The telephone-tapping scandal. The Albanian Watergate rolls on TELEKOM employees threatened with Kalashnikovs to make them leave their workplace The scandal of wiretapping telephones belonging to the opposition, the press, and Western embassies is continuing unabated, even after the publication of news that would have astonished any normal government into resigning. Employees of TELEKOM in Tirana confirmed that yesterday the equipment room was occupied by the men of former State Security agents Agron Ismailati and Anastas Konomi. According to them, SHIK agents began applying pressure on Wednesday afternoon, but TELEKOM employees demanded an order from the prosecutor's office to divert the lines. At one point, Konomi's and Ismailati's special agents even drew their weapons to force TELEKOM employees to carry out their bosses' orders. Meeting with resistance, they drove the TELEKOM employees out and took over the work themselves in the wiretapping room, without their knowledge. From ten o'clock Wednesday morning until today, the telephone-line room has been blocked by the men of Fatos Nano and Fatos Klosi. According to sources at TELEKOM, new specialists from SHIK arrived there with two devices and continued working throughout yesterday. The scandal of wiretapping telephones belonging to the opposition, the press, and foreign embassies is terrifying evidence of Albania's return many years into the past, to the days when the State Security Directorate orchestrated the murders, imprisonments, and internments of thousands of Albanians.

After only two months in government, the Albanian Socialists found themselves in Strasbourg not as members of an organization in which Albania is a member state, but as if they were before a court. It took only the report by the rapporteur for Albania, Van der Linden, to make the installed Albanian government feel the weight of the continuing stains it is putting on the country—before even reaching the special debate session, which was a real trial of this wretched government at this time in Albania’s history. There is no need to mention once again all those shocking facts that are well known in Albania, and which were once again laid before Albanian officials: starting with the dismantling of laws, institutions, human rights and the opposition, Arbnori’s hunger strike, and the political attack against MP Azem Hajdari. The authorities were asked to sever their ties with the criminal gangs that brought them to power, making it absolutely clear that the international community is deeply concerned about how the former Communists came to power. During the general debate, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held extremely heated discussions about Albania, which shows that its failure to respect the Council gives others grounds to take such action. Yet Nano’s official representative, Namik Dokle, invoked the Warsaw Pact, which his government rehabilitated a few days ago. Those present were shocked as Namik Dokle spoke, because they saw in him the embodiment of the fanatical Communist of 40 years ago. After only two months in government, the installed Government already faces a mountain of conditions, recommendations, criticisms, and even demands. After only two months in government, the Socialists are adding to the stains on their country, gravely undermining its future and its role as an equal among civilized nations. And, despite all this, the installed Socialist administration continues to deepen its campaign of revenge. The DP’s civic protests have become targets of surveillance, threats, and other abuses by former State Security agents, once again placed in positions in the secret service. Nano-Klosi’s police systematically detain protesters every night and keep them for hours at police stations, apart from the police commissioners. Yesterday morning, Koça’s police seized a person at the “Ballkani” café, where he was having coffee with an acquaintance, put him in the van of Police Station No. 2, and dumped him in a pit near the Guard, beating and insulting him because he had taken part in DP rallies. Last night they detained the former Chairman of the State Audit Service, Blerim Çela, on the pretext that he had taken part in a rally. The real reason is his democratic activity and retaliation against the man who exposed the privatization of humanitarian aid by the installed Prime Minister, Fatos Nano. The installed administration and government of Klosi have not refrained from their despicable actions against their opponents in Strasbourg, Hoxha Kola, Nilok, Washington, etc. But we must not forget that these actions only hasten their own downfall, while the opposition has realized that organizing against the Albanian Communists is a necessity that has made it all the more determined to act; they remain nothing but a farce.

From yesterday’s meeting between the opposition parties and Alimuça

Ceka launches trials against DP leaders Blerim Çela is a member of the DP National Council and, until two days ago, was Chairman of the State Audit Service. He exposed Prime Minister Fatos Nano’s massive theft in 1991. Police detained the former Chairman of the State Audit Service, Blerim Çela, at around 8:30 p.m. last night. A police car stopped in front of his house, and a group of officers in blue uniforms got out and forced him to leave the house. The preliminary accusation is that he took part in the DP rallies organized in “Skënderbej” Square for the third day in a row. After an hour of questioning, Blerim Çela was escorted back to his home, while he was notified of the complaint opening a criminal case against him for taking part in an illegal rally. It had been two days since Blerim Çela was dismissed from his post of verification under an absurd law passed by the Parliament of the Kalashnikovs. He is a member of the DP National Council and one of its most active figures in the struggle for democracy. Following the third arrest of an MP and the detention of participants over the past two days, the height of Communist brutality has come with the arrest of one of the DP’s leading figures. It seems that Nano’s order to eliminate and isolate all his political opponents has been carried out to the letter. Çela is also one of those who exposed Fatos Nano’s theft of foreign aid in 1991. Communist revenge is becoming harsher every day, but the determination of the Democrats is growing stronger and stronger as well.

The law on the High Council of Justice under the Council of Europe’s scrutiny The Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has decided to appoint several experts to examine the unconstitutional and antidemocratic law on the High Council of Justice, signed by President Meidani. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed deep concern about the consequences that the law decreed by Meidani could have for the Albanian justice system. By issuing its first rebuke over the infringement of judicial independence, the Council of Europe is expressing concern that the Socialist rulers’ campaign of revenge has also struck deeply at the justice system. The decision to appoint this special monitoring committee is another sign of Europe’s concern about the Nano-Meidani clique. This is further evidence of the reaction in Europe to the first steps of the arrogant campaign of revenge by Albania’s Socialist government.

New York: The Prime Minister meets Kinkel Installed Prime Minister Fatos Nano found himself exposed during a meeting in New York with German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, in response to his ungrateful demands. Kinkel reminded Nano that Germany was the European Union’s largest contributor to Albania, with around 400 million dollars. Kinkel reminded Nano that Germany is a good friend of Albania, despite his ingratitude. At a meeting with Fatos Nano, the irresponsible and ungrateful Prime Minister of Albania, German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel once again demonstrated his country’s friendship toward Albania and its unwavering determination that this friendship will not be diminished by ingratitude, irresponsibility, or the short-sighted policies of Fatos Nano and the installed government.

Wolfenson, Kamdesv, and Campi ask Nano how he will repay the money promised to the lenders ON PAGE 3

The eighth day of demonstrations in “Skënderbej” Square The DP condemns the police detention of protesters The Democratic Party strongly condemns the police action against peaceful demonstrators, its members and supporters, who took part in the solidarity rally for MP Azem Hajdari on 25 September 1997. As they were gathering at the Democratic Party headquarters, a police rapid-response unit from District No. 3 forcibly intervened in the crowd, arresting several of its members. This ugly, political act by Ceka’s police is intended to weaken the spirit of protest that has swept the entire Albanian people against the government and Albanian parliamentarians following the attack by organized political crime against Azem Hajdari. But we assure the police and their leaders, Ceka, that their actions against the demonstrators will not diminish the will to protest; they will only strengthen it. We also call on the police not to obey the orders of Ceka and Tusha and not to become an instrument of Communist revenge. No one can stop the thousands of demonstrators who have occupied the square to protest.

The eighth day of demonstrations in “Skënderbej” Square

Opposition parties meet Alimuça: “Without transparency, people’s savings cannot be gambled with”

Today at 12:00, in one of the facilities of the Military Hospital, MP Azem Hajdari will hold a press conference for journalists. Its main subject will be the political assassination attempt against Socialist MP Mazreku.