A major electoral deception on the eve of elections in Zall-Herr, Libofshë, etc. - PRESIDENT BERISHA CUT A PROPAGANDA RIBBON AT THE INAUGURATION OF COCA COLA, SOLELY FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES TRUCKS CARRYING ROMANIAN COCA-COLA UNLOAD AT THE ALBANIAN COCA-COLA BUILDING [Article text partially visible] read it, the President. And quite rightly. «COCA-COLA pipelines are rapidly spreading across the post-communist countries of the East, bringing with them, along with the taste of the magic drink, millions of dollars in investment. In many of these countries, such as Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, but also Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics, today COKA-KOLA has become the most powerful investor. This is also why, although it is extremely difficult to get beyond the factory’s red railings, we learn from some employees that “the boilers have not yet been installed. Without them, there can be no production.” Clearly, the boilers had not been installed on 19 May either, when the inauguration took place. It follows that the President cut a sham ribbon instead of a real one. Why? The information officials have not…»

Yesterday, Libya’s ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Abbdylhamid Farhat, received at the embassy’s headquarters, on the occasion of his departure from Albania, the chairman of the Socialist Party, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, and the PS secretary for foreign relations, Bashkim Zeneli, members of the People’s Assembly. The Libyan ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the understanding and cooperation with the Socialist Party of Albania during his three-year term. He praised the traditional bonds of friendship between our two countries and peoples and expressed confidence that relations between the two countries would be further strengthened. Dr. Servet Pëllumbi praised Mr. Abbdylhamid Farhat’s contribution and dedication as Libya’s ambassador during Albania’s difficult period of transition. Libya’s assistance to Albania has been invaluable, and the Albanian people are grateful to the friendly Libyan people for it. Dr. Servet Pëllumbi went on to stress that we would continue working in the future to further strengthen relations of friendship and cooperation. Press and Information Office of the Socialist Party

The conference of the PS in the district of Vlorë, reviewing the party’s achievements and shortcomings, noted that the two-year period since the previous conference had been a period of work and effort by all party members to increase its authority, establish it as a democratic political force, and defend it against attacks by right-wing extremists. In the report delivered by Gëzim Isufi, chairman of the Party’s Steering Committee, it was noted that the PS in Vlorë had faced adventurist actions, whose weight and burden had fallen on the shoulders of those who had initiated and fought for democracy. In particular, PS members and supporters are prejudged and have been deprived of equal rights to participate in the opportunities offered by the market economy. The Socialist Party in Vlorë has grown in numbers, strengthened its organization, and become more united in its ideas, maintaining a consistent and admirable course of action. The challenges of the times, the principled political struggle against our opponents, as well as the natural diversity of opinion within the party, have further strengthened its cohesion. A review of the period of nearly two years since the previous conference would show that the party has almost doubled in size, its average age has fallen considerably, and the influx of young people joining has increased. The intelligentsia is assuming the proper weight due to it, and the organizations are occupying a more natural position within democratic socialism. The conference addressed a number of issues. (Continued on page 3)

The PDSH secretary-general, Mr. Tritan Shehu, during his tour on 6 July 1994 in Bulqizë and Peshkopi, addressed large audiences and, seeking to lend credibility to himself and his party, fabricated a lie that was as brazen as it was immoral. To argue that the PS, which he described as the PD’s principal «opponent», had been first, from beginning to end, he claimed that it had invited the Albanian television reporter «on the television’s behalf, to give it to the people», and had also filmed him on behalf of the Socialist Party, on a videotape. The Steering Committee of the PS of Dibër did not obstruct him or remove the Albanian television correspondent from the hall; on the contrary, it helped him carry out his duty until… The secretary general of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, during his recent tour of Bulqizë and Peshkopi, before large audiences, concocted a lie as stale as it was immoral, seeking to lend credibility to himself and his party. “PD’s main opponent,” “is going through a deep crisis”—a crisis which, according to him, is also “manifesting itself” in its recent conferences, which are being held behind closed doors, in isolation and without transparency—he claimed that Dibër’s television reporter had been “thrown out of the hall and not allowed to film what he was supposed to film for the people.” As always in such cases, his lie was given extensive coverage by the Agriculture and Press newspaper and television, which relayed it in every news bulletin. For the sake of truth, the Socialist Party in Dibër informs the public that the television reporter, invited by the PS’s executive secretary, filmed the conference not with one but with two cameras, from beginning to end. He filmed it for the television station’s records, “to give it to the people,” and also filmed it on behalf of the Socialist Party, on videotapes. The PS’s executive committee in Dibër did not obstruct him or throw the Albanian television reporter out of the hall; on the contrary, it allowed him to do his job to the end. RD shamelessly lied and slandered when it claimed that RTV’s correspondent in Dibër had been forcibly removed from the conference. The delegates and guests at the second PS conference in Dibër, more than 300 people, are indignant that their proceedings were broadcast on television without any footage being seized, without justification, and despite the solidarity they expressed with the PS and its leader, who is being imprisoned by the authorities day after day. They ask Dibër’s television reporter and Albanian television, if they have even a shred of social and professional dignity left, to comment publicly on this incident and “refute it.” Spokesperson for PS Dibër

