Where has the aid the world gives us gone? Once again, on the problem of aid Several months ago, specifically on December 2, 1992, the newspaper “Zëri i popullit” published an article entitled “30,000 tons of wheat have gone missing, or...? A mystery!” To help readers, and also the government officials’ memory, we are publishing this article once again: Have 30,000 tons of wheat gone missing, or...? A mystery! The wheat arrived in Durrës... Under the agreements concluded by the Albanian government in 1991, the European Community undertook to supply wheat as food aid for the Albanian people. During 1992, this supply proceeded normally, and it is a fact that the world, and the European Community in particular, is keeping us supplied with bread. The documents held at the Port of Durrës and examined by us show that during the period January 1992–August 1992, 22 ships were handled—that is, unloaded at the Port—carrying approximately 235,947 tons of wheat. But how is the wheat distributed? The Port is the first recipient and handler of the goods, that is, the wheat. The second recipient, on whose behalf the wheat is transported to all the districts of the Republic, is NFI Foodstuffs. We emphasize that the distribution of wheat to the districts, according to the plan sent by the government, is carried out by vehicles of Operation “Peli-” [The text here is damaged/unclear: “rrethore, me mjetet private etj.”] Where do the first “losses” of wheat begin... The incoming records show that while 235,947 tons of wheat were unloaded at the Port of Durrës for NFIU, in Durrës the latter recorded receipts of only 226,600 tons. Thus the shortfall between these quantities is 9,347 tons—not a small difference, but approximately 9,340 tons of wheat. What could have happened? Where did this quantity of wheat “disappear” to? The losses continue... We said that the wheat arriving from the European Community as food aid for the Albanian people is distributed to all and the relevant department. But the documents and entry records for the wheat distributed in all the districts once again show discrepancies, and this time they are larger. Adding them up, these discrepancies amount to 20,393 tons of wheat through the month of August. In other words, at least that is what the documents checked by the relevant specialized bodies “say.” Does the government know about these losses... I suppose it does. At the Port and at NIU, these “losses” are openly discussed; checks and comparisons have been carried out and explanations have been requested, but all one gets is shrugs, surprise, and so on. No one is held responsible, as in the case of the gifted mountain, yet this is goods that the world has allocated to keep us alive and that should not “disappear” without a trace. It is said that a special report documenting these “losses” is lying somewhere in a safe... Should it be brought to light? How much does this “loss” of wheat cost... Quite a lot. At today’s sale price, it amounts to several tens of millions of lek, which economists could easily convert into dollars as well. Let them make an accurate calculation of this amount. It is easier for us to make another calculation. The shortfall of approximately 30,000 tons of wheat would meet the bread needs of the cities of Durrës and Shkodër for a whole year, or would be equivalent in value to the losses caused by flooding in several districts of northern Albania. Wastage, loss, or... With the limited means available to us, or the extent to which we are able to deal with the above problem (safeguarding the documentation of the opposition), it is difficult to reach a definitive conclusion. We do not want to speak or write recklessly for the sake of sensation, as some newspapers have done and continue to do. Our purpose is not to label anything or anyone, but only to point out that 30,000 tons of wheat have not reached the people. It is the duty of the government and its bodies, and of the justice authorities, not to turn a blind eye, but to give this shortfall its proper name, whether it is a considerable loss, wastage, theft, or corruption.

- The Chairman of the PS Parliamentary Group, Namik Dokle, meets the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Martinez - On May 13, 1993, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party, Namik Dokle, who was attending the regular meeting of the 44th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, requested a meeting with the Chairman of the Assembly, Mr. Miguel Martinez. “Forgive me, respected Chairman,” Namik Dokle said to him, “for taking up some of your very valuable time as you direct the Assembly. But I requested this meeting to express my concern about several recent events in Albania, which have also had repercussions in our parliament. The Socialist Party has sharply criticized the way the government is run and the way parliament’s work is conducted, and for this reason an unprincipled attack has been launched against it. Recently, its chairman was accused in parliament of corrupt practices, without any facts, documents, or arguments, as part of the attacks being directed against the left in Europe.” Worse still, Deputy Napo was not given the floor in parliament for a week so that he could defend himself and the Socialist Party. Finally, our group also appointed Deputy Nano to a delegation of the People’s Assembly due to visit the European Parliament. But the Presidium of the People’s Assembly did not allow him to come to Strasbourg, putting forward wholly unserious pretexts. We have also written to you about these problems in a letter, which I am giving you now. “Does President Berisha know?” Mr. Martinez asked. “Yes. We have also addressed a letter to him; if you wish, we can provide you with a copy. We have made it public in the press. The Chairman of the Presidium of Parliament, Mr. Arbnori, who has come to this meeting with us, is trying to normalize parliamentary life, but the extreme right-wing groups will not let him. They are seeking revenge against the left at all costs, which is worsening the political situation in the country.” After receiving the materials, Mr. Martinez said that he would study them with particular care and take an appropriate position. Then, very briefly, opinions were also exchanged about the parliamentary election campaign in Spain. The meeting took place in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

On the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit MEKSI to Greece “Here in Athens, Albania has an ambassador. There in Tirana there is a government and a President, but I don’t know whether they care or don’t care about the suffering of emigrants and all those mothers mourning their children.” My heart is wounded and bleeding, like that of many other Albanians, and I cannot remain silent without writing to you. What is happening to Albanians here? Abandoned in Albania, doubly abandoned in emigration. Not a day goes by without Greek television broadcasting distressing and painful news concerning ... [The text resumes:] sent them back to Kakavijë. Greek television showed this on film, too. The rights of Albanians, which parliament spoke of while passing a law that exists only on paper, and the rights of Albanian refugees, which President Berisha discussed by telephone with Mr. Micotaqis, have been left in the middle of ...

