Will they be sentenced for genocide? R. Alia had been head of state, not long ago, until the spring of 1992. Supreme commander of the armed forces. Ramiz Alia is the greatest model of intrigue, betrayal and murder from behind. He was the man who threw young men into the adventure of illegally crossing the border, promising them through a government decree that if they were caught they would no longer be punished for “high treason” with death or life imprisonment, but only for a criminal offense. But that decree was a shameful facade, hiding crime within it. The Albanian border owed its horrors to this. The boys who “escaped” were found without warning. Arbitrary executions were carried out, without any warning. The wounded were thrown down ravines to erase the traces... They were killed from behind, dragged dead and alive, left to rot on the roads of towns and villages, imprisoned. All this for the sole “fault” of wanting to live better. All this in the years ‘90–’92, in the years when Ramiz Alia was president, when Fatos Nano was prime minister, when Gramoz Ruçi was minister of the interior. Oh, if only Gramoz could speak...! If only Gramoz Mountain could speak! It would tell about the young man Ylli Ketu, who with two friends of his, brothers, tried to cross the border in November 1990. He was caught by the border patrol, and Ylli could tell of the torture only from his grave. One of the brothers, who resisted the torture, was shot on the spot... Oh, if only Gramoz Mountain could speak! It would tell about Fatmir Ormani, the young man who was caught, dragged along when he was at the border post, thoroughly searched, and killed with an automatic weapon. He was photographed dead, and with those photographs the killers toured an itinerant exhibition from town to town and village to village, to terrorize the inhabitants. Even today these “exhibitions” should be kept in the archive of the former Branch of Internal Affairs of Kolonja, if the murderers have not destroyed them... Oh, if only Gramoz Mountain could speak! It would tell about the brothers Engjëll and Muhamet Sejta, who were killed on a winter night in December 1990 at the border. Their bodies froze there, on the snow. It would take May 1991 for the victims’ bodies to be found, when spring was coming and the snow began to melt... Oh, if only Gramoz could speak! It would tell about Riza Starja, who was executed at the border together with his two brothers... It would tell about those who disappeared without a trace, about those killed without a grave... Oh, if only the mountain could speak... What would become of Ramiz Alia? How would the “initiator” of the democratic processes feel, the “first president of democracy” as “ZP” has described him? The many facts place this initiator before legal responsibility. YES — say the dead of Gramoz... There were five of them. Avni Ruminga Gostivishti of Kolonja, Petrit Hajdari and Artur Kercelli from Korça, Nikolaj Joti from Rehova of Erseka, and Safet Rapo from Erseka. The cold, towering Gramoz Mountain had hunted them down in their great escape. They were young, poor boys with “marks” in their biographies. They could no longer bear it. It was the time between the spirit of the embassies and the unforgettable spotlight. So they joined together. They decided to spend the night in a small hotel in Erseka, perhaps the only hotel, where at that time refugees stayed, but they often changed their minds. Why not escape at night? Daylight would be dangerous. And they set off, not thinking that someone else was awake and watching that midnight stay in the hotel. It was the hotel manager’s responsibility that, as soon as he noticed that five travelers had left the hotel, he immediately alerted the Internal Affairs Branch. The police forces led by the head of the Internal Affairs Branch, Kadri Ibja, were immediately mobilized to catch the border violators. Meanwhile the 5 boys were climbing Gramoz Mountain. It was a bad night, with rain and thunder, even though even in summer the night is cold at the summit. The boys were wearing only a summer shirt each. Scraping through the bushes, hungry and tired, they were approaching the soft border strip. It had passed midnight. The sky shook and, in the flashes of lightning, the 5 boys raised their hands in the glare of the automatic weapons. They were shot without warning. Two men from Korça, Petrit Hajdari and Artur Kercelli, fell without a breath, face and back, closing their eyes forever. Rain fell on their faces and the fire of the guns glowed. Safet Rapo, confused by the bursts of automatic fire and the sight of his dead companions, threw himself in a dazed leap down the mountain, not knowing where he was going and fell into a ravine. That was at least the version given by Aku... Azuza in court. But was that version true? Then Nikolaj Joti was wounded, remaining lying there, unable to go further. He was caught and, still wounded, executed... the path remained clear to him. Only Avni Rumi remained alive from among the five boys, and today he tells the story with tears in his eyes. That terrible night he got lost in the bushes and on the mountain, on an unavoidable fate. For two days he stayed in an abandoned shepherds’ hut without putting anything in his mouth, in anguish because the border was blocked by the border-post forces. But it was the border dogs and a patrol led by Luan Guma that would end Avni’s temporary freedom. They discovered the hut and tied Avni up with wire, beating him like an animal. Thus tied up and soaked in blood, while being cursed with the words “Enemy, traitor of the homeland,” they took him to Rehove. His hands had turned black from the wire and, from the congealed blood, had taken on a purple color. He was completely paralyzed. On the evening of 23 August he was brought face to face with Kadri Ibjasi, the head of that internal branch in Erseka. The investigation began. The four dead were still being accounted for. Who was the instigator for the “traitors of the homeland”? It was demanded that the trial be held in Avni’s village, Gostivisht, in the style of the “century trials” organized by the communist dictatorship to insult and psychologically terrorize the people. So it was done. Avni Rumi was sentenced to 5 years’ deprivation of liberty for illegally crossing the border. He served one year in Spaç. Will the genocidists be sentenced? YES, says Gramoz Mountain, YES say the republic’s borders that are soaked with the blood of the young boys. PETRAQ KITA PETRIT HAJDARI ARTUR KERCELLI