Everyone who had the good fortune to be present at the red-and-white ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as those watching television on 19 May this year, could not help but be moved by the scene being broadcast: President Berisha put the scissors to the thick red-and-white ribbon, thereby inaugurating COCA-COLA in Albania too. «The degenerate drink of the bourgeois-revisionist world» was now entering the Albanian world as well. All the more so because it was entering in a particular political situation: immediately after the inauguration, an election campaign was to be held for the local council chair elections in five municipalities of the country. «A symbol of the West in the East»—which was so true of our country, although Zhulali thought it appropriate to mention it in the parliamentary chamber only when an Albanian soldier was handing it out as a treat in their units. As even the PD itself had predicted in the first round, the Socialist Party candidate clearly won over the candidate put forward by the Democratic Party. With this result, the PD once again learned the full lesson that democracy means keeping promises, and that the people no longer believed its empty promises. But the elections went to a runoff. Ministers, government officials and their cars, together with the colonels of the MM, parked near the Zall Herr municipality for another week; yet the results of the following days again showed: the PD’s candidate had won. The people of this municipality vote—or do they not vote? Has this municipality been tampered with? The Democratic PD. Having first agreed on the work to be done, in a devoted manner, and on the PS candidates …? But, anyway: the PD won, and from that day the municipality has been governed by the Democratic Party. But what happened in Zall Herr in the month after the victory? The residents of Zall Herr have seen no change; every day they see more and more things disappearing from right before their eyes. Explanations from the Minister of Defence, azot. as a treat in their units. But just as …? before their eyes. And then? A few days after the inauguration, the label on COCA-COLA bottles began to attract consumers’ attention. It said neither Tirana nor Albania. So COCA-COLA is apparently not produced in Albania?! Almost two months have passed since the ribbon-cutting, and the COCA-COLA building, the «red-and-white» premises at kilometer 5, Kashar, on the Tirana-Durrës road, has been turned into a warehouse. COCA-COLA is not produced there. Nothing is bottled there either. «Trucks bearing the symbol of the West come from Romania, and the product is then put on the Albanian market like all other foreign goods.» So where is Albanian COCA-COLA? Perhaps it is extremely difficult to get beyond the red railings of its factory, but Why? The official information outlets have no qualms about beating the drums even for a windmill, let alone for a name as prestigious as COCA-COLA. But could COCA-COLA be treated like a windmill too? Today’s authorities are trying to create the impression that foreign investment in Albania is being verified. This leads them to cut fake ribbons, as in the case of COCA-COLA. Everyone would like Albania to be a promising land for investment, but no one is willing to be fobbed off with an empty spoon. Beyond COCA-COLA’s red railings, we learn that intensive work is under way so that production can begin on 15 July. So be it. Perhaps we will welcome another inauguration ribbon. May it be a real one. ALI SHEHU

For more than a month, the Democratic Party’s MPs and their heavy vehicles, loaded with materials and equipment, have forgotten the road leading to Zall-Herr. From the moment they «declared victory» in Zall-Herr, its residents were left without the intensive development the municipality was supposed to experience after the PD victory. No worthwhile work has been done in the municipality either. The PD leaders opened their sack of promises and led people to believe that their heavy vehicles would arrive immediately after the victory. At the head of these vehicles were the Democratic Party MPs, who promised not only … but also roads and bridges, schools, buildings and other important projects. But the residents of this neighbourhood found neither a road nor the promised amenities and work. This is evidence of the policy being pursued in power these days, and of why it is so difficult to open a «bottleneck» on the road for the heavy vehicles. ... 1991 ends ... only in the Zall-Herr area ... [column text unclear]. As for ... [text unclear] ...

The cultural, artistic and publishing agency «DEA» organized last night, in the hall of the League of Writers and Artists, an interesting, useful and high-quality discussion on the topic: «Democratic politics needs and is founded on democratic theory and culture.» The range of topics and the high professional standard of the presentations aroused the interest of those present, who praised the worthy papers by Prof. Luan Omari, Prof. Dr. Neritan Ceka, Prof. Dr. Sabit Fro-kaj, Doc. Aleks Luarasi, Dr. Krenar Loloçi, writer Kiço Blushi, Dr. Vasil Laçi, Dr. Remzi Lani and Dr. Fatmir Zanaj. In this way, the «DEA» agency is taking a courageous step by bringing together outstanding figures from our national science, politics and culture for valuable debates and discussions—an initiative that deserves not only to be welcomed, but also supported. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

- Short show at the Peshkopi cinema - Along the roads of Dibër, on Friday afternoon and at dusk, more than two cars of various makes were seen travelling towards Peshkopi and then on to Tirana, from Tirana, Bulqizë, Dibër, etc. They brought Prime Minister Meksi and the party-government entourage, headed by Mr. Tritan Shehu. The people of Dibër who watched them parade up and down said under their breath: “Meksi has come to fan the flames, but found them extinguished.” A new initiative, the “useful public works” initiative A meeting was held in the Peshkopi cinema. In his opening remarks, the DP secretary, Mr. Gjyzel Hama, said that the meeting was being held with Dibër’s intellectuals “to air their grievances and find solutions to their problems.” Prime Minister Meksi was the first to speak. He said that agricultural production had increased by more than 15 percent during 1993. To support this, he presented an aerial overview of achievements which, as he called them, were extraordinary. The data came from GALLUP. Not a single Albanian source. Not a single figure for Dibër, no physical data at all, only percentages. No benchmark for comparison. There were no figures for Dibër when the leader of the PP, in his impressive speech, cited the vineyard enterprise and the wool enterprise as successful businesses. Enterprises such as those in the food sector, the fruit and vegetable canning factory, the wool/alcohol and juice factory, the dairy, the marble mine and dozens of other enterprises have shut down. (Continued on page 3)

The secretary general of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, during his recent tour of Bulqizë and Peshkopi, before large audiences, concocted a lie as stale as it was immoral, seeking to lend credibility to himself and his party.