U.S. President Bill Clinton asks the American Congress U.S. President Bill Clinton has informed the U.S. Congress of the request to renew the “favored status” for Albania as a developing nation. In the letter formally addressed to Congress, the American president states that “it is necessary for Albania to continue to be treated as a developing country.” As news agencies report (we will publish the full text below), in the letter addressed to the U.S. trade representative Ms. Charlene Barshefsky and the foreign minister, the “U.S. President has submitted a report showing that Albania fully complies with the criteria to be treated as a developing country.” The other important point is to preserve the status for the coming year and to ensure the continuity of preferential (?) relations between Albania and the United States and with American economic policy. Here is what is said in Clinton’s letter to Congress about the extension of the exemption for Albanian products to be imported and treated like those of developing countries: “The exemption of Albania by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The American president believes that Albania fully complies with the required standards of U.S. trade law. In the decision he adds that “no note regarding Albania should be changed in the list of developing countries until 1 January 1998.” Within this framework, representatives of the U.S. and Albania have developed a new course of economic and trade cooperation in the post-crisis period of this year. This is seen as an important support for the Albanian economy on the eve of 1998, at a time when the country is trying to overcome the serious consequences of the earlier crisis.

Even this time the Serbs greeted the morning with automatic gunfire and attacks on Albanian houses in Kosovo. This morning, automatic gunfire was heard on the outskirts of Mitrovica. The shots were heard at 4:17 a.m., when two bombs were thrown in the “Bair” neighborhood on the edge of the city. The target was three Albanian houses. First, they fired bursts from automatic weapons, hitting empty (?) yards and courtyards, then hand grenades were used. The Serbian police are also verifying damage to the doors of one house. This was not the first time that the residents of the “Bair” neighborhood have heard explosions. Lately, these have become routine. Serbian families living near these houses are mostly leaving quickly. Yesterday at noon, the Serbian police against peaceful protesters /POLETEX/

Greek Defence Minister Akis Xohaxopulos has completed his visit to Albania Aid for engineering, aid for surveillance Page 8

The editorial staff of the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit” sends its best wishes to its collaborators and readers, and to all Albanians everywhere: Happy New Year 1998. May it be a prosperous year for everyone, a year of hope, peace, and understanding.