The Democratic Party received aid of around 1.6 million dollars for the 22 March elections - Finance Minister Genc Ruli merely threw up a fog screen and clarified nothing concerning the financial scandal involving 1.6 million dollars. In the television interview given on this occasion, he did nothing but try to find an alibi. Meanwhile, Albanian press outlets report that the Democratic Party received aid of 1.6 million dollars for the 22 March elections—the same amount as the money stolen from the Albanian State Bank through the Frenchman Arsidi. Sooner or later, the people will learn the truth and the thieves will answer before the law.

- Deputy Minister of Defense Fatmir Mema admits that, in addition to gunpowder and TNT, the Croatian ship «Vela Luka» was carrying weapons manufactured in Albania. Previously, officials had not mentioned such a fact at all. Could this be a violation of the embargo imposed by the UN to ban exports of war materials to the former Yugoslavia? These speculators have a deputy minister who could not take his eyes off the written sheet. It seems those were not his own words, and he was afraid of getting confused.

The Tirana Municipality opposes laws passed by Parliament The justice system must have the courage to oppose unlawful orders

A government that cannot put people to work must leave the stage At last, after a cycle of work and closures repeated several times, a formula for a solution has been found. On 15 February, the «Misto Mame» Wood Combine was split into independent factories by its directorate, which was dissolved. But what is the situation at the former Combine? Is work being done? From the survey we carried out, it can be said that the Combine—yesterday’s factories, today—is paralyzed. Specifically, no work has been done at the particleboard factory since November 1992. Since that day, the workers have also been paid 50 per cent of their wages: their pay, without compensation, is 470 new lekë per fortnight at the highest, and 390 lekë at the lowest. What is the reason the factory is not operating? There are many. First, the factory is not operational because one of its main machines, which cost thousands of dollars, has been damaged. Electric motors, the doors of the electrical cabins and other equipment have been stolen; the offices and the laboratory have been destroyed, with nothing left except remnants. Working conditions are scandalous. There is a bitter cold because not a single pane of glass remains. All this happened during the so-called transition. Second, there is no steam, because the power plant will not supply it before payment is made. The workers say that even if steam were supplied, it would be unusable because it does not meet the technological requirements needed to set the machinery in motion. Third, there is no raw material: it was all used up before the factory closed, and the managers did not arrange new contracts. These are the main causes, which have been present since November, and nobody has taken an interest in them. Today, putting the factory back into operation would require funds, but none exist. Consequently, a loan is being sought from the Bank, but, according to the workers, the loan carries a very high interest rate; the Bank also has reservations about the security of repayment. And, facing all this, as if to complete the picture, stand the workers: «We want to live. And to live, we want to work. The state must guarantee us this right, when it guarantees us nothing else.» «We don’t know what to do. Can anyone live on 390 lekë? What can you do? Just bread and soap, and even that isn’t enough.» Fine, let them pay us this wage (390 new lekë), but at least open a special shop where goods are sold at the prices of 10 years ago and give us “vouchers” to buy them there. I told the secretary of the Party of Labour this ten years ago, because back then we had these wages. Prices are taking us toward Europe, while wages are taking us toward Somalia.» «We don’t know where to go, where to complain, where to claim our rights. The trade union has disappeared. Its chairman said, “I’m the chairman,” and then disappeared.» «We are the only factory of this kind in the Republic. All the production is sold. We also supply the furniture factory, which is not operating now either. We don’t understand what other guarantee the Bank wants.» These were the words of the factory workers, who had been turning up for work every morning since November, hoping that work would start today, or tomorrow. They were all together because they all had the same problem: they wanted work. And they gave me just one name: «The collective of the particleboard factory». They had completely lost hope. The «Glue» and «Match» factories left deliberately to face destruction. The glue-manufacturing factory, the only one of its kind in the Republic... With a large production capacity. It produces 50 types of glue, including GF 1, used to produce fibre at the wood-processing combines in Elbasan, Shkodër and Fushë-Arrëz; and G-91, used to produce plywood in Elbasan. For 2 years it has worked 10 days and been idle 20, worked 5 days and then worked 50 days, until it has reached this state. And all the workers have been forgotten. Their pay is 50 [?] per cent. The reason the factory is not operating is the lack of steam. The power plant does not supply it [?] because the Combine directorate has not paid. The energy bill has never been paid [?]. Only for one 13 [?], and the contracts for 15 [?] are the last ones that oblige [?] to produce 35 million lekë. What happened to this money when the workers were paid 1,800 new lekë? The director worked, and also on 14 and 19 January, during which [?] 2 million lekë were paid, and after that at 50 per cent. The condition of the factory and working conditions are scandalous. Not a single pane of glass. Here too the laboratory, the engineer’s office, and a room where the workers used to stay have been completely destroyed. The workers work with poisonous substances, but they have gone 2 years without milk. And yet this is a profitable factory. For this reason, an expansion to increase capacity and add 4 reactors was also planned. But the money was thrown away. Everything has been left unfinished to its fate, except for a little interest in these matters. As I said above, everything was done deliberately, and the workers shared this view. The scandal is explained otherwise by the fact that one factory is closed and the way is opened for glue from [?] that has «taken over» the Combine’s [?], Shkodër’s market and various services. Meanwhile, they are providing incentives.

So far, around 15 small associations of private producers have been counted in the villages of the communes in the district of ...

