The boss and corruption — The Minister of Economy and Privatization mired in oil Corruption at the highest level begins to be punished The boss and corruption The Minister of Economy and Privatization mired in oil The Prime Minister punished oil minister Zef Preçi yesterday Corruption at the highest level begins to be punished • Minister Zef Preçi favored two companies, “Kastpetrol” and “Kometa,” in violation of the law. • He granted these companies licenses ten days before the Council of Ministers’ decision. • He discriminated against ten other companies under the same conditions, perhaps better than

PSSH Chairman Fatos Nano presents the commitments in PSSH’s political program for 2000 BY FATOS NANO Expanding citizens’ participation in self-government and integrating politics with civil society EVENTS - OBJECTIVES • The year 2000 is also the year in which local elections will be held throughout the country. • The year 2000 is the year in which we will enter the party elections with the necessary amendments to the statutes that we approved at the third congress. • The year 2000 is the year in which the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe will come down from the table—

ten days before the Council of Ministers’ decision. • perhaps better than “Kastpetrol” and “Kometa.” • Regarding “Kometa,” the minister wrote: The documentation is to be completed after the license is granted Minister Zef Preçi’s actions raise the price of oil on the market Ten days before the end of the year, Albania is facing an oil crisis

EDITORIAL Why is the minister silent about the companies he favored? Let the minister show us the effects of the liberalization he says he carried out in the fuel market Yesterday, Zef Preçi, Minister of Public Economy and Privatization, said that this was happening because of his efforts to liberalize the fuel market. Preç Zegaj even said that the reason for his dismissal was also connected to the efforts he had made to liberalize the markets. Preçi tried to give the market policies political names, pointing to a group of companies which, according to him, have a monopoly in the oil market and were affected by his efforts to liberalize it. He did not say that these companies had been operating in the market for years, but that their political protectors had decided to remove him. • Meanwhile, the accusation made public against him was precisely related to the lack of liberalization of the market. Then the accusation was linked to the illegal restriction of the fuel market. Subsequently, the illegal favoritism shown to two companies ten days before a Council of Ministers’ decision was added to it. The licenses for them were signed by Zef Preçi, even though their files contained serious violations of the criteria or were almost entirely missing documents. Indeed, for one company the minister wrote his own note: “documentation to be completed after the license is granted.” The minister did not speak for even a minute yesterday about this pile of accusations. Nor did he dare speak about the favors granted to the two companies “Kastpetrol” and “Kometa.” If he has names for the companies he condemned— we have no intention of finding names for the companies he condemned—there is no reason why we should not tell the truth about the other companies. One of them is “Shqipënjes,” affiliated with the Democratic Party, caught just 30 days ago with a quantity of smuggled goods at the port of Shëngjin. Apart from all these accusations, what made an impression yesterday were the minister’s words about the companies to which he did not grant licenses. If this state has ever had anything bad about it, one such thing remains the verbal complacency shown toward people who want to work seriously. In this context, it is truly shameful for even a minister to have the audacity to call anyone he sees as his equal in terms of power—or, more accurately, of personal gain—whatever he pleases. Only one of the companies attacked by the minister yesterday has a genuinely serious partner from the coast and more than 300 workers from this coast. Its taxes support the ministry and his entire ministerial entourage.

in Albania sun and snow Temperature: 1 to 10 Celsius

* Favoritism toward two private entities by licensing them in violation of the law and refusing to license other entities under the same conditions as those that were licensed. * Failure to comply with the requirements of the law concerning the conditions for licensing entities. * Missing documentation in the files of the licensed entities. * There was also a marked inability to supervise the bodies charged by law with overseeing licensing procedures, creating opportunities for abuse. * The inspection identified violations concerning the approval and authorization of lease agreements approved by the Ministry of Public Economy and Privatization. * Minister Preçi is responsible for failing to take appropriate measures to ensure the normal functioning of the free fuel market. * During Zef Preçi’s tenure as Minister of Public Economy and Privatization, actions and conduct contrary to the spirit of institutional cooperation and respect for institutions were identified. PAGES 2-3

against the parliamentary elections, the necessary statutory amendments that we approved at the third congress. • Pact for South-Eastern Europe will move from tables and round tables into Albania’s concrete reality, transforming Albania and its 6 million Albanians from an object into an active subject of this Pact. • The year 2000 is the year in which the Congress of Socialist Women and FRESSH will be held. • The year 2000 is the year in which preparations will be made in Kosovo for free and democratic local elections. SLOGANS “A modern party, for a modern state.” “Together with the youth—for Euro-Atlantic integration.” “Women’s humanism ennobles Albania.” “The Alliance for the State—a guarantee for the citizen.” “Equal opportunities—clean capital.” “Respect for the law—the individual’s freedom.” Figuratively speaking, this means that after 9 years of pluralism, the Socialist Party, as a party whose essence is missionary, must take the initiative in “democratizing,” or institutionalizing, Albania’s current democracy, by society. SPECIAL FEATURE ON PAGE 16