Fatos Nano is still in prison. Despite the vulgar labels, today there are few people who are not completely convinced of Fatos Nano’s innocence in relation to the accusations made against him. The Chairman of the Socialist Party, Fatos Nano, is still in prison. Despite the vulgar labels, today there are few people who are not completely convinced of Fatos Nano’s innocence in relation to the accusations made against him. Two consecutive trials were enough to bring to light everything contained in the „Nano“ file and strip it of its countless propagandistic speculations. No accusation, no detail, no testimony proved that Fatos Nano was tainted by corruption; on the contrary, it demonstrated his devotion and sacrifice for the good of the people at the extremely difficult time when he took on the heavy burden of governing. In just a few days, it will be a year since Fatos Nano was imprisoned. For a whole year, he has resolutely and bravely endured the physical torture of brutal isolation in the extremely inhumane conditions of the prison’s filthy cells in Tirana. He endured the unbearable summer heat and the piercing cold of winter, the lack of information and contact with his friends and family. He endured the harshness and the violation of regulations of the Koxiozian kind, at a time when the human-rights charter was being loudly proclaimed. For more than a year, he and his family—his wife, parents and children—have endured a long succession of countless insults, slanders and shameless, unscrupulous public labels, amplified by an entire state apparatus, from radio and television to the Telegraphic Agency and the relevant embassy departments, which missed no opportunity to speak and spread lies about the Nano case (we do not include the newspaper RD here, which has used the most vulgar vocabulary and the most abhorrent logic possible against Fatos Nano). The fact is that Fatos Nano and his family endured all this, and their friends and comrades grew in number day by day, increasingly in response to the speculations, deceptions and plunder. The attack on Fatos Nano became widespread when, as head of the party, he showed the people the governing incompetence of the group that had come to power and warned of the dangers ahead. The attack took concrete form with his arrest when, at the head of the masses in popular protests, he called for a change in the course of government and punishment for state corruption. The way the „Nano“ case was fabricated and constructed, and everything that happened each day over the past year, served to show people that the „Nano“ case was not the case of one man, one individual, or even one party. From the outset, the Nano case had gone beyond the personal and party framework. From the outset, and day after day, it grew into a major issue for our nation on its road to freedom, progress and democracy. The question was which path Albania would take. Would it follow its natural road towards Europe, or continue to wander for years through the steppes and wastelands? Would Albania build a new society of equal opportunities, or would feudalism and serfdom be restored? Would Albania have a strong opposition that contributed to its development, or would it remain in a state—or would Albania still have high-level employment dictated by party directives, where the interests of those in power came first and those of the nation second? One year of imprisonment for the chairman of the Socialist Party revealed much of what we have listed above. The point was not simply for Fatos Nano to prove his personal innocence. And in a year of political imprisonment, Fatos Nano and his comrades have nearly won their battle. The Nano case became one of the supporting pillars of Albanian democracy. The Socialists neither split apart nor turned against one another. They denounced and showed the whole people how national wealth was being plundered in the name of privatization; how, as in the past, rallies and peaceful, democratic demonstrations were being prohibited; how party orders and decisions were still being enforced instead of laws; how the adoption of the constitution was being obstructed; how foreign investment was not coming in and assistance had become the sole means of survival for many families; how the promises of organized emigration had gone up in smoke and jobs were not being created anywhere... The Socialists also presented corresponding alternatives for better governance, alternatives based on a consensus of understanding with all political forces, on a state governed by law and a stronger parliament. The Socialists openly called for new elections as the only means of establishing genuine relations and balances in Albanian political life. They openly declared that they were capable and knew how to govern better than those who are sending thousands of people from Albania out into the world, and that they knew how to bring the country into Europe. Many people have understood this by now. Intellectuals and politicians from home and abroad are making repeated appeals for the immediate release of the political prisoners. ... telegraphic agency and as far as the relevant sections of the embassies, which never miss an opportunity to talk and spread lies about the Nano affair (we do not include the newspaper RD here, which, regarding Fatos Nano’s character, has used the most thuggish vocabulary and the most perverse reasoning imaginable). all of by day; day by day, warmth and affection for them increased. Fatos Nano overcame all of this above all because the party whose chairman he is had already been attacked and assaulted before, in an attempt to divide it and prevent it from fulfilling its mission: protecting ordinary Albanians from the savagery of the anti-reform. the road toward would take. Would it follow its natural road toward Europe, or would it continue wandering for years through the Albanian steppes and scrubland; would Albania see the building of serfdom be restored; would Albania have a strong opposition to guarantee democracy and pluralism, or would a puppet theatre continue to be played out, with dictatorship given new names, with no freedom of the press or speech, with journalists imprisoned for their articles, with censorship imposed and only one ... being heard? ...valdet. To the question of how aware he was of the cold figures and how they compared with 1990, he replied: Those who are dealing with this now know how meetings and statistics were handled back then. Today the figure is 34 per 1,000; the percentage is high, but it is a very accurate datum; in any case, he did not give the comparative figure for 1990. Asked another question—whether the Ministry of Health considers it appropriate to bring before the courts those who published the news about Miloti—he replied: We are concerned, but we do not want to establish such contacts with journalists. Raising awareness is necessary, but not to the extent that it becomes a subject of speculation. Expressing his thanks for the interest shown, he reiterated his wish and the agreement that contact should continue in the future.

