Gazetat — Albanian Newspaper Archive

What is important is that Albania have a Constitution as soon as possible

There will be no failure or any kind of split. I, as chairman of the PD, will do my utmost so that we, as the PD, act and cooperate in order for the draft Constitution to be drawn up and approved. The Democrats will resolve the 1996 issue on their own without a solution I support President Berisha’s statement on the Kosovo issue The government must make no attempt to politicize the demands of Albanians living in Macedonia In the early stages of the work of the parliamentary group, the Democratic Party of Albania assessed the non-inclusion of Mr. Neritan Ceka in the Special Commission for drafting the Constitution as a completely normal act. This was a favored postulate, accompanied by polemical tones, with contradictory developments and different weights, presenting somewhat the chairman of the Democratic Alliance, Mr. Ceka, as a significant figure in the work of Parliament, although he has not even been elected as its leader by his own parliamentary group. While the current government is trying to calm the resolution of this problem through parliamentary means and lay the foundations for a dialogue that could lead to a more lasting solution to the crisis, Mr. Neritan Ceka is doing the opposite. He is trying to politicize the issue, by entering the game of forces that seek to instrumentalize the constitutional problem in function of the aims of 1996. And yet the position of the head of the Democratic Alliance is unacceptable. The mobilization carried out by the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Albania with its deputy does not justify his behavior. Meanwhile, it is thought that this attempt to give the issue a political character is also linked to Mr. Ceka’s position on the Kosovo issue. He has several times expressed himself along a line that does not match the statement of the President of the Republic. In yesterday’s plenary session there were interesting developments. The chairman of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Albania, Mr. Tritan Shehu, announced that his party will not allow any kind of division and will try to ensure that the Constitution is completed as soon as possible. "We, as a party, will not allow any kind of division. I, as chairman of the PD, will do my utmost so that we, as the PD, act and cooperate in order for the draft Constitution to be drawn up and approved," he declared. He further said that he agrees with President Berisha’s statement on the Kosovo issue and that the government must make no attempt to politicize the demands of Albanians living in Macedonia. Strong and restrained

The parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Albania meets

"The presidency is acting in violation of the statute" The group’s leader, Tritan Shehu, spoke about the recent political developments of late, about the warning that some deputies would boycott Parliament. The Kosovo issue was also discussed. A public statement by Mr. Shehu was issued in the name of the parliamentary group, requesting a review of relations with the presidency. In conclusion, it became clear that several deputies have objections to the way the presidency is functioning and demanded that the party statute be respected. "VP"

The justice authorities should take the issue of punishing those who kill the people of Abinor in blood feuds much more seriously

Speech by the chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of Abinor, Mr. Arbnori, on blood feuds The deep wounds of blood feud and vigilante justice are becoming more painful every day in our society. No one can remain indifferent in the face of shocking cases where innocent people fall victim to a primitive mentality. The rule of law must act decisively, while the justice authorities must take more seriously the punishment of those who kill people in the name of the kanun. The Abinor case is an alarm bell. Citizens cannot be allowed to live in fear, shut inside their homes, while the law remains silent. Greater commitment is needed from the police, the prosecutor’s office and the courts, so that order is established and life is protected. Albanian society needs civil peace and justice. Only by enforcing the law strictly can we stop this serious wound that harms the family, the community and the country’s future.

Pëllumbi’s place at Enver Hoxha’s feast

SAMI ALIOSHI Pëllumbi should not take upon himself the blame for the whole evil that the culture of violence and submission brought in the recent past. A strange anti-communist glow seems to have carried Mr. Servet Pëllumbi to the podium of the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit”, and also into the annals of Albanian democracy. Bap tized as “The Albania of Letters” by Nexhmije Hoxha, Pëllumbi’s Albania remained such even in its “third age”. Nothing has changed from the days when Central Committee secretaries gave lectures on the culture of socialist realism. Instead of an honest confrontation with the past, we are seeing the recycling of a vocabulary that tries to beautify the figure of Enver Hoxha. (Continued on page 2)

Toward a new status for TVSH

Interview with Mr. Uran Butka (Page 6) The journalists’ ethics draft code will be published (Page 2) Albania’s time must move at the pace of civilization (Page 2)

Strong and restrained