“Union for Democracy” is organizing a massive peaceful protest in front of the Parliament building in “Fan Noli” Square, for two days in a row, Wednesday and Thursday, 5 and 6 August 1998. 7:00 p.m. Everyone at the protest against the draft law on RTV and the information terr[it?]. Everyone for the implementation of the Arbnori Amendment. Everyone together against the government dictatorship in the media!

The sensational incident on the island of Nikono is fully brought to light. Sokol Nano had his large business in the place where he was caught with drugs The son of the Albanian prime minister is listed as co-owner with a very wealthy Greek on the tourist island where he was stopped by police ON PAGE 3

By Edi PALOKA The Albanian prime minister has left for a vacation. He has gone with his family to Greece, the neighboring country where Nano and his detached government officials spend most of their time. Greece is also the country where, only a few days ago, the prime minister reportedly knew that he had been caught with a large quantity of drugs, but was surprisingly released quickly, although Greek laws are harsh on drug traffickers. Now Nano has returned to Greece with the rest of his family, who have come from Paris, to spend their vacation. For any serious politician, such an action would be normal; for Nano, it would be impossible—it is not so. This is another scandal to be added to Nano’s political record. This is no longer a question of where Nano gets the money to take his family to Europe’s most expensive capitals. Nor is it a question of the Nano family’s close ties with Greece, so close that even the family’s ties with money lead them there. After the scandal of a few days ago, the issue is the repeated return to Greece for a vacation. The issue here is the sense of responsibility of the head of the Albanian government. Albania is in a total crisis, not only economic but also political. Politics is submerged in corruption and crime. The country is heading toward misery, while the summer pressures continue to confine Albanians and entertain themselves. The alarm about this situation has been sounded, but our government officials are not concerned at all. They think only about where they can spend this hot summer. But that is not all. Another problem is truly troubling. Kosovo is in flames. Every day the situation there grows worse. Every day, dozens and hundreds of Albanians—our own blood—are being killed in Kosovo. In northern Albania, the Kosovo Serbs, our own blood, and the Albanians of the south, because the Kosovars began to be attacked only in Kosovo, but there again more than the Albanians. In view of the grave events, it seems as if even the war with the Serbs has died down. Closely following this dangerous situation, international politics has sounded the alarm and intensified its actions in this area of fighting. Yet at this very moment the Albanian prime minister and Albania’s government have set off for Greece, and the Greeks themselves return to vacation on Greece’s seas. Is this human responsibility, or are we dealing with something even more serious? There are many examples of our government officials’ irresponsibility. Should we infer from this action that they care more about themselves than about Albanians, who are in a state of freedom while half the nation is at war, and that the war could spread to Albania from one day to the next? These are not national-minded people. Other heads of state, when intervening in this country, come in place of others and do not commit these small, unacceptable acts in their own countries, while the Albanian prime minister leaves his country for a vacation at a time when the war takes more Albanian lives every day. These are the rulers who hold the fate of Albanians in their hands. The fate of the Albanian nation is in these people’s hands today as well. The PD has long declared that this government is an enemy of the Albanians. One day they will answer for everything they are doing to Albanians and Kosovars, but that day must not be allowed to be postponed. The longer they stay in power, the more Albanians will suffer because of them; and for some of their “deeds,” tomorrow may be too late to make amends.

Police attack the Bulqiza hunger strikers SPECIAL REPORT ON PAGE 7

Only Millosheviçi benefits from disagreements among Albanians The situation of underrepresentation or weakening of the Albanians’ representative power in Kosovo must come to an end ON PAGE 3

The law must punish those who ordered and carried out the attack on MP Shaban Memia “The assault on MP Memia was carried out in retaliation for his persistent denunciation of government corruption and the crimes of the political mafia”

After the attack on the Sarandë police station Those who attacked the Police Station said they would teach the newly appointed chief a good lesson; first, everyone needs to find out who the iron hand ruling Albania is. “Gramoz Ruçi protects us,” they declared, since we have served him in all kinds of jobs. ON PAGE 4

The Democratic Party leadership meets Yesterday afternoon, under the leadership of the chairman of the PDSH, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, a meeting of the party leadership was held. The meeting aimed to energize the party’s organization in towns and villages and establish a clear work strategy for the future, in order to give new impetus to the party’s branches, sections, and subsection groups at the grassroots level. It is true that during this period, from the events of 29 June until now, qualitative indicators have been achieved in organizational work and in expanding the PD at the grassroots level, increasing its membership and activists. This meeting also identified organizational weaknesses observed in some PD branches. In light of the current situation and the growing electoral support for the PD, the PDSH leadership set a strategy to raise the organization and political activity of PD district branches to a higher level. To this end, concrete measures were established to take a new step in organizing the PD, requiring work by all PD leadership structures, from the center to the grassroots, as well as the involvement in this platform of officeholders and local representatives of the PDSH. An important means identified was increasing the role of individuals and grassroots structures, and improving organizational work and the relationships between PD structures following the adoption of regulations governing the operation of branches, sections, and the PD’s higher forums. This creates the proper conditions for raising the involvement of individuals and the functioning of PD structures to a higher level. To support this important process in the PD’s political life, the leadership decided that appropriate measures should be taken in certain organizational sectors to make them more creative in the process of rebuilding the organization. The leadership instructed all district branches to review the work carried out so far on organizational issues.

Residents of Kurbin block the national road for an hour Protest against the government’s decision to cut funding for the water supply system Two thousand residents of the Sanxhak neighborhood in Kurbin blocked the national road passing through Laç for about an hour yesterday. They came out at around 7:00 p.m. and left only at 8:00 p.m., after the intervention of PD MP Pal Dajçi. The cause of this action was the government’s decision to cut funding for the water supply system, as well as the water flowing from the Sanxhak River, but also that the whole village should come into conflict. Many residents said that the government was deliberately discriminating against their area because they had voted for and elected a Democratic MP. The intervention of MP Pal Dajçi, the chairman of the PD branch in Kurbin, Bardh Rica, and the local authorities made it possible to reopen the national road. During the protest, one of the protesters told “RD” that “if no serious measures are taken to bring water, they will block the national road from morning until evening.” Bardh Rica told the newspaper that they had asked the demonstrators to clear the road so as not to create problems for traffic on this route, as it is very busy. But, he added, they are asking the government to take urgent measures to solve the problem, otherwise it will bear responsibility. MP Dajçi said that he would support the committee in resolving the funding issue, because the residents of Sanxhak are entirely in the right. The government has made their problem; otherwise, we will join their protest as well. T.S

On days when temperatures exceed 38 degrees The total lack of water and electricity makes Tirana’s residents feel and suffer the hot summer days even more ON PAGE 5

The ruling party’s newspaper interviews the pyramid-scheme bosses who escaped from prison Gërxhalliu was asked to set off for Vlorë to speak directly with the protesters, but he refused, saying he could not make such a trip because the people of Vlorë insult him, he said, since they insist on getting more money. He then insistently asked to give a statement on TVSH . ON PAGE 4