Recognition, but also a great responsibility for the future Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe is a historic event Strasbourg: Albania in the Council of Europe Declared by the Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party, ILIR META Albania’s road to the Council of Europe has been difficult. It has been fraught with concerns and problems. Everything was left until the last moment, almost until the morning of 29 June. But, as President Martinez said at one point, “All’s well that ends well.” After the many criticisms in the Columberg report, which, on behalf of the Legal Affairs Committee, called even for Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe to be postponed, everything seemed to be in jeopardy. Columberg’s concerns were specific: the independence of the judicial bodies was guaranteed; there were violations of press freedom, even including attacks on female journalists; judges had been threatened by arbitrariness; the trial of F. Nano was being withdrawn under the New Penal Code; a satisfactory solution had to be found regarding the conditions; reform of the prosecution service had to be undertaken in accordance with Council of Europe documents, and so on. All these legal criticisms were preceded by a positive political picture of Albania. “I feel sad,” Columberg declared at the Committee meeting, “and after three years of work, I cannot give Albania an unequivocal ‘YES.’” Meanwhile, Moldova was admitted to the Council of Europe, although it had applied to join this body a year after Albania. Columberg was also the rapporteur for Moldova. Deputies asked: “Why is Moldova better?” At an external level, the Com-[?] advertised… The Socialist Party regards Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe as full and proper membership, as a historic victory and a major event for Albania and all Albanians. It will help the country’s current fragile democracy move forward and attain European democratic standards. Admission to the Council of Europe marks the fulfilment of one of the Albanian people’s greatest aspirations, one clearly expressed by all political forces in Albania. I believe that the constructive stance of the Albanian opposition, which strongly supported this admission, also made a special contribution to Albania’s acceptance into the Council of Europe. The Socialist Party considers admission to the Council of Europe a recognition of the efforts made jointly by the Albanian people to build democracy, advance it towards European standards and protect it. We also sincerely hope that the foundations of Albanian democracy will come as close as possible to European standards. Albanian socialists have unequivocally expressed their position both inside and outside Albania, and especially in Strasbourg, in favour of Albania’s admission to the Council of Europe with full rights. For Albanian socialists, admission to the Council of Europe represents a further important step… The Committee Chair, Socialist Lydia Epr, proposes a compromise formula: “Albania should be admitted, but its commitments must be made concrete. This was the formula we worked on during these days so that I could give a good account, he said, which I think led us to the solution. We have held discussions and meetings with the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mr Arbnori, who today, after these [meetings], with President Martinez a-[?] …towards Albania’s full European integration, which is also the fundamental priority of the foreign policy of the Socialist Party of Albania. We regard this as a great opportunity for Albanian democracy to develop further, helping to better guarantee fundamental human freedoms and rights and to consolidate democratic institutions in our society. Full membership of the Council of Europe will make a further major contribution to honouring the commitments arising from membership in this important institution of European democracy. …solutions to the problems I had raised. In particular, he accepted that the Albanian authorities would report to the Legal Affairs Committee by 20 August 1995 regarding an Amnesty International report that has-[?] The chairwoman of the Committee, Socialist Lydia Jaro, proposes a compromise formula: “Albania should be admitted, but the commitments should be made concrete.” This was the formula they worked on during the last few days. Yesterday, before the plenary session of the Assembly, the Political Committee met, and Columbergu also took part. “Today I can give you good news, he said, which I think has led us toward a solution. We have had talks and meetings with the chairman of the Albanian parliament, Mr Arbnori; today, after meetings with President Martinez, he agreed to sign a declaration on behalf of the People’s Assembly, [a] formal commitment to [unclear] and find

Greek Minister of Defense Arsenis The Minister of Defense of Greece, Mr Gerasimos Arsenis, will make an official visit to Tirana on 3–4 July 1995. The Minister of Defense of Greece, Mr Gerasios Arsenis, is scheduled to make an official visit to Tirana on 3–4 July 1995. Mr Arsenis will discuss bilateral military cooperation issues with his Albanian counterpart, Mr Zhulali, and the Military Leadership of Albania, within the framework of the Partnership for Peace, and will visit military institutions. At the same time, the Greek Minister of Defense will be received by the President and the Prime Minister of Albania.

