- The less the people want them, the more PD leaders love themselves and power - Those who killed the Democratic Party cannot bring it back to life After a long marathon of meetings of the Democratic Party’s leadership, of its parliamentary group—with the participation of the President of the Republic—of one-on-one meetings and meetings in groups, the National Congress of this party convenes in Tirana today, with the agenda: “Issues concerning the organization of the Party.” Today’s meeting is taking place on ground that is slipping away beneath the Democratic Party’s feet. (If such ground still exists in Albania.) It faces the Hamletian dilemma: To be or not to be? The PD leadership is surrounded and is looking for somewhere to take refuge. It is being drowned by scandals, by the cancerous corruption inspired, encouraged and fostered by it, and by its failures. At present, all the lines that held up the PD’s structure have fallen. It has lost credibility at home and abroad. Albanians saw in practice that the PD’s promises were nothing but lies told to gain power. The people had enough time to see how its leaders rose to their positions, and whose interests the “legal” state serves. People can see how the organs of this state function; they know who has reduced them to this state, who has turned the Constitutional Court into a salaried asylum, who destroyed the Court of Cassation, and who turned the Prosecutor’s Office into a blind instrument in the hands of a caste. People know well how law and order have been established in Albania. The 10,000 people confined to towers in the north, as in the early Middle Ages, also speak to this. The PD’s crisis is evident and incurable. The vote of November 6 proves this completely: November 6 showed that most Albanians do not want the PD and its leaders. But the less the people want these leaders, the more they love themselves and power. Their love of power drives them to commit all kinds of misdeeds. They will stop at nothing to trip up a comrade, or to try to leave the person beside them holding the baby. But apparently this is not so easy. “You may cover up my guilt, but not…” Nevertheless, someone will be saddled with responsibility, even if only temporarily. Who that will be depends on the balance of power among the factions within the leadership. Taking on the issue of organizing the Party is a burden the current PD leaders are, in practice, unable to shoulder. They are the ones who destroyed this party, disappointed people, and drove away its most qualified and democratic forces. The one thing PD leaders have shown themselves capable of doing well is settling accounts with one another. Asked what he expected from today’s meeting, a well-known fabulist replied: “At the beasts’ wedding feast, after the wild animals had eaten and drunk well, they began to quarrel. ‘You ate more!’ ‘No, I ate more!’ Things got very bad. At one point the bear stood up and said: ‘What are you doing? The world can hear us; we are civilized. Sit down for a moment and let’s discuss how to create a new organization.’ ‘The bear is right,’ the wolf replied. After much discussion, conducted civilly, of course: ‘It came to…’ They [the visible text continues, partly cut off at the bottom of the image] decided to create a new organization. The wolf was placed at its head. At present, all the vi[?] ties holding up the PD structure have fallen. It has lost credibility in the country and in the world. but lies told to seize power. The people had enough time to see how these PD leaders have worked, and continue to work, for themselves and their clan. They have seen, and see every day, to whom the national wealth is being given, to whom jobs are being handed, who from the very beginning of it. them to do extraordinary things. They will not trip their own fellow [unclear: “shkobt”]; they will try to leave the other person holding the bag—the one beside them. But apparently, this is not so easy. “Only Meksi and Berisha can prove my guilt,” Genc Ruli is said to have said. In other words, by saying this, he means: Why are you attacking me? We are friends; we know each other’s secrets? Since they are not going to turn against one another, why attack them? Why? They share the same views, even though different people are at the head of the government. If oil and water do not mix, people are even less likely to mix; all the more do secrets? In truth, as the PS has emphasized, early elections were very much desired and failed, badly exhausted itself, and even sank into corruption. In particular, we must be very much desired and particular, we must be In fact, desired and should have been held on time, because the PD failed, badly exhausted itself, and even sank into corruption. Especially, we must be In fact, Especially, we must be

A delegation of the Socialist Party of Albania, headed by its deputy chairman, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, has left for Brussels. The delegation will hold high-level meetings with the European Parliament. Press and Information Office of the Socialist Party

The Chairman of the PS parliamentary group and member of the People’s Assembly delegation to this Assembly, Namik Dokle, has left for Strasbourg to take part in the first 1995 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Press and Information Office of the Socialist Party

