“Thanks” for the years to come — A deficit of 32 billion for 1995 — As part of the breakdown and propaganda surrounding Berisha’s pledge to implement the DP’s contract with the electorate, RD has devoted particular attention to the budget and the budget deficit. According to the directive, people’s minds must be made to retain the idea that RD has kept its promises and that the headline in “Zëri i Popullit” of 25 March 1995, “A 32-billion deficit in the budget under the DP government,” is supposedly untrue. The RD government can be described, as the people say, as: “It makes a bastard and leaves it in your lap.” To make the claims that the DP’s promises included balancing the budget, and that in pursuit of this objective the budget deficit—which stood at 44 percent three years ago—will be 7 percent this year, seem convincing. This is supposedly proof that the DP’s contract with the electorate has been fulfilled. In millions of lekë. Deficit Actual 1993 Actual 1994 Plan 1995 Of which, financed domestically 17,202 35,677 31,688 Foreign financing 11,624 13,085 14,000 5,578 22,592 17,688 (See RD, 26 March 1995) It is not difficult to see that this is a clear-cut manipulation of the kind so accurately stigmatized by George Or[u?]elli. To see this, it is enough to bear in mind the DP’s electoral platform, which states: “We will ensure rigorous parliamentary control over the budget in order to prevent any administrative abuse or misuse of the state treasury. In this way, the printing of money and its issuance on an inflationary basis will be strictly curbed. The Democratic Party intends to entrust such a budget to the next Parliament and achieve its balance no later than 1993.” (See RD, 22 February 1992.) Thus, the DP’s contract with the electorate was clear: not simply to balance the budget, but to balance it no later than 1993. The continuation of the budget deficit means a further deepening of domestic and foreign debt. Citizens want to know how much this debt has reached today, how long it will take to repay it, what interest and charges must be paid, and so on. Instead of informing Parliament and the people about these matters, it is trumpeted that the DP has fulfilled the promises it made to the electorate. Moreover, no mention is made of the fact that a budget deficit of 32 billion lekë has also been forecast for 1995. Unfortunately, the state budget figures cannot be handled in the same way as the estimated figures for gross domestic product. And that is why RD itself, and even more so the Deputy Minister of Finance, acknowledges that during 1993–1995 the state budget deficit is as follows: As can be seen, the budget deficit during (Continued on page 2)

A sensational victory for the Albanians — Bajko: We showed the finest qualities of our national football. — Demollari: We are thinking only about continuing our winning streak. Albania’s Red-and-Blacks have returned once again to the “Qemal Stafa” National Stadium. This time, cheered on by more than 15,000 spectators, the Albanian team has erased the figure “zero” from its column of wins. The Albanian eleven—Strakosha, Shulku, Vata, Xhუმba, Kaçaj, Malko, Abazi, Bellaj, Demollari, Kushta, Rraklli—made maximum use of the 90 minutes of play, securing a resounding victory with three goals to none for the Moldovans. The Albanians’ fast-paced game reached its first high point in the 31st minute of the first half. Sokol Kushta scored a superb goal, identical to the goal that years earlier had shaken Belgrade when Flamurtari eliminated the home side Partizani. After that minute, the Red-and-Blacks became unstoppable, moving the game entirely into the area around the Moldovan goal. Following a corner kick near their goal, maestro Demollari struck the ball against the net; it was punched away by the Moldovan goalkeeper and came back to Kaçaj, who scored the second goal. The second half again belonged to the Albanians, who missed clear chances through Rraklli, Abazi, Demollari and Kushta. The latter, in good form, made no mistake a second time: after a slalom run from midfield and a one-on-one with the Moldovan goalkeeper, he scored the third goal. The enthusiasm of the 11 boys on the field swept through the entire stadium. The 90th minute finally changes the result— (Continued on page 3)

PUKË: Servet Pëllumbi: — Every time Berisha speaks against us without arguments, the PS will grow stronger, and he will diminish the prestige of the country he represents. — Pukë was the last stop on the tour of his party, comrade Fatos Nano, the party leader. The meetings that the Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, General Secretary Gramoz Ruçi and MP Mehmet Loci held last weekend took place in several districts in the north. Hundreds of people from Pukë had filled the town’s large Palace of Culture hall, awaiting them with applause and cheers for the Socialist Party and its leaders. Thanking them for their enthusiasm and support for the Socialist Party, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi said in his speech: The country’s political situation is bringing two problems into sharp focus. Not only the increase in… (Continued on page 2)

A mother has been held in prison for 14 months without trial A letter from lawyer Kujtim Puto has been received by the Albanian Helsinki Committee, with the following contents: Citizen Teuta Çoka is being held in detention in the remand cells of facility 313 in Tirana. Her case has developed as follows: On 09.02.1994, the Tirana District Prosecutor’s Office arrested Teuta Çeka, a former employee of the private company “Teuta”, Durrës (Maritime Agency), and charged her with the crime of embezzling state property, under Article 62 of the Criminal Code. The above-mentioned woman was an accounta- (Continued on page 2)