He was born in Argostoli, Kefalonia, in 1931. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Athens and then pursued postgraduate studies in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became known internationally for his study and proposals concerning international cooperation and the development of the world economy at the 1964 UN Conference on Trade and Development. He was director of the Economic Studies Directorate at the OECD research centre (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) from 1964 to 1966. Later, in the years … (Continued on page 4)

As reported in the press, a few days ago representatives of the National Intelligence Service (SHIK) went late at night to the print shop of journalist Filip Çakuli, forcibly took him away and brought him to SHIK premises, where they held him throughout the night. The reasons for such an action have not been made known, giving rise to various kinds of speculation. However, regardless of the ulterior motive that may lie behind this incident, the act itself of detaining a citizen by SHIK agents is a serious violation. In no case does the law regulating SHIK’s activities authorize it in any way to take measures that directly infringe a citizen’s liberty. When there is sufficient information about possible anti-state activity by anyone, SHIK may act only through the prosecution authorities, and then through the judicial authorities. The public here has also learned of several other similar cases in which representatives of SHIK and the secret police entered various premises to conduct searches. All of this shows that SHIK has exceeded the powers granted to it by the law specifically adopted by the People’s Assembly on 2 July 1991. Although such matters have made civil society’s oversight of the Intelligence Service’s activities an urgent demand and a pressing problem, the phenomenon of other agencies abusing their functions has indeed occurred, to a greater or lesser degree, in other countries that have emerged from totalitarian regimes. For precisely this reason, a special meeting is opening in Warsaw these days, with representatives from Albania also taking part, to discuss the most appropriate means and forms for keeping the secret agencies described above under continuous and effective supervision, given their special status and responsibilities in a democratic society. Albanian Helsinki Committee Tirana, 29.06.1995

The police actions in Bathore and Laknas, personifications of police violence, have now been joined by the brutal intervention against the strikers of the Korçë Orphans’ Association. It was like all the other interventions, already familiar and thoroughly characterized. This is what the strike participants say, most of them women and girls, who on Wednesday afternoon, the 1st, were subjected to unprecedented violence. Emine Allaj, a woman in her thirties and secretary of the association, explains: — At around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, somewhere on the second day of the strike, one of the girls had become very ill, so we asked for a doctor’s help. But he could not get in because the police had blocked the door. A little later, they broke it down and came inside. There were 15–20 rapid-response police officers, who asked for the association’s chairman, Mr Marash Zefi, to be taken to the police station. I told them that we had come here to demand our rights. The striker Marjana Veliu sings. But they attacked me just for that and beat me badly with kicks and a rubber baton. She shows her bruised arms and her body, where the marks of the baton blows are visible. “I had only seen that in police films,” she says. The other strikers recount how, immediately after this incident, another group of rapid-response police officers, led by their chief, Pjetër Lasku, used force against all the strikers and dragged them out of the premises where they were gathered. In particular, the Albanian authorities have been used… by 20 August 1995 they will report to the Legal Affairs Committee concerning an Amnesty International report criticizing Albania in relation to the incapacity of the judicial bodies (cases con-[?] Once again, about 30 women, girls and young men line up one after another, determined to continue their strike… They have chosen the square in front of the district government building as the place to continue it. MIARREM MEKO

