Yesterday morning, PSSH Vice-Chairman Ilir Meta received the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Tao Mo Fa, at the Socialist Party headquarters in Tirana. During the meeting, views were exchanged on the latest political developments in the country. PSSH Press and Information Office

We emphasize: Undoubtedly, the Program and Statute, as the fundamental documents of a party, have a defining and representative value throughout the scope of its work, since there the electorate finds its true character, and encounters the political force it wishes to trust and give its vote to. On the other hand, the alternatives offered, the solutions provided according to concrete conditions, and their costs are just as important; these express concrete commitment and are the means by which the people’s trust is won. That is why the Socialist Party, from the very beginning and continuously, alongside the fierce political struggle it has had to face, has never neglected these basic documents, and has never stopped working and thinking to perfect and modernize them, so that the Albanian electorate may find in them a modern, contemporary party that undertakes not only to solve the great problems inherited and compounded during the transition, but, more importantly, to realize a dream unjustly stolen, clearly expressed in the call «We want Albania to be like Europe». But to succeed in justifying such a desire, to succeed in leading the people along the path of illegal privatization but also of the responsibilities involved in carrying out the reforms that will truly integrate Albania into Europe. Because the Socialist Party is not guided by the mentality of chieftainism and violent imposition. Because there are no criminals or thieves in the Socialist Party, no murderers or appropriators of national wealth, no arms traffickers or smugglers of drugs and fuel; because there are no spies or agents of every stripe in the Socialist Party, no hooligans or common vagabonds. The Socialist Party has enrolled honest people and patriots of this country who, together with all the other honest Albanians, sacrificed and gave everything to Albania. The Socialist Party includes the honored army of anti-fascist fighters, those who, with weapons in their hands and the ideals of democracy and human justice in their minds and hearts, did not sit idly by or flirt with the occupiers, but put their own lives at risk, giving Albania the name of a partisan of freedom and placing it in the great worldwide anti-fascist coalition, which on 9 May will celebrate the day of the great victory over fascism; it also includes the sons and daughters of those who did not allow the name and dignity of the Albanian nation to be trampled [?]. [The article continues beyond the visible part of the page.] fathers. In the Socialist Party you find those who, with their hands, minds, and sweat, built Fiera and Koman; those who beautified Lukova and Ksamil; you find the miners and geologists abandoned and left stranded; the oil workers and metalworkers receiving government assistance; the doctors, military personnel, teachers, engineers, agronomists; you find the noble and tireless villagers who have to get their bread on credit, who in March 1991 were branded ignorant and uneducated by those who govern Albania today. In the Socialist Party are the proud and beautiful young people, the students and high-schoolers, all the dreamers, those abandoned and left on the sidewalks, or those who lose their lives in the border mountains and the waves of the sea. That is why the Socialist Party has all the necessary guarantees and confidence to govern Albania. That is why the majority of the people now trust it and will give it their vote to govern, because they know well that the Socialist Party will not abandon them, will not deceive them, and will not divide them. Therefore, it will not divide them. of the transition, but, more importantly, takes on the task of realizing a dream that was unjustly stolen, recently and like Europe.” But to fulfill such a wish, to lead the people along the path of those reforms that bring them closer to the most civilized nations, so that our country too may take its rightful place among the civil states, programs and statutes alone are not enough; written solutions or alternatives alone are not enough; neither fine words nor promises made without cost are enough; changing suits and offering prayers and blessings in the name of God are not enough, because everything becomes worthless without honest and committed people. Looking at the entire course of the past three years, calmly analyzing the successive failures of the Democratic Party and drawing the relevant conclusions about why the great popular break occurred with the force that in 1991–92 symbolized hope, the Socialist Party has taken all the necessary measures to respond to the trust of the people who hope it will soon govern. That is why we do not hesitate to tell the people that the Socialist Party is capable of governing; that is why we do not hesitate to take responsibility not only for stopping the country’s further ruin and the stripping away of national wealth, through

