Despite a category of pseudo-intellectuals who propagate the idea of being an intellectual in eternal opposition to the state, the true Albanian intelligentsia did not fall into this trap, because Freedom, Democracy and the prosperity of the Nation are more precious than any fashion. LAZER STANI The thesis that the Democratic Party abandoned the intellectuals and was abandoned by them, so widely propagated in the opposition press by pseudo-intellectuals—people who had served the dictatorship and its ruling (read: macabre) ideology with great devotion, and had earned their political status as intellectuals precisely for that reason—is being refuted, and has been refuted day by day, by the development of social and political life in Albania, and particularly by recent developments within the ranks of the DP. The support that the Albanian intelligentsia has given the Democratic Party and the democratic Government over these three years has been decisive for the progress of democratic processes and the development of economic reform, as well as for overcoming the whole difficult political and economic situation that the DP ... Intellectuals, engaged and conscious of their responsibility to the nation, have formed the only constructive opposition, one that has served the DP and the Government by helping them correct their mistakes and make all their political and economic activity effective. This has brought Albania to its present stage, incomparable with where it was three years ago, after that moment had been surpassed and the long Communist night finally left behind. I say that the constructive opposition of the intellectuals has been just as instrumental, because over these three years the political opposition has, for the most part, not been guided by sound reason but by blind political passion. At its core, this has been nothing but disagreement with the positive changes that have taken place in our country, rejection of the new reality that has been created, and a failed response to the need to set out a future course. In its genetic code, this opposition has written an effort by every means to ensure its own survival, regardless of the consequences. It is precisely this stance of the opposition that has made the leading role of the intellectuals’ constructive opposition, and their sincere commitment to place all their potential at the service of democracy and the nation, more evident and more important. The rest of the text appears to have been cut off at the bottom of the page. The support that the Albanian intelligentsia has given over these three years to the Democratic Party and the democratic Government has been conducive to reform, as well as to overcoming the whole of that grave political and economic situation that the DP and the Government it formed inherited from the dark totalitarian past after the victory of March 22. Just as valuable and conducive has been the opposition of these intellectuals, regardless of the consequences it brings. Beyond this, the opposition’s stance has made more evident and more important the leading role of constructive intellectual opposition and its sincere commitment to placing all its potential at the service of democracy and the nation. To explain this complex relationship that developed between the DP and intellectuals in Albania—a relationship expressed through cooperation and alliance, but also ... ... of its own mission, clearly set out in its program, which expresses the aspirations of the Albanian people for Freedom and Democracy, for transformation and rapid economic development, for national prosperity and modern citizenship. These aspirations, which the DP made its own from the moment of its founding, cannot ... (Continued on page 3)

Interview with the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Hasan Halili - Privatization is the motto of our work - Numerous multilateral and bilateral projects - Statistics show a marked increase in production Question: Mr. Minister! How has your ministry’s work been organized in accordance with the programme of the Government and the DP? Answer: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has worked to implement the Government programme approved by the Albanian Parliament. The major transformations in Albanian agriculture began in July 1991, when, at the insistence of the DP parliamentary group, the version of the law on land ownership was approved. The Government formed after the elections of 22 March 1992, in keeping with the DP’s electoral programme prior to 22 March, planned to continue privatization in the food industry as well, in pastures and, in the future, in forests of private origin. In these circumstances, the DP Ministry, despite the fluctuations and difficulties ... The Ministry of Agriculture and Food had the primary task of achieving the objectives. Its work consisted of: I. ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM Whereas in 1990 the administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food had around 208 employees, today it has only 93 specialists, notwithstanding the service workload. This reform also extended to the reorganization of the district agricultural directorates, whose structures include the production specialists required and ... With USAID’s assistance, a study is being carried out on reorganizing scientific institutions in accordance with Western concepts of a market economy. To compensate for the work of specialists at every level, full computerization was introduced in the Ministry and partial computerization in the Agricultural Directorates. II. IMPROVEMENT OF LEGISLATION The transition from a centralized economy to a market economy makes this improvement necessary. Alongside the work of dozens of Albanian specialists, who ... (Continued on page 3) ... Under these circumstances, the Ministry of ... private. Under these circumstances, the Ministry of ... Minister Halili signing an agreement

