The army is insulted and maligned by the order of the Minister of Defense, who with a single signature sent hundreds of soldiers to vote in the commune of Zall-Herr ZALL-HERR: 4 NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ARRESTED Reason: They campaigned for the Socialist Party After the conclusion of the early elections for the head of the commune in Zall-Herr, measures to maintain order also began. And the first step: 4 arrested. They are Bujar Livadhi, Ferit Aliushi, Ramiz Shepa and Fatmir Allushi, all four non-commissioned officers of Military Unit 5009, whose personnel did not take part in the elections. The observer [The article column continues; the visible text at the bottom of the image is partly cut off] …concealing the truth and casting smoke over what happened in the latest elections in Zall-Herr. By attacking the opposition newspapers, and especially “Zëri i Popullit,” he is wrong in answering the question of who is bringing the Albanian army into disrepute. It is maligned by those political forces and those leaders of the Ministry of Defense apparatus who, contrary to rules, regulations, laws and constitutional principles, want to use the army as an instrument in the service of their party interests. These are precisely the people who forget that the army’s fundamental and sole mission is to guarantee the borders. The army is maligned by the DP’s official propaganda, which calls it a place for its own property, not forgetting Sali himself in this propaganda. It is maligned by the order of Defense Minister Zhulali, who with his signature sent hundreds of soldiers to vote in the Zall-Herr community as part of a “structive”; it is maligned by the alarming involvement of dozens of SHIK and SHIHT officers, who, under various pretexts and in various ways, sought to get votes cast for the DP; it is maligned by DP deputies entering military units, and by the failure to respect the request made in parliament seven… on this matter. And as if that were not enough, it is also maligned by the newspaper “The Army and the Nation,” which has taken it upon itself to save…? As for what was said and mentioned above, propaganda for the SP. Just as it is in the honor of those who serve in the army, it is also in the honor of this newspaper not to engage in the DP’s and its leaders’ low political games. This newspaper’s courage should not consist in political retorts, much less in being directed by the headquarters of the party in power, but in telling the truth. Wouldn’t it be better to talk about the dollars “shunted” through Zhulali’s firm for expenses incurred at the homes of the current leaders of the Ministry of Defense, for the Sotonis ship—for the Peshkëpi incident and other stories? Wouldn’t it be better to bring these things to light in the press, rather than one day from the democratic rear of 22 March in Tirana? The people should not have to see that a certain person is the commune chairman… it is the “state” that guarantees the freedom of the country’s poor. The American model chosen does not offer methods and practices… The breaking of isolation, the opening of the army and cooperation with foreign countries are not the merit of the DP, Zhulali and his “blue” staff. Others were the ones who made this effort, having rejected the old ways in order to continue, but without manipulating political games… As the author says, correspondent— Under the “bombastic” headline “The Army, which serves only ‘defense,’” this article appears to have been taken either from the Democratic Party newspaper, RD, or from some campaign colonel at the Ministry of Defense who has been stung by the Army and the times giving opposition newspapers a “lesson.” The Army, mindful of its identity and independence from political parties—and all the more so from the DP—is likely to have received the order to publish from the Democratic Party headquarters. Carefully woven according to a studied and subtle plan in cooperation with RD, at a time when the Army is depoliticized, the article seeks … …The newspaper’s concern seems to be an Albanian colonel like the counterintelligence officer in Arabia. Instead of dealing with “nonsense,” he deals with ballot boxes, so that an article can become open propaganda for the DP, at a time when, without any reason, soldiers are stopped and arrested… …Is this a practical and honest way to isolate openness and call for cooperation with the outside world? This is not the DP’s achievement. The development and the “blue” staff headquarters. Others were there during this period, becoming today’s staff in order to continue, but without manipulation and political games. As this newspaper’s correspondent says in his reply, whether one writes about the good Army or not, the honor of anyone who keeps in mind the defense of the freedoms and independence of the Republic of Albania must be respected; in fact, the very person entrusted with this duty seems to have forgotten it.

ACCORDING TO THE GREEK PRESS - According to Kristo Papoutsis, chairman of the Greek Socialist group in the European Parliament, the Mitsotakis government provided funds to the Democratic Party of Albania to help it come to power. A letter of thanks from Mr. Berisha to Mr. Mitsotakis exists. A radio station set up in Korçë was also part of this assistance. - According to Kristo Papoutsis, chairman of the Greek Socialist group in the European Parliament, the Mitsotakis government provided funds to the Democratic Party of Albania to help it come to power. A letter of thanks from Mr. Berisha to Mr. Mitsotakis exists. A radio station set up in Korçë was also part of this assistance. Under the headline “PASOK Offensive: New Democracy Responsible for Helping Berisha During the Election Campaign,” the newspaper “TA NEA,” dated 8 June 1994, publishes statements by the MEP and Chairman of PASOK’s Socialist Group, Mr. Christo Papoutsi, who raised the question of the origin of the Greek funds—state or party funds—that financed Berisha’s election campaign. There is even a letter of thanks for this assistance from the Albanian Leader addressed to Mr. Mitsotakis, Mr. Papoutsi stressed. And he observed: “We ask the two parties of the Right, New Democracy and Political Spring, to answer this question. Mr. Evert knows, Mr. Samaras knows, Mr. Mitsotakis knows, Mr. Sgardhelis knows, Mr. Moskonas knows, Mr. Griliakis knows. But the Greek people want to know about the ‘origin of the money’ that was given. Among the other forms of assistance given to Mr. Berisha by New Democracy, Mr. Papoutsis also includes ‘the operation of a radio station in Korçë, with which it urged the Greeks of Albania to vote for and support Berisha.’ NOTE. We call on the Albanian oversight authorities, as well as the Democratic Party, to provide explanations regarding these statements.