SPENDING ON THE REFERENDUM—A BLAZING EMBER THAT SCORCHES THE DP Accountability demanded for the 2 million dollars spent during the referendum Pjetër Arbnori cuts off MP Perikli Teta, telling him he has gone off topic, and then leaves together with Dylber Vrioni The interpellation with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dylber Vrioni, requested by MPs Perikli Teta and Arben Imami on the subject of unjustified spending on the recent referendum, began yesterday afternoon but was not completed. Because Pjetër Arbnori’s face soured at the bitter truths denounced by MP Teta, he immediately decided, as on other occasions, to cut off the speech in the hope that he could save his party’s honor, lost in the referendum, telling him that he was engaging in politics and had gone off topic. And then he left the Parliamentary chamber in a flurry, with his characteristic and equally laborious gait, followed by the very functional interpellatee Dylber, without managing to settle the major issue. Meanwhile, Perikli Teta went to the Parliamentary rostrum and continued fearlessly and steadily to denounce the sum of 2 million dollars spent in violation of all state laws by Sali Berisha and his disappointed, folkloric entourage, without specifying in his speech whether a criminal complaint would be filed over the money spent or whether they would wait until Sali Berisha was no longer President. In any case, yesterday’s session once again proved that when it comes to fighting the rampant corruption through which millions upon millions of dollars are stolen from the people, while thousands upon thousands of citizens are homeless, the Democratic Party’s governing officials become frightened, as they did in yesterday’s session, because the referendum spending is like scorching embers for the DP. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

Payment of 2 million dollars to the U.S. government approved!... Yesterday morning, the issue of the Constitution opened the proceedings of the People’s Assembly. Representatives of the PSD parliamentary group proposed adding to Parliament’s agenda a discussion of Article 16/2, which would make it possible to discuss and approve the state’s fundamental document through Parliament’s legal process. Numerous MPs spoke, including Milo, Metni, Saka, etc., emphasizing the need to approve it as soon as possible, as a serious and important step toward safeguarding democratic European institutions. PPD MP Gjika called the issue of discussing the constitution a ploy that the opposition parties wanted to make. MP Kalakula stressed that we still did not know whether we should deal with it until the form of the regime had been determined. He then requested that the head of SHIK, Mr. Gazidede, come to Parliament to provide explanations about the written patrol notices in Korçë, where, according to him, it said «Down with Albania». It was reiterated that the PD supports adopting the Constitution, but no deadline or concrete measure for its approval was specified, nor was any way opened for alternative views from the other parliamentary parties. Everyone rejected the claims that the commission which drafted the alternative constitution proposal was illegal, stressing that these parties had a common will and obligation to approve the constitution. The sole representative of the PR, Celiku, supported the opinion expressed by Kalakula. At the end of this entire debate, which began with a serious and lawful proposal, the chairman of the presidium, Mr. Arbnor, did not put it on the agenda, seeming to say thereby that the constitution remains a monopoly in the hands of those in power. Yesterday’s debate, though brief, once again reaffirmed the positions of the Albanian political forces represented in Parliament regarding the adop- (Continued from page 2)

RD’s latest «victim» is the Albanian Helsinki Committee We have by now grown accustomed to RD’s uncultured language. We have grown accustomed to its false accusations. We have grown accustomed to the psychological terror it inflicts on people. It is a misfortune that, under conditions of a free press, such newspapers should appear and bring democracy into disrepute. We are not writing these lines to answer RD, which does not waver in its instinctive, unprincipled «war» against «Zëri i popullit». What caught our attention was the fact that this time one of its targets in the gulfs of hatred was also a non-party organization such as the Albanian Helsinki Committee. We do not believe there is any other country where such independent organizations as Helsinki committees or human-rights organizations are publicly vilified, insulted as though it were nothing, labeled with a vulgar vocabulary, and subjected to hatred and nothing but hatred, even though they do very noble work. But there is nothing you can do about it. The retoucher of portraits of the dictator, the belated journalist Mentor Shehu, who a few years ago boasted of his only exhibition, with images from excursions to places where E. Hoxha had visited during the UFT years, and wept in the «Zëri i popullit» newsroom asking for a laudatory article about his mediocre work, has for some time now been brandishing the sword of a warrior in order to justify the salary of an incompetent. He is not the only «champion» of servility at that newspaper. But does this gentleman know that the Albanian Helsinki Committee includes such respected figures as the historian Frashëri, the jurist Puto, the cardiologist Popa, the director Çashku, not to mention other names, who have made serious contributions to Albanian science and culture? Does this Mentor, who doesn’t even know what a mentor is, or whose side he is on and will be on, know that when Ylli Popa was writing his famous article in «Zëri i popullit», «In Search of Lost Time», Mentor was still applauding the dictatorship? Why say more! In trying to besmirch such respected figures, RD stains itself.

