WITHOUT COMMENT: ALBANIA IS WITHOUT A CONSTITUTION!... ... AND OUTSIDE EUROPE’S DOORS. UNTIL WHEN?... Some time ago, the rapporteurs of the Council of Europe addressed the Albanian authorities with several test questions for examining the application made by President Berisha for Albania’s membership in this European forum. More specifically, the questions are: - What is the current state of the preparatory work that will enable Albania to have a new Constitution? - When will the commission responsible for drafting it present the Draft Constitution to the Albanian Parliament? - What deadline has Parliament envisaged for discussing the Draft Constitution? - Which chapters or articles of the Draft Constitution are the subject of differing views among the political parties? - Are there other obstacles preventing the political parties from reaching the necessary consensus on the Draft Constitution, bearing in mind that it cannot be approved by only a two-thirds majority? It is logical, after the Council of Europe reporters’ questions, to ask: How have the Albanian government authorities responded? Have they told the truth or lied? We do not know. But, on the other hand, we do know that Albania continues to be a state without a constitution. And for more than two years it has done nothing but knock on the doors of the Council of Europe. Knock and knock... while remaining outside. Until when? TOMORROW YOU WILL READ: WHO DOES NOT WANT THE NEW ALBANIAN CONSTITUTION?

- Around 30 hectares of gardens and parks trampled under the concrete of more than 2,000 kiosks. - Who should answer for this ecological crime? - The information emerging from a source close to Tirana Municipality is alarming. In just the last two years, kiosks and shacks have taken around 30 hectares of green space from the capital in the form of gardens and parks. A genuine ecological disaster, especially when one considers the upward trend in this phenomenon. The increase in the number of commercial premises has become evident. Every day Tirana is being given more and more catchy bar-buffet names, while it is being robbed of something that many world capitals invest in having: greenery. Who should answer for this re-bunkerization of the capital? The Territorial Planning Commission has been established within Tirana Municipality. It is this commission’s right and responsibility to grant permits for kiosk construction, but in most cases its powers have been usurped by others. Meanwhile, the 20 members of the Territorial Planning Commission feel almost entirely excluded from the process of issuing construction permits. The Municipal Council has been waiting for three months for the mayor to explain this phenomenon. No clarification. Why? In conversations among traders, one learns that you should consider yourself lucky if you manage to get a kiosk permit for 100,000 new lekë. After that, the licensing authorities take little care of planning schemes, the systematic destruction of infrastructure, or irreversible ecological damage. And this is happening precisely when environmental protection has been given formal status as a Community policy, and has become a priority issue for EC citizens, lawmakers, and corporations. Tirana has not lacked SOS calls for environmental protection either—“Not one step further” was the slogan of several young environmentalists who blocked traffic for minutes right under the nose of the Municipality building. But it seems their appeal is falling on deaf ears. Iron and concrete are being hurled rapidly over Tirana’s greenery. And if nobody takes this seriously, then surely, within a few years, instead of enjoying flourishing green spaces, the capital’s children will be forced to collect their parents’ cans. S. GRUDA

The PS Steering Committee for the Elbasan district reports that, from the launch of the new election campaign until now, 140 new members have been admitted. Of these, 28 are from neighborhoods in the city of Elbasan, while the others are from various villages in the district, for example Polis i Vogël, where 12 new members were admitted at the beginning of June. A characteristic of membership applications during this period is that several people have requested to join the PS together; these are mainly young people who have never belonged to any other political party. A relatively large influx of new members has also been observed in the commune of Gostima, where, since this year’s Second National Conference of the PS, 112 new members have been admitted. There have also been 12 new admissions in the village of Shtapënjë in this commune. Described as a village where “socialists have no place,” it has seen 10 people join the PS in recent days. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”

