WE EMPHASIZE: Another president, from a traditionally friendly country like Austria, Mr. Klestil, came to Albania and left. The messages conveyed by such visits are very friendly. Democratic Albania receives support from the civilized world, particularly from Europe, from which it aspires to break away. The dignitaries who visit Albania, even when they emphasize the colossal changes made in our country, do not in the least intend to increase the credibility of the Meksi government or provide moral support for President Berisha. Their positions, the words they say, even their handshakes and smiles—all of these are their investment in the service of Albania’s fragile democracy. Diplomacy has these ways of behaving. During the visit of Austria’s distinguished president, Mr. Klestil, one detail concerning the conduct of political dignitaries caught our attention. At his press conference, at its “hot” point—the answers to journalists’ questions—even though there were few questions, Mr. Klestil would occasionally consult the man at his right-hand side. This man was the head of Austrian diplomacy, Mr. Alois Mok. Mr. Mok is known for his friendly attitude toward Albania and the Albanian question in general. So too is the attitude of friendly Austria. Nevertheless, in order to answer the journalists’ questions as correctly and concisely as possible, the president of that country seemed to us to be seeking the advice of his foreign minister. It should not be forgotten in this connection that Mr. Klestil himself came to this office after an outstanding diplomatic career in the centers where world politics is made. This manner of conduct by our friend from Austria has something distinctive about it which, unfortunately, is missing from the conduct of our politicians. What do our politicians do when they take the podium, address the people, or appear before journalists, and are asked for their opinion on a wide range of issues? They are ready with an answer. They do not hesitate before any question, however difficult it may be, because they have their answers prepared. Although these kinds of politicians have, quite by chance, one day found themselves in the role of boss, chairman, director, minister, and even higher, they act as if they were turning world politics—and not only domestic politics—on their fingertips. And it’s not just politicians! They are experts on the economy and finance; on the banking system, oil, agriculture—matters concerning the whole people (an echo of the past); on livestock farming, child-rearing, anything you like. When did these politicians become so capable? The people say: “It isn’t the mind that speaks, it’s the chair.” But the people quickly see through these politicians who try to give an instant answer to every question, and even ridicule them, because their “expertise” in everything in fact reveals their incompetence. It is the clearest expression of megalomania and contempt for power. We do not want to draw parallels between Mr. Klestil’s cultured, measured conduct, so full of messages, and the conduct of any dignitary in our country. Nevertheless, anyone wishing to learn from Mr. Klestil’s example at his press conference will find the modesty that should characterize a politician. The time of those people who knew everything from A to Z is over. M. I

THE “VRIONI” SCANDAL—A SCANDAL IN ALBANIAN FINANCE The financial gang of the financial bosses tramples the Albanian Parliament underfoot?! The Italo-Albanian Bank changes laws passed by the Albanian Parliament Signing again: Dylber Vrioni, President of the Italo-Albanian Bank Why are the Socialist MPs silent? While Albania’s “financial key” opens all the mysterious doors of Albanian finance, another, counterfeit key has been found to close or protect the mystery of the “power of money.” The financial gang of the financial bosses, involving the Central Bank of Albania, the National Commercial Bank, and the Italo-Albanian Bank, puts a considerable number of documents outside Albanian legislation. It has found a protective finish in the silence of financial trainees or the support of people who do not see with their own eyes, but through the glasses the Party has put on them. In any case, it is Mr. Dylber Vrioni—the honorary owner of the Albanian State Banks and President of the Italo-Albanian Bank—who has taken it upon himself to diminish the scandal by channeling it into the insignificant matter of a salary of 2,800 dollars, although he forgets to answer questions about its transfer. All this has resulted in an outright refusal to meet with the publishers of the documents that substantiate the most important aspect of the scandal: first, the violation of the Albanian Constitution; second, the deception of Parliament. This concerns the appointment of Mr. Vrioni to the high offices of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Albania, which paved the way for the racket involving the Albanian banks and more. But while the heads of finance at the Central Bank, the National Commercial Bank, and the Italo-Albanian Bank have remained silent, the infection has, astonishingly, reached the highest Albanian institution, Parliament—the very institution that paved the way for the Italo-Albanian Bank. Everything is recorded in the minutes of the meeting, yet nowhere is a legal reference given for this action, which replaces no fewer than five articles of a law passed by the Albanian Parliament. The precedent is truly rare when one sees that none of the articles of the Statute of the Italo-Albanian Bank grants this right to the Bank’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting. Perhaps because this was missing, Article 8 of the statute passed by Parliament has been replaced with another Article 8, which contains—only on December 21—a point C that says: “Amends the company’s statute.” Yet, despite this, the Albanian Parliament remains silent. The Socialists are silent too! Why? On December 16, 1992, Socialist MP Anastas Angjeli, among a series of reasons that were arguments against Parliament passing the Bank’s Statute, cited—though perhaps as the least important—the Parliament’s lack of authority to approve any amendment to the statute of any bank. But Parliament passed this law. And now it is being amended by a bank, which at the same time strips Parliament of its legislative authority, at least with respect to this law. So why is Parliament silent? ERION BRAÇE

