- The autopsy of unemployment: only 29 percent employed in the state and private sectors combined, 18 percent officially recognized as unemployed, 53 percent “employed” in the countryside. - Urban unemployment: 38 percent — first place in Europe and beyond. - The PD kept its word: it fulfilled its contract with the Albanian people and brought them to “economic assistance.” After three years of “titanic” efforts, the PD leadership has the moral right to ask the unemployed to accept its program: it “retrained” the unemployed Albanians, “employed” them with “fairness” and “at the right time.” Removing the quotation marks, one can say without the slightest hesitation that the PD Government has utterly failed on employment and economic emigration. Anyone who has carefully followed its activities in this area cannot have failed to notice one thing: apart from its election promises, the PD and its Government never seriously committed themselves to reducing unemployment or openly encouraging the creation of new jobs; indeed, in the programs presented to the People's Assembly, this was treated not as a vital problem but as a matter of minor importance. What stands out from a brief look at the employment figures for 1994 is that no new jobs were created in the last quarters; on the contrary, another 1,000 were eliminated, a trend that is continuing at the start of this year. This fact alone would be sufficient for the Government to resign collectively, rather than crowing about “success” for miles on end. The same applies to the President, who is currently carrying out numerous party and state duties. Another phenomenon is the manipulation of unemployment figures. According to the “official” data of the Ministry of “Labor,” there are a total of 262,000 unemployed people in Albania, in both the cities and the countryside, out of a total labor force of 1,435,000, which means that the unemployment rate is 18 percent. This is a high figure, the highest in Europe; nevertheless, it would be half that number if the figure were accurate. But the issues must be separated and analyzed in order to judge better and draw accurate conclusions. The full extent of the problem is double the above figure in the cities, along with mass fictitious employment in the countryside. According to the ILO definition (the International Labour Organization, headquartered in Geneva), the term “unemployed” includes people of working age (as defined by the Labor Code of the country in question) who are able to work and are seeking work. Surveys show that even the hidden unemployed are not registered at city employment offices; if they were, the reality would emerge: at least another half million unemployed people would be registered. Therefore, the first task of any government that succeeds this “successful” PD Government would be to conduct a detailed registration of all the unemployed in Albania, in the cities and the countryside, and, on that basis, develop programs for actively combating unemployment. The truth is that the PD Government is leaving behind a severe social wound that cannot be healed so easily, just as factories and industrial plants in the south and north were shut down with “shock therapy” and “targeted strikes,” along with their jobs. The next Government must not bear the burden of the current authorities’ incompetence. The Meksi Government is unable to stop the “hemorrhage” of unemployment even in the state sector, where it has some powers to act through the relevant authorities. Of the 344,000 people employed in the public (state) sector, both budget-funded and non-budget-funded, at the beginning of 1994, the figure had fallen to 320,000 by the end of the year, or 24,000 fewer jobs. Meanwhile, the private sector, weighed down by taxes, fees and the police, was unable to make up for this decline: employment rose from 83,000 to 103,000, an increase of 20,000 people. This means that a total of 423,000 people are employed in the state (public) and private sectors, while 262,000 are unemployed, which means that 38 percent of the urban labor force is out of work. This is an absolute first place in Europe, perhaps even in the world! If we subtract the number of employed people in the cities from the total labor force nationwide, it turns out that the Government has “employed” no fewer than 750,000 people in the countryside! The villagers complain for nothing: the Government has solved their problem; they can go and tend their livestock! With great pomp, the PD promised the countryside that it would provide people with jobs in the cities, but in fact it did the opposite: it brought the city to the countryside. According to the 1991 Yearbook (quite accurate and comprehensive), in 1990 our country had a total labor force of 1,433,000, of whom 908,000, or 63 percent, worked in the state sector of the economy and culture (mainly in the cities), while 525,000, or 37 percent, worked in the cooperative sector, that is, in the countryside. But at the end of the PD’s three-year “rule,” the situation is as follows: only 29 percent work in the state and private sectors in the cities, 18 percent are officially recognized as unemployed, and 53 percent, as noted above, have been “employed” in the countryside by the Government. This is the “autopsy” of unemployment. More words would be poverty. ERGERT TIRANA

