SERVET PËLLUMBI: The PD and Berisha must abandon their strategy of tensions. In this situation, we Socialists propose: 1. That Parliament consider the alternative draft constitution. 2. The immediate release of PS chairman Fatos Nano. 3. The creation of a pre-election social pact. An analysis of the country’s political situation and the measures being taken by the Socialist Party to break the deadlock in the tension artificially created by the Democratic Party was the subject of a meeting held over the weekend in several northern districts by PS Deputy Chairman Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, the party’s Secretary General Gramoz Ruçi, and MP Mehmet Loci. It was no coincidence that the first meeting was scheduled in the city of Kukës. For a long time, the people of Kukës have faced many difficulties and problems, the resolution of which has been neglected by the government. Opening the meeting at the Palace of Culture, where hundreds of people from Kukës had gathered, the district PS chairman, Muhamet Bela, highlighted the many problems and difficulties faced by the citizens of Kukës, especially flooding and mass unemployment. Another important concern was blood-feud killings; he stressed that urgent measures must be taken through state intervention and fruitful cooperation among all political parties. “We have come here not only because we know about your difficulties, but also because we have a responsibility as the largest opposition party”—these were the first words of PS Deputy Chairman Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, addressed to the people of Kukës, whose applause showed their concern. The PS has always felt indebted to its electorate, he continued, and that electorate is steadily growing. But we believe in dialogue, and we feel it is our duty to break the tense deadlock that has developed in the country’s political life. We have faced, and continue to face, the campaign launched by the PD and Berisha against the opposition, and especially against the Socialist Party, a campaign that we will successfully confront, as we have done so far. Disputing the figures Berisha presented at his most recent press conference, he pointed out that people’s most basic needs have not been met. More importantly, he continued, the figures presented by Berisha do not match those in the statistics issued by the Meksi government. Hence the poor results of the reforms led in accordance with the PD platform, (Continued on page 3) The PS alternative: to provide solutions to the problems

— PS Deputy Chairman, Mr. Servet Pëllumbi, praises the moderating role of President Iliesku in Romania. — Yesterday afternoon, as part of his program, Romanian President Mr. Iliesku met with representatives of the Albanian political forces in Parliament. The Socialist Party was represented by its Deputy Chairman, Mr. Servet Pëllumbi; the PD by its Secretary General, Mr. Tritan Shehu; the PAD by its chairman, Mr. Neritan Ceka; the PR by its chairman, Sabri Godo; the PSD by its chairman, Skënder Gjinushi; the PDNJ by its chairman, Mr. Vasil Melo; the PPD by Petrit Kalakula; and the BSD by Mr. Teodor Laço. First, Romanian President Iliesku briefly outlined the situation of the political forces in Romania and the progress of the political struggle between them, inside and outside Parliament. What particularly drew our attention was the fact that, on many issues, the political forces have found common ground on matters of national interest, such as reforms and Romania’s integration into Europe. The representatives of the Albanian political forces then each, in their own way, praised the visit of Romanian President Mr. Iliesku and presented aspects of their political activity in Albania. In his remarks, the Deputy Chairman of the (Continued on page 3)

— The instruments of ratification of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation are exchanged. — A protocol on cooperation in education and economic cooperation is signed. — On Sunday morning, Romanian President Ion Iliesku arrived in Tirana for a 48-hour visit. He was welcomed at the airport by Albanian President Sali Berisha. Mr. Iliesku was accompanied by Foreign Minister Teodor Meleshkanu, the Minister of Education, the chairman of the Romanian National Agency for Development, Romanian businesspeople, etc. As has been reported, around 47–48 years ago Mr. Iliesku worked as a volunteer in the international brigades building the Durrës–Peqin railway, specifically at the Rogozhinë bridge. For this reason, his first day was a private visit to Albania, recalling the places he had known in those years. On Monday, the official visit and official talks between the two (Continued on page 3)

A new parliamentary unification On Sunday, Luan Hajdaraga, Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party and Member of the People’s Assembly, left for Madrid to take part in the meeting of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, where the “Nano issue” will also be discussed. PS Press and Information Office

- Gramoz Ruçi meets with the people of Has - Another successful meeting for the Socialists. Among the hundreds of people from Has who attended the meeting was the PS Secretary General, Gramos Ruçi. The district PS chairman, Gafurr Mazreku, opened the meeting by highlighting the problems of the party and the authorities in the district. He described the local authorities in the district as incapable and corrupt. He emphasized the support that the Eurosocialist Youth Forum should receive and called on the government to take immediate measures to solve the district’s economic problems, especially the flooding, which, despite the efforts made, still has no concrete solution. “Every political force has the right and duty to review its work, offer criticism, and develop platforms for the future,” said comrade Gramos Ruçi as he took the floor. The PS has also taken on this task, and so far it has fulfilled it successfully by being constructive and objective. Turning to the party’s organizational issues, he pointed out that today the Socialist Party is the largest party in the country and has the largest Albanian electorate behind it. It is now a fully developed political force, organized at every level and supported both at home and abroad for its positions and objectives, as well as those of the party in the district. (Continued on page 3)

Although the newspaper “RD” “bombarded” public opinion for three issues in a row with the headlines: “Namik Dokle escapes. Interpol in pursuit. Namik Dokle wanted. Dokle or his double,” it seems that even Mr. Berisha no longer believes RD. Being wiser than Edi Paloka, he invited the chairman of the PS parliamentary group, Namik Dokle, to the dinner held at the Palace of Brigades last night at 20:00. According to two sources who do not wish to be identified, when they met, Dokle said to Mr. Berisha: “Can you tell? Am I Dokle or his double?” THE OBSERVER.