I sincerely thank the RD correspondent who, while trying to “catch” Zëri i Popullit’s “disinformation,” informs readers very clearly about my statements concerning my position on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As written in yesterday’s issue of RD, what I said in Zëri i Popullit on June 5, 1994, is entirely accurate: “The PS has not been, and is not, opposed to the admission of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the CSCE...” Equally accurate is what RD quotes from my statement of April 15, 1993: “We have stated, and remain convinced, that the demand for the rights of Albanians to be recognized according to CSCE standards and for them to be enshrined in the Constitution of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia must be openly emphasized by the government of Albania in its declaration recognizing this state, and that our country will use its CSCE membership, alongside bilateral contacts, to demand that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia fulfill these obligations toward its own citizens, toward the stability of its neighborhood, and ... [text continues beyond the photograph] It was official Albanian policy that, seeing that the rights of Albanians in Macedonia were not being fulfilled, declared that it would veto the CSCE. And it played this “card” until just 10 days ago! So, Mr. RD correspondent, since I have said the same thing both on April 15, 1993 (which you had to search newspaper archives to find) and on June 5, 1994, you are telling me that I am the one clarifying public opinion. As for the “Sofia table,” let me explain, in good faith, that it was another table, here in Tirana, more than two months ago, during the meeting between German Foreign Minister Kinkel and Mr. Berisha, that decided Albania should not use its veto against the CSCE. And so it was. Andovi came here and told you, “We agree to be admitted to the CSCE.” Who is taking contradictory positions, me or official Albanian policy? I said 14 months ago that Macedonia should be admitted to the CSCE. The Albanian government said ... [text continues beyond the photograph] So this is not only free of contradiction; there is a consistent and clear line. That is, as early as April 15, 1993, 14 months ago, we agreed that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should be admitted to the CSCE. I repeated this now, on June 5, 1994. In light of this, dear RD correspondent, who should be held accountable, me or the government of your Party? I also thank others for accurately informing the public by publishing my statements of April 15, 1993, and June 5, 1994, which follow the same line. BASHKIM ZENELI, MP

THE “BISCUITS AND MEKSI” FILE: Strange: Prime Minister Meksi calls it a fabricated affair even when he himself signs!! - Silence is not always a golden lid!... - While Meksi’s advisers, ministers, and subordinates, in a display of professionalism and open-mindedness, find the time and courage to speak, their boss thinks silence is the better course. [The rest of the text is cut off at the lower edge of the image.]

While Meksi’s advisers, ministers, and subordinates, in a display of professionalism and open-mindedness, find the time and courage to speak, their boss thinks silence is the better course. - silence is the better course. Busy with the many problems of reform and the fight against corruption for more than a month, Albanian Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi did not find the time to respond to the request for comment on the arrival of the English biscuits. Perhaps he thought silence was a golden lid!... - “I do not feel it is my duty to comment on such things, especially when they are fabricated.” That is Meksi’s answer, but not in his own words—in the words of his secretary. Now stored in State Reserves warehouses, the expired English biscuits are still waiting for an answer. Stored there on the strength of a signature by the Albanian Prime Minister, Aleksandër Meksi, they still have not found their destination. Having arrived on the Albanian coast like a phantom, in the most enigmatic, and perhaps shameful, manner, they have entangled dozens of people in their net, from Anglo-Saxon Labour Party members to Albanian politicians and the prime minister. If the Albanian state had received another shipment weighing 3,500 tons, not a single news item would have gone unreported. But this time the problem was different. Those biscuits had to be brought in secretly. It took only one article in Gazeta Shqiptare for the scandal to erupt. Passed from one office to another, the issue exploded into a bitter controversy. The director of the reserves objected; the Minister of Health would not sign; the secretary of the Council of Ministers expressed reservations; Meksi’s adviser argued that they were necessary; and the head of the whole operation—the person who signed for them—called the whole thing “...” The affair bears the name of the Albanian Prime Minister, Aleksandër Meksi, who remains silent. It is anyone’s right to comment or not in the press when their name is mentioned. But this time the matter is different. This is not about the citizen Aleksandër Meksi, but the Albanian prime minister. Given his office, he must answer for his subordinates, let alone for his own name. All the more so when his name appears in the “Biscuits” file. He need only answer for the signatures he put on documents in his capacity as Albanian prime minister; he should begin by explaining how this shipment came about, where it came from, who signed, and why. Naturally, his adviser went to Greece for talks. What is the prime minister waiting for before commenting? Is a ship carrying thousands of tons of expired goods not enough? It is to his credit to speak, regardless of which organization is asking: make this statement, and ... be satisfied that, with Meksi’s own words and his reliable facts and evidence, he can justify the necessity of this aid, while having the satisfaction of helping the Albanian prime minister avoid being implicated in an affair that can rightly be called the “Biscuits” scandal. Official etiquette also requires that no one take the matter further. Perhaps, to clarify things better for the prime minister, it is worth recalling that Zëri i Popullit and its journalists did not bring the 3,500 tons of biscuits and the Russian ship “Komsomolas” to the Albanian coast, nor did they order them to be stored in the State Reserves warehouses. We have not included in our analyses the adviser who went to Greece; he is not ours, and the fax that arrived concerning this matter did not reach our issue. As for the alleged fabrication, it may be on your side, Mr. Prime Minister, and if so, it is your duty to denounce it. Certainly, if you are not implicated. Otherwise, you would do well to remain silent. In any case, there is a signature that brings the whole matter to life. We demand accountability: why did you sign such a document?

