To head the Greek delegation at the fourth meeting of the Albanian-Greek Ministerial Committee, which will conduct its proceedings from January 18–20 in Tirana, Deputy Minister of National Economy of Greece Yiannos Papantoniou... To head the Greek delegation at the fourth meeting of the Albanian-Greek Ministerial Committee, which will conduct its proceedings from January 18–20 in Tirana, Deputy Minister of National Economy of Greece Yiannos Papantoniou is [below we publish] a brief biography of him: Mr. Yiannos Papantoniou was born in 1949. He studied economics at the University of Athens and at the University of the Union in the USA, and history at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris. He defended his doctorate in economics at the University of... [the last part of the word is illegible] In 1977–1978 he worked as a special scientific officer in the Department of Economics at the University of Athens. In 198... he worked at the Center of...

IF IT WASN’T A POLITICAL MURDER, THEN WHAT KIND OF MURDER WAS IT? - We beg television to at least leave us in peace. - This murder serves only those who planned it. Yesterday we were in Shkodër, at the home of Gjovalin Çekini. The brothers, relatives, friends and companions we found there, deeply grieved by Gjovalin’s murder, also expressed their indignation regarding two announcements by the Ministry of Public Order and the investigative group about this event, which had been broadcast on television. Gjovalin’s brother, Pal Çekini, says: “It is not true that the Democratic Alliance supporters made insulting or abusive remarks in public outside after the meeting had ended, as the Ministry of Public Order’s announcement says. The fact is that those who later murdered Gjovalin insulted and abused the people who had attended the meeting and were coming out of the theater. They were swearing in the presence of the police, and one of them wanted to show off his weapon publicly right there. The police did not react to them, but against us there was not even any intervention [unclear]. He left with a gun in his hand in the direction of Rr. Shkodrës, while the police continued dealing with us. Also, when I learned that my brother had been killed, I hurried to catch up with the police minibus that had taken him to the hospital. After extraordinary persistence on my part, I managed to accompany him to the hospital, since the police did not want to let me. It is also untrue that the family members [unclear] for an examination to be carried out. On the evening of that fateful night, the team of experts arrived accompanied by Viktor Kasneci. They entered the room and completed all the necessary formalities with the body. This lasted half an hour. From the outset, we expressed opposition only to the autopsy.” Emond Cekini, Gjovalin’s nephew, says: “We did not insult anyone. The perpetrators of this tragic event for us waited for us outside and began insulting, in the filthiest language, those who had attended the Democratic Alliance meeting. These insults were repeated several times, mainly by the same person. There were four of them, and all had pistols. They pulled Gjovalin into a more open square, not as the announcement and the report on television stated. Gjovalin went toward them only in order to get them not to shoot in the direction of the crowd. They had ordinary, everyday-use ‘T’ pistols, not an old weapon, as is claimed to have been used to kill him. I myself told the police, ‘Catch the murderer,’ when they shot Gjovalin; while the police took the body, the killers were allowed to leave freely with their guns in their hands [unclear]. The police acted in a very biased manner: they did nothing against those who were armed, but acted against us, who had attended the meeting of the [unclear] party. It would be good if television, even though it does not have the courage to come here and interview us, would at least leave us in peace.” Others express the same kind of concern. A young man in this neighborhood said that the murder convinced him it had been organized, because everyone in Shkodër knows what groups and clans operate there. People in power have also been accused, but people are afraid to file complaints because this mafia terror awaits them, as our friend put it. It is strange that [he/they] still has not appeared at the house or in the neighborhood (Continued on page 4).

A man was killed in Shkodër. A whole week has passed. The press has said and is saying a great deal about this event. There have been comments, conjectures, investigations and allusions. Among those mentioned and held responsible was the name of the No. 1 person in our state, President Sali Berisha. Specifically, MP Arben Imami stated: “Berisha also bears particular responsibility, even in the case immediately preceding the Shkodër incident, when he declared, ‘What do the Socialists want in Shkodër, and what does the Alliance want in Shkodër, what do the Republicans want in Shkodër?’ One might say that of anyone, as if Shkodër belonged only to the DP, only to Sali Berisha.” We expected President Berisha to comment immediately. We expected this because our government officials, whether on their own or through their many spokesmen, never miss an opportunity to speak or appear before the public, even when it is a matter of a tractor appearing before Mr. Arbnori. We expected Mr. Berisha to comment because he is the president of this country and of this people, whom Berisha loves more than anything else in life, as he himself said on television before New Year. We expected a prompt statement from the president also because all those accused by Mr. Imami rushed to issue statements rejecting Imami’s accusation. We expected Mr. Berisha to comment because he has declared that he has the situation completely under control. A week is passing, and the president remains silent. It is his legal duty and moral obligation in such a case to speak out and act as befits a president. This is all the more so because our president has presented himself as a man who says what he thinks. It is strange that he remains silent about an event called “a second April 2,” a criminal incident involving Albanians from different political forces that resulted in a killing. This concerns the unity of the people. What greater obligation could a president have than to strive to strengthen the unity of the people? There is no doubt that our esteemed president will speak at some point. In this case, we will make only one wish: God grant that he does not speak as he did about the Shkodër events of June 18 last year. Here is what the AMNES-TY International report, based in London, says about the June 18 events in Shkodër: “At the same time, the country’s political leaders have done very little to expose the crime against tolerance. For example, in June 1993, when the Socialist Party had received authorization to hold a meeting in the quiet city of Shkodër, its opponents violently prevented the meeting from taking place. Rilindja Demokratike, the newspaper of the party in power, reporting on this incident, wrote that Fatos Nano, the leader of the Socialist Party, was ‘greeted’ with rotten tomatoes and eggs...” The newspaper concluded that “Shkodër once again showed itself to be a model of democracy.” “Meanwhile, the President of Albania, Dr. Sali Berisha, commenting on this incident at a press conference, appeared as a defender of this way of expressing political opposition.” The president’s statement is awaited with great interest. BEQIR SKRELI