Papulias concluded his visit to Tirana BERISHA: Let us work together to achieve our worthy goals. PAPULIAS: The messages from our meetings are hopeful. There is no time to lose. WORK IS UNDER WAY ON A JOINT TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION The Greek Foreign Minister began the second and final day of his visit to Tirana with a meeting with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the People's Assembly. At the meeting, the Albanian deputies reaffirmed their desire to make every effort to improve relations. The Albanian deputies welcomed Greek Foreign Minister Papulias's optimism about the future of Albanian-Greek relations. The Greek minister was then received by Albanian Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi. Papulias assured his Albanian interlocutor that Greece would support Albania. For his part, Prime Minister Meksi identified Albanian-Greek bilateral economic relations and trade, the easing of the visa regime, and the legalization of Albanians working in Greece as the most important issues that the governments of both countries should resolve. Papulias expressed the Greek Government's goodwill toward increasing bilateral cooperation and its readiness to contribute to ensuring that the joint commission could discuss and resolve, as soon as possible, the issues that would help develop Greek-Albanian relations. Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papulias concluded his two-day visit to Tirana after a number of meetings with various Albanian officials, including the country's top official, President Berisha, Prime Minister Meksi, and members of the People's Assembly. Undoubtedly, one of Papulias's most important political meetings was with President Berisha, beginning with a 30-minute one-on-one meeting. In a brief statement to the press by the two officials immediately after their one-on-one meeting, President Berisha stressed that the Albanian side had welcomed Greek Foreign Minister Papulias's visit and had also conveyed to him the Albanian authorities' desire for Prime Minister Papandreou to visit Albania, which would make it possible to open the way for meetings at various levels. According to Berisha, the visit is highly valuable because, as he sees it, there is now more action than talk. Both sides, President Berisha stressed, had been interested in the success of this visit and had reached agreement on issues concerning bilateral relations. Berisha said: [text unclear] they had agreed to begin work on signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. “I am convinced,” President Berisha stressed, “that the code of good conduct that our peoples have written over the centuries deserves this.” Berisha then pointed out that the Greek people and government had helped Albania during this difficult period of transition. It is a good thing that official circles in Albania and Greece share the desire and the will to resolve disagreements through dialogue. Addressing Papulias in particular, Berisha praised his efforts, noting that years earlier he had taken the initiative to abolish the state of war. “You were pursuing great goals with this,” Berisha stressed. “Let us work together to achieve our worthy goals,” President Berisha concluded. Greek Foreign Minister Papulias (Continued on page 4)

Prices in focus: February higher than January As before, the transition from one month to the next is accompanied by price increases. In January, the price index was 1.8 percent higher than in December and had risen by 15.5 percent compared with January 1994. After January, February is the second month for which further price increases have been recorded. Thus, according to information released by the Institute of Statistics, the price index for February 1995 rose by 2.3 percent compared with January of the same year, while the increase compared with February 1994 was 16.2 percent. Specifically, during February the “Medical care” and “Food, beverages and tobacco” commodity groups saw high price increases. The 11.3 percent increase in the “medical care” category resulted from the privatization of pharmacies, which necessarily led to the liberalization of the prices of all medicines purchased by patients (as well as by hospitals). Alongside the rise in medicine prices, the cost of health services also increased. Increases were also observed in the “Fruit and vegetables” group, by 12.2 percent, resulting from price rises during the month for food products such as apples, 10.2 percent; tomatoes, 23.5 percent; spinach, 28.8 percent; eggplants, 4.9 percent; cucumbers, 37.6 percent; fresh onions, 22.4 percent; dried onions, 10.9 percent; potatoes, etc. Various kinds of meat and fish were also affected by price rises, with an increase of 2.3 percent recorded. Specifically, the biggest increases were for mutton, at 5 percent, and veal, at 4.2 percent. In addition to the above items, prices also rose in the group of goods that includes “Sugar, coffee, spices”: sugar rose by 2.8 percent, cocoa by 1.6 percent, etc. These are the main indicators for the February 1995 price index provided by the Institute of Statistics, highlighting the familiar fact of the continuing rise in prices for widely consumed goods. What stands out is that almost all everyday consumer goods continue to rise in price, some more and some less. Needless to say, these increases do nothing to improve consumers’ economic situation. It is consumers, particularly the unemployed and those receiving assistance, who feel the impact. Another notable fact is that health care reform has been accompanied by increases in medicine prices. Rising prices for consumer goods are part of the policy of liberalizing their prices, while wages continue to be controlled for the vast majority of the population.