Speech by Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi at the Tripartite Conference Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I would like to thank you for your participation and for the discussions you have brought to this conference, which I consider very important for the political future and the wage system in Albania. Ladies and gentlemen, First of all I would like to thank you for your participation and for the discussions you have brought to this conference, which I consider very important for the political future and wage system in Albania. Although I have not had the opportunity to follow this conference in person during the three days it has been underway, I have tried to obtain detailed information about the problems raised and the ideas proposed by many domestic and foreign participants. Wage reform has been and remains one of the priorities of the Albanian Government. It is more than understandable, and a necessity imposed by the times, that the wage system should clearly reflect qualifications and seniority, educational level, the difficulty of the workplace, the responsibility required in carrying out functions, etc. A system that does not take these principles sufficiently into account cannot be useful. The radical and comprehensive transformation, the economic and administrative reform we are undertaking, requires qualified personnel. The younger generation will lead Albania in the future, and with your help this can become reality. I am... At the same time, wages have systematically risen. Today, with only very few exceptions, the minimum level is 4,000 lek per month, while the average monthly wage is over 8,300 lek, and these will, as foreseen, undergo changes next spring. (Continues on page 2)

Yesterday afternoon, the General Secretary of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, received the Chairman of the Council of Chairmen of the LDK of the Albanian diaspora, Mr. Hafiz Gaciga, and his delegation, made up of leaders of LDK branches outside Kosovo. Initially, Mr. Tritan Shehu gave a brief overview of the achievements of the democratic government. He also spoke about the effort of the PD and the increase in its activity to fulfill and surpass the objectives related to consolidating democracy, strengthening the rule of law, creating an open market economy, improving the people's well-being, and orienting the country toward European and Euro-Atlantic structures, as well as the fair resolution of the Albanian question. Furthermore, Mr. Tritan Shehu explained that the Albanian isolation imposed by the Bolshevik dictatorship was condemnable; it had cut Albania off from free life, and from all that lives in its own lands beyond state borders, and from trejto? Here, the despot Hoxha exploited the Kosovo issue and the Albanian issue in general in order to preserve his power, leaving the hope of the Albanian nation for a common future, pursuing and killing all those who dared cross the “wall” in search of the “earthly paradise” trumpeted by the red nomenklatura, installing genocide in every cell of social, economic and political activity; causing tragedy after tragedy, of which the darkest and most tragic remains the Massacre of Tivar, and the communist persecution and crime, Mr. Shehu called them accompanied by the need to defend the rights and freedoms of citizens, especially those of the Albanians of Kosovo. Mr. Tritan Shehu, only after the coming to power of the PD, (Continues on page 2)

