Albania at the gates of Strasbourg We are not wrong to return once again to the subject of Albania’s promised admission to the Council of Europe. With this step, democratic Albania achieves a great political and diplomatic victory on the international stage. The act of admission will be the seal that Europe places on all the democratic processes in Albania, encouraging us in everything positive we have done and telling us, “continue along the right path.” These are the reasons why no political force, and especially not the DP, the party in power, can exploit admission to the Council of Europe as a passport or as a mark of approval. The referendum gave its verdict that day. If this is the subject, the referendum gave its assessment, and the forthcoming elections will do so as well. Therefore, admission to the Council of Europe should be taken for what it is: a landmark event for Albania, which in no way can be instrumentalized. But what do we see? With only three weeks remaining before the discussion on Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe, when the party in power, through its mechanisms, RD and TV, should be raising the propaganda volume around this event, the opposite is happening: a tomb-like silence is being maintained. Why? There are many reasons, but the main one is that our politicians in power have troubled consciences; indeed, it can be said that they are not European in the best sense of the word. One does not enter Europe by making the calculations of swindlers, or by practicing gamblers’ tricks or weaving mafia-style scenarios. One enters Europe with all the political, economic and intellectual potential Albania possesses. Note the positions taken by the DP representative, the chairman of this party’s parliamentary group, Mr Ali Spahija, at the forum of the Council of Europe, where the possible admission was being considered step by step. At times rambling and at times tight-lipped, now enthusiastic and hasty, now inaccurate and manipulative, he suffers from the old mentality of a split personality, caught between apprentice and subordinate; he is neither a statesman and diplomat nor an adviser or rapporteur. Ali Spahia has been a poor mouthpiece for the head of state. He has shouted his approval for the draft party constitution, for which even Europe is now convinced of the reasons it was rejected in a resounding referendum. He applauded when they wanted to put the judicial system in Albania in shackles; he has always been in the front line of attacks against the opposition, without conveying any message of consensus. This is enough to say that this portrait is not clean, is not at peace, is not European, but carries something of the petty shopkeeper’s mean-spiritedness. Ali Spahia represents a political party, not himself. In Strasbourg he represents Albania, not a doctor or just any deputy. As such, his portrait does not represent the true image of Albanians, much less their aspiration for Albania to join, as soon as possible, all the European organizations available. The long road the DP has been taking for nearly three years to get Albania into the Council of Europe is equivalent to the difficulties Europe faces in accepting us into its fold. (To be continued on page 2) Albania, and which can in no way be instrumentalized. But what do we observe? With only three weeks left before the day on which Albania’s admission to the CoE will be discussed, when the party in power, through its mechanisms—the RD and TV—must raise the tone of its propo- so, being somewhere between an apprentice and a subordinate, he is neither a statesman nor a a poor loudspeaker for the head of state. He has shouted “hurrah” for the draft party constitution, about which Europe is now also convinced Europe’s assessment is equivalent to the verdicts Europe has issued on admitting it into its fold. The dilemma, however, does not lie with one person, even if he is the chairman of the PD parliamentary group; the dilemma lies in the possibilities that (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday, a meeting was held at the Socialist Party headquarters in Tirana with the Vice-President of the Socialist International, Alfred Gusenbauer. The meeting was attended by PSSH deputy chairmen Namik Dokle and Ilir Meta, and PSSH presidium member Mago Lakrori. During the meeting, they discussed and exchanged views on the political situation in Albania after the November 6, 1994 referendum, the positions of the various Albanian political forces, and the expected developments in the situation. They also discussed specific important issues, such as resolving the Nano issue, further progress toward approval of the Constitution, guaranteeing the independence of the judicial bodies, etc. The PS representatives once again expressed their well-known position in favor of Albania’s imminent admission to the Council of Europe. The exchange of views on the situation in Kosovo, Albanian-Greek relations and the situation in the region was also of interest. A special place in the discussion was given to the development of relations between the PSSH and the Socialist International. The meeting took place in a warm, friendly atmosphere. PSSH Press Spokesperson

