- A great success for the Democratic Government! - The problems of the Kukës strikers have been resolved. - The PD will soon make all its promises a reality Yesterday, 12 May 1994, according to the spokesperson for the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi, Deputy Prime Minister Bashkim Kopliku, ministers Hasan Halili, Abdyl Xhaja, Pirro Dishnica, and MPs Tonin Alimihilli, Shefqet Hoxha, Mustaf Murtata, Skënder Jaku and Gaqo Rrota held a meeting with representatives of the local authorities of the districts of Kukës and Has, Messrs. Uk Todaj Zenel Kastrati, Nexhat Hasani, Besnik Elezi, the representative of the association of flooded villages, the chairman of the association’s council Osman Elezi, the deputy chairman Mr. Sadik Nexhi, as well as the chairman of the hunger strike, Mr. Jahir Trota, and four other strikers. As can be seen, the two sides were approximately equal in number: as many MPs and ministers as strikers. Messrs. Musaraj and Gazidede were absent; although they know the situation at first hand, perhaps they did not attend because they were occupied with other work. When the representatives of the local authorities and the strikers met immediately after the meeting, they were emotional. This was natural, because some had just arrived after a three-day fast and others after seven days of “fasting.” The abrupt transition from the misery of the hunger strike to the murmurs of the Prime Minister’s Office surely has a powerful effect on a newcomer, much as it does on a poor person who enters the salons of the Kingdom or the Temple of Democracy. Thus, in this warm and friendly atmosphere, the minor incidents involving broken arms and legs, admissions to hospitals in Tirana and Kukës, and the readiness of thousands of people who, after the borders were opened, had put themselves on guard to protect the strikers, were discussed through dialogue and mutual understanding. All the strikers’ demands were put forward in accordance with the law and set on the path to resolution. How long that road is matters little. The whole infrastructure will be examined. The main thing is that the PD has begun to keep its promises. Immediately afterwards it will install telephones in every home—obviously in the villages, since it has already taken care of the cities. Seven kinds of bread, three kinds of jobs, organized emigration, forgiveness of taxes and duties, lower prices, a zero quota and shock therapy, and so on and so forth. The strikers had rightly found Prime Minister Meksi quite reasonable: a true democrat, a born humanist. Indeed, some of them, in the old style, were ready to make a self-criticism for having given him a hard time and wanting to drag him away from his great works by making him come all the way to Kukës. According to religious and historical experience, they had come to understand that the Mountain goes to Muhameti, not the other way around. Analysts with whom we had the opportunity to speak, despite the short time available, think this is the first outcome since Kukovë, Ballsh, Vlorë, etc., in which the powers of the Ministry of Public Order have been transferred to the Prime Minister. Likewise, agronomists and veterinarians, socialists, believe this was a concrete response to needs and demands following the implementation of the Land Law according to one’s own interpretation. Drawing on the experience of democratic centralism, the Government took the matter into its own hands and, with funds for poverty relief, will resolve the problems of ordinary people. Since the details were given in all the media, we will leave them aside, without any doubt that they will become reality—not at the snap of a finger, of course, but in due time. The Government has not only Kukës and Has, but also Pukë, Bajram Curri, Dibër, Gramsh, indeed all of Albania, including the diaspora. Under the slogan “opponents, but brothers,” we thank the Government for its stance and hope that it will also resolve other accumulated problems in a spirit of dialogue and mutual understanding, without any help not only from abroad but also from within. Finally, so as not to make the account of the meeting entirely positive, as was customary in the past, we would like to make one observation. The residents of 34 villages in Kukës and Has are receiving land twice: once under the law passed by Parliament, whose spirit also guided the discussion, and again under the Prime Minister’s arrangement. SEDAT BRAJA.

- The people of Reç are waiting for Mr. Gazidede, their MP, who made them promises, gave them his word and pledged his honour - They want to ask him: What has he done for Reç during these 782 days of his party’s rule? For the last 50 years, Reç has survived through work. Its very limited land area has never been able to feed Reç. Yesterday and today alike, it amounts to only 200–300 square metres per person. Reç, a mining settlement, has always been far from geological exploration and mining prospects. Under these conditions, over the past five decades, the people of Reç survived through the courage of their labour, through digging and, perhaps, [text truncated]. There is no work of