Yesterday the Ambassador of Israel in Tirana, Yehuda Milo, presented his credentials to the President of the Republic, and President Berisha accepted the invitation from President Weizman to visit Israel at the end of January 1995. Yesterday the Ambassador of Israel in Tirana, Jahuda Milo, presented his credentials to the President of the Republic, and President Berisha accepted the invitation with pleasure. Press and Information Office at the President's Office The achievements made are a firm guarantee of even greater progress on the path begun Yesterday afternoon the Ambassador of Israel in Tirana, Mr. Jahuda Milo, gave a short interview with several journalists from the Albanian media and press. In this meeting, Mr. Jahuda Milo, after speaking about the priorities of Albanian-Israeli cooperation, in response to a question from “RD” about his opinion on the political and economic reform developments in Albania after the victory of democracy, declared: “My opinion is that in these few years Albanian democracy has achieved impressive development both in the political field and in the economic one. When we speak of such major developments, we must also bear in mind the fact that they are being carried out in a transitional phase, which cannot properly pass without its own pain, but which is a necessary process and one that guarantees success in the future. Albania in these years went through a transition that passed through a difficult situation, but thus total destruction and absolute poverty; the visible achievements are an unshakable guarantee of even greater and more successful progress on the path begun.”

“Don’t listen to Bush. He is only a pensioner” are the words of the honorary president Ceka about U.S. President George Bush. The mania of some people, who also dabble a little in politics, to attack Berisha is now well known, so much so that it seems as if the only purpose of their lives is to attack Berisha. But until now they had limited themselves to that, whereas recently paranoia is making them absolutely everything. It was first Frrok Çupi who, in one voice, cast suspicion on the president of the World Bank (and on that organization itself) only because he expressed support for the Albanian President. Meanwhile the degree of madness reaches the “President” of PAD, Ceka, who “irons” the former President of the USA because, by calling him a pensioner, simply because Bush received President Berisha at his home, thinking he should not advise Albanians not to move away from the current course. Ceka should also know the active role played today in international politics by many former US presidents such as Carter or even Bush himself, not to mention the personality of a politician like George Bush. Ceka, who I believe was dragged even in the USA so that Bush would only cast a glance, but here they are, divided as they are, one person is a personality in politics and another dreams and gets a little involved in politics. It is nobody’s fault if Ceka belongs among those who lurk and do a bit of politics. Mr. Ceka, you belong to Namik Hoti’s mold. E. PALOKA

In two days, contradictory accusations about public order The zeal to contradict and counter-talk has led the deputies of “ZP” to smash, like glass, not one but both levels of accusations against public order. That is also how “ZP” behaves when it opposes every order and public order. On Thursday, “ZP”, referring to the article by Elio Naska from the district of Korça in the rubric “Why is it falling and falling...”, accused the Albanian government of being made up of “criminals, traffickers and scoundrels” who, through tricks and deception, are “installing order” through military forces. Whereas yesterday the “genocide” was true. Meanwhile, thanks to police work, E. Naska was solved and returned home, “ZP” carried the news and gave it at the end of its pages at a time when later its change mentioned it, what could one know? But that is not all. On another day, “ZP”, referring to the same rubric and “throughout the city” and perhaps? “Dik police” only because it had accused the state of not being able to establish order, “ZP” comes out with an article accusing the state of establishing order in dictatorial forms and even criticizing the order in Korça because police are posted near schools. So, the day before, the defense of E. Nushi in front of the school “revolted” the “ZP” journalists and they remember order because it allowed “genocide”, and the next day they are accused even of “no police in front of schools.” “ZP” has its own food: the tale of the donkey and the master with cold and hot water. EDI PALOKA

From the “Hazbiu” file we will publish materials from the 5th Plenum of the Central Committee of the PPSH held on 13 and 14 October 1982 These materials will include: 1. Kadri Hazbiu’s self-criticism before the Plenum meeting 2. Enver Hoxha’s speech, the speeches and debates of Xhelil Gjoni, Hekuran Isai, Rexhep Kolli, Themie Thomai, Enver Halili, Sherqet Peci, Ramiz Alia, Veli Llakaj, Nazar Berberi, and Harrilla Papajorgji. TODAY: KADRI HAZBIU’S SELF-CRITICISM. Svetozar Kociqi had been sent by Tito for special liaison here in Tirana. He had been an adviser in army security—where the chief was Kadri Hazbiu" PAGE 5

NEW DENUNCIATION AT THE GENERAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IN TIRANA The families of the 14 men executed in Mirdite are demanding that justice act PAGE 2 & 3