– „The Conservatives have lost the nation’s trust“ – „Join us in this crusade for change“ – The Labour Party, sensing that power was within reach after 14 years, chose a new figure on Thursday, a lawyer to lead it in a possible government. Tony Blair, 41, achieved a major victory in the party election, thereby replacing Smith, who died at the age of 55 of a heart attack in May, in the middle of the campaign for the presentation of candidates for the European Parliament elections. „It is a mission to lift the spirit of the nation,“ Blair said in his acceptance speech, echoing Clinton’s successful presidential campaign in ’92. „Join us in this crusade for change,“ he appealed to the British public, which had abandoned Labour in the most recent general election, supporting the Conservative Party. Blair portrayed the Conservative administration as corrupt and exhausted after being in power for too long. „If you do not change this country today, after more than 15 years, you will never have the opportunity to change it again,“ he declared. The current Conservative government includes many ministers from Margaret Thatcher’s time. Blair, the current Labour leader, is ten years younger than Prime Minister Major and also presents himself better on television. Blair forced the Conservatives onto the defensive even before his election. He appears as a well-rounded legal figure and is much more popular on law and order. The new Labour leader has succeeded, with greater success, in taking the Conservatives’ best ideas on law and order and supporting them with the ideal of democratic socialism. „The Conservatives have lost the nation’s trust,“ he declared before hundreds of Labour policymakers. „But that does not mean we will inherit the nation’s trust automatically. We must work hard to achieve it.“ Blair’s party enjoys the support of the Trade unions (workers’ unions and associations). It won 57 percent of the votes and wants almost 1 million Labour supporters. His victory contrasts with Major’s election, which, he said, „was made in the presence of fewer than 200 vo- (Continued on page 4). The fight against AIDS was also discussed. The figures remain worrying. Calling for everyone’s help, including that of the mass media, he called for the organization of a broad and sustained campaign to prevent it and make its deadly effects known. As for the five-year-olds, he called them a very important issue, requiring awareness-raising. Answering questions, he stressed that with this project we want to protect precisely those who are most affected: pensioners, children and the ...

A disagreement that arose two months ago between the factory director

A disagreement that arose two months ago between the director of the tobacco and cigarette factory, Mr. Fatmir Kazazi, and the Trade Union Federation still remains unresolved, we learned yesterday in Shkodër. SHKODËR The director cares nothing for the workers, the law or the director of the tobacco and cigarette factory, Mr. Fatmir Kazazi, and the Trade Union Federation still remains unresolved, we learned yesterday in Shkodër. The union has asked to discuss with the director, as the law on trade unions stipulates, the workers who will be employed now that the factory is about to resume operations. But the director told them: “I do not recognize you as a federation; the independent union was created very recently—you are a makeshift group.” As Nexhat Çelapja, the federation’s chairman, and Besnik Alushi, its secretary, explain, we began lodging complaints with the municipality, the Directorate of Agriculture, which oversees the factory, and finally with the prefect, Mr. Iljaz Vrioni. All of them agreed with us, calling in the director to warn him to comply with the law on trade unions. However, Mr. Fatmir, yesterday too, according to the union’s leaders, defied the prefect’s order, saying that he had already declared once that he did not recognize them as a union. “Where does a company director get the nerve to defy the law on trade unions and disobey the prefect’s order?” the trade unionists ask. Messrs. Çelapja and Alushi say: “We, despite the director’s arrogance, do not ask his permission about which union to join or where to hold our meetings. He keeps repeating that he has the keys and does not recognize your union. But we are determined, whatever Fatmir Kazazi wants, to fight for our lawful right by every democratic means,” Çelapja and Alushi conclude. MUSA KURTULAJ

Tirana: “Albanians will contribute directly to their own health” – Press conference by the Minister of Health – “I will not go into the details of the reform, but will discuss some new problems that the health sector has to face at this time,” said the Minister of Health, Mr. Maksim Cikuli, at the beginning of his press conference. Identifying the financial resources of the health sector as the most important issue, he stressed that until now this budget had been covered by the state and had grown, but was still insufficient. For this situation, we now have a solution, which consists of the entire population contributing to this budget, as stipulated in the Health Insurance Law, which we expect to be approved soon. In this way, we aim to standardize the prices of medical medicines, which differ considerably between the private and public sectors. In this way, the prices of medicines that are absolutely essential will be substantially reduced, by as much as 90 percent. Soon we will determine the costs of hospitals, and insured persons will be able to receive treatment at lower prices than the rest of the population. Continuing, he said that this would also begin to operate with the family doctor and that, on the basis of these changes, a new redistribution of health-sector personnel would also take place. An important issue he addressed was the fight against AIDS. its deadly effects known. As for five-year-olds, he described them as a very important issue, for which raising awareness is essential. and the sick, pensioners, children and ...