In the first months of this year there have been disruptions in the supply of kerosene serving the town of Laç. This has been particularly pronounced in the town of Laç. Of the 120,000 litres of kerosene that came to the town of Laç each month, it has been observed that in recent months they have not been given even...? a single litre. Meanwhile ...? the citizens have also made the payments ...? as specified, ker...? Kerosene is supplied along the line ...? According to the plan, it comes from Ballsh to the fuel distribution point in Laç. From there, as a rule, the fuel distribution point sends the planned quantity to the Laç municipal housing enterprise, which is supposed to distribute it to the town’s kerosene shops, 60,000 litres each. The citizens have not been supplied. Where does the kerosene go? While citizens wait to be supplied, trucks full of kerosene pass nearby ...? the town and leave ...? along the national highway, heading north, destined for... (Continued on page 4) ... in the chapter on settling accounts with the communist past, the minister called the extension of the railway ...? unprofitable and unnecessary (Continued on page 4)

In Parliament In yesterday’s parliamentary interpellation, the Minister of Transport answered questions from the Socialist group about the state of the railway and our merchant fleet. His main focus was on highlighting the difficulties these sectors have faced as a result of the extensive destruction carried out here. It is the tactic of all ministers in the Meksi government to talk about this destruction while forgetting that they and their party bear the primary responsibility for it, as the architects and implementers of the theory of zero level and the destruction of everything communist. These difficulties have now been eliminated and, according to Mr. Bitincka, “the railway” is in better condition than it has been at any time. The Minister—this is clear even from the fact that the minister said 20,000 wooden railway sleepers had been brought from Italy, 0.5 fate tjetër, and that 63 million new lekë had been spent to eliminate damage caused by the heavy autumn rains of 1993. We have a few questions: why do we have to bring wooden sleepers from Italy as well? And who is to blame for the rainfall that caused so much damage to the government? It has rained throughout the entire time the railway has existed, but measures were taken and damage of this kind did not occur. the minister called the expansion

promised, told them the truth and Reç? They did... [?] - They want to ask him: What has he done for Reç during these 782 days of his party’s rule? 200–300 square metres per person. A population of more than 4,000 in around 500 hectares of land (including the Great Field and other unproductive land at higher mountain elevations that was considered “arable land”) cannot possibly make a living in Reç. Livestock farming without forests or pastures, as Reç has had to endure, cannot be considered a source of income or profit, except for curds and buttermilk to wash down dry bread. With no mineral resources, Reç of Reç survived through the courage of their labour, with pickaxes, drills and mines. There is no difficult project, no mine, hydroelectric power station, tunnel, industrial complex or road where the people of Reç have not worked in the hardest conditions. Today, when people claim that the wealth created by this people with their blood and sweat is to be divided, the people of Reç, in proportion to the volume of work they have done and the heroism they have shown, especially in... (Continued on page 3)

Although Edi P. is showing no signs of recovering from the inferiority complex imposed on him by RD and continues to strain himself, producing articles and nonsense out of an inability to read ZP, we are giving him a few spicy topics to cover, as always drawing on well-informed sources, that are troubling the ruling party: 1. What is the current state of the PD’s coffers, and how are the tasks of extracting compulsory “voluntary” contributions from free or imprisoned Democratic businessmen, from the “Ringjallja” association, etc., being carried out? 2. How is the campaign of mandatory “recru...ments” into the PD progressing among civil servants and agricultural workers, from FRSH, LDGSH (Tritani reports; Arbeni, Flutura and the relevant ministers)? 3. What did Edi manage to achieve in London after the well-known results of the President’s visit to Great Britain? 4. What were the reasons for the dissatisfaction and the criticisms made by the IMF representative who visited Albania, and how did he calm (or alarm) the President? What will relations with the IMF be like until September? 5. Why does Agroni refuse to draw up the cuts lists requested by the MRP, and who will take on this task? And how are the required cuts at SH.I.K, in the army, etc., being implemented? 6. Has the PD electorate changed, or does the latest poll also confirm that its support is at the aforementioned level of 15–20 percent? That is all for this month. It is a test of the familiarity and professional knowledge of the reader, now that Edi P. and RD have started up again, and of their lost circulation. The Observer Note: P stands for Pakole in a cell; he should not rush, since he has time to learn properly the numbers and locations of the cells in Tirana Prison.