“Those who organized April 2, those who organized June 18, have also been heard on January 14, once again clearing the streets of democratic Shkodër.” “Those who organized April 2, those who organized June 18, have also been heard on January 14, once again clearing the streets of democratic Shkodër,” the statement of the Presidium of the Socialist Party said, as published in the newspaper “Zëri i popullit” on January 18, 1994. This statement was also sent to other institutions for publication. The day before yesterday afternoon it was sent to RTV and the Albanian Telegraphic Agency. From that moment until midday on January 18, nothing from this statement had been published. With this legitimate concern, we approached Mr. Sakaj to ask him the reason for its non-publication. On the phone he replied that they do not publish statements by political parties. Mr. Artan Tepelena gave us the same answer, justifying it by saying that this had been decided by the governing council. At the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, the director of the institution, Mr. Hir Zhillia, informed us that the news was being processed and would appear in upcoming bulletins. The non-publication of the PS Presidium’s statement by the mass media is not accidental; it is a continuation of the political censorship these institutions impose on the Albanian opposition and the Socialist Party’s officials. In this statement, the Socialist Party calls for an end to such acts of violence, describing them as a political crime with serious consequences. Although the heads of these bodies gave us that answer, it does not mean they should be believed. Their broadcasts have in fact carried only [unclear], without identifying the political party that issued the Socialist Party’s statement; this is why it happens repeatedly. In the Albanian media there are government quotas [unclear] from the general allocation of funds, a portion was to be transferred to healthcare. That is all, and without any agreement or any document. I have made my presentation and assessment concerning Italian aid known over several days in Parliament during a plenary session and in two interviews on television and in the newspaper. The role, relations and mechanism for operating the aid are organized in such a way that no other possibility is envisaged, and an [unclear] did not make it possible to continue the participation or direct involvement of the minister. This information provided an explanation, as you know, to the Ministry of Justice; it could have been requested without obtaining permission from Parliament. And without the propaganda noise, as well as from the Italian state. Why is RD attacking after several months of silence, and has it now [unclear] in the scandal involving the Italian prosecutor? (Continued on page 2)

Interview with the prisoner, MP and Chairman of the PS, FATOS NANO “K.J.: It has been more than two months since we last spoke. What can you tell us about the beginning of this...? F. Nano: First, let me wish you and your readers directly: ‘A happy and successful year.’ Second, let me thank you for the spontaneous, natural appreciation expressed by your timely publication—two months. ASME! In fact, it has been four months, every day of which I cannot forgive, because it has come at a high cost. Not only for me. Above all, this has shown that our first silence (September 6, 1993), following my recent arrest, continued, while you asked for it again at the very time when I was thinking I knew how to calculate it. Being mis... [the unclear text continues] ... Above all, I also want to greet the other journalists, as well as everyone who has stood by me... there are many of them, including them as well as the COLLECTIVE of “Zëri i popullit” ... “K. J.: It is said that on the date before January 16, Fatos Nano will go to trial. What does this fact bring you—joy or sadness? F. Nano: You ask about the ‘Nano case’; it is still at the initial stage, truly, because those who are paid to keep me in prison are actually afraid and do not come face to face with the criminal...” (Continued on page 3)

- Press statement by MP Sabit Broka - For two days, first RD and then [unclear] about aid and ...; then the DP propaganda organs, Albanian Radio and TV, have attacked precisely that [unclear] Albanian [group/person] in order to create a new image. S. Broka and G. Pashko are implicated in intergovernmental Albanian-Italian corruption. According to them, they had arranged this through the Italian prosecutor Evelina Canale. All of this is based on the Italian Prosecutor’s Office’s request to question the two as witnesses. Meanwhile, prosecutor Dervishi, described by TV as “a person, and a real one,” stated fundamentally that they were being asked to testify as witnesses, not because they were implicated. Thus, from the content of RD and ... A shocking and astonishing [unclear] was overlooked: Italian aid operated through government communication. The Ministry of Health was represented by the Minister of Health; a committee had been set up at the Ministry of Health... [illegible text] ... The Minister of Health was requesting ... all the bodies of ... (Continued on page 2)

The tragic event in Shkodër at the center of public attention

NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA