Tomorrow the national council of the Democratic Party will meet. This is an important event, not because the highest forum of the party in power is meeting, but because this meeting is unlike the regular ones and has been forced by the difficult political and economic situation the country is going through, and particularly by the deep crisis from which this party is suffering. Will the PD manage to put its finger on the wound—that is, identify the causes of the crisis, the failure of governance, and everyone’s responsibilities—which would serve this party first and foremost? The many facts prove that the PD finds a complete catharsis difficult. It came to power quickly as the expression of great hopes and the noble ideals of democracy, but just as quickly, by applying party-minded attitudes, it introduced into the country’s political life, instead of a spirit of dialogue, overbearing arrogance; instead of transparency, mistrust and silence; instead of competition between alternatives, megalomania and elbowing one another aside. The Democratic Party bears great responsibility because, having taken on the role of architect of reform and of putting the country on the path of a market economy, it treated Albania like an ownerless commodity. The process of ... Albania, left without a constitution, far from the rule of law and from respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, is the only country in Europe to have emerged from communist dictatorship that has not yet been accepted into European organizations and institutions, the Council of Europe and elsewhere. Ordinary people have long been stigmatizing the PD—sometimes for its inability to govern, sometimes for its zeal in plundering national wealth, sometimes for its scandalous displays of corruption, sometimes for the ... of nepotism that has taken over every cell of the party. Today the Democratic Party has been left without its March 22 electorate. The November 6 referendum most clearly demonstrates this crisis of identity. The period since then shows that, under the guise of the so-called fight against corruption, it has been more of an arena for the struggle between clans operating within this party, especially in its leadership. These are the reasons the PD has now distorted its true democratic potential. The efforts being made to portray the situation as if the misfortunes of the great Christian Democratic PD were coming from the opposition, particularly from the Socialist Party, seek to justify its inability ... Despite the silence, instead of competition between alternatives—mega-bureaucracy and elbowing. The Democratic Party bears great responsibility because, by taking on the role of architect of reform and setting the economy on the tracks of the market economy, it treated Albania as an ownerless commodity. The privatization process has turned into a process of large-scale plunder of national wealth by those in power at every level and their supporters. Workers have been almost entirely excluded from the division of this wealth—the very people who, over decades, created it through their sweat and sacrifice, and who now see it being trampled before their eyes. In foreign policy, where the DP claims to have achieved its greatest successes, Albania is experiencing an opening, but this is an opening with its gates flung wide. These are the reasons why the DP has by now exhausted its genuine democratic potential. The efforts being made to turn the situation upside down, according to the DP, and to portray the great democracy that has been created as something brought about by the opposition, particularly the Socialist Party, are intended to legitimize this ruling force’s unlawful governance and abuse of power. The Socialist Party has called for early elections and a new way of governing, as one of the only ways to overcome the crisis the country is experiencing and deepen democratic processes; however, these positions of its do not destabilize the situation—on the contrary, they offer a democratic alternative in the service of the country. The DP has closed off its own prospects.

The State Audit confirms: 1. The criteria and purpose of the loan were diverted 2. No tender was used for the tractors and bakeries 3. $7.9 million of the loan was not utilized The State Audit ignores the high prices of the tractors The truth about this financial scandal will come out when the PD is no longer in power The State Audit confirms: the criteria and purpose of the loan were diverted; no tender was used for the tractors and bakeries; $7.9 million of the loan was not utilized. Continued from the previous issue How were the tractors sold in Albania? ... tractors that had been given them with a four-year repayment period. Therefore, another decision was made to extend the repayment period on the loan for these as well to eight years. It is not clear to us who issued this decision to extend the repayment period on the tractor loan several times, and whether ... ... buyers of the tractors who and whether ... ... they should have been purchased. But in our opinion, the main reason for terminating the contract is that the issue of the high tractor prices must have begun to “smell,” and the people behind this deal hurried to put an end to it as soon as possible. Counterarguments

Luan Hajdaraga: Early elections are inevitable. We are preparing seriously for them in two directions at once. First, for the election campaign, which we will win; and second, for managing the victory and socialist governance. At a meeting of the governing committee of the PS in the Lezhë district held the day before yesterday, which was also attended by PS deputy chairman Luan Hajdaraga, several key aspects of the PS’s work in this district were discussed seriously. As throughout the country, the PS in Lezhë has gradually grown stronger. The number of new members has increased, with the party accepting mainly young people as well as various intellectuals into its ranks. As a result, the Socialist electorate has gradually grown. The same applies to the elections. Familiarizing people with, analyzing and implementing the PS’s concrete approach, as well as organizing party committees at district level and ensuring that they function, were among the issues discussed at this meeting. This is especially important given the political situation the country is going through, for which preparations will have to be made in advance. Not only the district PS chairman, Kujtim Kashi, but many other participants at the meeting also expressed concern about the contributions and work accomplished so far, and stressed the need to deepen the work even further. This is also because, alongside the achievements, there have been some shortcomings, particularly in the PS’s work in the countryside. As for familiarization with, analysis of and work on the PS program, although good work has been done in the city of Lezhë and in Shënkoll, Kakarriq, Fregën, Gjadër, Kallmet, etc., shortcomings have also been observed in other areas and villages. The tasks of familiarizing people with the PS program cannot be considered complete after merely reading it at a party organization meeting, or by having it analyzed only by PS members, as has happened in some cases. This work must of course be done, but what is important...

Continued from the previous issue How were the tractors paid off in Albania? This is a story in itself. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Commercial Bank and Makinaimeks were involved in the sale. Representatives of these departments drew up and signed the contracts for purchasing the tractors, even travelling to Greece to deal with this matter. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food planned the distribution of the tractors by district, while sales were handled by the branches of the Commercial Bank. Ardian Xhyheri, former director of this Commercial Bank, informed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the procedure for selling these tractors in a letter signed by him, ref. no. 801-2, dated 10.4.1993. The letter set out several options for sale, ranging from immediate payment with a 30 percent price reduction to sales on credit with terms of six months to three years. This procedure was hardly implemented. Very few tractors were sold for immediate payment because their high prices were unaffordable for private farmers. Another sales procedure was then adopted: sale on credit over four years at an annual bank interest rate of 5 percent. This led to the sale of some of the tractors, but not all of them. Credit over eight years, still at 5 percent per year, was then offered for the remaining tractors. This caused dissatisfaction among the buyers. It is not clear who issued these decisions to extend the repayment period for the tractor loans several times, or whether they had a legal basis. We also do not know who waived the interest-rate differences and loan interest charges resulting from these extensions. But one thing is clear: all these extensions of the repayment period for tractors purchased with the Greek loan clearly demonstrate that their prices were high—unaffordable for our still-poor farmers. Why was the tractor contract terminated? As we said in the previous issue, the contracts called for the purchase of 1,000 tractors, but only 865 arrived. The rest were not obtained because the Albanian side terminated the contract. Why was this contract terminated? Albania still needed tractors. The fact that the government allocated funds to buy 2,000 tractors in China proves this. Various sources report that the termination of the contract was justified on technical grounds: the tractors came with only a plough; they were unsuitable for our farmers’ small plots, and so on. If that is the case, it is further evidence that these tractors should not have been bought. as possible. Counterarguments It is natural that, following publication of this scandal, the relevant state bodies would react in an attempt to justify it. These reactions, though untruthful: in 1 we ... too many corridors of these departments during the days when we tried to obtain official information from them. Such counterarguments, which attempt to justify the high purchase prices of the tractors bought with the Greek loan, are: 1. The Greek loan stipulated that the goods be purchased in Greece. 2. These were the lowest tractor prices in Greece. 3. Agriculture urgently needed tractors. These statements may be true. But in that case we would say: the Greek loan may indeed have been usable only in the Greek market, but for goods at advantageous prices. This was not a grant, but a loan that the Albanian state would one day have to repay. We are not aware that the Greek loan stipulated that only tractors could be purchased. On the contrary, we know that it was initially intended for the purchase of raw materials for industry. The tractors could...

SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE DAY Chinese, Kurds, Indians, Pakistanis and residents of other countries are not hard to meet in Vlora. They are becoming unofficial collaborators. You encounter them everywhere, in the streets, cafés and public places. You hear them even more at the port of Vlora. They move freely around the city without any identification documents. They are neither tourists nor diplomats, specialists or merchants. They are clandestine migrants who use the port of Vlora as a platform from which to make their way across Europe. They enjoy full rights while walking about openly, sleeping in hotels, boarding ferries or speedboats, and ending up lost on the shores of neighbouring countries. Of course, we are not opposed to people from all over the world coming here, as they do elsewhere in the world, and enjoying freedom, closeness and [being] citizens, moving about exceptionally freely. But no place in the democratic world allows citizens of other countries to move around its territory without personal identification documents. It is entirely normal that our state should know how many foreign citizens enter Albania, why they enter, the purpose of their stay and how long they will remain. Because clandestine entry inevitably also makes it possible for criminals, drug and arms traffickers, and prostitutes to enter. Their entry into any country, including here, must be prohibited. What is the state doing? Is it not confronting the traffic in foreign clandestines? Who benefits from this stance? Albania has no reason to become Europe’s hub for transporting clandestine migrants. They will bring dangerous social consequences. They must be stopped. GEZIM TUSHI

Special pages 3–4 of the newspaper, as discussion material for the National Congress of the PD

From the National Committee of Veterans of the Antifascist National Liberation War of the Albanian People, addressed to the Association of Fighters of the Republic of Poland and Former Political Prisoners — Committee of Former Inmates of the Nazi Extermination Camp «OSVENSHIM» — WARSAW For the attention of the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr SALI BERISHA On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi internment and extermination camp OSVENSHIM, on behalf of the the Albanian People, together with our warmest greetings, we send you this message expressing our deepest respect for the millions who perished in this camp, among them the thousands upon thousands of Polish antifascists and patriots who gave their lives or suffered the inhuman atrocities of the fascist beast. The veterans of the Antifascist National Liberation War and the entire Albanian people know and highly value the antifascist resistance and the heroic liberation struggle of the Polish people, the blood shed and the countless sacrifices made in this sacred war of the entire world antifascist coalition. Our tribute to the Polish fallen, martyrs of this war, and to those who gave their lives in the dungeons of such terrifying Hitlerian camps. (Continued on page 2)