Political life, as one seems to observe it, is no longer behind the propaganda of figures, behind agrarian concessions, behind the handful of actions supported in Albania. ... [text in the first and second columns partly illegible in the image] Another visible thing, in my opinion, is the severing of the sys-

. Do you want to work at the Tirana Municipality? Every citizen of Tirana, and even someone from outside it, who wishes to be employed in one of the sections or offices of the Tirana Municipality must sit a competitive examination after meeting the following conditions: 1. They must be Tirana-born (by origin) 2. They must be Tirana-born (by origin) 3. They must be Tirana-born (by origin) So that there is no room for misunderstanding, much less for corruption, the Municipality has left no loophole. Anyone can see this from the current composition of the Municipality, which has gone through precisely these sieves. For example: - Do you want to compete for the position of director of the Municipality’s Urban Planning Directorate? You absolutely must be Tirana-born and retired, like Mrs. Barba Daja. Since the young, talented architects have run out—and they may even be unemployed—the call has gone out to the elderly... - Do you want to hold all the keys to the Municipality’s personnel? You must previously have served in many levels of the former government, right up to the People’s Assembly, like Mr. Abdy[l] Xhaja (not the Minister of Industry). Besides this, you must have been the shadow of all the chairmen of the Tirana Council over the last decade. You must howl today about the pain of persecution you feel in your body, after having been treated abroad twice with the people’s money during the one-party regime. They say Mr. Abdy[l] has been moved aside somewhat, since he gave the others a bad name—for example, the people he brought into the Municipality, in the name of the proof he must provide that he has been renewed... We will inform you soon about other competitions at the Municipality. You who hope to get in at NAMIK DOKLE, Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party (Continued on page 2) ... near the Tirana Municipality ... It is said that Mr. Abdyli has ... ... In Dibër there is an old, wise saying: From every man’s mouth, words come true through the door and the chimney; the wind carries them away through the windows. Where did you come from, Mr. Mero Baze—from the door, the chimney, or the windows? A piece of advice for you, also as someone of your generation: Do not violate other people’s words for the sake of the party. SAMI CARA Chairman of the PS in Bulqizë

... Democratic Party, so it is groundless. As for wages, 50 percent of the amount should be paid in the form of advances or bonuses, and the rest, or more, through the relevant assistance. That is all. I did not ask that we leave everything to chance, but that we go out to the wider public, who had no opinion of any kind. The chairman of the Democratic Party, Mr. Zhulali, said: “I agree with the views Samija expressed and proposed,” and it was decided that 15 party representatives, 10 representatives from the enterprises, and representatives of the unions would hold a meeting in the city cinema club. Dear Mero Baze, this is what I said: The deputy, the chairman of the district council, and the electrician should get in touch with the strikers and go meet with them. Tomorrow at 7:00, together with the district council, we should discuss and decide how to address the strikers and the government. It was insisted that everything be prepared by 18:00. I continued as follows: “I fully agree if it is in the interest of the work, but I’m concerned that I won’t be able to find, in 90 minutes, the most suitable people for that audience: experienced economists, engineers, technicians and miners.” Mr. Zhulali turned to the chairman of the Democratic Party. He replied: “I have no way to find 15 people.” “Then I’ll find them,” Mr. Zhulali said, “15 people from the Democratic Party.” I stood up, and we shook hands warmly with Mr. Zhulali, saying goodbye to each other at the cinema club. As for the painful event that followed, the shameful stoning of the deputy and others by certain individuals, and the breaking of the windows of the district council building, and as for those later found responsible, I have nothing to add: you yourselves witnessed it. I said no more than that at the meeting. As a deputy, government representative, and a person who shares the pain, I believe I will always have Mr. Zhulali as a witness and defender, since we were standing next to each other, for everything I said there. Giving things a different slant is merely destabilizing and harms the unity of Bulqizë and the nation. did you come from, Mr. Mero Baze, from...? [Text continues beyond the edge of the image] While the meeting with the deputy and others, representatives of the political forces and representatives of the district council, was continuing, someone opened the door and announced that a journalist from ROLTER had arrived. The deputy turned to one of the journalists in the room, introduced as a journalist from ATSH, who, with an enviable ease, told him it was not necessary. For the moment, the Albanian journalist was given his due. Let everything, after all, remain among Albanians. When I read in «RD» of 27.2.1992 the article entitled «Bulqizë more than by the “sequestered”—killed by the sequestrators», which was trying to give a report on that day’s killings, I cursed myself for not having asked for that foreigner to attend the meeting as well. After all, without political grudges against me, he would have accurately told all that I said in that room, without additions or distortions. Dear Mero Baze. I, the chairman of the PS of the Bulqizë district, am a young man, only 28 years old, accepted into this party on 27 May 1992. I have never been a person in charge, director, or party secretary in my life. I worked for five years in the mine as a mine-cart operator. That day, when in my party’s newspaper I called the union leaders «vagabonds» and «hooligans», and was threatened in broad daylight for calling on them to work, you were drinking coffee in the «Bars» of Tirana. It was October 15, 1992. And I made it public in fact that, had the people in power—including the president—taken it into account, the activities of these leaders, whose biographies are now on record, could have been prevented sooner, and there would have been no need for Bulqizë to get to know them. You, meanwhile, remembered it only on December 27, 1992. And with me just two steps away, you seek to accuse me with insinuations and deceit. Do not forget that two sets of minutes were drawn up at that meeting, and I have the third, with the truth. Initially, after many and very constructive debates, Mr. Zhulali gave me the floor. I said what I knew, my opinion and that of my party, our position, and clearly explained the factors that brought Bulqizë to that brink. Mr. Zhulali asked me, as he did the chairmen of the other parties, for a solution to the two demands remaining from the strikers’ petition. And this is what I proposed: [Text continues beyond the edge of the image]

