In focus Regarding the asylum request of five Albanian military officers training in the USA The news was reported before it was broadcast on the BBC’s Albanian-language programme. The Albanian military authorities have not yet confirmed it. Nevertheless, the fact is highly significant: five captain-ranked Albanian peacekeepers who had returned from the USA to prepare for their mission have requested political asylum in that country. At first glance, this is a small, commonplace episode, a reflection of that strong feeling that also surfaces at embassies in the middle of the 1990s. But when such an act is carried out by a group of military officers—not just any officers, but some of the finest in the Albanian army—it is a genuine rebellion, a protest by a sensitive sector against the DP’s government. Moreover, when this happens in the USA, taking advantage of its hospitality, it shows that those responsible are fully aware that abusing that hospitality would be understood as a genuine political act, as they have indeed requested. Such actions undermine all the propaganda spread by the official authorities and the press of the ruling party, which portrays Albania, thanks to the DP’s government, as a country without such major and serious problems, a country where democracy is proceeding along a sure path. The fact is also important from another perspective: it follows in the wake of the great exoduses of 1990–91, which have never stopped; on the contrary, they have intensified throughout the period of government since 22 March, bringing the number of Albanians who have left the country in recent years to nearly 500,000. This is happening because, under conditions of an extremely difficult transition, people no longer trust the DP’s promises. They do not see the road ahead as easy or a bed of roses while mass unemployment continues, organised crime is an everyday occurrence, and those in power issue political tenders in order to avoid facing the electorate. These endless exoduses naturally severely damage the image of the Albanian government abroad. They call into question the value of its statements about the successes of reform in Albania, made in the name of a peaceful contrast between the blue DP and the people. When such an act is committed by people with a relatively secure future, such as the five military officers in question, who even took advantage of their reception in the USA to request political asylum, the question rightly arises: what would hundreds of thousands of Albanians do who are genuinely unemployed and have no hope of a future life in the city? It is another matter how this “incident” involving Albanian military officers from the peacekeeping contingent will be connected with the request by Albania to legalise seasonal employment for thousands of Albanian refugees in Greece, with the measures taken by the army for several months along the Adriatic to stop the influx of asylum seekers from our country, and with the lack of serious investment in the country. With five Albanian military officers, hundreds of thousands of incidents cannot be made. The destabilised situation, the uncertain outlook, many people emigrating and having hope and opposition... [?] information of various kinds... [?]

President of the Socialist Youth International Roger Hallhag will soon make a two-day visit to Albania at the invitation of FRESSH. During his visit, Roger Hallhag will meet with various political forces. During his stay in Tirana, he will hold a large meeting with the city’s Eurosocialists. Roger Hallhag, 33, has been the leading figure of the Socialist Youth International for the past four years. He graduated in economics in Stockholm. He worked for several years at Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From October last year until two weeks ago, he worked as a political adviser in Prime Minister Karlsson’s Social Democratic government. Since 15 August this year, he has held the position of deputy head of international relations of Sweden’s Social Democratic Party.

At the High Council of Justice: Moves affecting the prosecution service had been anticipated for some time. For almost the whole day, the Palace of Brigades became the centre of changes by the High Council of Justice, where Berisha was presumably also present. According to well-informed sources, which provided no detailed explanations, Tirana prosecutor Qeleshi and his deputy Gjokutaj have definitively changed offices. Both Tirana prosecutors have moved to the Tirana Court of Appeal, and two others were appointed in their place yesterday.

The President of the Court of Cassation is not afraid of the immoral attacks by despotic elements of those in power Read on page 3

On Wednesday, President Sali Berisha approved the NATO air force’s routine attacks against the Bosnian Serbs. A statement from the presidency published yesterday afternoon declares that the bombing of Bosnian Serb positions constitutes “not only a direct response to the massacre carried out in Sarajevo by Serbian terrorists, but ...” “A deserved response to all the criminal acts, reaching as far as genocide, that they have committed during the war in the former Yugoslavia.” According to Berisha, “the combination of air strikes with diplomatic talks would be the quickest way to reach a peaceful agreement in Bosnia.” Photo: Reuter A NATO Mirage 2000 aircraft in the skies over Bosnia

The richest government in the world ALBANY CORRUPTION BRIBES 100% KICKBACKS ... A group of friends were talking among themselves about which was the richest country in the world. One said Switzerland, another Canada, another America, and someone else Malaysia. But the oldest among them said: “The richest country in the world is Albania.” “How can Albania be the richest country?!” the others said. “Albania is,” he continued, “because they’ve been stealing from it all these years and still haven’t finished...” Read on page 2