How to attract more foreign investors to Albania is the leitmotif of the discussions between Albanian officials and foreign participants on the second day of the “International Conference on Foreign Investment in Albania.” The discussions were structured around the domestic perspective on encouraging foreign investors and the perspective of foreign specialists and various international organizations that have been working in Albania for some time, as well as questions from the businesspeople attending the conference about what the Albanian authorities at central and local levels should do to bring the interests of both sides as closely together as possible and encourage these foreign investments. This was evident in the discussion by the conference chair, Mr Belortaja, the participants Mr Xhepa, director of the Albanian Centre for the Promotion of Foreign Investment, and Minister Brojka; in the discussion by Mr Monck, adviser on foreign investment in the EU’s Phare programme; and by Ms Hughes, (Continued on page 4)

Following the arrest of journalist Ramadan Muçolli — Although many of the newspapers and television stations here in Tirana were pleased that a new newspaper had been added to the limited Albanian press in Kosovo, and its publishers deserved to be congratulated, news came from Pristina that the repressive actions of the Serbian police against Albanians had been compounded by the arrest of Kosovar journalist Ramadan Muçolli, known as a TVSH correspondent. He is neither the first nor the last Albanian journalist to be subjected to police violence by the Serbian authorities. His colleagues have, from time to time, ended up in police offices and Serbian prisons. This is characteristic of a repressive, antidemocratic and occupying state, which has managed to severely restrict the Albanian population of Kosovo’s access to information, as shown by the closure of Pristina radio and television, and the closure of many Albanian magazines, newspapers and publishing houses. Not only Albanians in Kosovo, but also people in Albania and throughout Europe, more or less know what journalist Ramadan Muçolli has broadcast via the satellite waves of Albanian TV. These are the many arrests and killings, the unprecedented acts of violence by the Serbian authorities, and the international reactions in (Continued on page 4)

Alarm from Kakavija Greek television channels announced an order by that country’s Ministry of Health banning the use of a consignment of eggs. The matter concerns, however, the fact that Greece is a transit country for their import from other countries, including Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, etc. In pursuit of huge profits, the trading Mafia goes too far: it sells the eggs in the country chosen as the transit point. Checks have been stepped up at Kakavie, but no inspection can stop the smell of rotten eggs. THANAS DINO

Protest by the Association of Orphans of Albania The Albanian public was informed that on 27.6.1995, a strike by orphans began in the city of Korçë. They are 30 girls, around whom some 600 orphans have been gathering for months; they have been ignored by the authorities. Their demands are: shelter, work, social support and official status as orphans. Nevertheless, if on 27.6.1995 around 600 orphans in Korçë went on strike, here once again [the sentence is incomplete]— [They were removed from] the premises where they had barricaded themselves, with rubber batons also being used. This is the most flagrant case yet of the violent violation of human rights and freedoms. And when this violence is directed against a particular group, the orphans (all the more so because those barricaded inside were girls), then this action is alarming. I ask the National Council of the Association of Orphans of Albania to take strong and reasonable action against the authorities. We demand that the competent bodies intervene urgently to put an end to the violence. Meanwhile, we inform the public that we will declare a nationwide strike, even to the point of self-sacrifice. We also appeal to all national and international organizations to come to the aid of Albanian orphans. This disgrace must not be allowed to continue for another day. For Chairwoman MARJRE HOSANI

Scandal of the week: — The management brushes aside the problem with a 20-minute meeting It is more concerned about a few missing correction slips in offices than about the theft of 17 sacks of international correspondence, which contained not only letters but also many parcels and packages arriving from more than 20 countries. A major scandal occurred on Sunday at the Postal Enterprise: 17 sacks were stolen, containing at least 20–30 packages arriving from more than 20 countries. The management’s only response was a meeting with the staff lasting about 20 minutes. The result of this: Citizens, as well as various state and non-state institutions, companies and private entities, have thus been wronged and deprived at the same time of their right to receive correspondence and parcels addressed to them. And all this because of a lack of seriousness and dedication at work. Meanwhile, not a word, not a notice. Why? Who benefits from exposing this scandalous theft? Let us wait and see what happens. Correspondent of “Zëri i Popullit”