Will we irrigate the plants this summer? Why are they asking this question? Because for the vast majority of the agricultural crops they have planted, the first irrigation should by now have been completed, as required by the dry conditions and the high temperatures that have prevailed for several days. But until two or three days ago this process (irrigation), which is decisive for the fate of agricultural production, had not begun anywhere. Concerned about this, we turned to the Shkodër District Directorate of Agriculture. Mr. Mehdi Muhani stated that we have ample water resources to establish and extend irrigation channels to all the plots in the plain. We have… in the two districts… In five directions we have… the main canals’ water supply, and we have planned the main… Why… the council of Shkodër… …village irrigation associations, voluntary ones, it is understood, which organize all the work within the village regarding irrigation. These associations should first draw up a schedule based on each farmer’s water needs, arrange the time slots according to each person’s request, and submit these to the Water Enterprise’s accounts; in other words, the fees are paid for the water to be distributed (this was also done previously by agricultural cooperatives). Once payment and reporting are completed, we provide the quantity of water requested for irrigation; otherwise there is no water. It is just like in a shop: you have to pay for the goods you buy. These are some of the issues; the others… should be taken care of to ensure the proper management of water… …A few days ago we were in the areas of Fanga and Fierzë in the district of Mirditë. We saw farmers there struggling over the little land they had, most of which, in many cases, was planted with… We spoke to these people, who told us with evident concern about the difficult conditions in which they live. “We live without any kind of support,” Dila Karagjozi tells us. “We have no one employed by the state; the flour mills and factories in Mirditë have shut their doors to workers; we have no health services in the village, no clinic and no telephone line. We are not asking for anything great, but we cannot even obtain the bread we need from the little land we have.” Pal Fusha, Marie Dudi and Torezë Zaba express similar concerns. One of the few sources of income that can at least provide daily bread, Pal Fusha tells us, is the money earned by the ten groups of people who have gone abroad to work. More than 70 people from Fanga alone are working abroad. But none of them has sent anything since then. …We do not even have drinking water. The water reservoir we had has been mined and destroyed. Neither the kindergarten nor the nursery is functioning. The health center building is blocked off. The owner of the land has occupied it, preventing it from functioning. The people of Fierzë are also very concerned about the village school. This building, too, has been occupied by a landowner. Under these conditions, pupils have been forced to change schools and travel 6 km every day to attend school in another village, Rrasfik. The land available to us, averaging 0.4–0.5 dynym per person, cannot meet our needs, Zef Leçi and Frok Deli tell us. Especially since most of it is… We do not produce even two or three months’ worth of bread. After that, we depend entirely on Millot and elsewhere. Another concern has also arisen in these parts: around 70 families in Fierzë and Fanga wish to… It is said that tenders have been awarded, but nothing has been received so far. The farmers’ concerns and… (Continued on page 4)

- From a meeting between the NMCP delegation (Netherlands Management Cooperation Program) and a group of Albanian journalists - A delegation from the Netherlands Management Cooperation Program visited Tirana and Elbasan in recent days. At the conclusion of their visit, Ms. Suzana Pani of the Institute of Management and Public Relations, together with the delegation members Ms. Elly Kerstam, coordinator for Albania, and Mr. Villiem Zuidhof, executive director of NMCP, organized a working lunch with journalists on Wednesday. The Dutch representatives of the program explained that NMCP, established in 1978 at the initiative of the Netherlands Committee for Developing Countries, the Christian Employers’ Association and the Association of Dutch Companies, has among its members… (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday morning, in one of the facilities of the “Dinamo” Sports Complex, the Albanian Football Federation held a press conference. Its focus was the conclusion of the 1993–1994 season and the issues arising for the new season. The Secretary General of the AFF spoke about the main problems the Federation had to face during the past season. Football has played a major role in enlivening life during the years of transition, he stressed, while also mentioning several instances in which the Federation itself had not properly fulfilled its duties. Measures were taken to establish regular relations with international football organizations. The clubs “Tirana” and “Teuta,” the Federation secretary stressed, are currently the most orderly during this period, while the same cannot be said of such renowned teams in our football as “Partizani,” which is currently in a difficult situation. The national team, he continued, is also in a very difficult situation and is now paralyzed, with no activities! We will try, under these conditions, to appoint capable professionals in whom we can place our hopes of bringing it out of this difficult situation. (Continued on page 3)

On Tuesday, 14 June, at 13:00, a meeting of the FRESSH Steering Committee will be held in the PSSH hall. All members of the Steering Committee are hereby notified to make arrangements to attend the meeting. The FRESSH Executive Board