Mourning at the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Tirana The legislative package—a necessity The package of laws proposed by a group of deputies to fight corruption constitutes a new part of the intensification of controls and the elimination of economic speculation or abuse of office in various formations of the Albanian state. The intolerance shown so far by various parts of the state chain, ensured by law at customs points or at other times when financial revenues are collected for the state, will be reinforced by a harsh law that allows no tolerance. Thus, to ensure a tax system without evasion, a law on smuggling proposed by the group of Democratic deputies directly prescribes sentences of 13 years in prison. The form of the law presented by this group is that of a unified model, with no flexibility from the segments of the legal power which, naturally, although this is not stated in the law, implies a certain strictness toward them as well, since it leaves no room for the subjectivity of the court panel’s opinion. This is the first time that laws of this kind have been applied in Albania, but it is not the first time in Albania. The proposed package is a practice followed by developed countries whenever it has been necessary to protect the state from speculators and smugglers, or to protect people from thieves and other negative phenomena that accompany development. This time, in its chapters on smuggling and corruption, the legislative package is directed at the state structures themselves that are connected with this form of crime and are able to prevent, stop or obstruct it. In a negative case, the punishment is ... very severe, but quite natural when one considers the losses imposed on the state if the collection of customs duties or taxes of any kind is not carried out according to the relevant standards. Nevertheless, while strict legal provisions have been secured for fulfilling obligations to the state, ensuring people’s maximum well-being has not been overlooked, nor has the prevention of any practice that conflicts with the civil state Albania is trying to build. The proposals by PD deputies to impose harsh penalties for violent sexual relations, drug trafficking, concealment of assets or dirty money raise the barrier of the Albanian state against this kind of crime to a new level, thereby creating conditions for their elimination or maximum reduction. Parliamentary concern for people’s peace and for shielding them from the possibility of being drawn into crime for profit is one of the priorities of the Albanian rule of law. At the same time, the path to honest earnings and fair competition is opened or further secured, creating conditions for peace and a normal life as well. So far, the fight against crime and corruption has been at a satisfactory level and has managed to ensure people’s security as well as a significant decline in smuggling. The creation of this new package serves more as a preventive measure than as a means of punishment. Preserving and strengthening the rule of law has been and remains a priority for the Democratic Party, through the government formed by it and through the promotion of legislative initiatives that reflect its program for the next four years.

Yesterday the Bulgarian Prime Minister resigned from his post as head of the government and leadership of the Bulgarian Socialist Party. This is the greatest failure of the Bulgarian Socialists, the former communists, in government. Meanwhile, their failure to carry out economic reforms toward the creation of a market economy also marks the complete failure of all former communist forces in the East in the face of such a process. Videnov took over as head of the Bulgarian Socialist Party with the aim of giving the former communists a new image. He replaced at the head of the Bulgarian Socialists a former associate of the dictatorial leader Zhivkov. Young and inspired by his party, he managed no more than two years in government, during which living standards fell sharply and the socialist ideal among Bulgarians likewise depreciated. The Bulgarian Socialist Party and its former-communist government failed to carry out the privatization process in the economic system, while completely blocking privatization in the financial sector. Economic reforms were carried out only halfway, adding to people’s discontent. Only in the spring of this year was Bulgaria the only country in the former communist East to have problems with food and bread supplies, while recently the Bulgarian government was cut in half after a large part of its members resigned, including the Foreign Minister. The Bulgarian Socialists themselves are divided into two camps, called reformers and conservatives. The fall of the Bulgarian Socialists is also a bad sign for what remains of the Albanian Socialist Party. Their closest allies, with whom they formed their only electoral alliance in May of this year, are on the verge of total dissolution. For the Albanian Socialists, this is an additional blow on top of the losses they suffered in the elections held this year in Albania. This shows that any socialist government originating from the former communists is an inhibitor of economic and political processes. Their time is over. It has ended even in the country that kept the Socialists in power longer than anywhere else. The isolation of the Tirana headquarters is growing. S.N.