DOKLE responds: I seek clarification of the accusations through official channels only! In recent days, the Democratic Party newspaper “RD” has launched a campaign of slander and accusations against PS Deputy Chairman and parliamentary group leader Namik Dokle, seeking to implicate him in a so-called “financial scandal” worth around $400,000. Our editor Ardian Myslimi approached Mr Dokle and received the following statement from him: “Regarding these accusations, which are baseless from beginning to end, I have requested clarification only through official channels. For this purpose, I have submitted a written request for the Minister of the Interior, Mr Agron Musaraj, to be questioned in a plenary session. As the only head of the department with exclusive authority in relations with Interpol, I am asking him for official clarification and confirmation as to whether there has been any notification that ‘Na—whether there has been any notification that ‘Namik Dokle has fled to Canada with a large sum of money, and whether he has made any official request to Interpol on this matter, as published in the newspaper “RD” on 24, 25 and 26 March 1995. I will respond officially and am ready to do so, but I will not give this response to RD; I will give it to those who have devised such a scenario. Let the newspaper RD carry on; this does not trouble me at all, but its articles convince me even more about who makes state archives available to it. In any case, since RD has such a privilege in opening archival documents, let me tell it: Dig, Tare, dig, because in those documents you will also find radio messages from the Central Committee of the PPSH sent to the Albanian embassy in France, concerning the special treatment of the doctor Sali Berisha.... I will also respond soon in a televised debate, but I would like and request that it be direct, that I not be interrupted, and, even more, that the programme not be cut off, as happened with the Eurobarometer programme, which was interrupted on orders from above....”

The K.S.HH. considers it appropriate to draw public attention to this matter. Ismet Kryeziu, an activist in the national movement in Kosovo, has been held in prison for nearly two years on the charge of illegal possession of weapons. He has been convicted twice, both by the court of first instance and by the court of second instance, moreover in hearings held behind closed doors, (Continued on page 2)

Let us emphasize Long live the “lost profit”! — The “clarification” of the ruling in Sofia will also be Zhulali’s vindication — These days our press has reported that, following a trial in Bulgaria concerning the much-discussed case of the 300 thousand dollars paid by a Bulgarian firm as a deposit, the court ruling has opened the way: the Bulgarian firm “Boll-1990” Pesev Ltd, Varna, owes the Albanian Ministry of Defense not only this sum, but also the lost profit. To put it more plainly, this means that 200 IFA trucks, for which a contract was signed with the Bulgarian firm two years ago, will not arrive in Albania; nor will Albania receive only the 300 thousand dollars disbursed by “MEICO”, the enterprise of our Ministry of Defense, but also 166 thousand dollars said to represent the “lost profit”. Now, what is this “lost profit” that the Zhulali scandal is going to turn into a source of profits—or, before long, even an “award” for the “very good work” our Minister of Defense supposedly did by allowing 300 thousand dollars to be taken out? The lost profit is the obligation of the Bulgarian firm to repay the Albanian firm—in other words, the Ministry of Defense—the interest or percentage return that would have accrued if those 300 thousand dollars (or the 200 trucks) had been put to work and generated a return. So we are expecting 466 thousand dollars from Bulgaria. Should we say, “Long live the lost profit!”? And should we also say that the poor Albanians are fools for putting money in the bank and engaging in such transactions? Because the banks do not pay them this? The truth is that nobody knows when this money will arrive in Albania. Executing this ruling will take time, calculations and estimates, or, as the newspaper RD said yesterday, it will have to be “clarified”. But will the clarification of this ruling also vindicate Zhulali, whose reputation, it seems, has been blackened for nothing by the opposition? That is what RD itself will say, if it dares. We ask: Must people really be so naive as to believe that piles of money will come from Bulgaria because a court ruling was issued by a court such as the arbitration court in Sofia? In all fairness, we would like this money to be deposited in the state bank as soon as possible, all of it back where it came from, even without the famous “lost profit”—the same 300 thousand dollars that disappeared with Zhulali’s company. But while we wait for these dollars to arrive, we have the right to question this whole operation and urge people to stay alert to other mafia-style dealings that drain the state bank, only to supposedly refill it later with court rulings which, once they get there and wield their magic wand, produce the famous “lost profit”. In this case, we are reminded of the arithmetic used by the president at his press conference on 22 March, when he tried to prove that 100 [percent?] of the DP programme had been fulfilled in three years of government and that, with one year still to go before the next elections, simple arithmetic meant the programme would be fulfilled to a full 120 percent. This 20 percent is the “lost profit”, the empty spoon with which the President wants to fill the people up. But those without bread, water, organized emigration, jobs or hope are not fed by such “legal tricks” and “lost profit”. As shown, we shall see. C. P.

A child kidnapped For 6 nights in a row, there has been no sleep in the family of citizen Agim Kadiu from the village of Sharorët in Skrapar. His 13-year-old son was snatched in a flash in a crowded area of the city, and the kidnappers then left. Eventually, the boy was found in the middle of the city of Vlorë. Apparently, the kidnappers took the family intending to take them to Italy. However, it should be said that on Tuesday, the boy returned to this home accompanied by officers of the Vlorë criminal police. The boy has not yet said anything about the kidnappers, who have not been caught.

A serious fault on the high-voltage line supplying the districts of Pogradec, Korçë, Kolonjë, and Devoll has left the population of these districts completely without electricity. As a result, during Wednesday and Thursday, these towns also experienced difficulties in bread supplies, since many bakeries rely on electricity during working hours. Electricity was also completely unavailable at facilities of particular importance, such as hospitals, maternity hospitals, and military units.

No one can remember the «administrative apparatus» of the Durrës district council ever having met and carried out any work analysis. This was stated at the district council meeting by its chairman, Mr. Vaso Papaj. This apparatus operates without an established work plan, dealing only with a few occasional meetings. Likewise, the district council’s committees have not functioned regularly. In this way, the district council administration is ...

- The aviation plant in Kuçovë is being surrounded by police forces. - After the workers began a strike demanding their social and economic rights. - The Çingardët of Vlorë with the Minjanë celebration. - An interview with a girl who was married off in Greece to a man 20 years older than herself. - On April 1, the Meksi Government resigns.