 6th, while the decision was being written and typed, he would, according to the illogical and unlawful argument being advanced, have had to remain in prison. Who would have been held responsible? That would have been an act of violence. Someone would have been responsible. I am therefore convinced that the constitutional right and the law on human rights were respected, that there was no legal violation, and that the signature and decision were proper and honest. (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 I advised Muhamet Prodani to light candles at the vakëfs so that his sins might be forgiven... You, Hasko and Sollaku, I say this to you: Since you did not stand trial (as you deserve) for the crimes committed against Albania, and since no one knows when death will come for you, it would not hurt you to hide somewhere in a corner and spread the word that you have died. Uran Kostreci responds to Messrs. Hasko and Sollaku Page 5