Italy offers new hope to Albanian refugees ON PAGE 4

Kastriot Islami’s gangs steal 400,000 liters of fuel in Ballsh ON PAGE 4

PS commissioners: lowly falsifiers and cheats. The failure of the “Nano 3” project disorients the Socialist camp

The Democratic Party lost power after five years of governing, mainly because it could not withstand the unprecedented violence, terror and pressure of the communist rebellion, which was directed explicitly by the leaders of the far left. Nevertheless, this undeniable truth must never lead us to deny the fact that its five years in government also left people dissatisfied; most of them judged or thought that senior Democratic Party officials had abused their positions to enrich themselves, thereby trampling on the votes and trust of their electorate. It is entirely true that the opposition spent this period abusing and smearing all the prominent figures of the Democratic Party, just as it is true that the Albanian administration was unable to fight corruption as much as it should have. At the last meeting of the PD National Council, Berisha put forward the idea of making the income of all Democratic candidates standing in the 29 June elections transparent. “None of us should have to carry someone else’s sins on our shoulders,” was the principle behind Berisha’s idea, which at the time appeared to be [?] by everyone present. But what was welcomed at the National Council remained only in the minutes of the meeting, since almost no one was seen turning out their pockets before their own candidacy. With the exception of Berim Çela, who brought an account of all his expenses since 1991, no other PD candidate—many of whom had held senior state positions in recent years—deigned to take the step of declaring their wealth. The lack of income transparency during the election campaign is one of the fundamental reasons for the Democratic Party’s defeat in the 29 June elections. The absence of even the most minimal gesture of sincerity, amid declarations that for years had been filled with the opposition’s legacy as well as actual abuses of power by certain people, proved that the Rulët, Vrionët and Çelat were not isolated cases in the Democratic Party. But the fact that nobody had the courage to distance themselves from this category, publicly clarifying their honest position to the electorate, further damaged the image of the Democratic Party’s campaign as a whole. By failing to do so, many relatively untainted PD figures could not dispel people’s suspicions about their wealth—suspicions that existed only in the minds of the Socialists and other leftists, who had run a disinformation campaign. The lack of transparency was made worse by former PD officials obscuring the ownership of kiosks, villas or coastal land, even though these belonged to people who had no connection with them. It was no coincidence that the group of deputy prime ministers and ministers fielded by the PD, as soon as unfavorable winds began to blow regarding their incomes, achieved a result that marked their [?] with the Albanian electorate. Given the votes that Fini, Vlloni, Shehi and others managed to get in this election, showing that they had not even managed to get the votes of their own relatives, this is the most meaningful indication of the choice made by an electorate that was abusive and clearly suspicious about wealth. The opposition party had made an effort to shape the PD better, so that it would responsibly put a stop to [?] and analyze a significant factor: lack of transparency was one of the influences on its election result. But if they themselves left the PD, thereby doing it a valuable service, that does not mean they had been [?] while they were state officials. The Democratic Party must cast off the wealth of all its officials, which exists was made worse by former PD officials [?] the ownership claims over their [?] would responsibly put a stop to [?] of the influences on its election result.

Hajdari stresses that Nano’s problem lies in whether or not Nano has been convicted. If he has been convicted, what difference does it make where he is serving his sentence? Hajdari: Sanxhaku confuses amnesty with pardon Yesterday, MP Azem Hajdari dismissed and described as entirely unprofessional the arguments made by Fatos Nano’s lawyer, Përparim Sanxhaku. For the Albanian courts, he is in prison. President Berisha, who exercised the right to pardon Nano, reduced his court sentence by several years. Sanxhaku should not confuse the various initiatives to grant amnesty. In all cases in which Parliament has granted amnesties, the actions committed by Fatos Nano have not been amnestied. Thus, when Nano announced his candidacy, under Article 69 he was a convicted person. According to the main constitutional provisions, the question of Fatos Nano’s innocence is his personal matter. Nano has accepted the pardon in every instance. This means that he has been satisfied

MINISTER MBR KOT MBR M.I MINISTER KRYE MINISTER GJE AS GJE Fatos Nano’s great dilemmas