It is once again Mr. Van Den Broek who, after expressing optimism in Tirana about submitting the proposal to the EU Council of Ministers, reiterates this position in Brussels. “I hope to make positive recommendations to the Council of Ministers around the middle of this year on opening negotiations for a European agreement with Albania,” Van Den Broek declared in Brussels on Wednesday. His visit to Tirana had shown him that Albania had made positive moves toward modernizing and opening its economy, and that it wished to establish ties with the EU. “I am giving it support and encouragement from the EU,” Van Den Broek emphasized. Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania have signed association agreements with the EU. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have begun talks on an association agreement with the EU, and Slovenia is on the way to starting these negotiations.

Democratic Alliance -! Press conference The problems facing the country require cooperation among political forces - A roundtable between the political forces is sought on former owners of agricultural land, -

Activities of the Socialist Party On Wednesday afternoon, the Socialist Party of the Kolonjë district had organized a broad meeting attended by residents of the town and surrounding villages. The deputy chairman of the SP, Dr. Luan Hajdaraga, also took part in the meeting. The [garbled text] toward this place of his, that is, met

A roundtable between the political forces is sought on former owners of agricultural land. - owners of agricultural land. - The Socialist Party, the leading political force in the country - Yesterday at noon, at the headquarters of the Democratic Alliance Party, the two leaders of the party, Messrs. Neritan Ceka and Preç Zogaj, held a press conference for journalists from the main press outlets. The purpose of the conference, also made clear in the statement distributed on behalf of the parties, was the party’s proposal “to convene a roundtable of the parties: the Right League, PPD, PAD, PSD, PBDNJ, and PS, to find a consensus-based solution to the issue of former owners of agricultural land. Without prejudging the final solution that we hope will emerge from this roundtable, the statement says—PAD proposes, as a practical and concrete solution, the physical compensation of former owners from the state land fund.” Regardless of its proposal for a roundtable among political forces, “PAD considers a law on the sale and purchase of land essential, as it contains the prerequisites and guarantees for a genuine capitalist economy in Albania. PAD, the statement says, is committed to respecting the Land Law, the current status quo in land distribution, and its preservation. On the basis of this law and the status quo, the government is asked to resolve the problems of issuing title deeds and registering land owned by current owners as a form of security for [continues on page 2]

On Wednesday afternoon, the Socialist Party of the Kolonjë district had organized a broad meeting attended by residents of the town and surrounding villages. Sure of chairman of the PSSH, Dr. Luan Hajdaraga, also took part in the meeting. Disillusionment with the PD’s promises is widespread among the people of Kolonjë too. They are struggling to survive, hoping that the government will change for the better in the future. They now expect the change they seek from the Socialist alternative, and have voted for it twice, on July 26 and November 6. The latest meeting, too, was an indication of the high degree of their confidence in this alternative. Comrade Luan Hajdaraga went on to say that we have entered the pre-election year, and therefore our party has called on all the country’s political forces to find common ground and declare this year a year of calm and social peace. Disillusionment, unprecedented corruption, and economic ruin have made new elections urgent. But on this issue, President Berisha and his party are guided by the fixed idea of completing their full four-year term. He stressed: “But there is one thing we are sure of, as (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday, the remains of Faik Konica, one of the greatest patriots and brightest figures in Albanian letters, arrived from the United States of America. A group went to the USA to bring his remains back, including the Minister of Culture, Teodor Laço. Among the other dignitaries at Rinas Airport was Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi. With Faik Konica’s remains being brought to his homeland, his testament has thus become reality. In a letter addressed to Fan Noli and Sejfula Malëshova, he wrote: «I die with the thought that you are the people who understood me best in this land. The earth will not consume me if my master Noli and you, my little Lamja, and all those who call themselves Albanians do not take my corpse to be laid to rest in the motherland. I have left, with one in nine, the travel expenses for my lifeless body and the sum for two metres of land in Albania. I close my eyes knowing that you, respected Noli, and you, respected Albanians, and you, my little Lamja in Paris, will fulfil this final wish of mine.» This morning, tributes will be paid beside the coffin containing Faik Konica’s remains, while the burial will take place in the afternoon near the memorial to the Frashëri brothers. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