Addressed to: Mr. SALI BERISHA, President of Albania Mr. PJETËR ARBORI, Speaker of the People’s Assembly Mr. ALEKSANDËR MEKSI, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Mr. EDUARD SELAMI, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania The parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Albania The parliamentary group of the Socialist Party The parliamentary group of the Social Democratic Party TIRANA The Pukë District Council, under the leadership of its chairman, Mr. Ndue Çuni, today, on 29.1.1993, organized a round table with political parties, associations, trade unions and religious communities to discuss and find ways and means of resolving the most pressing problems facing the district. The district of Pukë, with its extremely rugged mountainous terrain, very harsh climate and a length of over 140 km, currently has 53,000 inhabitants, of whom 87 per cent live in the countryside. According to the cadastral figures, this population has 4,095 hectares of arable land, an average of 577 m² per person. Of the district’s total 8,442 farming families, 824 have less than 500 m² and 227 have no land at all. Hydro-works (Continued on page 4)

The Tirana Municipality opposes laws passed by Parliament The justice system must have the courage to oppose unlawful orders system must have the courage to oppose unlawful orders. Apparently, the blue leadership has taken it upon itself only to take revenge, to settle old scores through inexhaustible primitivism, carrying out swift actions in the name of “reform.” Human rights (naturally, for those who have them) include the right to work, to engage in trade, to have telephones (remember Shkodër and Durrës), to receive training in the sectors they choose, etc., etc.; and all of these things are being done in violation of the law. Indeed, the most elementary rights permitted by a democratic system are being violated. In recent days we have learned that the Tirana Municipality has issued a special decision. It bears number 15 and the date 18.2.1993, and concerns the inspection of the homes of all those who have an extra room. The Municipality is brazenly acting and deciding in open defiance of the laws passed by Parliament. These decisions and actions are undertaken under the government’s very nose, while the law states word for word: «The Tirana Municipality has no right to ...» [text cut off or illegible]. ... appearance at this meeting. Such a deployment of law-enforcement forces is unacceptable. Their actions have nothing in common—not only with the democracy we are striving to build in our country, but even with the most elementary human norms. Actions such as these gravely violate human justice and deeply offend the character of the Albanian, who has never submitted to the whip. Those who think they can hold power with a whip are mistaken, and they will never succeed in subjugating the Albanian nation. Deeply affected and indignant at this act, as barbaric as it is antihistorical and inhuman, we support the protest of the district trade union and ask and hope that the Government will take measures as soon as possible against those responsible, objectively address this problem and promptly allow the trade unionists ... to express their opinions freely. The District Trade Union Council of the Confederation, Tropojë

So far, around 15 small cooperatives the municipalities in the Elbasan district. They have mainly been established in villages in the plain area, such as Shirgjan, Gjegjan, Mollas, Shushicë, Bradashesh, and elsewhere. Each cooperative includes 15–20 families, and 10–25 hectares of land have been assigned to it. Meanwhile, international organizations operating in our country, in cooperation with the district’s Department of Agriculture, have begun to put their collaboration with these private producer collectives into practice, providing technical assistance and material support. The newly established cooperatives will also receive priority and support from the Department of Agriculture; specialists have counted [text unclear] that soon each producer cooperative unit will be equipped with tractors and other machinery, as well as cows of selected breeds, which will come from Italy. The question now is: will these cooperatives continue to be established only in villages in the plain areas of ... [illegible]

To the President of the Republic, Mr. SALI BERISHA To the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. ALEKSANDËR MEKSI For information: The Trade Union Confederation of FIER district The Trade Union Confederation of Albania The editorial offices of the newspaper «Pasqyra e Tiranës» The editorial offices of the newspaper «Zëri i Popullit» TIRANA The Trade Union Council of Tropojë district ... [partly illegible] ... for organizing the next rally of the trade unionists of this district concerning the issues currently troubling them, and in particular the constitutional decision to revoke the trade unionists of Fier ... It is requested that ... ... all the rights of the workers ...

WHAT DEVELOPMENT PLANS DO THE DISTRICTS HAVE? At a meeting in Gjirokastër, its deputy Genci Nuli, responding to the requests of the leaders, said among other things: ‘What can be done in Gjirokastër? I don’t know what I can awaken in, or suggest to, the foreigners I happen to meet in the course of my work; there is no platform from the district or the municipality. It would be good for you, as a council and municipality, to propose plans and dictatorship, when you go ... [illegible] Good, and dictatorship, when you go ...? Could it be that we can ... and ...? The larger ... are not dealt with, nor the smaller ones; not with today’s issues, nor with the future?! Then why do we keep saying so often that this state apparatus we maintain is functioning? ON THE EVE OF TOTAL PRIVATIZATION This is something that has aroused and awakened the new economic and political system. Privatization is carried out according to criteria, but sometimes also in complete anarchy, indeed, with no criteria at all. Huge properties, into which millions have been invested, have been and are being taken over by individuals for next to nothing. This is happening with large depots and warehouses and cooperatives, even in towns. But couldn’t there be other solutions that would allow us to see further ahead? Good warehouses could be retained and not privatized, but excluded from the auction. Commercial infrastructure could be developed; production lines could be set up in them, and joint ventures could be created. And in some cases they could be ... [unclear]. We can continue this way, easing the transition and bringing tomorrow closer. Looking far ahead means thinking about what lies beyond and about more people. Let us not level everything; let us not privatize everything. They belong to everyone; we will all need them. TIANAS DINO’

«The Savings Bank», as of 01.01.1993, has discontinued all foreign-currency transfers by citizens for accounts of the «DOLLARINET» type. This suspension is also a consequence of the Bank of Albania notice no. 87, dated 21.01.1993, which orders that «all foreign-currency transfers relating to the activity in question be discontinued».