Free interventions in several healthcare projects Primary healthcare is a priority of great importance and is considered one of the most important interventions under “AL 93-03” PAGE 2

The split in the Socialist Party is being institutionalized

The split in the Socialist Party is being institutionalized Following petitions from the grassroots in several districts calling for Nano and the leadership made up of former ministers to resign, and for an extraordinary congress to be held in direct response to the manipulation of the analyses by the red envoys, the Tirana branch is institutionalizing the same position through a resolution of the Steering Committee. If the 20 elected Socialists who live in the capital’s outskirts and left the vote in a hurry to catch the last urban buses are also included, the resolution can be considered signed by two-thirds of this committee, making further discussion of one of the votes that declared the result a tie invalid as well. Perhaps this result would have been even more decisive if the “partial” votes had also been counted—the votes cast under threats by Kastrot Islami’s and Zabit Broka’s “Chetniks” against members of the Steering Committee.

Their state duties conflict with their parliamentary mandate The Mandates Committee proposed replacing them with the deputies Mitro Çela, Orion Rusi and Burhan Kaceli, in the order in which they appear on the PD’s multi-member list submitted to the Central Election Commission Their state duties conflict with their parliamentary mandate Pasko, Zhiti and Juka leave Parliament The Mandates Committee proposed replacing them with the deputies Mitro Çela, Orion Rusi and Burhan Kaceli, in the order in which they appear on the PD’s multi-member list submitted to the Central Election Commission

Vaclav Havel - Vaclav Havel was born on 5 October 1936. He comes from a family with a long tradition in business and cultural literature. Despite the difficulties of his long tradition, he wanted during the communist period to manage to become one of the many who had to deal with contemporary society. His curator and one of the well-known playwrights and writers. His curatorship and his being one of the talented playwrights and writers, his organized talent as an intellectual and his personality as an organized talent led to his being chosen as the leading representative of the opposition movement. On 29 December 1989 he was elected president of Czechoslovakia. With the division in December 1993, following the division of Czechoslovakia, he became president of the Czech Republic, a position he still holds today. Vaclav Havel is one of the successful leaders in Eastern Europe, and many voices consider his intellectual capacity to be a factor in his success as a politician. Although it was delivered by V. Havel at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand— © Re, and published in the magazine “ Nord Est no. 6, 1995/96, page 143.

Seminar with our military attachés and Albanian representatives at NATO PAGE 3

Last night at the Palace of Congresses The thirty-fifth Song Festival on RTV brought the excitement of the song competition to an end last night. The festival juries, the one in Tirana and those in the districts, selected the fifteen best entries in the year’s biggest musical event. The fortunate ones will be the protagonists tonight at the final, which will choose the song of the year. Last night’s festival began with a tribute to the most distinguished names in our light music over the years. This time, the protagonists were not in the hall. The choir “Pax Dei,” conducted by Suzana Turku, performed a musical medley arranged by Gjon Simoni featuring songs by Prenk Jakova, Nikolla Zoraqi, Pjetër Gaci, Kastriot Gjini, Agim Prodaniu and Tonin Harapi. Then the host, Ardit Gjebrea, spoke, and the spectators interrupted the remembrance of the musicians who are no longer with us. The audience applauded for a long time. As had been done at last year’s festival, last night the songs were presented once again, for the thirty-fifth time, but in shortened versions. Divided into groups of five, the songs were performed one after another: the first song from the first night, followed by the first song from the second night, and so on. The special guests of the third night also arrived between the songs. First was Tonin Marku, the Albanian living in the United States of America, who returned to the festival as a guest performer with the song “You surprise me like lightning.” The familiar face of our light music, winner of first prizes at two song festivals, could not remain entirely absent this time, after missing the F’96 competition. She brought her fans a song composed by Ardit Gjebrea. David de Or also came from Israel as a guest performer. The number-one act on the famous English Hit Parade in 1991 made the evening his own and won over the Albanian spectators. Bujar Qapexhiu, invited as host of the nineteenth festival, brought humor to the audience last night. Close to midnight, after the juries’ assessments, the finalist songs were selected. Among them were the sweet, charming song by Gjoka, Makashi and Deda, the song by Fiunete Tudes, and the song by fifteen-year-old Elsa Lila. In any case, tonight the mystery of the winning song will be solved. A. KASAPI

Members of Parliament discuss the government's draft laws PAGE 3 Financial agreements with the EIB for the two energy projects are not ratified

Cultural Panorama Pages 5–7

PAGE 2 The detection rate has risen to 84.5 percent Xhindole: There is no crime that cannot be solved Its lack of focus is linked to protection by people implicated in crime, who have also taken positions in certain sectors