... Spain, but what is ... the situation of our workers at work. Unemployment stands at 15 percent. But we are even ahead of Bulgaria (?) The Meksi government believes it can deal with anything—except employing people. close factories, whether profitable or unprofitable, and throw people out onto the street. The government says there are around 300,000 unemployed. The unions say 400,000. The exact figure is unknown because there are no accurate statistics either. In any case, even 300,000 is no small number. What will be done with

VLORË . No—Tritan Shehu, one of the leaders of the DP, says publicly in the newspaper «RD» of 22 February. Indeed, in a sophisticated way, Mr Shehu calls this demand of the Government a communist threat, a misunderstanding of the market economy, and a manifestation of a centralized and bureaucratic economy (!). The magic key to governing is the free initiative of the individual, which has completely displaced the Government’s responsibility to provide people with jobs. The Government’s employment statistics are optimistic; according to them, we even rank first in Eastern and Central Europe for growth in social production. In reality, the economic reality of change. Official statistics say that Spain has 22.6 percent of its working-age population out of work. But according to our Government, we must be economically better off and more fully employed than Spain. Bulgaria is also in transition, but there 85 percent of workers have jobs. Unemployment stands at 15 percent. But we are ahead of Bulgaria too (!). The Meksi Government is convinced that it can deal with anything except providing people with jobs. That is why the reform’s main aim has been to close factories and make them profitable, and even ... ... them? Where and when will prospects for their employment open up? The Government throws up its hands and shrugs. Foreign investment is minimal and, it seems, will remain so for several years, making it impossible to launch economic activities that can absorb the available workforce. We will naturally ask the Meksi Government publicly: do you think you would have won on 22 March if you had told the electorate that the PD’s economic reform would leave 300 or 400 thousand people unemployed? Nowhere in the world does a voter cast a vote for unemployment. Bill Clinton won his election campaign against President Bush by offering the American electorate a social policy and the creation of 1 million new jobs. «Forza Italia» and Berlusconi also won the elections in Italy with such a promise. Of course, we do not mean that the Government, its central and local authorities, should make state appointments, but that they should create conditions in which people can find work through their own private initiative. Stalls, kiosks, and street tables are not enough to employ people. Nor is spontaneous and discriminatory emigration. The right to work is one of the natural rights of the human being. And the governed love the Government when it gives serious thought to, and offers solutions for, fulfilling this natural and humane right. Otherwise, why should they love the Government?! GEZIM TUSHE

21 workers write to «Zëri» KORÇE The 21 employees of the workshop of the former Trikota(z)hit have sent a letter to the editorial office of our newspaper, hoping to make their plight and concerns public. But what do they say in this letter? The knitwear combine has been broken up in the name of privatization. Anyone can seize a piece of it in the name of the persecuted or by using the power of office. Although it is said that, in privatization, employees will always have priority in purchasing an asset, in practice they are always pushed to the back of the queue. They themselves have approached the enterprise management several times, asking that, as part of the privatization of the combine, the workshop—their workplace—become their property. However, the gentlemen in charge kept assuring them that the workshop would not be privatized, then one fine day in November of last year informed them that they were being put on assistance because the workshop had become the property of a persecuted person. The decisions state that they are entitled to 20 percent of the sale price, or 20–24 monthly salaries. But to this day the employees have not been paid a single cent. The director’s excuse for this negligence is that the workshop was sold using securities. The employees say that the entire property, covering about 600 square metres and including three lathes, two milling machines, one «ripatikë», two drills, a grinding wheel and a «tranxhe», was sold for only 2 million 275 thousand new lekë. Not only that, but the director tells them that if the owner pays the 20 percent, that sum will be divided among all the employees of the former combine. So, this is how those in power treat the people who put them in their seats. These are the words in the letter from the 21 employees of that combine’s workshop. MUHARREM MEKO SKRAPAR Why is there silence about corruption at the Polican combine?

Reception at the PSSH headquarters Yesterday at the PSSH headquarters, the Socialist Party’s executive committee members Maqo Lakrori and Ethem Ruka received Pallandt. They presented him with the PSSH’s vision of current political and economic developments in the country. At the meeting, views were exchanged on current developments and on the prospects for standards of Albanian democracy. PSSH Press and Information Office

PS Krujë activists’ meeting Two things stood out at the meeting of the PS Steering Committee in the Krujë district: the full attendance of its members and the seriousness with which the issues addressed in the report delivered by the Party’s deputy chair, Bujar Derveni, were discussed. Focusing particularly on the role of the PS in local government, the meeting highlighted the steadily improving work of grassroots organizations and Socialist councillors in implementing democratic laws and fighting the plundering of national wealth, corruption, and violations of human freedoms and rights. The 6 November vote was a bankruptcy test not only for the PS in the district, but also for its councillors elected by the people. Despite the good work, specific cases of carelessness and indifference by some councillors were criticized, as their voices are rarely heard in defence of the PS’s alternative and programme within the legal framework. Comrade Partizan Hyseni described as very harmful the stance of certain Socialists regarding the implementation of laws, especially the law on land, which has not been completed at district level. Other speakers also emphasized the need to strengthen the role of Socialist officials and councillors in easing the hardships people have suffered because of the reform. (Continued on page 2)

According to sources at the Durrës district prosecutor’s office, on 19 February 1995, at 10:30, three officers who were members of the President’s escort detail, named Gezim Paploka, Asim Ahmetaj, and Nik Paploka, attempted to rob by force the citizen Bujar Dallipi of Shijak near the private vehicle market at Plepat in the city of Durrës. Preliminary investigations have found that they used force to rob the aforementioned citizen and, after encountering resistance, got into a scuffle, also using the weapons they had with them. Meanwhile, police officer Bujar Kastrati intervened at the scene. He struggled with the robbers, and the armed clash between the President’s guards and the police officer resulted in injuries. Police forces then intervened, detaining the robbers and taking them to the public-order department. This ugly and criminal incident has deeply shocked and outraged public opinion in Durrës and in the city of Shijak, where one of the injured citizens lives. From conversations with citizens who were present at the incident, we learned that the President’s guards invoked the authority of their positions to carry out their criminal act, saying, «You can’t do anything to us because we are: Sali Berisha’s escort». Sources close to the prosecutor’s office confirmed that criminal proceedings have been initiated against the three men and that they have been placed under arrest. MIRELA NDINI

- An inspection by the State Control Service uncovered 44 million lekë in misappropriations and abuses - SKRAPAR For some time, talk had been circulating at the Poliçan Mechanical Combine about large-scale corruption. This is the voice of the trade unions, the voice of the workers. Yet this powerful and persistent voice fell on deaf ears and was often suppressed in various ways and by various means. Nevertheless, the day came when the matter was brought to light. In November of last year, a team from the State Control Service arrived and, after several days of work (and not even in all departments), uncovered a series of abuses and misappropriations that had seriously damaged the combine’s economic and financial strength. It is enough to mention that, from internal operations alone, more than 41 million old lekë in misappropriations and abuses were identified. But the scale of these abuses and misappropriations of the people’s hard work and sweat rises even further when one examines some of the combine’s dealings with foreign companies abroad, which raise many questions and suspicions of further shady dealings and corruption. For example, goods were shipped and purchased at suspicious prices through a company called «Dedë», based in Austria or Slovenia (!). Worth mentioning here is the purchase of two city buses for transporting the combine’s workers, at a cost of 38 million old lekë, even though each had already travelled no less than 300 thousand km. Meanwhile, from this same company, bicycles, «morkio», and other machines were also bought in quantities, reaching a value of 90 (Continued on page 4)

DURRES Although the distribution of land titles has begun, in many communes in the district of Durrës it has been hindered by difficulties arising from failure to comply with the law in distributing them. The commissions that prepared the distribution of the land titles should be accompanied by representatives of the local authorities and the heads of each commune, but in certain cases there is also a commune head whose term has expired who is campaigning against people receiving their land titles, as in the village of Sukth. In the commune of Manzë, difficulties have arisen both in the distribution of land and in the distribution of land titles because of disputes between the districts of Tirana and Durrës over some land, a problem that has still not been resolved. Obstacles caused by the irregular distribution of land and land titles exist in the hilly villages of the commune of Rrashbull, at the former Sukth farm and at the Zootechnical Station, etc. M. N.

The UN has declared! 1995 — The Year of Tolerance While BERISHA governs as in the Middle Ages. The United Nations has declared 1995 the year of tolerance. BBC said so this morning. What should our government officials learn from the message issued by this important organization? They have much to learn. In fact, on the anniversary of the year of tolerance, democratic Albania resembles a huge courtroom, because intolerance has often taken the place of dialogue and understanding among people; the spirit of diktat by the party in power has taken the place of dialogue and understanding between parties; and a spirit of division has taken the place of mutual understanding. I must say that our government officials ... [unclear] accompany the President everywhere; intolerance has become the norm everywhere, as can be seen in the harshest, indeed the most aggressive, positions they take. This is how the President’s latest decree must be understood, as well as the deaf ear turned to repeated calls for the release of Fatos Nano; this is how the baseless accusations against the socialists are explained, as is the deep spirit of division that has entered the parties in power and their representatives in the state administration. Let the UN’s call for 1995 to be a year of tolerance serve as a message to those who have ears to hear. A. KORABI

- Journalist VON HANS CAPREZ, through the newspaper «Beobachres», raises awareness among the Swiss public about the situation of children and schools in the district of Lezhë. - Through Caritas of Switzerland, 14 tons of school supplies, arranged in 4,460 packages, are brought in and distributed to students at the schools in Kashnjet and Rraboshtë and at the town’s secondary school. - The assistance will continue in the future. Last autumn, journalist Von Hans Caprez of the newspaper «Beobachres» was in the district of Lezhë. He publicized and raised awareness among the Swiss public about the situation of Albanian children and schools, particularly those in Lezhë, during the difficult period of transition. His supporter Renata Refael also set to work in support of him and visited the area around three times. The commitment of the journalist and the teacher, and especially of Caritas of Switzerland, made it possible to obtain considerable material assistance. Thus, these days Caritas of Switzerland brought and distributed to the students of Kashnjet, Rraboshtë and the secondary school 14 tons of school supplies and clothing, arranged in 4,460 packages. The administrator of Caritas of Switzerland for the town of Lezhë, Mr. Ndoc Dragusha, informs us that this aid, gifts from children and their parents from all the cantons of Switzerland, was distributed without any problems to the students at these schools. It will give them the opportunity to connect with their Swiss peers through the correspondence materials included in the packages. The students of Lezhë expressed ??? their gratitude to their Swiss peers, so that on this special day for them they could also thank the leaders of Caritas of Switzerland who made it possible to bring this a- (Continued on page 2)

No comment I, the undersigned, Hysni Qazim Hidri, resident in the village of Kryeziarr, Shingjan commune, in the district of Elbasan, declare today, February 23, 1995, that in September 1993 I gave the director of the National Commercial Bank, Elbasan branch, Mr. Afrim Dumani, a sum of 40 thousand new lek as a bribe in his office so that he would give me a loan to buy a “Bjelorus” tractor with the Greek loan. I am making this statement because today, although the Court of Appeal in Tirana ruled in my favor that the tractor should be returned because it is defective, Mr. Afrim Dumani refuses to enforce the court’s decision. He is doing this to get more money in bribes from me, and therefore he threatens me to frighten me. Declarant HYSNI QAZIM HIDRI