Azem Hajdari responds to Nano’s anxious indifference Yesterday, Azem Hajdari responded to Nano’s anxious indifference. the arguments made by Fatos Nano’s lawyer, Përparim Sanxhaku. matters is where he is serving his sentence. sentence by several years. Sanxhaku should not have confused the concept of amnesty with that of pardon. Amnesty is not within the competence of the President of the Republic. It is within the competence of the Albanian Parliament, and to date the Albanian Parliament has initiated amnesties several times. In all the cases in which Parliament granted amnesty, the actions committed by Fatos Nano were not means that he was satisfied with this pardon, accepted the crime, accepts the court’s sentence, and expressed remorse for the crime he committed, benefiting several times from the power to grant pardons while remaining a convicted person. Yesterday, Azem Hajdari responded to Nano’s concerned indifference. “It is not my fault that you abused your official positions when you were the last communist prime minister, stealing aid intended for the people, for which the court found you guilty,” he says. You stole the money for your own account, not for mine. Since you were convicted, and you do not know that after the pardons of philosophy I graduated from the Faculty of Law, let me remind you that the first thing you need to do is wash away the crimes you committed and the crimes committed by your associates. You have me here, in Parliament. Since the Director once called you an owl, I cannot say anything more than he did. The history of Nano 3’s government will be shorter than the histories of the other two governments. In your case, the best defence is not attack but finding arguments—which you certainly do not have. If your lawyer is unable to provide you with the proper legal advice because of the euphoria over the post you have offered him, then find another lawyer by tossing him a bone, Hajdari’s response concludes.

Three mau­ne of cigarettes seized in Lezhë Three mau­ne of smuggled cigarettes seized and impounded by the police forces of Tirana’s Rapid Response Unit in Lezhë on July 12 vashz-donjnë were found at the unit’s location. The Directorate of Customs, which reports to Finance Minister Arben Malaj, and other state bodies have responded with complete indifference, using all kinds of pretexts, despite the unit’s repeated requests to assess the goods and store them in state warehouses. The failure to take any action required by law on the part of Customs and the Prosecution is no accident; it is intended to prevent the identity of the true inspirer and owner of the smuggled cigarettes from coming to light. Lieutenant Colonel Sokol Mulosmani, Commander of the Rapid Response Unit, stated that the full cycle of legal procedures should have been completed within a few hours, but that this was being artificially obstructed. He says that, when the cigarettes were seized, an offer of 20,000 dollars was made to release the goods, a sum that was later raised to 30,000 US dollars. Mulosmani also said there had been pressure not only through bribery, but also through threats to seize the goods by force during transport and at their current storage location. The commander of the rapid-response group adds that crime and the fight against crime are now confronting each other openly and covertly, through Kalashnikovs and the lure of money, used by criminals as tools to undermine the fight against crime. Economic crime moves freely through the Customs and Prosecution offices under the protection of the tutllare and officials and departments controlled by Malaj and Fino.

PD denounces violence against the family of former MP Çepele ON PAGE 2 Lenin’s lookalike, a “bone of contention” for the socialists Socialists in Korçë: No to Fatos Nano as Prime Minister The socialists of Korçë are angry and are protesting against their leader, Fatos Nano, taking the seat of head of the next government. In fact, even during the election campaign, when Nano ...

Articles targeting the foreign service are based on fabrications and flagrant distortions The best-known figures in the foreign service, including intellectuals who have contributed to Albanian diplomacy, as well as many career diplomats, have become targets of public attacks with dubious aims ON PAGE 3

Murders, robberies, arson and thefts continue unabated in Albania. Every day, chilling reports come in from various parts of the country about people being killed and massacred, fires, assaults, and so on. Meanwhile, Albania’s prime minister, Bashkim Fino, plays football. As he himself has stated in the press, he plays football only in the afternoon! This irresponsible man, who still heads the Government at a time when the lives, property and safety of citizens are in great danger, directly encourages crime when he publicly declares that there is nothing he can do to take ret. Naturally, if this country’s prime minister is not concerned about the serious security situation in Berat, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, Elbasan, Burrel and many other cities, at least in public he should display a minimum of civic decency and say that he is concerned by the violence and crime, terror and insecurity that affect Albanian citizens.

On Sunday, 20.07.1997, at 11:00, the National Council of the PDSH will meet in the meeting hall of the Palace of Congresses, with the following agenda: 1. Analysis of the situation before and after the elections. 2. The next political steps to be taken by the PDSH.

The Socialists block the election result at the KGZ. Blackmail against President Berisha