STATEMENT OF THE HELSINKI COMMITTEE The Albanian Helsinki Committee expresses its serious reservations about the way television conveys its positions and statements to the public. In particular, recently there may have been a case of real censorship, which clearly appears intended to deliberately distort, and even trivialize, the Committee’s public statements concerning various issues of respect for human rights and the principles of the rule of law. It has now become the norm for TV news programs to extract just one phrase from the AHC’s statements, a phrase that says nothing. This was done, for example, with the latest statement on the phenomenon of child abduction, when only a few empty words were broadcast, while the appeal to Parliament to include this very serious issue on its agenda was left out. Another case was highly telling: the statement by the International Helsinki Federation concerning the case of the two Court of Cassation judges. The message of this highly prestigious forum was presented in an openly contemptuous tone, with the words that the “Federation” was asking Parliament not to dismiss the Court of Cassation judges, while the entire legal reasoning accompanying that statement was left out. There is absolutely no denying the need for, and the right to, editing, an essential norm of journalism. But it is unacceptable for editing to turn into censorship. Such methods are intended not to inform, but simply to denigrate a subject disliked in the political debate. This stance by television—and this is becoming standard practice—is a clear expression of its partiality and intolerance toward critical positions and observations, which are natural and necessary in an open pluralistic society seeking to consolidate itself. Television is showing more and more clearly that it is far from the principles governing the work of a public service open to free thought. In view of the above, the AHC considers it appropriate to stop addressing its statements to TV until it receives assurances that care will be taken to convey its messages accurately. Albanian Helsinki Committee Tirana, 6.06.1995

— PS deputies Ibrahim Baci and Bashkim Koçi meet the strikers in Laknas. — — The authorities remain deaf and have done nothing to resolve the problems raised. — The strikers’ health is alarming. One of them has been hospitalized, while four others are in serious condition (with hypertension). Faced with this situation, the authorities display a strange deaf-and-dumb silence. Although everyone agrees with the demands put forward by the four heads of household left without land (from the municipality right up to the Ministry of Agriculture), none of them has taken action to ensure that the demands are met in accordance with the law. Indeed, 200 villagers have also expressed solidarity with their demands; they too know about the corruption and shady dealings involved in implementing the land-distribution law. In this dirty scheme, the protesters accuse the chairman of the central land-distribution commission for the municipality of Bërxull, Mr Maksut Shehu, and Angjelin Luga, who serves as secretary of the Tirana Prefecture. They have irrefutable facts and documents to support all of this. In recent days, Socialist deputies Ibrahim Baçi and Bashkim Koçi went to the strikers. They spoke with them, exchanged views and learned in detail about the problems they were raising with the authorities. They promised the strikers that they would raise public awareness and would even insist that their demands be fully resolved. — PS deputies Ibrahim Baçi and Bashkim Koçi meet the strikers in Laknas. — — the problems raised. — (Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”)

— The Municipality of Elbasan has decided to lay off 135 employees of the cleaning and green-space maintenance enterprise on July 1, and their work will be replaced by strengthening organizational measures — The state, or more specifically the local authorities, seem to have noticed that the Elbasan cleaning and green-space maintenance enterprise has reserves, that it has surplus workers. Accordingly, on July 1, 135 employees of the enterprise in question will be laid off. From that day, these people will be left without work, like thousands of others in Elbasan. The employees who clean the city are among the poorest people, and some are parents with many children. After losing their jobs, they will receive assistance for one year, and after that they will have nothing left. (To be continued on page 4)