- Regional meeting with PS leaders from the districts - . The functioning of the Socialist Party’s structures and the dynamism of their work according to a concrete platform—this was the issue on the agenda... [partly missing] the meeting organized with the chairmen of the district councils of Elbasan, Librazhd and Gramsh, and the Rrogozhinë region. After 1995 was assessed as an important year for the PS’s activities in the capital, its chairman, Luan Hajdaraga, focused on the specific tasks that the party structures in the districts would have to take on. Every serious party with a clear program and credibility among the electorate aims to take power on the basis of the alternative it offers. The PS also has this objective for the coming election campaign. Elections may be announced a year from now, or even sooner. In fact, as the PS has emphasized, early elections should have been held some time ago, because the PD has failed, badly used up its political capital, and even become mired in corruption. Be that as it may, we must be prepared for these elections, regardless of when they take place. On this occasion, the party’s deputy chairman raised the need to establish [text unclear/missing], which was discussed at of Elbasan, Librazhd and Gramsh, and the Rrogozhinë region. One of the pillars of an PS government, L. Hajdaraga continued, will be the fight against corruption. But first this corruption must be exposed and denounced. In particular, PS representatives in local government need to persevere in uncovering corruption, from illegal privatization to other, more sophisticated methods. Turning then to the PS’s work platforms, he also stressed the need for a concrete foreign policy and cooperation with neighboring countries. If the PD has so far tried to build only political relations with the EU and others, that is not enough. Political relations must also be accompanied by economic relations. It must be clear that Albania cannot be built by its own resources alone. The fact that all the countries of the East benefited from the EU’s [?] 7-billion-dollar loan, (Continued on page 2)

Corruption, which has “flourished” at a galloping pace during these years of PD rule, is one of the greatest and most dangerous evils for democratic developments in Albania. Corrupt actions and scandals involving officials and government members have followed one another and continue to emerge. Recently, the press has shed light on the use of Greek loans to purchase tractors, describing it as the biggest scandal. What will the PS and its Parliamentary Group’s position be on this issue, within the framework of this year’s major objectives and commitments, especially the fight against corruption? We put this question to Dr. Fehmi Abdiu, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of Socialist deputies, who told us:

Interview with Dr. Fehmi Abdiu, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of PS deputies There are three main concerns for the PS parliamentary group in 1995. Drafting a new Constitution and insisting on holding new local elections have been, and will remain, the main concerns of the PS and its parliamentary group. But our group will be just as concerned with the fight against corruption, which has now become a serious and dangerous concern for our people and our country. We began this fight when this phenomenon was still in its earliest stages, but now, as it has spread into multidimensional metastases, this struggle presents us with very important and urgent tasks. Accordingly, in the coming months we will insist on holding interpellations with the main government figures, in order to pursue to the very end the criminal investigation of corruption relating to fuel smuggling, tobacco smuggling, thefts connected with loans and aid arriving in Albania, cement, illegal financing of election campaigns, etc. In this context, our parliamentary group will also insist on establishing the truth about the disbursement and use of Greek loans for tractors, which has been widely reported in the press in recent days. Our commitment to this struggle will in no way lessen our insistence on opposing illegal and unconstitutional activity relating to the privatization of the national economy, property belonging to all Albanians, who have the right to be placed on an equal footing when entering the market economy.

The inability of some legal entities and state bodies to pay has been one of the main reasons preventing tax collection in the district of Pukë. Of the 26 million lekë unpaid to the state treasury for 1994, 16 million lekë in excise duty and price differentials are owed by the electric utility enterprise. The remaining 10 million lekë are due to unpaid taxes by four timber-processing enterprises. Small businesses engaged in the circulation of goods in this district are on the rise. This is shown by the collection of 8.9 million lekë in 1994, compared with 7.2 million lekë paid in 1993. Meanwhile, the number of private businesses is tending to fall because of free competition and the phenomenon of bankruptcy, or of switching to another business. From 960 businesses in 1993, there are currently around 600 in this district. They employ around 900 people. Some believe that the tax rate should not be the same throughout the district. For example, a private trader who gets supplies in Tirana spends 25,000 lekë a month on transport alone, while prices in Pukë are no different from those in shops in Tirana.

