Seven Albanians, reports «AFP», who had entered Italy illegally, hidden in an international transport truck, were arrested on Saturday in Sassuolo, Italian police pointed out. The seven Albanians, aged between 18 and 25, had hidden in a vehicle coming from Greece. When it arrived in Italy, the driver, a Greek national, discovered them and made a report about his truck. Those in hiding, all originally from Tirana, were taken to Trieste, from where they were to be sent back to Albania. Two of them had tried to enter Italy by boat, which had been detained in the Italian port of Brindisi. (Taken from ATSH)

At noon on Saturday, six shots from a pistol took a young life. At noon, six shots from a pistol took a young life on Saturday.

- MASS RALLY IN BERAT; MORE THAN 15 THOUSAND PEOPLE TAKE PART - - The “list” deputies come out among the people. Meanwhile, the “people’s deputies” have tucked themselves away in their lair. - Berat’s police, distinguished in the operations in Polican, Kuçova, etc., take a correct stance this time. - The DP Government promised the people paradise and gave them hell. On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in the square in front of the Berat stadium at a peaceful rally to protest the Government’s anti-democratic positions and actions. In addition to women, young people, the unemployed, people receiving assistance and new property owners, representatives had come from Skrapar, Kuçova, Fier, Durrës, Tirana, etc. Members of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party had come: Bashkim Zeneli, Ethem Ruka, Ilir Meta, Ermelinda Meksi, Ndre Legisi, Maqo Lakrori, as well as the deputy chairman of the Socialist Party’s Steering Committee and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group, F., Namik Dokle. From Parliament and meeting halls in the district, after the Tirana rally, the debate moved into the squares. This was precisely what the Government feared, since it could not prevent it. It did all it could in Ballsh, using the police and Minister Zhulali; it acted savagely in Polican, carrying out mass arrests; it stopped and threatened people in Ballsh, beat people in the middle of Fier’s square, used rubber batons to convey messages of calm, though it is not clear to whom. But its presence went unnoticed. Even the name of Shënpremte, now known as a heavy hand, was not heard, although the police were clearly taking care to protect the deputies!... From whom? From the people who were waiting for them? The rally was opened by the chairman of the Berat Socialist Party, Kristaq Kolani. On behalf of the district’s Eurosocialist forum, Edi Spahiu offered greetings. Regarding the situation, the Government cannot go on any longer.» We denounced and continue to denounce today’s state, said at the rally the chairwoman of the Kuçova Socialist Party, Fatmira Bano, as a police state that is unable to govern by democratic means and therefore resorts to violence. The socialists of the Kuçova district and its many supporters will know how to defend themselves without fear; this government cannot go on any longer.» Before the leaders and amid applause, he said: «I began my speech a little late today because I was waiting for a little girl to bring these flowers, but [unclear] prevented her from coming here. This is not simply an act of preventing this little girl from bringing flowers to the platform; rather, it is the kind of climate prevailing in Albania, a climate that seeks to bring about revanchism, right-wing revanchism against ordinary people, a revanchism expressed in many ways and forms, from cutting off families’ telephone lines to stopping people from working, killing our boys at the border, and many other things. Once again you have gathered here, brothers and sisters of Berat, Namik Dokle said further. You have gathered with your legitimate right, with your democratic right, to protest against irresponsible government, ineffective government, against the anti-people government that is in power today. And it is your right to do this... your right to come here and protest together with us. Before being members of any kind of party, we are all Albanians, and as Albanians we must live as brothers and sisters. (Continued on page 4)

— work for the first time: 97,000 Employed? (figures not provided) ...about the workers of the district, the Confederation’s secretary for Berat, Kristaq Papa, spoke, while the concerns of the veterans were conveyed by Nazmi Hazizi. «The Government and the President promised the people paradise and gave them hell,» said the representative of Berat’s 10 Communes, Samir Tiranti. Bringing their grievances to the fore, he issued this appeal at the rally: «Find another solution. With true democracy more threatened than ever by the reckless police and the leaders of the Democratic Party. Kuçova joins the voice of all the socialists of Berat and the other districts in saying no to neodictatorship and the police regime.» At the end, the floor was taken by the deputy chairman of the general steering committee of the Socialist Party—

Yesterday before noon, at the Shkodër District Court, two residents from Bushati harshly threatened a judge of that court and attempted to strike him. According to information that has reached us about this case, we learned that they made the threat because the judge in question had sentenced a relative of theirs in a court case for illegally occupying land. The police immediately detained them. This is not the first time that judges of this court have been subjected to such pressure and threats. Question: where there is fear, is there justice?! Correspondent of «Zëri i Popullit»

ANKARA. = Prime Minister Sulejman Demirel was elected by parliament as Turkey’s ninth president and, during his oath of office, pledged to the nation that he would represent the nation by combining impartiality with commitment to major issues. His election fills the vacancy left by Turgut Ozal. Turkey must now choose a prime minister to replace 68-year-old Demirel, who has headed the governing coalition for the past 18 months. “It cannot even be contemplated that the president should show no impartiality, or take a position that could cast a shadow over his impartiality,” Demirel said in his swearing-in address. “Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to interpret this as an avoidance of national and international problems that have a political character, or as absolute non-participation in affairs.” Demirel, acknowledging that the presidential powers provided for in the constitution drafted by the military regime in 1982 have caused periodic dissatisfaction, promised to work for harmony among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. His statement is unlikely to bring an end to the debate over the extent of the president’s involvement in politics. Demirel won 2444 votes in the 550-member chamber, securing the absolute majority required in the third round.