Përmet Vandal act against a representative of the authorities On July 20, a vandal act took place in the city of Përmet. In front of the police station, citizen Ilir Belushi struck the deputy chairman of the district council, Adem Delilaj, with iron knuckle-dusters. As a result, he suffered a skull fracture and a wound to his forehead. After hospital treatment, he is in serious condition. As a result, this barbaric act was committed following the privatization of the market; the official in question was entitled only to the title, while Spartak Topoviti was appointed its lawful owner. After this, the premises sold dairy products and foodstuffs, which Leta Belushi and others refused to release. Following the board’s decision, the police intervened by force, but nothing changed. After this act was carried out, the criminal’s brother, Agim Belushi, and others went to the privatized building, where all the windows of the premises—which covered an area of 20 square meters—were smashed. Only after that did the police remember to stop the window-breaking and detain Agim, whom they released several hours later. LLAZI PRILLO

According to a reliable source, a financial police officer and his minibus driver, a few days ago, spotted a «priest» and stopped him on the Librazhd–Tirana road. After stopping the priest, whose vehicle had Fier license plates, because the car with Fier plates was loaded with potatoes, the financial police officer and the driver made the Turkish and Fier driver unload two sacks of potatoes onto the ground. If I were to unload two sacks of potatoes, the policemen who would come out onto the road, sweet sister, and another driver from Kavajë ... a driver from Fier. The financial police’s lack of knowledge ... has taken 10 days ... the drivers of this village ... the Turkish driver ... The driver from Fier, who had proper documents, turned back from the road and filed a complaint with the police station directorate. «The financial police officers’ abuse ends with them being detained for a few hours, while drivers are threatened with the police. Likewise, the police vehicle does not have the power to keep [a vehicle] seized at customs for almost a week,» a source in Librazhd confirmed; the financial police here ... have also carried out ... such actions. An employee ... the drivers ... «Zëri i popullit correspondent»

Librazhd Eight hours under arrest for selling «Zëri i Popullit»!? This happened on Thursday, July 21. The young Ola Muça, aged 17, who sells the newspaper «Zëri i Popullit» in the morning at the PS steering committee, with the authorities ... At 15 regularly they were ..., that day ... regularly they were ... the policemen ... Someone from the committee to use ... politically, one of them holding a state position, whom I recognize by face but whose name I do not know, says Ola, «inside the police station ... they were asking me that if I sold “ZP” again, on the steps or the curb, they would ... in the tegrollin qetën.» At 10:00 they released him from detention. And that day the newspaper ... without being sold. For the citizens, although he was not stopped, he saw «Zëri i popullit» ... the workers as usual; nobody bought it. «Zëri i popullit correspondent»

Peshkopi Employees’ salaries are delayed Delays in paying employees’ salaries are becoming a routine occurrence every fortnight. Faced with a shortage of banknotes in their vaults, bank employees are increasingly unable to meet the dates and deadlines set for paying basic salaries and the other wages received by various employees. The shortage of money in banks is a consequence of various loans not being repaid, and traders of all levels withdrawing and keeping large sums of money in their safes. It is estimated that of every 8,000–10,000 lek withdrawn from the bank, only 1,000 is returned. Such ratios inevitably lead to bank vaults being emptied of banknotes and to the banks turning to the central bank to obtain new banknotes for paying budget-sector employees and those in other systems, as well as for assistance and aid payments, which continue to increase and which the state is ultimately obliged to pay. It is striking that more and more new banknotes are coming out of our banks and are being put into circulation. A lot goes out and little comes in It is surprising that with this uninterrupted «production» of banknotes, our lek is not only failing to strengthen but is also devaluing against foreign currencies. A. ASHIKU

A report from Durrës Even water through connections?!... Frequent disruptions in the drinking-water supply for the citizens of Durrës are an old story. But they hoped the situation would improve, especially since the managers of the water utility went on a «study tour» to America, reportedly spending around 5,000 dollars on the trip alone. Despite these expenses (we do not know whom they benefited), the irregularities continue. In practice, citizens have been divided into two categories. Some receive water regularly every day, directly from the main line coming from Fushe-Kuqja. Others, however, are supplied only in dribs and drabs, or on average for two hours a week. Daily facts show that the existing state of drinking-water supply in Durrës is mainly due to the indifference of the water utility’s negligent managers, the numerous faults in the pipes, etc. Little is charged to those citizens, businesses or institutions that are supplied abundantly and pay little, because the water utility employees turn a blind eye to waste. This is the result of this unrelenting tangle of ... citizens. Meanwhile, the company, for its part, continuously raises the price of water, which citizens do not have. QAZIM GOROZI

One year of political imprisonment for the Chairman of the Socialist Party, Fatos Nano

On Tuesday, July 26, 1994, at 10:00, a meeting of the General Steering Committee will be held at the Socialist Party headquarters in Tirana .