The call for the Night of Saint Bartholomew does not come from an illegal terrorist organization or from cults such as that of supreme truth; rather, it was the Albanian Socialists’ “greeting” on the occasion of the close of Parliament’s session. With this fratricidal call from the Middle Ages, the former members of the Albanian secret police at the head of the PS hoped they would be able to repeat, in August 1995—not for religious reasons, but for ideological ones—the massacre of August 1572, when tens of thousands of people were killed in Paris, an event known as the Massacre of the Night of Saint Bartholomew. The pretext for issuing this medieval call to arms was, or was made of, the unanimous vote by DP deputies to bring the Code of Criminal Procedure into force. As the herald of the call, the PS’s former secret-police men chose a person who began his political career by burning churches and mosques: a leader among the perpetrators of the historic cultural genocide inflicted on the Albanian nation throughout its millennia-long existence, a persecutor and condemner of well-known Albanian intellectuals, Mr. Moikom Zeqo. This time, the place chosen to issue this fratricidal call was not a platform, hall or the streets, but the Albanian Parliament, because it was thought that making the call from Parliament would greatly increase the chances of carrying out the Night of Saint Bartholomew scenario. Those who devised this scenario thought that the PS’s fanatics and thugs would be emboldened by a call from the parliamentary chamber and would openly embark on organized illegal terrorist activity. To carry out the Night of Saint Bartholomew scenario, the red-hooded figures at the head of the PS chose confrontation between the crowd and the law, and between the crowd and the police who uphold the law, as the surest course. To serve this line, the party rag ZP, which these days celebrated the 54th anniversary of its activity in defence of dictatorship, terror, organized state crime, genocide, national division and the promotion of international terrorism, was tasked with publishing reports calling on PS members and supporters to gather in squares and other places, block national roads and disrupt city life—all in complete violation of the law adopted by Parliament during the period when the Socialists held a majority. Not only did ZP publish calls for unauthorized rallies, but, in keeping with the scenario, it also fabricated reports of illegal rallies and nonexistent clashes with law-enforcement forces, such as the imaginary rally in Krujë. Comrades Zhulimi, Ruçi, Dokle, Brokaj and Hajdaraga were mobilized to lead the implementation of the scenario. The Socialist comrades left their villas and, competing with one another, spread out across the country’s cities. But the Albanian electorate as a whole, and PS members and supporters in particular, who had been summoned as part of this scenario, were ... [the source text is corrupted here; the sentence resumes with a reference to one another, spread out across the country’s cities. this scenario, were disappointed. But they did not back down and, thanks to the scenario, forcefully staged the February and 2 April events; and, as for the calls for a Night of Saint Bartholomew, for fratricidal war, dragging people and cracking skulls—the essence of the Marxist Socialist alternative—they are determined to respond with resistance and nothing but contempt. “Opponents, but brothers” is and will remain the motto of all those who believe in democracy and its values.

The visit of the Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Amr Moussa, is expected to mark a step forward in political and economic cooperation between Albania and Egypt. At present, officials from both countries consider relations between them to be very good. Political contacts have reached their highest level. For Egypt, Albania is now not only a traditional friend but also a partner. This refers to mutual assistance in multilateral settings and in various international forums. Egypt, one of the initiators of the Mediterranean initiative, has supported Albania’s membership in it. According to observers, Egypt views our country’s position as mutually advantageous politically and as offering considerable opportunities for investing its private capital. Kato Aromatik, which operates in Albania, has attracted other Egyptian firms, and concrete efforts are also being made to bring them here. Egypt has observer status in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), for which it has also had Albania’s support. Bilateral cooperation within this initiative is another opportunity and an open field for the future. Politically, the Egyptian foreign minister’s visit is also connected with his country’s interest in the situation in the former Yugoslavia. In this context, he will also learn about Albania’s recent views and positions on the Kosovo issue, the current situation and the effects of the tense situation in Kosovo on the Balkans. Given Egypt’s influence in various international political organizations and its good relations with various Western European countries, Albanians expect it to have a positive influence on a just resolution of the Albanian question in general and that of Kosovo in particular. Albania has appreciated the role of the member countries of the OIC, and especially Egypt, which sponsored the first resolution on Kosovo at the United Nations General Assembly in December of last year; it was adopted by a majority vote. Albania has supported the peace process in the Middle East and has called for Egypt’s release and role in this process. Although both sides assess their relations positively, meetings between delegations at various levels have also emphasized that those relations need to be adapted to actual conditions in order to expand cooperation further. The fields identified as being of mutual interest in this regard include light industry and food production, air transport, culture, information, media, sport, etc.

