Returning to a truth about “millions of dollars” published in “Zëri i Popullit”: - The Chairman of the State Audit, Blerim Cela, conceals scandals and violates the Constitution in defense of the state-collar-wearers. - In this case, the Criminal Code is more appropriate than a routine interpellation with Mr. Blerim Cela. The scandal of more than 25 thousand tons of wheat that disappeared at NTG Durrës has once again been dramatically brought to light. At the beginning of 1993, “Zëri i Popullit” uncovered the mystery of the scandal, referring to an inspection carried out by the Financial Police of Durrës at this enterprise. The quantity of wheat—allocated to Albania as aid from the European Community—arrived in its entirety at the Port of Durrës. But after it was received, and the same quantity entered NTG Durrës, that quantity “disappeared,” or, more accurately, about 25 thousand tons less made its way to those waiting to receive their daily bread: poor Albanians in the depths of the crisis. A dark page in the “use”—or, more accurately, misuse—of the aid generously given to Albanians by Europe has thus been made public. At the same time, the mechanism by which state-collar-wearers lined their pockets has also been exposed. As we warned a few days ago, the scandal has become the subject of an inspection by the State Audit Service, the only body specializing in such cases and also authorized to file a report with the Prosecution. Everything—the conclusions, facts and documents substantiating the disappearance of 25 thousand tons of wheat, or 2 million dollars in value—was compiled by the Chief Inspector of the State Audit, Mr. Tare Osmani. But now that the scandal has been uncovered, PD Presidium member, its deputy and Mr. Tare Osmani’s boss, Blerim Cela, has once again tried to mystify it. Nothing has been made public by the State Audit, and the report on this inspection at NTG Durrës is missing from RTTV and RD, unlike other reports that have been published. Meanwhile, as a measure against the “ringleader of the stone-throwing violence,” Blerim Cela ordered a “reprimand” for the head of the NTG Durrës union, while the legal officer of the enterprise—their signatures appear in Mr. Tare Osmani’s report on the scandal—was put on assistance. Workers at NTG told the “Zëri” reporter that the reaction against them came as a result of their exposing the scandal. Meanwhile, events have escalated, and three of the four signatories of the minutes of the (Continued on page 2)

5 YEARS IN THE CSCE: THE CURTAIN RISES ON INTEGRATION Exactly 5 years ago, on 31 May 1990, in the magnificent international conference building “Bella Center” in Copenhagen, in the presence of 35 heads of state and government, Albania was accepted without any hesitation as a member of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), with observer status. Recognizing the signs of openness and the steps toward reform, prominent figures of that time, Bejker, Gensher, Shervanaze, etc., not only welcomed them but also confirmed the international community’s support for Albania’s democratic future. In fact, less than a year later, in June 1991, Albania was admitted as a full member of the aforementioned organization, at the Berlin Conference. Albania’s admission to the CSCE marked the beginning of the ongoing process of Albania’s integration into Europe, followed by a series of transformations and other major, significant steps that led to the birth of political pluralism and the country’s entry into the currents of the national economy, privatization, foreign investment and the development of economic cooperation; all of which had previously been “forbidden fruit.” Accession to the CSCE was accompanied by other historic accessions, such as to the World Bank, the IMF, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and eventually the attainment of special guest status in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which we continue to hold to this day, as well as the establishment of political, economic and social ties with the European Union. We emphasize that this entire great, multifaceted, and exceptionally rapid process took place during 1991. That same year, the then former President Ramiz Alia also signed the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, thereby enshrining the movement toward our integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. The significance of the fifth anniversary of Albania’s accession to the CSCE (now the OSCE) is great. It clearly demonstrates that “the danger of neocommunism” was already then, for civilized Europe, simply a “tale from the past,” and that Albania’s opening to the world does not date from after 22 March 1992, as our rulers eagerly proclaim, but began much earlier. Dr. JORGJI KOTE

It was expected that on Monday a decision would also be reached on preparing a statement about the situation in Bosnia, which was not on the agenda... and the vote on Albania was postponed. So, once again, Albania’s assessment—whether it meets the standards for respecting human rights—was postponed. Postponed. This is precisely where suspicion begins to take hold. It is not the first time that the test for Albania has been postponed and postponed again. Anyone who has followed Albanian politics even a little, and its relations with the Council of Europe, has encountered several such postponements, ever since David Atkinson came from the CoE to Albania in September 1993. Regrettably, we can say that nobody likes such delays, which hold Albania back in its further European integration. As if by design, such a postponement coincides in time with the high-level meeting between 11 Eastern European countries and the European Union in Cannes. French President Jacques Chirac has invited the presidents of 11 Eastern European and Mediterranean countries to the Cannes summit on 26–27 June. The presidents of Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will take part in this meeting. The Albanian president Berisha will be absent. This is not because the Albanian president “ignores” Albania; it is even less plausible to think so when one recalls that he shook President Berisha’s hand during the celebrations of the victory over fascism in Paris. The main condition for taking part in this meeting is full membership in the Council of Europe. Thus our esteemed president missed the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Cannes and the chance to shake the hand of this or that European president. We recall that he missed a similar opportunity last year at an analogous summit in Germany. Hearing about this postponement, one cannot help thinking that postponements of this kind have happened more or less before, and remembering that, in general, things or actions that are done reluctantly are the ones that get postponed, that are in (Continued on page 3)

