The formula for a political solution put forward by the political parties on June 1 envisaged that, after further talks on the program, timetable and composition of the government for stabilizing the country, the People’s Assembly would resume its work yesterday at 5:00 p.m. But the talks between the political forces were apparently difficult and lasted much longer than anticipated. As a result, the session had not begun its work even at 1:00 a.m. The deputies continue to wait... The public can follow developments in this very long and tense session on the radio, while we will report on it in tomorrow’s issue of the newspaper. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

The situation we are going through has, to some extent, objective explanations. The transition from an old, planned and centralized economy to an economy with new, independent structures—in other words, to a market economy—would naturally be accompanied by psychological shocks. These shocks are often leading to considerable economic decline. After the looting of livestock, an act carried out in many villages in the Tropojë district as well, the turn came for another, even uglier act: the destruction of barns, maize cribs and, why not, even gardens and nurseries(!). Property, as property, was left in nobody’s hands; those who benefited included people who had never even been members of a cooperative, meaning they took without making any contribution, in the name of what belonged to everyone. Since such acts were carried out, almost nobody came forward to protect this property, or even to report what had happened. It took the intervention of the Executive Committee of the district People’s Council... It is striking that the beneficiaries in these cases were the shepherds and some “tough guy” who did not care whether this property had an owner: they took two or three cows each, and even up to 40 small livestock, while the rest, as the saying goes, were left empty-handed. It has reached the point where the economy does not know what happened to 60–70 head of livestock. It is possible these were sold privately. These actions are being exploited by certain forces for purposes that in no way serve the majority of the rural population. The thirst for destruction, for securing land by trampling on people’s rights, is undermining unity. The cadres are going along with this, although they are paid—and there are quite a few of them. But what do members of the Albanian Party of Labour say? Some have cowered, because in one way or another they took part in these actions, as is happening with some pensioners, who are trying to benefit; perhaps some of them seem to have settled comfortably into important state or party posts. But most Party members have no reason to hang their heads. If others have benefited through unjust means, let them bear the shame themselves, as should those party cadres at the center and locally who until yesterday stood on platforms and have now gone into hiding. The government’s decision, which was to be implemented, was posted up more to put things in order than to set them right. What happened in 10 days cannot be repaired in 10 years. The Ministry of Agriculture is not concerned at all, especially about Tropojë. Apparently it has left everything to chance, since it is issuing no decisions or instructions for action and is doing nothing about land or cooperative property. And what are the other authorities for? They are paralyzed and are not enforcing the laws in force. These actions have nothing in common with democracy. They are written into no program of any political force, because nobody openly dares to say, “Let us destroy what has been built.” The time has come to tell a halt to these actions, which are bringing confusion and unrest, and to prevent the decision from being abused in the villages. Let us think about how to stabilize the country and enact a law on land and rural affairs. But we must not forget that the people’s property has an owner—the people. They must protect it. NDUE ZIQI We denounced [it]. It took a great deal of effort from the Executive Committee of the district KP. But... it is striking that the ones who came out ahead in this case were the shepherds and some “brave fellow” who did not ask three head—

