ARBEN MEÇE

On the “Alia-Nano-Dokle-Ruçi-Benc” scandal NDREKE GJINI Apparently, the scandals of the PP(S)SH never end. In a word, the scandals that have been spoken and written about constitute only a part of the entire huge iceberg of scandal, which “floated” peacefully for nearly five decades in the great communist ocean of the party-state. In support of what we have stated above, it is enough to mention the decision of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PPSH dated 11.4.1991, a facsimile of which was published yesterday in “RD.” Although political pluralism had been declared in Albania, the PPSH continued, consistently, to steal the people’s wealth “to help” the New Zealanders. It was 10 thousand dollars that, with a stroke of the pen by a “senior leader,” left the Albanian state treasury to help a completely anonymous New Zealand Marxist. And when, specifically, did this happen? The facsimiles bring the perpetrators of the scandals to light. It is clear that this case, along with dozens of other scandals of this kind—and often on a much larger scale—is the most cynical paradox, or the clearest expression of the political cannibalism directed by Albania’s last communist president, Ramiz Alia, and former Prime Minister Fatos Nano, who at that time found time to devise and carry out theft schemes to enrich himself. Nor should it be forgotten that at precisely that time Gramoz Ruçi was “running” the Ministry of Internal Affairs, designing and carrying out, through his security forces, macabre crimes in all the cities where the PD had won. But to present this picture in full, one must mention the evolution of these “characters,” who worked with such “devotion” to bring this country, traumatized by nearly fifty years of dictatorship, to its complete agony. Alia, from prison, writes “lessons” in defense of Enverism. Nano (after stealing and failing as prime minister, he took over the leadership of the PPSH under its new name, in Tepelena, where he is washing away the sins of the thefts he committed as prime minister) now calls on people to follow his ideas (and act as in 1991). Ruçi and Dokle take notes and draft statements through which, by slandering and insulting, they try to incite tensions and sow destructiveness and a climate of psychological terror. They talk about Albania’s backward steps and its marginalization in European organizations, and announce barometer results that only they themselves know, putting their own vote at the top. Thus, they continue their quixotic struggle to return to the lost paradise.

DOKLE, GJNUSHI

From the shameful rally of July ’90 A SOCIALISTE

Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, received the commander of the Turkish naval forces, Admiral Vural Bayazit . At the meeting, after it was once again confirmed that relations between our two friendly countries have broad scope for friendship and comprehensive cooperation, the discussion focused on the importance and possibilities of cooperation between the armed forces of our two countries. President Berisha congratulated Admiral Bajazit on the successful completion of the joint maneuvers with the Albanian navy. Press and Information Office of the President

SAMI MILLOSHI simply answers by saying that he is putting on a show as an oppositionist. The cause lies elsewhere: to create confusion to help” the New Zealanders. It is by a “senior leader,” are taken from the Albanian state coffers does this happen? Unfortunately, this decision by the Central Committee Secretariat of the PPSH is dated 11.4.1991, a time when Albanians everywhere were holding their breath; a time when the long bread queues were the most tragic picture of the neo-communist politics that Alia and Nano were planning and implementing against Albanians; a time when young Albanians in their wretched circumstances saw their only glimmer of hope in mass exoduses, in which it was not uncommon to receive death as a “reward,” in the most mysterious of ways. A time when the new state officials, committed to restoring neo-communism in Albania, carried out and simulated their mass crimes. So, viewed from this perspective, we can say with

EDI PALOKA The phenomenon of secret police collaborators’ files is one that all former communist countries have faced. Therefore, after the fall of the regimes in all these countries, one of the most controversial issues was whether to open or disclose these files. In some countries it was decided that the files should not be opened, to avoid problems that might arise, knowing that in many cases collaborators had informed on one another, or a brother on his brother. In other countries, files were opened only for politicians, while in some countries, such as Czechia, publication of the names of former employees and collaborators of the secret police was also prohibited. In Albania, too, there have been differing opinions on this matter. Some have even called for the files never to be opened at all, but... In a country where the State Security service created a veritable hell for Albanians, it is unforgivable to turn a blind eye and “forget,” especially when many of the Security service’s criminals or their collaborators still continue to mislead Albanian politicians today, engineering one obstacle after another to the development of democracy. It is true that opening the files of all citizens could cause problems, but the files of politicians cannot remain unopened when many of them, known as Security service collaborators by living witnesses, now rant about democracy and the rule of law while working at the same time to undermine them. Under the law on files that is to be approved, these people must be removed from Albanian politics. But that is not all. Today there is a paradox in the debate on this issue: everyone talks about Security service collaborators and seems to forget to talk about the real criminals, those who in one way or another recruited these collaborators. They are precisely the ones who must be held accountable first. It is absurd to think of passing a law that penalizes that “80-leke fellow” and allows the head of the State Security service, Gramoz Ruci, to remain seated in the Albanian Parliament. Therefore, the law must first define penalties for those who worked directly in the criminal organs of the State Security service—the officials—and then for the collaborators. It would not be a bad idea, as regards opening the files, to apply this measure to journalists as well, or at least to newspaper editors. That way, even if for one reason or another their publication were not stopped, at least Albanians would know whose opinion they were reading in the newspapers.