Shkodër

The types of unlicensed weapons seized so far in Shkodër have now been joined by a “Tomson”-type weapon. During a check carried out by police parmbë[?] at a house in the “Ajasem” neighborhood, they managed to discover two hidden weapons. The first did not attract attention because it was a very well-known German rifle. But the second caused a stir: it was a “Tomson”-type submachine gun. In fact, there had been much talk about this type of weapon entering Shkodër, but it was only on this occasion that it was confirmed. The seized “Tomson” also aroused the curiosity of the police officers at the Interior Branch, since they had never before had the chance to handle a weapon of this kind, one of the best-known in the world. It is expected that the PD will consider this fact an achievement in equipping the law-enforcement forces with modern weapons! M.K.

Prefect Viktor Margilaj looks on — The economy is extremely burdened, and the economic situation is difficult for ordinary citizens and the unemployed of Durrës. Even the encouragement of Durrës’s unemployed two days ago, which brought Berisha’s group, along with the heads of several city enterprises and institutions, to end up at a million-lek lunch at the «Pame» hotel, did not help at all—quite the contrary. Yesterday at 12, a group of citizens had gathered in the offices of the prefecture and district, waiting to present their concerns, mainly economic ones, to representatives of the authorities. But the prefect of Durrës, Mr. Viktor Margilaj, with ample experience in showing who is in charge, had the police on alert outside his office. The first «order» from the office premises was for the minibus to come [text cut off/unclear]. The police van with license plate 218 was packed with officers, as is customary when coming to the aid of the «solutions» to the problems of those seeking social assistance. Naturally, the assistance given on this occasion was of a particularly «high-quality» kind. One citizen who proved more stubborn was beaten with rubber truncheons, kicks, and blows to the body and face. The police carried out their assigned task to the fullest. Meanwhile, as the police put on their «show of force», the people being beaten and dozens of other citizens were joined by Prefect Margilaj, hands in his pockets, watching and smiling beside his luxurious «residence». That is how social assistance was given to Durrës’s poor. ARDI DAKOLI

Dozens of properties have vanished without a trace! The district council is working «illegally» Dozens of properties have vanished without a trace! The district council is operating «illegally» The latest meeting of the Mirditë District Council, which reviewed the progress of the privatization process, brought to light, through concrete examples, the deep-rooted corruption of the PD structures. Specifically: At the service enterprise, now privatized since November 1992, 76 properties have been privatized, while 34 properties remain unprivatized. But it is an established fact, «audited» by some, that 23 of those 34 unprivatized properties do not exist. What is all this about? Mark Rica, chairman of the District KLP, stated in the report presented: «In Fan there are 7 properties, in Reps 2, in Kurbnesh 7, and in Përlat 7 that have not been privatized, but have vanished without a trace. At the former State Trading Enterprise, 19 properties have not been privatized. Of these, 12 village shops have either been destroyed or are being used for other purposes. The same fate has befallen the hotels and bakeries in Fan. At the former Miscellaneous Goods Trading Enterprise, 6 warehouses have not been privatized; one of them continues to «shelter» stock goods such as cigarette paper, worth 1.8 million lek. At the former Collection Enterprise— (Continued on page 2)

On the second day of proceedings, the first Congress of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania adopted three resolutions. The first: «On deepening the trade union movement and protecting the social and economic interests of workers.» It appealed to the Government, Parliament and President to resolve workers’ everyday problems, reduce unemployment, ensure a fair distribution of property, and ease acute social problems such as insecurity, crime, drugs, prostitution, intimidation, low wages and laughable pensions, etc. The resolution emphasizes that the Confederation will not abandon the struggle to protect workers’ rights and that its work will be the driving force of the Congress. The second resolution stresses a firm determination regarding a more immediate issue: the strike by education and health workers, who announced a one-hour work stoppage on June 2, followed by a seven-day stoppage on June 7, in opposition to the agreement reached by the Government with the BSPSH, which provides for wage increases. The resolution emphasized the Confederation of Trade Unions’ determination to support teachers and health workers as they escalate their struggle to «meet their demands». The third resolution called for unity and solidarity in the trade union movement at national and international levels. Improving the forms of trade union struggle and unifying the movement will increase the likelihood of achieving its aims, and «In this type of undertaking…» The head of the Confederation of Trade Unions, Mr. Kastrati Mucaj, was elected, and at the same time became Chairman of the Confederation’s Executive Committee. Correspondent. — Zëri i Popullit —

WHY ARE YOU WORRIED—

The PD electorate 22 MARCH 1992 1.046.193 6 NOVEMBER 1994 (for the constitution) 699.245 PD losses 346.948 N.B. The votes for the draft constitution do not belong only to the PD, but also to other political forces.