In fact, they are not just travelers to Koman, but people who, for various reasons, take the Tirana–Koman route: some to get out of the area and its surroundings, and others to carry on with their daily lives. Generally, they are travelers from the Tropoja district, since travelers from the Tropoja district, since travelers from the Tropoja district have still not acquired their own cars. This is not the first time that the press has brought their concerns to public attention. [Passage unclear in source: “Duke me të diskutuar, po ljan si tër vëken”] For several days, passengers traveling from Tirana toward Koman have been forced to get off about a kilometer away, with no means of transport. We are obliged to stop the route buses because the Koman police have not been ... Meanwhile, there is no decision or instruction, at a time when even the drivers who might be interested in having the road graded are not at all in agreement. Is this not playing games with the travelers of Koman? Passengers who have no time to spare, whether families, the elderly, or the sick, are forced to get off the bus, make their way down to the valley, help those who cannot manage and the little ones, and then walk uphill to reach the station. Everyone is forced to walk along this stretch of road; even those travelers who set out from Bajram-Curri to go to Tirana, with just one difference: while the first group climbs uphill, the second walks downhill. It is unclear why the Koman police have taken this action, or whether there is some with the travelers of Koman?

A barbaric assault that ends with bruises on the body. This is the outcome of what happened on the evening of June 1 at the Kapshicë customs checkpoint. The driver, who had arrived from Greece in a truck, did nothing other than remind the police chief that he had been waiting in line since the previous day. But that was enough for them to unleash an attack on him, with seven police officers coming to their chief’s aid. This was not an isolated case; all the unfortunate citizens who sometimes get into disputes in the queue have encountered the way work is organized at this customs checkpoint.

Two shots were fired at the owner, leaving him wounded in the leg. Everything happened at a bar in Zogu i Zi, on the night of June 13. This was the culmination of an argument between him and two customers, who then, after drinking in his bar, refused to pay. This is an incident that has been repeated several times in other bars as well. The two men, who were armed (perhaps with civilian police pistols), fled in an unknown direction.

The campaign for new elections in the Party organizations in the Devoll district is coming to a successful close. The Devoll socialists reviewed their meetings and the achievements of their work, and set tasks for the future. Particular emphasis was placed on bringing in new members to nearly all Party organizations during the campaign. In May alone, 57 new members were admitted. The Party organizations in the village of Vidohovë stood out, with 16 new members; Rakickë, with 9; Kapshticë, with 7; and Rrasë, with five. A new organization with 72 members was established, and at the most recent meeting another 6 new members were admitted. New members were also admitted in Vranisht, Sinicë, Arzë, Vishovicë, Poloskë, Bitinckë, Çipan, and elsewhere. What is important is that most of those admitted are under 30 years of age. Thus, a total of 100 new members were admitted during the two months of May and June.

The Albanian state looks on and remains silent Just three days after the incident in Shkup involving Albanian Minister of Agriculture Hasan Halili, who refused to sign the cooperation agreement between the two countries, the name “Republic of Macedonia” appeared at the top of the agreement. Just three days after the incident in Shkup involving Albanian Minister of Agriculture Hasan Halili, who refused to sign the cooperation agreement between the two countries, the name “Republic of Macedonia” appeared at the top of the agreement instead of “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,” and the expression “Republic of Macedonia” appeared in the heart of Tiranë. A large blue-lettered banner on white fabric, placed above the main entrance to the International Center of Culture, announced that the “Economic Exhibition of the Republic of Macedonia” would open two days later in this Center’s main odeon. In addition to the banner in question, small posters bearing the Macedonian flag and the expression “Republic of Macedonia” had been placed in the rooms of the Cultural Center. It is clear that this exhibition, scheduled to open at this Center on June 15, has received official approval from the Albanian authorities. What is not clear is how these authorities allow the name of a neighboring country, not officially recognized by the United Nations—which Albania is also a member of—to be displayed in large letters in the middle of the capital. Does Albania recognize and implement these UN decisions? Is the Albanian state consistent in its statements and positions? Finally, how are we to understand Minister Halili’s action, when what he refused in Shkup is accepted in Tiranë? Apparently, this is the morality of Albanian diplomacy and foreign policy.

On Thursday, June 16, 1994, at 6 p.m., the Socialist Party of the Durrës district is organizing a “Protest Rally” at the “Punëtori” sports hall. Members and supporters of the SP are invited to attend. Invitations are available from the Socialist Party offices in the district. The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party, Durrës