The President’s office escaped by a miracle... An unexpected phone call from the Presidency informed the editorial office of “Zëri i Popullit” yesterday morning that a fire had broken out during the night between Sunday and Monday, damaging one of the offices on the second floor of the presidential headquarters, not far from the President’s office, which apparently escaped by a miracle. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it is well known that the burned office was the stenography office, where many of President Berisha’s speeches that had not yet been transcribed were kept, along with other important documents. In any case, the incident is serious. A Presidency office caught fire, and the flames could have engulfed the entire building had the firefighters been delayed even a little longer. The organization of security at the presidential headquarters must also be improved.

As we stood out in the open in Derjan, in the Mat district, where night had just begun to fall, we could easily make out the surrounding villages: Macukull, Gjoçaj, Prell, Shëlli and further afield... As we stood out in the open in Derjan, in the Mat district, where night had just begun to fall, we could easily make out the surrounding villages: Macukull, Gjoçaj, Prell, Shëlli and further afield. Kombësinë, and even the town of Burrel, lay before us in the palm of our hand. And there, from that vantage point overlooking them, we could see other lively spots, their lights shining so beautifully. People were moving around there, creating a veritable tableau before our eyes. They were not electric lights, but fires burning brightly. Or more precisely, as the people of Mat themselves call them: Dualisht. Fires exchanged — examples of greetings between villages, and wishes for the Summer Day. And a little “urban” [item], which you would find on every Mat table, is how the locals tell their guest, “We are celebrating the Summer Day.” A beautiful tradition in Mat.

The hunger strike by the textile workers of Berat, which began on Monday morning, lasted only a few hours. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dylber Vrioni, after several hours of talks with the representatives of the strikers, agreed on behalf of the Government to meet their demands. He promised that the industrial complex would resume operations, that there would be no further layoffs, and that everyone would receive their overdue wages. This promise was also made to the workers two weeks or so ago, when they protested outside the Government. Hence the question: will the Government keep its word? (Continued on page 4)

It has been decided that all those families are to be removed from the properties of former enterprises and institutions which, in the absence of apartments, 1 occupied over the past two or three years and tried to adapt for use as homes. It has been decided that all those families are to be removed from the properties of former enterprises and institutions which, in the absence of apartments, they occupied over the past two or three years and tried to adapt for use as homes. Following sporadic police interventions, the mass eviction of 39 families from the warehouses of the former zun-kth-kashtë enterprise began the day before yesterday; the first eight ended up on the street. The operation is being carried out by a special police unit, in implementation of an order from the local government authorities. The family members who suffered this unpleasant fate told us: «We had occupied these buildings because we had nowhere to live. They point out that we went dozens of times to the offices of the local government in Shkodër, and even to the Presidency, asking not to be evicted until we could gradually find some place, any place, just to have a roof over our heads. But they would no longer make allowances, even though Mr Ali Spahia himself was astonished last November, when he learned about our living conditions.» According to them, the eviction was carried out because these properties are to be handed over to the former owners of the plots, in accordance with the decision of the Property Restitution Commission. Some of these families had lived in this city for years, while others had come from internment. One of the heads of household here told us that he had been paying, for several months, 10 percent of the value of the premises occupied for housing; but when he went to pay the full amount, he was informed that they had been sold to the former owners. Their eviction at this time of year, in winter, is causing considerable distress. Where are we supposed to find shelter now? these families ask; some of them have minor children. We don’t know where to go, with our belongings on our backs. It is thought that the number of families in this city who have occupied such properties to live in is large. Some have even begun construction within the grounds of former enterprises and institutions. Although they have not yet been evicted, [Continued on page 2]

To inspect and report on the condition of the water-supply systems of 22 reservoirs that feed the irrigation systems included in the Irrigation Rehabilitation Project, funded by the World Bank and other donors, the Irrigation Project Implementation Unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit, Building No. 3, is organizing a tender. The Terms of Reference cost 5,000,000 lekë. The Terms of Reference will be available from 25 March 1995, and bids are to be submitted to the municipality ... by 16 April 1995. You are invited to participate. For any clarification, please contact Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit, Building No. 3, Tirana, Tel. ...