We have several reasons for saying this. First: Our former president was a communist and, as such, an atheist. He was a communist, and not only that, but a party secretary at the Faculty of Medicine, notorious for his class struggle against those who wore long hair, wide-legged trousers and floral shirts. Now he presents himself to us as a great believer in God! Psychologically, this is unjustifiable. Historically, such conversions from atheism (let us call it atheism, then) to faith have been the consequence of great spiritual dramas or crises. More precisely, I explain to God that no such thing occurred in the life of our former president. On the contrary, as he himself declares, he was very successful. In Albania, democracy and reforms moved forward, even gigantically. The media says as much, and the president speaks a great deal about what is good for Albania; all the more so when he presents himself to the public as a believer in God, before the blind and the Albanians. Second: It seems that, although in Albania religion is legally separate from the state, the president has not turned his back on it. That is why he has turned mosques and tekkes, which he visits, into places where he lays out the DP’s politics and sends arrows at his opponents. On many occasions he has been inaugurated at the church of Fani; a few days ago, he turned religious ceremonies into peaceful rallies of the Democratic Party. He was not there to offer congratulations, but to violate God’s house. Third: During the campaign, and on other occasions too, our president has presented himself as God’s messenger, watching over Albania. «God has blessed the constitution, he said.» If we are to believe the testimony of Dritëro Agolli, who spoke personally with God, God not only did not bless the constitution, but had not even read it. The vote of November 6 confirmed this to us as well. So the «messenger of God» turns out to be playing the role of a false prophet. The role of such prophets is well known: to dethrone oneself in these circumstances! Fifth: «Do not do to another what you do not wish others to do to you» is a commandment of God. Berisha has spoken, and continues to speak, at length about human-rights violations before March 22. Human rights are still being violated today, and in some cases the violations are scandalous. Our president, a great believer, says nothing about this. Why? Because he himself is responsible for these violations. Because they do not fit his and his people’s narrative. Why are God’s believers like this? Fourteenth: As is known, God is above politics and parties. To God, all people are equal. In Berisha’s eyes, some are children of the mother and others of the stepmother. Berisha is not above politics or party loyalties, but an incurable partisan. Fifteenth: The true God does not arrange burials and exhumations. He does not call the honourable a sinner and the sinner honourable. God is very just. Under Berisha’s rule, burials and exhumations became the order of the day. By special decrees, our president has sought to grant certificates of immortality to the most sinful. Well then, is our president a believer or not? BEQIR SKRELI

Passports available, passports unavailable For citizens of Korçë, the procedure for obtaining a passport to travel abroad has become quite difficult, to say the least; it is almost impossible. Anyone who applies for one must first make an appointment with the head of public order, who then examines the matter thoroughly and issues the relevant recommendations. This whole procedure, so difficult and involving unjustified back-and-forth for citizens, has no other name than corruption. Meanwhile, on the visa market, you can get a passport at any time, provided you pay 50 thousand lek (old lek). M. M.

Interview with Namik Dokle, Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party and chairman of the parliamentary group

1,500 families on the poverty line There are 1,500 families in the city of Pogradec trying to survive solely on social assistance. But the problem is that the people responsible have not even been punctual in paying them that meagre assistance. Thus, in the last days of April, these families could barely collect the money for March, and not all of them did, as many have still not been paid the amounts due.

In the past year alone, 540 illegal buildings have been erected in the city of Laç. This issue has been raised several times in the municipal council, particularly by its Socialist councillors, but the fact is that no measures have been taken to prevent them. According to officials at the city municipality, these buildings were erected without municipal council decisions, while the Territorial Adjustment Council has also neglected to resolve this problem, as it was not functioning regularly. What is worrying is that some municipal officials and managers are also facilitating these illegal constructions; in quite a few cases, they have encouraged them.

A few days ago, Artan Avdulli, 22, was shot dead with an automatic weapon in the centre of Shijak. According to the police, T. Hyka has currently been detained. The number of perpetrators of the murder has not yet been confirmed. Work is under way to apprehend them.