- The workers oppose this increase, but... An order from the General Directorate of Taxes has prompted protests by dozens of artisan workers in Shkodër. An order from the General Directorate of Taxes has prompted protests by dozens of artisan workers in Shkodër; they work as barbers, shoemakers, watchmakers, photographers, goldsmiths and in other professions that have a long tradition in the city. Under the order in question, starting in January, taxes in these sectors will rise significantly. Calculations made in Shkodër show that these taxes are increasing by an average of 2.8 times. In other words, whereas last year they paid 8,000 lekë in taxes each month for the work they did, under the new order they must now pay up to 22,000 lekë a month. The workers in question, who have long been organized in the trade-union federation, have reacted strongly to this order. They argue that it is impossible to work with taxes like these. Raw materials are very expensive, and now the tax is increasing too. Workers at several artisan service units have stopped working. A representative committee has been elected, and it has met with the local government administration and the district tax branch. But they were told there that this was not in their hands. In this case, explanations must be provided by whoever issued the order. The workers have now decided to come to Tirana and protest outside the relevant department. They say that if this order is not corrected, its consequences will be felt very soon, as the needs of Shkodër’s citizens for these services go unmet. In their view, the fairest solution would be to calculate the amount of tax in this case on the basis of daily turnover.

“There is complete understanding between our two countries,” declares the commander of the American ship «Ponce» Yesterday was the second day of the Sarex 95 manoeuvres, with search-and-rescue operations on land near Golem beach. Earlier, aboard the amphibious ship Poncë, Albanian Army Chief of Staff Zef Kosova and the ship’s commander, Daniel Sherrange, held a press conference. General Kosova, speaking about the previous day’s events, said that the American military personnel had been pleased. He reported an unexpected incident during a manoeuvre, in which an American sailor from a naval vessel fell into the sea and was immediately rescued by an Albanian citizen. According to Kosova, thanks to the swift intervention of doctors at the Durrës surgical hospital, the marine is out of danger. According to sources from Durrës, the citizen who rescued the sailor has been arrested. Kosova described the incident as a coincidence that does not affect our relations with the USA. In his remarks, American commander Daniel Sherrange described the incident as having been averted and thanked the doctors at Durrës hospital for saving the marine’s life. Speaking about the manoeuvres, he presented them as proof that the USA and Albania can work together to support peace in the world. “I believe there is complete understanding between the two countries,” he said. Yesterday’s manoeuvre aimed to save the lives of five American pilots who were in danger. According to the scenario, the American ship Ponce requested Albanian military assistance to search for and rescue the downed pilots. 150 Albanian soldiers and 40 marines took part in the search-and-rescue operations; three Albanian helicopters, one British helicopter and one American helicopter were involved. The American personnel were given first aid and transported by Albanian helicopters. The conclusion of today’s manoeuvres was highly significant, with American naval forces, attached by ropes to helicopters, waving an Albanian and an American flag. Correspondent of «Zëri i Popullit»

The events are part of the implementation of Council of Ministers Decision No. 452, dated 17.10.1992, “On the privatization of agricultural enterprises.” This decision permitted the privatization of part of the agricultural enterprise in Poliçan, which was privatized by the commercial company. On 15 February 1993, minutes were drawn up for the committee reviewing their [application?] to build the greenhouses where they had been employed until then. The farm foreman, Hekuran Jaupi, was authorized to carry out the privatization procedures. On the basis of this authorization, the individuals requested (sic) the privatization of the greenhouses, taking the first step by settling the enterprise’s accounts and drawing up a technical report on the existing greenhouses (including those under construction), whose total value was set at 5,963,063 lekë. This is where the fraud begins. Surprisingly, whether on his own initiative or as a result of an agreement with the people involved in privatization at this Skrapar district section, the application to buy the greenhouses was made in the name of Hekuran Jaupi, with his wife’s right to represent the two other employees. And the proceedings continued. In fact, on 6.7.1993, at the notary’s office, Fllutura Guri formally accepted [unclear: “u paraqit shtetasit r[?]”] the two agricultural workers Enver Bilaj and the “buyer” himself, Hekuran Jaupi. In the deed of sale drawn up at the notary’s office, which did not refer to the relevant state file, in (Continued on page 2)