Parliament: Interpellation with the Minister of Finance, Mr. Dylber Vrioni Chronicle Yesterday’s plenary session with the Minister of Finance, Mr. Vrioni, became interesting when, before the deputies, the chairman of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, Namik Dokle, unleashed a barrage over the smuggling and corruption that have gripped Aleksandër Meksi’s government. He described the government traffickers of the Democratic Party not as sharks, but as crocodiles who can become a danger of mutual destruction. Finance Minister Mr. Vrioni partly accepted Dokle’s harsh attacks, replying to the direct accusations made against the government in a calm and somewhat conciliatory tone. He could not avoid acknowledging the now public fact that mafia-level smuggling exists in Albania, but he "excused himself" by saying that it has been and remains in the government’s attention. Much work has been done, Vrioni stressed. He mentioned the police bodies (customs, financial and tax) even though Mr. Vrioni knows very well that the laws governing their activity were approved by this Parliament. Deputy Dokle’s accusations about oil smuggling by the firm “Shqiponja” of the Democratic Party, which has supplied the gendarmes of Belgrade with fuel, remained unanswered. Also unanswered were the accusations against certain government officials, named specifically. The deputies heard only Mr. Vrioni’s “optimism”, by which he seems to have stated that smuggling and corruption are dominating on the part of the government. In any case, Mr. Vrioni succeeded in making it clear, word for word, that the Democratic Party government is not in a position to achieve this domination because its team, led by Mr. Meksi, is totally corrupt. The fight against smuggling is your responsibility Speech by Mr. Namik Dokle, chairman of the Socialist parliamentary group The government in which you happened to serve as deputy prime minister and minister of finance has been labeled in the press and in parliament as the “government of smuggling”. You may have had in mind political smuggling as well, but that is not the topic of our dialogue in parliament today. Today you have come to explain to me and all my fellow deputies whether there is economic smuggling in Albania? In fact, not because I want you to tell me anything even about the smuggling of gold and articles through the Vlora coast, which prompted the friendly Italian government to deploy soldiers facing our coasts. This topic is already known to everyone. What has worried me has been the smuggling of certain goods, cigarettes, and especially fuel, in a manner that has put us at risk of violating the embargo imposed by the UN against the war criminals Mladić and Karadžić and their followers. (continued on page 2) DAFI - '94

I await your answer to the issues raised in my requests: - Is smuggling taking place in Albania or not; - Is the anti-smuggling legislation complete or not; - What forms of cooperation exist between your ministry and the other ministries; - Is trade in fuel, cigarettes, etc. accurately reflected in the state budget revenues; - Which foreign and Albanian firms have been involved so far in fuel trade, and what specific weight does the firm “Shqiponja” of the Democratic Party hold in comparison with them; - After the issue has been examined by the official in charge of breaking the UN embargo, has the flow of fuel transit decreased or not?

President Bill Clinton announced yesterday that the warring sides in Bosnia had agreed to a US-mediated ceasefire to take effect on 10 October and for peace talks to begin in the US around 25 October. “At the same time the governments of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia have agreed to begin peace talks in the US around 25 October, which aim to reach a peace agreement.” Clinton stressed that the American talks, which will be mediated by the US and the mediator there, “will continue at an international peace conference in Paris”.

Yesterday the Albanian Parliament honored one of its plenary sessions with the presence of the delegation of the Parliament of the Land of Bavaria, headed by Chairman Johan Bohm. He was accompanied by two vice-presidents of that Land, Mr. Hiserman and Fjsher. The deputies greeted their entrance into the parliamentary chamber with applause. The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Arbnori, considered the German aid to Albania considerable, expressing the hope that the friendship between the two countries will continue to deepen.

Exclusive interview with the leader of the Socialists in the Council of Europe, Mr. Peter Schieder, given to our newspaper Page 3

Speech by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl delivered at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, 28 September 1995 Pages 9 - 10

Interview with the top Italian scorer of the '92-'93 and '93-'94 seasons, Giuseppe Signori “Zëri i Popullit” “La voce del popolo”, that is, allow me to be with you. Then allow me to greet all my admirers and fans of Italian football on Albanian soil, best wishes. Page 14