— A note from Korçë — In these difficult days of crisis and anxiety, the condition of the countryside, including in the Korçë district, is getting worse and worse. When you talk to leaders, cadres and specialists and ask why the village is being allowed to fall into this state, they all give a series of reasons: we do not know what to do; we have no instructions from the district Executive Committee of the People’s Council; the law-enforcement authorities are not acting. Things are being stolen and destroyed. We notify the investigative and prosecutorial authorities, but they all remain silent. In short, anarchy is being excused while we wait for laws. In almost all the villages, the cooperative livestock has been divided up, and the land has become a mosaic, one plot here and another there. There is a veritable rush to take animal feed, produce and building materials from the cooperative. It is painful to see groups of people in Zvezdë, Dishnicë and Bilisht, and [unclear] being used for personal livestock; it is painful to see that in Devoll and on the Korçë plain not a single poplar is left standing. Village yards and roads are filled with poplar trunks, and their sale has begun. What is happening? It took years for them to grow, and now people are cutting them down in a day without giving any thought to the future. Don’t do this, brothers, or tomorrow you will regret it—but it will be too late. Every day you see the cooperative’s carts and wagons streaming by, carrying livestock and produce and other personal goods to sell at the market; you see tractors coming from around the post and from higher up for private work, using up even the little fuel they have. Meanwhile, very few people are working in the cooperative. Spring crops are not being planted; there is a marked backlog. Cooperative chairmen are and are not chairmen. In some villages, they have appointed chairmen and specialists from the town, while others are appointed by the village itself without any criteria, simply according to the wishes of one person or another. In some villages, there are and are not cooperatives. How can we call a village or several villages a cooperative if they have no livestock, no workforce and no production? What kind of cooperative can there be when you see nobody on its land working, planting or tending the crops? Do people think we will harvest anything? In Vithkuq and Lumalas, since there are no problems, the cadres and leaders have not become detached from the people or from work, and the damage is limited. In other words, work is being done for the cooperative. But what can we say about Lekas? Lekas, under bilateral administration, was divided into three other cooperatives. Most recently, at the instigation of just a few people, all the livestock was divided up too. It was thought that this was the right thing to do, but now the villagers ask anxiously: What is happening? These and other problems, such as the supply of bread and the opening of collection points for milk and other produce, have created tensions in many villages, along with anxiety and major losses in production. What should be done? Time is running out. The leaders and cadres in the villages themselves must take responsibility for the work by talking with people and taking measures; theft, damage and destruction must be stopped. On the other hand, it is unforgivable that the agriculture section is acting only as a trading and organizational body, while [unclear] remain on the sidelines at such a difficult moment. Nobody from these sections has been seen in the villages these days. It is completely wrong that no contract has yet been made with the villages for the [unclear] of milk, that no work is being sought for spring planting and crop care, and that the villages are not being supplied with soap, salt and other goods. Where are we heading? The authorities responsible for government, the economy and maintaining public order must carry out all their duties to the letter. People must return to work, because only then will calm and stability return to the countryside. Anarchy must be ended as soon as possible—now, because tomorrow will be too late and the consequences will be grave. APOSTOL BIRRAKU

The World Bank’s second working mission, which has been in our country since May 27, is tasked with carrying out a comprehensive economic study of the country’s economic potential. It will also prepare a detailed report on the economic priorities for the future development of the Albanian economy, viewed also from the perspective of relations with foreign international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Members of this mission have made contacts and held various working meetings with specialists in fields such as energy, construction and transport. At these meetings they have sought information about the latest developments in these fields. At meetings with the Ministry of Mineral and Energy Resources, they met with oil and gas specialists, as well as specialists working on electricity and other forms of energy. Meetings were also held with specialists in geometres. At these meetings, detailed information was gathered on the country’s potential to develop the aforementioned sectors. The mission members also visited the Fier thermal power plant and the Ballsh Deep Oil Processing Combine. According to the mission’s specialists, this helped them gain a broader understanding of developments in these various sectors and of the major challenges facing the development of the electricity sector. Meetings were also held at the Ministry of Transport with specialists in road, rail and maritime transport. The World Bank mission’s specialists were briefed on plans for new construction in the transport sector. The most important plans mentioned here include the construction of a highway from the port of Durrës to the state border with Greece. The World Bank specialists were also briefed on other important projects of this ministry. At meetings held at the Ministry of Construction, the World Bank mission members were informed about the current methods used to carry out construction in our country and how it is financed. They also gave attention to construction carried out in different parts of the country. Particular importance was attached to construction in rural areas and how it is financed. The World Bank specialists were also informed about plans for construction projects expected in the construction sectors, as well as their future expansion. Other specialists will soon arrive in our country to address such issues as privatization and the most effective ways of carrying it out, changes to the country’s banking and financial system, and development in telecommunications, etc. Members of the World Bank’s second mission are continuing to collect the necessary data according to the program they had established in advance. (ATSH)

