Socialist motionists oppose Pëllumbi’s visit to Berisha Gjinushi and Kalakulla attack the SP: Incapable . Socialist motionists oppose Pëllumbi’s visit to Berisha. Gjinushi and Kalakulla attack the SP: Incapable. President Berisha’s invitation to the meeting the day before yesterday with the political forces has brought division to the non-parliamentary opposition and within the Socialist Party. “He should not go to the Presidency before the round table has been held,” was also the message from Nano’s camp in the SP. Yesterday, the motionists spoke out against SP deputy chairmen Pëllumbi and Hajdaraga going to Berisha, on the grounds that the date of the local elections cannot be discussed without first establishing the legal framework and the democratization of these elections by European organizations. The Nanos have highlighted the weakness of the SP deputy chairmen, who declared their readiness to hold free elections with the DP. The SP deputy leadership held a meeting to review recent political events, but it is not known whether, in the end, a reaction prevailed to the harsh criticism from the centrists and socialist motionists. Pëllumbi felt the contradiction with Nano from the very day of the meeting at the Presidency. “Did we ask the chairman for permission for the local elections?” was the question journalists put to the SP’s first deputy chairman. The Professor did not like this wording at all, and answered the journalists only after they changed its form. “The decision on the elections cannot be made by one person alone, even if that person is the chairman,” Pëllumbi replied. Meanwhile, the criticism of the socialist deputy chairmen’s line, made the previous day by the PAD, has been joined by criticism from Gjinushi and Kakalulla. Gjinushi’s party members, who did not go to Berisha’s meeting, although they had been invited, also said that they had called on the Socialist Party to do as they had and boycott the President of the Republic. Gjinushi also repeated his attacks on the SP, expressing the view that Berisha had used the round table for his own interests, to claim that he had obtained the parties’ consensus on the local elections, and that it would be the same deception as at the electoral law round table. The right-wing Kakalulla also supported the centrists. The centrists have stepped up their attacks further, describing the SP as an incapable party inspired by Berisha. A. Simoni

The idea of another round table of parties emerges from “PQ” As soon as the idea of the international and European forums became known—to start a round table among Albanian parties in order to finally unblock the crisis created after the elections—the first to take the initiative to bring the parties together around a table, as has happened on other occasions over these years, was President Berisha himself. For the first time, without any delay, he called a round table with the parliamentary parties to discuss issues related to the formation and functioning of the government that emerged from the 26 May elections. Although this round table did not conform to all the points envisaged by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, given the tense situation created after the elections, Berisha’s meeting would nevertheless serve in some way both to calm the situation in the country and to show foreign opinion that he was fully prepared to establish a dialogue with the other political forces, if not on his own. Berisha continued to keep the initiative in his own hands through another meeting with identical content, but this time parliamentary. The socialists remembered to propose bilateral contacts between the SP and the DP. But, in order to gain time, the DP initially rejected a series of contacts of this kind, agreeing to them only after several days. The DP–SP contacts or round table got under way, but, given their content, it was the DP that set the terms. Perhaps the socialists were at that point preoccupied with Nano’s motion, which caused no small amount of turmoil within the SP, where three different groups emerged over the position to take on the motion. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the local elections, which under constitutional provisions must be held no later than three months after 26 July of this year, Berisha proposed another round table, to which the socialists were also invited this time, as a party represented in local government. What stood out at this round table was that the socialists were not accompanied by their social-democratic and alliance partners, who, since they were not represented in local government, could not take part in it. The [unclear]’s compliance with the conditions set by Berisha, as a result of which the appellants and the social democrats were not allowed to sit at the table, caused dissatisfaction among their leaders. In this way, this would undoubtedly weaken their ties with their socialist allies. More than within the country, the cooling of relations among President Berisha’s opponents served his interests abroad, since it would make it harder to find common ground to oppose Berisha, while attracting the sympathy of the leaders of European institutions and, later, their votes in favor of adopting a resolution of an “anti-Berishian” nature. On the other hand, this prompted those left outside the round table on local elections to think about organizing another round table, in an attempt to wrest the initiative from the head of state. But, given their experience to date and the existing problems among these political forces—not to mention their small electorates—the chances that they will win the “battle of the round table” by taking the initiative away from Berisha

AD and PSD invite the parties to a consultative meeting on Monday DP: Initiatives for a round table are not taken by phantom parties Yesterday, the Democratic Alliance and the Social Democratic Party sent the parties that had taken part in the round table on the electoral law an invitation to a consultative meeting in the “Bogdani” hall of the Tirana International Hotel, on Monday at 18:00. According to the text of the invitation, the meeting is intended to pave the way for a round table on the local elections. The invitation, already supported by the SP, PUK and PA, indicates that the meeting in the “Bogdani” hall will determine the arrangements for this round table, its agenda, and the regulation of the legal framework for the local elections and their monitoring by the Council of Europe. The leaders of the Poli say they are taking this initiative on the basis of the latest resolution of the Council of Europe and the US Department, and in view of the fact that the bilateral SP–DP meeting is not producing the desired results in this regard. The meeting initiated by Poli is proposed for six hours after the talks between PR experts and their DP counterparts, scheduled for next Monday at 10:00 in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses. The day before yesterday, Spahia revealed that the subject of this meeting of specialists was the local elections and that it would form the basis for the round table. Poli had previously asked the Democratic Party to initiate the round table, but now, seeing what the centrists describe as the DP’s slowness—and even [unclear]—it is taking it upon itself to launch the thirteen-party round table. The Democratic Party disagrees. Yesterday, the Democratic secretary-general, Besnik Gjongecaj, although he had not yet received Poli’s invitation, said in advance: “Initiatives for round tables can be taken only by parties with an electorate; they cannot be taken by phantom parties without an electorate.” The position of the socialists is more difficult: harshly criticized by the centrists, they accept Poli’s invitation on the one hand, while holding talks with the Democratic Party on the other. It is also still unknown what position the other parties in the thirteen-party group will take regarding Ceka and Gjinushi’s invitation. Most of these parties have so far waited for the outcome of the talks between the two major parties, the DP and the SP, so their position on the initiative by the small parties—the DA and the SDP—is certainly of interest. A. S.

On 14.07.1996, officers of the Kavaja Police Station arrested in the act Mustafa Fadil Sheshi, 33, and Xhemal Avdyl Cela, 38, both officers of the public-order police at this station. They are accused of abuse of office because, while on duty, they behaved dishonestly toward drivers and took money from them. Their arrest comes a week after another police officer from Tirana was taken into custody for taking money from a German citizen. I.Z.

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