Although the article addresses a very serious concern or fact and is directed mainly at government officials and the supervisory and justice authorities, there was no response to this article by Z.P. At least, there was no open objection or statement. The RD government’s relocation, or the other newspapers—which are in the habit of “analyzing” every ZP article—did not react at all, as though the issue were the loss of 30 eggs. It is clear that this ZP article was read; indeed, a normal government official, whether Mr. Meksi or the President, must have drawn the journalists’ attention to the need to verify this fact... but, apart from one TV commentator, who was concerned about the article because... according to him, the world had found out that we lose aid, and therefore it was not good for ZP to publish such news!, nothing else was said, at least openly. Nevertheless, as was reported by the Durrës Financial Police branch, which was the first to discover and report the loss of 30,000 tons of wheat, and following orders from higher authorities, albeit quietly, a State Audit team checked once again what the Durrës Financial Police branch had found and uncovered. In the end, everything turned out as stated in the final report concerning ... [Column continues] ... with the branch having sent its findings for information to the ministers of agriculture and finance and to higher authorities. Thus, even though the loss of more than 30,000 tons of wheat was confirmed once again, along with another 60 million dollars’ worth of aid, as Mr. Ruli himself acknowledged in parliament, Mr. Blerim Cela—who, it is said, knows about this but has so far not stirred himself to uncover where the aid the world gives us is going, who gets these millions of dollars, and what the true name of these shortfalls is—has done nothing. Loss? Wastage? Theft or corruption? Find out, or catch them, Mr. Blerim. This is your duty, Mr. Put your own house in order first, the things happening right before your eyes, and then look at the world’s house. Do useful work; investigate facts that are certain, not hypotheses and fantasies. Uncover the gold that PP hid during 50 years, and find ... tons of gold from ’92 as well. The people gave you their vote to serve them and democracy with justice, not to allow the thefts of Ber­nës and fabricate accusations against the PD’s political opponents. Gentlemen of the PD government! We do not want to label or accuse anyone today, but tomorrow... Today, we can only say that you are incapable of governing the state. SPARTAK BRAHO

Among the villages flooded in the Shkodër district by the rainfall in November of last year were several in the Guri i Zi area, stretching along the Drin River. And, in order to help somewhat in coping with these difficulties, special committees were set up from the central level down to the local level, and it was decided to distribute some financial aid to every district affected by the flooding. For Guri i Zi, according to the information we have been able to obtain, the district council allocated 5.5 million lek. Strangely, today, seven months later, we learn that this money was once just paper money! In other words, money that was supposed to be given to help deal with the flooding ... Who has delayed this money for so long, or could someone have been using it until now to meet various needs?! The committee attached to the Shkodër district council must clarify this immediately. But some residents of this area, forgetting their concern that the money is being distributed to them late, are now also worried about another fact: that even those who suffered no flood damage are benefiting! We learn that this issue was debated at the last meeting of the commune in the area, but with great difficulty the PD councillors decided that the list of those who have benefited—or are benefiting—from these ... should not be established. (Continued on page 4)

Yesterday at eleven thirty-five, Tirana police carried out a search operation opposite the National Bank. Dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police officers, equipped with rubber batons, cordoned off the pine-tree area and the road in front of the puppet theater. As they tightened the cordon, the police did not allow anyone who happened to be passing through, or the private operators carrying out their activities there, to leave. Anyone who resisted the police ended up in their vehicles. At first, it was not clear why the police operation was being carried out: to arrest a ..., or to clear out the money changers. The police put ... with bags into their vehicles, with trucks. A little later, the officers entered the small café to the left of the puppet theater building. There they searched those present for ... Anyone standing and drinking a coffee or cognac was made to raise their hands and was searched. From what we observed at the scene, we did not see any weapons found on those searched. From the café, the police brought people out one after another, with bags in their hands; apparently these, too, were money changers. The police “Forda” cars lined up, and a “Fiați” Financial Police minibus filled with people, who were immediately taken to the police stations in the capital. According to the typ... (Continued on page 4)

– I did not understand why Rayerson had been invited – Our television aired a program the night before last about emigration issues. Those present included the organizers and hosts of the program, whose serious commitment deserves recognition. The audience included diplomatic representatives from the UN and European organizations dealing with migration issues, as well as several distinguished ambassadors, such as Mr. Vollers and Foresti. Viewers were therefore very interested in getting answers through this program to many understandable concerns in this field. In general, I think the aim was achieved, with cultured language and serious content (I would single out Mrs. Tamara Agolli’s very smooth interpreting into three languages), and with the program brought to a calm and competent close by journalist Mimoza Marku. That is one side of it. But I do not understand—I failed to understand—why the American Rayerson had also been invited to such a program. What was he going to say, and what did he ... ... say about emigration? We do not know of any Albanian friends who have emigrated to the USA in the last 2–3 years, nor do we know that Rayerson has undertaken any commitment for the future. The only thing he said, formally and at length, concerned family reunification and the equally lengthy procedures for obtaining visas. Then Rayerson was just another spectator, like me at home, listening seriously and respectfully as the ambassadors and others spoke. I would respect any discussion by Mr. Rayerson on Television, but when there is nothing to say, there is no reason to powder him up unnecessarily in the Television dressing rooms, either. As for Minister Shehu, I thought he was pitiful, to the point that you felt sorry for him. He has the “capacity,” but I felt even sorrier for him because he would be completely out of his depth with what he declared a year earlier, when Europe was supposedly going to welcome one Albanian from each family into its fold (!) THE VIEWER