In connection with the destructive and looting acts committed in the Lezhë district, law-enforcement authorities detained Gjon Ndreu, Ahmet Bruçaj, Dedë Mhilli and Xhovalin Bujana on June 3, 1991; they were caught with goods stolen from trade shops. At midnight on June 2, 1991, a crowd of people broke into and looted the trade warehouses in Muri-lot. The vandalistic crowd used firearms, explosives and stones against the law-enforcement forces, as a result of which one officer and two police officers were wounded. The law-enforcement forces retaliated, using firearms. The citizen Mikel Preçi was wounded. Ernest Mirashi and Roland Mirashi from the village of Gajush, Dedë Miralia from the village of Planë, Enver Shabani from Milot, Bashkim Mihajna from Mal-Bardha and Kastrjot Gjoka from Skurraj were caught with stolen goods and detained. On the night of June 2, the shop in the village of Gallatë, Krujë, was also destroyed with explosives and looted. Investigations into the vandalistic and destructive acts are continuing in order to clarify the matter fully. The law-enforcement forces have been ordered to use firearms without hesitation in carrying out the provisions of Decree No. 7441, dated 5.1.1991, especially point a of Article 3, which orders the use of firearms against those committing a serious crime such as terror, sabotage, destruction of or damage to state or citizens’ property by fire, explosives, weapons or other dangerous means, murder, robbery or theft of banks, savings banks, vehicles transporting monetary or other important materials.

“...We continue to live through troubled times. Each day begins with the news of another shop being broken into. We hear the ‘official’ formalities: the police announcement (because the police have ‘distanced themselves’), the opening of a ‘criminal’ case by the investigative authorities, the inventory of the shop. The result: 1,500, 2,000, 5,000 lek stolen; citizens are left without coffee, without beans, etc. Public concern is justified, and opinions differ widely: ‘It wasn’t like this before... Is this what democracy is? Where are the police authorities, etc., etc.?’ People are right to ask: What is happening? And everyone is silent. It is a silence on the verge of pain and sorrow, on the verge of whispering and protest. I do not want to dwell on statistics, but I would compare just two figures. In the first quarter of 1990, in NANT Lac, which extended from the town of Thumanë to the town of Milot, three thefts were recorded, whereas in this three-month period of this year they have increased tenfold in the town of Laç alone—and they continue at a gallop. You cannot buy a ticket to Europe with stolen money—Europe will send you a postcard back, too. The public-order protection authorities have ‘distanced themselves.’ What irony. What are these acts of distancing? Such actions are not called distancing; they have another name—incompetence or disruption of public order. Where are the so-called operational officers of state security? Political pluralism is a functional duty. Yet they still cannot get beyond their stale word-tracing. The people need this property protected, however small it may be, because it embodies their labor. As I was writing these lines, I heard about the break-in at the food warehouse in Milot and at the alcoholic-beverage factory in this town. The question inevitably arises: who? There was not a single person—or a group—from this town involved in the disturbance. Strangely, ‘no one identified, no one detained.’ The duel continues: cause and effect. We have enriched our vocabulary quite a bit lately. ‘Irritated crowds.’ Here is the cause: the bureaucracy of the departments and the enterprises’ administrations, perhaps extending all the way to the district leadership. People have now got used to celebrating the New Year holidays, [text ends here]. May 1. Nobody got upset because there were no supplies for Easter or Bayram. It seems people have become somewhat accustomed to these holidays. But will even the first ones be denied to them? At those times they forget for a moment the hardships and worries of life, and also the politicians who occupy so much space in everyday conversations. Nothing more is being asked for than the opportunity. No one should be given privileges. We have learned to be content with little, even if it is one bottle of raki, two bottles of wine. But the bureaucrats continued with the old motto: “This one for mother, this one for the king”—and in the end the people are left with nothing. The consequences: around 100 thousand lek were stolen (are the inventories still going on?!). Let the investigations begin with those responsible. MUHAMET MANÇE economist

The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Muhamet Kapllani, returned to his homeland. During an official visit to Hungary, at the invitation of his counterpart, Mr. Gyula Horn, he also met with Prime Minister Rezso Nyers, Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky, Deputy Minister Tibor Srefi, and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament, Davron Kardos. The [third?] of Foreign Economic Relations, Shkane Korbeç, Deputy Foreign Minister Sokrat Plaka, etc. Also present were the Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Hungary, Ambassador Lajcsek, and the counsellor of the Embassy of the SFR of Yugoslavia in Tirana, Viktor Gaber. (ATSH)

At the invitation of the General Directorate of State Archives of the Republic of Albania, a delegation from the Archives of the Republic of Macedonia in Skopje, headed by its director, Mr. Borislav Naumovski, visited our country in recent days. At meetings and discussions held with the General Directorate of State Archives, Prof. Dr. Gazmend Shpuza, and other specialists, views were exchanged on the state of archival activities in both countries and on ways and opportunities for further developing cooperation in this field. The delegation departed our country. (ATSH)

A group of initiators from the city of Tirana established the Albania-China Friendship Association. The association will contribute to strengthening the friendly ties between the Albanian and Chinese peoples; help promote knowledge of the history, culture and ancient traditions, as well as the traditions and achievements in various areas of the Chinese people’s socio-economic development, and vice versa; and support the development of cooperation between Albania and China in areas of mutual interest. The association will carry out its activities in accordance with the approved statute. (ATSH)

Workers cannot live on “programs” — Observation — The first half of the year is drawing to a close, and the wood-processing combine in Elbasan continues to suffer from a “shortage” of timber, of logs. During the first four months of this year, it received only 37 percent of the planned quantity of logs, while in May it received only 8 percent? This shortage of raw materials has then been accompanied by hundreds and thousands of workdays paid at 80 percent. One might think perhaps there is no timber in the forests. No, but this must... [text continues outside the photograph] Workers cannot live on “programs” The managers of the wood-processing combine are doing everything they can, going back and forth to the executive committees of Elbasan, Librazhd (even once or twice a week) and Gramsh, but nothing has been resolved. The timber directorate in the relevant ministry has also provided no assistance, despite drawing up “action plans” and “work programs” together with the executive committees. Now this directorate, as well as the executive committees, have nothing left to do but [text continues outside the photograph] The city’s market gets a boost — GJIROKASTËR — These days, a new shoe shop has opened in one of the [unclear] units in Gjirokastër, selling goods supplied by the Greek firm “Vëllezërit Garxoni-ka,” a trader in Ioannina. The contract between the firm and the trading enterprise for miscellaneous goods was made through the district chamber of commerce, with the mediation of Candidates of Sciences Dhimitër Koça and Jorgo Mandili. The shop is attracting considerable interest from... [text continues outside the photograph] ...buyers. We have not included this simply as information this time. Our depleted and impoverished market can be replenished through cross-border trade. And not only with industrial goods. Nevertheless, these relations are developing slowly. The relevant laws have not yet been settled; in practice they are not well known, and bureaucracy is also an obstacle. But these obstacles must be overcome for the sake of people’s needs. THANAS DINO has been resolved. Neither the timber directorate in the relevant ministry, despite having drawn up “action plans” and “work programmes” in cooperation with the executive committees, has provided any kind of assistance. nothing left to do but keep these pointless programmes for some museum corner. We would just remind the specialists of this directorate and the district executive committees that supply the combine with timber that, even after the days of the repeated strike at the Elbasan wood combine, work will not resume. Its workers will once again be paid 80 per cent; and without the plywood factory there is no timber for even a single day’s work at the lumber factory... (Continued on page 2)