- Organized by the Soros Foundation - Yesterday morning, the Soros Foundation’s journalists’ training center began a two-day seminar concerning problems in the distribution of the press in Albania. The seminar is being attended by journalists from several newspapers, distributors of investors and representatives of press distribution. The proceedings of the seminar were opened by Mr. Virgjil Muçi, co-director of the journalists’ training center at the Soros Foundation. He explained to those present the aim of the seminar: to help with press distribution in Albania, particularly in the countryside, where the difficulties of distribution are more complicated. Among other things, he pointed out that, through the contacts he had made to organize the seminar, he had met foreign investors who were willing to organize press distribution in Albania and abroad. Later, in a brief presentation, representatives of some of the country’s leading newspapers emphasized their concern that press distribution was the Achilles’ heel of the press. The speakers stressed that the press does not reach the hands of around 65 percent of the population living in the countryside. Some expressed optimism that the issue of press distribution could be significantly improved by setting up some kind of joint venture to address the problem, and, particularly given the importance of circulation, by attracting an interested foreign company. Others expressed the view that press distribution in the countryside should be developed through an organized state postal service. From the outset, all the participants praised the Soros Foundation’s initiative to bring in the experience of distributors, journalists and foreign investors willing to help solve the distribution problem, either by organizing a new press distribution agency.

On May 11, the campaign to vaccinate children against Viral Hepatitis B (jaundice) officially began. It was organized with two councils of ...? at the Tirana maternity hospital, with the support of Italian Rotarians, the association... and with the districts of both countries. This vaccination will be carried out for ...? all families that ...? with 20 children from May 11, 1997. The Rotary initiative ...? with the help of the organiz...tion ...? and with the help of organizations, donors and other ...? of the Albanian Ministry of Health ...? a ...? was helped for ...? They have allocated 300,000 US dollars, subsidized by Rotary International, and the Italian Rotarians will contribute around 100,000 additional dollars. Regarding this issue, the Albanian Minister of Health, Maksim Cikuli, said at a ceremony organized specifically at the beginning of the “Life for Albania” program: “This disease is widespread around the world, with ...? as ...? Poliklin... This campaign ...? for ...?” (Continued on page 3)

New facts about the “biscuit” mystery: - There is no problem with the biscuits being 30 years old - But what about the Egyptian mummies that have lived for thousands of years ... says Z ... New facts about the “biscuit” mystery: English biscuits foretell a storm even in the Albanian Prime Minister’s Office - There is no problem with the biscuits being 30 years old - But what about the Egyptian mummies that have lived for thousands of years ... says Z ... Controversy has erupted over the English biscuits too. After their rejection by the Director of State Reserves and their blocking by Health Minister Cikuli, those involved are Vullnet Ademi, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, and Zekeriya Palushi, the former official in charge of aid issues, now an adviser to the Council of Ministers. “I have a lot of doubts about Mr. Skuli ... [?],” said the former; so far, in my personal opinion, it has been Vullnet Ademi ... of Albania. Another fax was to be sent to the British representative, Tom Brennan, but this time to the attention of the Director of the Albanian Program at this Institute, Harris Kirmoulis. While contacts in this regard continued normally, on February 7, 1994, the Director of the Aid Institute, Janinë Kristo Plaku, sent a fax to the Albanian side and personally to Mr. Palushi, asking him to arrange the dispatch of the goods to Rrëshen and to take the necessary measures. But in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Meksi on February 10, 1994, the Director General of State Reserves, Mr. Skënder shekolli [?], communicated: “Komunikohet Evropa, through Greece, has brought goods and materials as aid, which have been stored. The above-mentioned medical supplies are ...? in poor condition and for ...? our valuable aid.” “Fax from the ...” ...? officials keep DSH for these goods... “Komiteti Evropa...” It is difficult ...? to believe that the Director of Reserves ... (Continued on page 4) ...while Mr. Palush calls Mr. Cikuli’s order to block these biscuits unjustified by the laboratory analysis, adding: “The time of Ministers is over now.” It seems that this aid entered a long time before it reached our ...? Russian ship, rented from ...? Anxhela [?], K... Albanian citizens ...? saw ... English biscuits, but did not know where they came from. The many facts in the Albanian correspondence ...? prove this. ... where ninety? ... fax would ...? at the Institute ...? that the aid would be dispatched ...

Results of the first round of the general elections in Hungary, held on 8 May 1994: 1 - Hungarian Socialist Party, 32.56 percent. 2 - Alliance of Free Democrats, 19.43 percent. 3 - Hungarian Democratic Forum (ruling party), 12.04 percent. 4 - Independent Smallholders’ Party (right-wing party), 8.46 percent. 5 - Alliance of Young Democrats (liberal right-wing party), 7.46 percent. 6 - Christian Democratic People’s Party (ruling party), 7.29 percent. 7 - Workers’ Party, 3.27 percent. 8 - Agrarian Alliance, 2.30 percent. 9 - Party of the Republic, 2.26 percent. 10 - Hungarian Justice and Life Party, 1.43 percent. 11 - United Smallholders’ Party, 0.82 percent. 12 - Hungarian Social Democratic Party, 0.78 percent. Under the Hungarian electoral system, only parties that win 5 percent take seats in parliament.