The government is silent — Our television reports on the snow in Italy and forgets our own. [The upper part of the article is cut off and illegible.] ... snow and ice (and all the difficult roads to ... the coast, let alone ... The New Year is also to «blame» for having transport ... entirely left to the private sector, which wants ... and comfort ... But a large part of the blame lies with the government ... before as well, but also ... the government ... It has not put in place ... for ... to be laid ... so that ... can set out ... stations ... for ... the designated route ... It does not ... supervise ... the opening and clearing ... snow and ice, ... gravel and salt ... day and night ... traffic ... those as well ... must also consider ... charges for road use ... and road safety ... roadblocks for ... ... various roads, etc. It should do these things properly, but also do properly what is most important, what it collects taxes and fines for: maintaining the roads so that vehicles do not ... as if in a jungle, clearing them of snow and ice, and keeping them ready at all times and in all circumstances. You cannot go towards Europe on black roads. On January 4 our television did not fail to show, with picture and sound, the heavy snow that had blanketed southern and central Italy. In that report we saw the heavy snow, but also the vehicles quickly clearing the roads. It is regrettable that during these days nothing has been broadcast about the cold weather in the country’s mountainous areas, the reasons for the roads being blocked in the northeast, or the efforts being made (or the local authorities’ lack of action) to maintain the connection with the center. A. DINI

The first days of the new year began with the rumor that Sali Berisha had been trapped by Lora on Mount Dajti. Cars and helicopters, it was said, proved powerless against the snow and wind; tanks had to be sent to extricate the president from this white encirclement. Personally, I am not inclined to believe this story, but as Mr. Arbnori has said several times, you cannot stop people from talking. Apparently these people have talked about him too, and have even furnished him with a villa and who knows what else. These people talk about many, many other government officials as well. This is the truth. The truth is that the more things are hidden and covered up, the more the imagination of people who weave tales about things that never happened is stirred. They say that in a dark room everyone looks suspicious. So turn on the lights, gentlemen in power. Let the people know where the President of the Republic lives, how much his salary is, how much the state spends on him; what rights he has to use tourist villas in Durrës, Vlorë, ... Dajt, Pogradec, etc. Does his family receive special treatment from the state? And what about the wife who accompanies him—does the state cover her travel expenses as well? The same goes for the prime minister, the ministers, and the members of parliament. This is what is being done, and also what is being said, to create among the people an image of the leader and ... the so-called ... of language ... people will say ... will be written by ... [the end of the column is cut off/unclear]

later. We remind you of the fate of the members of the former ruling bloc. Much has been said, and continues to be said, about the rule of law. But where are the laws? Radio and television are not concerned with explaining and popularizing the laws. Their task is to seize upon and promote some RD article against the PS. The RD knows what mission it has. There is also an official gazette published in Albania, where laws should normally be promulgated. Its price is so high that it gives the impression that the state intends to put its finances in order solely through sales of this gazette. It has been two years since we got a pluralist parliament, and although private publishers manage to keep even two newspapers afloat on their own, our state cannot manage to publish a bulletin of the People’s Assembly. You can disparage the time of Zog as much as you like, but the “Proceedings of the National Assembly” can be found in the library, dating back to the very first parliament. The failure to popularize the laws and, more generally, the blocking of information give government officials the opportunity to abuse the laws and conceal those aspects of reality that do not suit them. There is no other way to explain the blocking and non-functioning of the statistics and records bulletin, the blocking and failure to submit the press law and the journalist’s statute to parliament for approval, etc. Today’s state has imposed such a strict embargo on information that ‘...[the bottom part is cut off] BECIR SKRELI (Continued on page 3)

At the invitation of the Municipality of the city of Senigalia, 30 Albanian children set off for Italy, 10 from the Çorovoda district and 20 from Tirana. The children will take part in a solidarity event organized by the city’s Municipality, UNICEF, and the Rotary clubs of Senigalia and Tirana. On this occasion, the mayor of Skrapar, Mr. Fitim Nuellari, was also invited on a working visit; he will discuss closer and more practical cooperation between the two sister cities, Skrapar and Senigalia. The event was also attended by senior city officials and UNICEF representatives, and the Ambassador of Albania to Italy, Mr. Edmond Dule, had been invited to participate. During their one-week stay (January 3–9), the children will be housed with Italian families, and a series of activities will be held in cooperation with students from the city’s secondary schools. They will visit educational and cultural institutions and entertainment centers, and will also take part in the Betana festival ceremony, organized especially for them. News about the arrival of the Albanian children and their activities was broadcast both by national radio and television and by the local press. In the successful realization of this activity and its ... with the Albanian children in Italy ... by ... the Italian Embassy, while ... Albania ...

. Jan. 14, 1993, and other articles ... For more complete information, contact ... telephone numbers: 407 23734; ... No. 01/1, near Tirana. «MAZA» COMPANY

The seminar on the topic «Problems of Local Government», which had been scheduled for January 7–9, 1993, will be held on January B, 1993, at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, at 8:30. FI0GATA FOR FREE CULTURAL ELECTIONS ... DEMOCRATIC