Driving Schools at a Standstill Nearly 30 driving schools in Shkodër have still not begun operating. The reason is a disagreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The licenses issued by the Ministry of Transport are considered invalid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A distance of 10 m. between these two departments has cost four months without their finding common ground. As many as 80 people were employed at the driving schools in Shkodër alone.

Alongside unemployment, another troubling problem that is increasing poverty in Mamurras is the lack of housing for residents. Around 300 housing requests have been submitted to the Commune administration, but so far not one of them has been fulfilled. A 20-unit apartment building is expected to be completed, but in the face of the many requests this solution may be wholly inadequate.

The prospects for industrial development in the city of Durrës appear limited. While trade is developing at a faster pace, private investment in establishing any kind of industrial production is almost entirely absent. All this has resulted in a continuing decline in the city’s economic level.

Yesterday, after the ice melted late, Peshkopia experienced a spring day warmed not only by the fine weather, but also by the cheerful voices of the children in the first grades. Dressed in their finest clothes, the children made their way to the performance halls, spacious venues and large classrooms, where, under the gaze and applause of their parents, they demonstrated that they now know how to write and read, and can take steps along the path of knowledge. The Alphabet Celebration, now a traditional event, was welcomed by the children of this city with direct support from local government bodies and cultural institutions, as well as modest sponsorship from the city’s businesspeople.

The Army’s Social-Cultural Institution in Durrës, also known as the House of the Military, has fallen victim to looting and theft, and has been turned completely into a ruin. This destruction has taken place following the “accommodation” in the building of the mayor and the commander of the Durrës division. This is the only cultural facility for officers, worth millions of lekë. Doors smashed in, filthy premises, broken windows, walls covered in graffiti. Who benefits from turning this facility into a ruin? Surely those who want to buy it as cheaply as possible. The only premises still in use by the army are a restaurant that, due to lack of investment, is worthless. (Continued on page 3)

RD’s latest «victim» is The Albanian Helsinki Committee

Tomorrow you will read: HOW SHOULD ALBANIANS BE HOUSED?

Tomorrow you will read: — According to the experience of the Minister of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister, president of the Italian-Albanian Bank and chairman of the PD for Tirana, Mr. DYLBËR VRIONI

PETITION ADDRESSED TO: THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, MR. SALI BERISHA THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. ALEKSANDËR MEKSI ALL PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL OFFICES; The course of the hunger strike and the silence of the central and local government authorities are driving us, the employees of Markato No. 1 Vlorë, toward self-sacrifice. We are determined to answer this silence with our determination, and to carry the struggle we have begun through to the end. For this reason, we present our demands: 1. Annul the decision of the Vlorë Privatization Board, dated February 15, 1994. This decision has resulted in the facility where we worked for many years being sold to a person who has no connection whatsoever with it, but has strong ties to government corruption and works in the senior state administration (director of a department at the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Sh. Lepenica). 2. Treat the Markato facility as a site of historical and cultural value and, as such, do not alter its exterior appearance. 3. Privatize the facility’s interior spaces in favor of the employees, without changing the purpose for which this facility has served for a long time. The 15 hunger strikers from Markato No. 1 Vlorë (Signatures follow)