Yesterday morning, the Secretary-General of the PDSh, Prof. Dr. Tritan Shehu, received a group of people settled in Bathore regarding the implementation of the Government’s decisions for this area. Those who came expressed their views about the events of the previous day. Mr. Shehu explained to them that the Government had a planning proposal concerning the area’s biodiversity problems and the relocation of this population to Cekreze. It was mentioned that there is an urban development plan related to supplying Tirana’s families with water. Mr. Shehu called for the immediate clearing of the national road, the main artery linking the northern cities with Tirana, which has been blocked by a settlement in the Bathore area. Mr. Shehu stressed that chaotic movement in violation of urban-planning and housing regulations must not take place. He also mentioned that there is a decree of the President of the Republic regarding the population that lost its bridge because of the hydroelectric plant. Later, Mr. Tritan Shehu, the prefect of Tirana Rexhep Karpaci, MP Shaban Memia, and others discussed making direct contact with the population in Bathore. The chaotic movement of people made productive contact impossible. Yesterday afternoon, another group, different from the first, of people settled in Bathore came to the PDSh headquarters. They spoke out against the actions carried out by some people in Bathore. For his part, the Secretary-General of the PDSh assured the citizens who had come to the PDSh of improvements to the area where they had settled, and of the implementation of the law and urban-planning and improvement projects, as had been done for others from Boviila. Mr. Shehu stressed that he would remain faithful to the Government’s decision to enforce the law concerning illegal construction. He again emphasized the urgent need to unblock the national road. Regarding the people arrested in connection with the previous day’s events, Mr. Shehu said that this matter fell within the remit of the prosecution authorities.

SAMI MILLOSHI Having been left in a state of psychological shock because of a lack of alternatives and their own failures, some leaders of the left-wing parties have thrown themselves fervently into constructing a propaganda terror campaign. Dokle, for example, declares that the councils of the Fier and Skrapar districts will soon sue President Berisha in the Constitutional Court. The reason? Simply that, according to him, the President’s decree dismissing the chairmen of the Fier and Skrapar district councils is supposedly “illegal.” Dokle offers no argument as to whether or not the two local-government officials abused their duties; he merely issues a call to disregard the President’s decree, which, naturally, was issued on the basis of the findings of the State Control Service. Why all this zeal to oppose a decree issued by the President under the powers granted to him by law? Why all this zeal to transfer responsibility from the violator of the law to its defender? Dokle cannot answer these questions simply by saying that he is playing opposition theater. The cause lies elsewhere: to create confusion in the enforcement of the law, so that Dokle and the others can then repeat speeches about “blocking local government.” And, besides this, to fabricate “facts” about the need for “early elections” and set Dokle’s pre-election, election-time and post-election imagination in motion. But however developed this imagination may be (although Dokle has bitter experience of losing as a presidential candidate when he competed against R. Alia), it is unlikely to become reality. There is still a year to go before the elections, and until then many things are expected to change, except for the fact that Dokle will continue to lead the same party that R. Alia led, and will undoubtedly continue to instruct Dokle in his altruistic political march. Nevertheless, it would not be a bad idea for Dokle to appeal to reason and stop calling for the non-enforcement of the President’s decrees, because his readiness to challenge Berisha as President could turn into a readiness to challenge himself.

At midday, Minister of Defence Safet Zhulali left for Brussels to take part in the meeting of the defence ministers of NATO member countries and of 14 of the 26 partner countries involved in the Partnership for Peace planning process. The meeting, whose proceedings will be held today in the Belgian capital, is expected to address security issues, developments in the former Yugoslavia, the report on planning activities for the next two years, and cooperation within the framework of the Partnership for Peace.

In yesterday’s editorial on the republic in “ZP”, among other things, one reads: “Your program, gentlemen (this refers to the PDSH program, according to the author), ‘Europe recognized it before you came to power on March 22; it also recognized it when the application to join the CE was submitted.’” For the gentlemen at “ZP”, it is still not clear that the application was made not for the PD to join the CE, but for Albania to join—to include both those who work devotedly to achieve this major objective and those who have obstructed, and are trying to obstruct, its realization as a member of the “unexpected.”

Today, the president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament, Mr. Adrian Nastase, arrives in Tirana for a two-day visit, accompanied by a group of senators, deputies and advisers. Today, the Mr. Adrian Nastase, arrives in Tirana for a two-day visit, accompanied by a group of senators, deputies and advisers. During his visit to Tirana, Mr. Nastase will meet with the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha; the Speaker of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Pjeter Arbnori; Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi; Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi; and the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups. Adrian Nastase, born on June 22, 1950, in Bucharest, married and with two children, received the title of Professor and Doctor of Legal Sciences at the University of Bucharest in 1987. From 1973 to 1990, he worked as a research associate at the Bucharest Research Institute. From 1990 to 1992, he was Romania’s Foreign Minister. His political career continued in 1992, when he served as an ambassador; that same year, he was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies. Mr. Nastase has an extensive career in the scientific field. In 1982, he became a member of the Academy of Sciences. In 1977, he was president of the International Association of Justice (Adiri) in Bucharest. From 1991 to 1992, he was executive president of the Euro-Atlantic Center in Bucharest and a member of the Human Rights Information and Documentation System (Huridocs). In 1991, he became a member of the Board of Directors of the East-West Studies Institute in New York, etc.

Let us all help LORENC LIGORI

For technical reasons, the newspaper “Tribuna Demokratike” could not be published. The editorial staff apologizes to its readers. The editorial staff of the newspaper “Tribuna Demokratike”