guided by wrongful aims as a judge, he naturally needed specialized employees close to him to implement his policy at this court. That is why he has gathered former Sigurim officers around himself, such as Nikolli (Ndue Marku), but he is not the only one. For this reason, Mr. Brozi did not bother to request the documentation on this former Sigurim officer to see whether he met the criteria for a position as chief secretary—especially since Ndue Marku had also received a reprimand with a warning of dismissal while working in Burrel, for being undisciplined. We learn that Zef Brozi, chief secretary of the Court of Cassation, has chosen Ndue Marku, otherwise known as Nikolli. Who is Ndue Marku? After completing the security service school, this Sigurim officer worked at the former Ministry of Internal Affairs from May–July 1987 until December of that year. From December ’87 until March ’90, he worked as an officer in the leadership security unit at the Prime Minister’s Office. From ’90 to ’93, he worked at the public order protection commissariat in Burrel, from where he left during the restructuring process under the relevant criteria. The reasons why Mr. Brozi has appointed a former senior official of the former State Security service as chief secretary are confirmed by Brozidha to those who may have recommended him. But it is an indisputable fact that the President of the Court of Cassation did not take into account the criteria for appointing a suitable person to this position at such a high institution of Albanian justice. Mr. Brozi, by ... Ndue Marku and Mr. Zef Brozi are linked not only by a past involving the titles of the dictatorship; they are also connected by family friendship, since Ndue’s brother married Zef’s niece. Brozi’s nepotism at the Court of Cassation is very much in evidence; we will report on this another time. We rightly ask: Why does Mr. Brozi keep such people around him, people who served so devotedly in the structures of the State Security service? Can such a person be chief secretary of the Court of Cassation, such a high institution of Albanian justice?! Does Mr. Zef Brozi, the infamous advocate of the arrest of Chairman Nano, know this? We raise the question: Is the protection “ZP” gives Brozi connected to the past of his collaborators? ERMAL DIBRA Brozi’s chief secretary, Mr. Ndue Marku, in the uniform of the security service school

PS and “ZP”: Blackmail, threats and lawsuits against “RD” journalists PS leaders in Librazhd physically attack “RD” correspondent The PS’s politics through the lens of myth Dr. Aleksander Kocani Instead of the PS’s three-year “pro-American” passport MENTOR SHEHU Dokle raises the flag against Kosovars Gjinushi against his allies From the beach at Durrës MENTOR GJINI Flooding in the country’s northern areas “ZP”’s sensationalist headline-mongering AGIM MERO p. 8 Super crossword, entertaining games LEFTER KROI

Brozi’s old associates in

The transition from the economy of ... (Continued on page 3)

Last night we heard some sad news: journalist Ludmilla Pajo has left us. Most recently, she was press spokesperson at the Ministry of the Interior. We extend our condolences to her family and loved ones. We, her colleagues, remember Luda as a journalist. We will remember her for her passionate writing about ordinary people, and for the support she gave democracy in recent years. Luda will not be forgotten. Through her journalism, she established herself among the capable journalists who loved ordinary people, their freedom and prosperity with all their hearts. On this occasion, the entire staff of “RD” expresses its condolences to her family and loved ones and shares in your grief.