NO COMMENT: “Karlsbergu” under police raid... Minister Xhaja and other customers are made to stand with their hands up, as in the time of fascism, under threats from masked men “Karlsbergu” too became the scene of a police raid on Sunday evening at around 21:00. For a moment, one of the most frequented venues in Tirana, located just a few metres from the new shopping block that Arbnori, Meksi, Kopliku, Zhulali, etc. have, was instantly transformed from a place of rest and entertainment into a place of terror for everyone present, after several masked men entered to conduct a search, shouting “Police, hands up!” repeatedly. It is just like in the time of fascism. Of course, nobody is against proper searches when the aim is to identify or check someone suspected of being a criminal, smuggler, trafficker, etc., but they must also be carried out in accordance with the law. The police do not prevent anyone from entering a venue, but they should enter and identify themselves as befits this force, in uniform and on duty, not like a gang of robbers terrorizing citizens. Minister Abdyll Xhaja was himself present at that scene, and no further comment is needed. Therefore, all that remains for him to do is congratulate Interior Minister Musaraj at the government meeting for the masks he has distributed to police officers, who in this respect are indistinguishable from criminals. But if criminals wear masks because they fear the police, why should the police wear masks? Who are they afraid of?” A. A.

Tomorrow you will read Dylber Vrioni and the power of money The president of the Italo-Albanian Bank is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Albania. We are talking about the man considered today to be Dr. Berisha’s right-hand man, mechanical engineer Dylber Vrioni. But this is about the “power of money.” Precisely because this “power” is coveted, financial logic, the financial code and, above all, Albania’s “constitutional provisions” have been made to shine. They clearly state that the Prime Minister and Ministers are prohibited from exercising other state or private functions. Everything is quite open, quite visible, even though the provisions shine. So what is hidden about the position? To clarify this, we contacted the Bank—which Mr. Vrioni heads as president of the Italo-Albanian Bank—for more than a week. But nobody there speaks. At most, the chairman of the administrative board was an Italian whose name was secret?! According to the Bank’s secretaries, this situation stems from the fact that only the Bank’s officeholders have the right to communicate with the press. In view of this, we contacted the Bank’s president, Mr. Dylber Vrioni, who is at the office of Albania’s Minister of Finance. For more than two weeks his secretary was unable to put us in touch; Mr. Vrioni is asking us for an appointment? After this delay, and in accordance with the press law, we again wrote to Mr. Vrioni, in letter no. 90 dated 10.3.1995, specifying the purpose: regarding his position as president of the Italo-Albanian Bank. The secretary gave the following response: “The press is free, so let them write whatever they want. I have a million with the World Bank delegation.” These are, according to the secretaries, Mr. Vrioni’s words. Knowing that we have a moral obligation to publish the facts in our possession, read tomorrow’s article, “Dylber Vrioni and the power of money.”

The Embassy of the United States of America expresses its concern about the spread of information ... The Embassy of the United States of America expresses its concern about the spread of information that appears to circulate information concerning the Embassy issue, about problems that make it difficult for those who have visas in their passports to open [unclear], but for those types of visas in passports. The Embassy has no plan to “gather” and seek refuge; ... United States laws do not allow American embassies to provide refuge in this way. At the same time, the Embassy has no authority to issue special visas. All the claims being made about the U.S. Embassy are not about special visas; they are known and contrary to reality.

Fish at risk of extinction There is a real risk of fish becoming extinct in the waters of Lake Shkodër and the Buna River. In addition to pollution of these waters, caused by uncontrolled dumping or the destruction of protective drainage works, fish are also at risk of disappearing as a result of illegal fishing. This fishing is carried out with explosives and electricity. Only employees of the relevant enterprise are mainly licensed to fish in these waters. Meanwhile, there are many who pursue this activity illegally using exterminatory methods. Funds for housing construction increase An increase in the National Housing Agency’s funds for house construction in Vlorë made it possible to build 101 new apartments in 1994. Compared with 1993, funds for housing construction increased fourfold. Meanwhile, the municipal council’s decision on how to allocate them is awaited. Nevertheless, the housing problem in Vlorë is extremely worrying, because a study conducted in the city found 3,000 requests for housing, representing 12,000–13,000 citizens. 47 million lek for the Durrës water supply system The area that suffers most from water shortages, perhaps in the entire country, is Durrës. Last summer, too, several villages went without water for weeks. It seems that something will change this year. A total of 47 million lek, funded by the state budget, has been allocated for the reconstruction of the water supply system in this area, which has nearly 50,000 inhabitants. The tender for the start of the works will be announced soon. Our “impassable” customs office The conduct of Albanian customs officers at Kapitulli has become a source of concern for all Albanian citizens with valid visas who wish to travel to Greece. Using various pretexts and ...; citizens are sent back. People turned back, especially Albanians who grew up in Greece, are concerned and accuse the Albanian customs officers of misconduct.