I watched and listened to Leka Bungo’s programme on TV, which also included a few excerpts from Fatos Nano’s speech at the meeting with his fellow villagers in Switzerland. Leka Bungo knows how he put that programme together, because in fact it looked like a programme sponsored by the Socialist Party. I am convinced of this also by RD’s latest piece, entitled “More ‘Gems’ from Fatos Nano’s conversation in Switzerland.” With his epileptic-style journalism, Xhevat Mustafa tries to repair what Leka Bungo ruined. But that is not enough for him: after the words “as he was saying in Switzerland in May of this year,” he goes so far as to make a blatant slander (like so many others being made against Fatos Nano). Here is what Xhevat Mustafa writes. “But Tosi did not forget to attack the democratic government, fantasizing or inventing, with the clear aim of claiming that it had removed the old bunkers on the northeastern border. This is undoubtedly extremely valuable information for Milosheviq’s generals. Naturally, this is no accidental lapse or result of drunkenness from raki or of his grandiose delusions and thirst for power. Even if this is true, and even if both cases are involved, Milosheviq and his generals’ condition is easily understood: ‘Come on, comrades, strike Albania as soon as possible, before I end up in prison. It’s now or never. Tomorrow will be too late, for me and for you.’ And Nano continues; they should put it in his big file and examine the ‘slanders.’” Have Xhevat Mustafa’s ears let him down? Everyone heard Fatos Nano say: “The government has ordered the bunkers to be cleared, and it was right to do so.” So we are clearing those bunkers that we have cursed and cursed again, in order to defend the country. So, it turns out that some bunkers are needed up there in the north or northeast after all. Naturally, they are not for cowards like Xhevat Mustafa, who, despite having hosted the television programme “The Heroism of Our People Through the Centuries” for years, has not a shred of heroism or patriotism left, if he can resort to slander even on such matters, where he is not permitted to lie. Here is another RD journalist: the Turkey that he made the swearers into at the end is entirely fitting for this manipulator of public opinion. Leka Bungo will be a witness.

- The “success” of the Democratic Party in power - - Figures from the Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Labour and Social Assistance for May 1993 - Total unemployed: 454,000 Of these, receiving assistance: 357,000 Looking for work for the first time: 97,000

(Press conference by the chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions, Kastriot Muço) Yesterday at noon, the chairman of this movement of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania, Mr Kastriot Muço, held a press conference in the hall of the «Ali Kelmendi» Palace of Culture in Tirana. The purpose of this press conference, Mr Muço said at the outset, is to express our union’s positions regarding the current economic and political situation in Albania. The period of transition we are going through, he said, is difficult and requires sacrifices. But this does not mean that we should not speak up about the problems troubling the broad mass of workers in our country. Whenever we raise these issues, he said, Mr Muço, the government and political journalists label me anti-reform and destabilizing; but, he said, the law gives us the right to raise our voice. The pro-government press considers our union to be in opposition to the government and him. This label they put on us is wrong. If a genuine trade union is not a constructive opposition to the government, it will be on its side. If it is on its side, it is against workers’ interests. Speaking about ways out of the situation, the chairman of the confederation of trade unions mentioned making use of all the country’s resources and the distribution of materials. Secondly, foreign investment. Further on, referring to statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Assistance, political calculations, as well as statistical data, Mr Muço gave some indicators of unemployment and the country’s current economic development. Today there are 454 thousand unemployed people in Albania, he said, of whom 357 thousand receive social assistance, 97 thousand of whom are employed. Concluding his explanation of these figures, he said that the Ministry of Labour had compiled statistics for the total figure of 500 thousand unemployed over the last three months and that, in fact, 68 percent of them receive assistance. Over the last 6–7 months, more than 20 percent have received support from unemployment funds. In considering these indicators, he said, it should be borne in mind that of the 57 thousand workers who remain, only 42 thousand are at work and the rest are receiving assistance. Assistance recipients received 500 lekë a month. [Unclear passage] …are provided by the private sector, and 22 percent by the state. Budget and state revenues do not cover expenditures. 68.4 percent of state budget revenues come from taxes and duties; the average wage is 1783 new lekë. But there are low wages below 1000 lekë, and there are also wages above 10,000 lekë. According to the records we had three days ago at the Ministry of Agriculture, land distribution stands at only 57 percent. There are 425 thousand pensioners. Prices have risen more than tenfold. In some sectors, including services and food, prices have risen more than 20-fold, while wages have risen two to three times. There are politicians who say that real wages and the standard of living have not fallen. Our government officials have even convinced foreigners of this, but when we do the calculations for them, they do not want to admit that we are right. The truth is that the real wages and purchasing power of Albanians have fallen drastically; prices are uncontrolled. Soon, 137 thousand workers from the former agricultural cooperatives will reach the end of their assistance period. A year ago our trade union asked the government to make assistance last 24 months instead of 12. We asked for this because we did not see any measures being taken to create jobs within the 12-month period. Reality proved us right. We did not wish this, because it is to the detriment of workers. What are the prospects? The government’s official response, given through Labour Minister Dashamir Shehi, is that only around 10 percent of those receiving assistance can be employed. Meanwhile, the natural demographic increase in the population in 1992 was around 75 thousand people. As a figure, unemployment will remain at its current level or increase. How is economic reform being implemented through a system of support that truly relies on our own strength—has it been considered at the extremes? Under the conditions of state assistance to farmers, the unemployment figure ... (Continued on page 3)