— Meeting with journalists at the Institute of Statistics — Yesterday, in the main hall of the Institute of Statistics, the only institution responsible for the official publication of the country’s economic indicators, the management organized a working meeting and exchange of views with journalists from the press, radio and foreign news agencies. The Institute of Statistics’ director, Ms Milva Ekonomi, gave an overview of the work carried out at the institute to collect, process and publish the country’s economic indicators. At present, Ms Ekonomi said, the institute covers only the state sector, but efforts have also been made to enter the private sector. As an example, she cited the publication of the number of private enterprises and firms operating in Albania, adding that the implementation of a project with the European Community would make it possible to include the private sector as well. The Institute of Statistics in Tirana is currently drawing on French experience: a statistical yearbook for 1990 was published in France. However, Ekonomi emphasized the major differences between the way figures are published in France and in Albania, noting that in France every piece of data is published, whereas here only what has happened is published. The institute director told the journalists about the major difficulties the institute faces in processing and publishing indicators with quality, so that information is made available to Albanian citizens, as well as about the choice of the range of indicators the institute currently releases. The press representatives considered the meeting necessary, but also said that relations between them and the Institute of Statistics should be improved. The journalists present appreciated the institute’s commitment and the concern shown there, and called for other indicators to be made available to the press as well. The journalists said there should be working relations and contact between this institute and the international institutions based in Tirana, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, etc. “There is no logic in accepting,” one journalist said, “that the indicators of these international institutions are given first to world opinion and only afterwards to domestic public opinion. We do not understand who is more interested in them.” Meanwhile, another journalist expressed reservations about the figures provided by foreigners themselves. In one discussion, these foreign specialists went so far as to lower the figures for 1990, and this was done only to make the economic growth or decline look better. The journalists called for these concerns to be brought to the attention of the highest state bodies, also challenging the famous “state sector.” The director of the Institute of Statistics, Ms Milva Ekonomi, said that at the outset of the meeting she had expressed a desire for open relations with the press. “You should send us your requests openly,” the journalists said. They were informed that the institution was working to publish, by the end of this year, the statistical yearbook covering the three years in question. As a basis for the discussion, the publication “Konjuktura,” containing the main economic indicators for the period January–March 1995, was distributed at the meeting.

— Seminar of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Family of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in coordination with the Albanian Parliament. — A number of participants, employees from various fields in Albania and from international institutions based in our country, attended yesterday the proceedings of the seminar organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “On tackling poverty and unemployment during the transition period: how to address these issues.” The seminar, which will continue for two days, presented the concern of the European Council and, more specifically, of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Family concerning two of the most acute problems facing countries in transition towards the establishment of a market economy and true democracy, and Albania in particular. The opening session of this seminar, at which Mr. Pjetër Pepa spoke on behalf of the Albanian Parliament, along with the deputy chair of this Parliament’s Committee on Social Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Dashamir Shehi, and Mr. Guenbauer, Chair of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Family, was marked by mutual statements and greetings between the Albanian representatives and the representative of the European Council, as well as by presentations of the achievements and numerous problems associated with Albania’s transition period. Later, the report by French Professor Daloz and that of Mr. Fatmir Bektashi, Deputy Minister of Labour, Emigration, Social Support and Former Political Prisoners, addressed more specifically the problems of unemployment during the transition period. Meanwhile, the head of the Centre for Imprisonment, the Director of the Department of Labour Markets and Services, and Mr. Kastriot Sulka, Director of the Project Coordination Directorate, addressed the role of employment services in an active employment policy. The seminar’s proceedings continue today as well. (Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”)

sikëto ditë made it possible to detain I. Kadiës. This person, in cooperation with a group of 5 people, stole a shop as well as a van. He was detained.

June 1, the date marking the start of the beach season, has passed, but preparations at Velipoja beach for this year have still not begun. The sight that greeted us at the beach these days is miserable, so much so that one wonders whether it has been forgotten that thousands of holidaymakers used to come here every year, from June to September. An exemplary level of filth dominates the area. Broken glass, thrown among other rubbish, can be seen everywhere in this setting. The sand has not been levelled. The plaster has fallen off the cabins and their windows are missing. The hotels are in the same condition. The destruction has reached even the public bathrooms and several other facilities. The area has not been disinfected in four years, which risks turning the Vilun lagoons near this beach into a breeding ground for malaria. Besides all this, the lack of drinking water is alarming. Not a drop of water has flowed through the beach’s water-supply pipes for a year. The theft of the power line supplying the Trush pumping station was the reason water service to this beach was cut off. But residents of the villages of Velipoja have also felt the lack of drinking water; as we have written before in this newspaper, for some time they have had to travel 30 km from Velipoja to Shkodër, carrying jugs in their hands to fetch water. Some local residents, people who live here permanently, told us not to be too surprised that this beach has been neglected, even with regard to providing holidaymakers with the most basic necessities. It is part of the tourism development strategy presented by the Minister of Tourism himself on television a few nights ago. Velipoja was not mentioned at all. And yet this beach is 17 km long and has sand with a high iodine content, making it attractive even to foreign tourists. MUSA KURTULAJ