In the newspaper “Poli i Qendrës” dated July 24, 1996, the leaders of the PQ deigned to respond to the PRSH Steering Committee’s position that it would not participate in their round table, through a certain newspaper “correspondent.” The PR spokesperson notes that even the “correspondent’s” reply has not escaped the insults and denigration that leaders of the Pole’s parties, journalists, or their newspapers’ “correspondents” have overwhelmingly directed at the Republican Party. Nevertheless, the PRSH has maintained its composure on every occasion and has not retaliated against PQ representatives, even when their insults and filthy words have gone well beyond the limits of elementary decency. It has never used TV against them, although it knows the necessary airtime would immediately be made available to it for this purpose. Reading the reply by the “correspondent” of Poli i Qendrës, PR spokesperson Neritan Alibali recalls the harsh and insulting reaction by the leaders of PAD, PSD, PS and PD to the PRSH statement of 28.05.1996, which, among other things, called for a solemn pact and dialogue; they understood that parties with a modern vision should not prejudge dialogue. It thanks the international institutions, the governments of foreign countries, and especially the EC, which have recommended for Albania the very same solutions proposed by the Republican Party just two days after May 26. The PR will continue to consistently uphold its declared positions and work honestly for sincere and equal dialogue among the political forces. But the PRSH spokesperson firmly declares that Republicans cannot so quickly forget or instantly swallow the insults directed at them, then sit down and talk with those who never miss an opportunity to pour their bitterness over the PR. If the leaders of Poli i Qendrës are seeking dialogue with the PR, they must first give up using street jargon and abandon the positions they have maintained toward the PR until now. To do so, however, they must provide sincere proof of their goodwill. Otherwise, any kind of discussion would be worthless and contrary to the desired political morality. PRSH spokesperson Neritan Alibali

Speech by PR MP Mr. Markagjoni at the government confidence vote session P. 3 The abuses, denial, and heavy bureaucracy of the past four years must come to an end

According to Mr. Hajdaraga, the latest meeting of the PS GSC further strengthened the unity of this Party. In fact, this is the last thing one might think of regarding the socialist camp. The very fact that the day after this meeting the opposition was jubilant over Nano’s second heavy defeat shows that unity is now merely demagoguery. The balances maintained by the PS leaders with their fingernails before it will attempt to create a new reaction among the socialist congress delegates at the upcoming PS Congress; nevertheless, it is not difficult to predict that this attempt, too, will fail. It is clear that preparations for this Congress have been taken over by Nano’s opponents, his most denigrating critics. This means that this Congress will leave very little room for surprises or sudden reversals. The latter, as always, have hastily set off to take advantage of the situation that has arisen among their allies. Thus, Mr. Gjinushi of the PSD was not at all ashamed when he declared that in the near future he would welcome the votes of the socialist electorate. The people of PAD are also trying to adopt a more or less similar position, those who have no intention of regretting that their batteries of that could be thought The balances maintained with their fingernails by the PS leaders before the elections have been irrevocably broken, and there is no longer any doubt that they will not be restored. Nano and his disciples of ... which could have been socialist, but nevertheless this attempt, too, is not difficult to predict have been taken over by the opponents, indeed the denigrators, of Nano. for surprises or for a reversal of the situation in favor of the prisoner of Tepelenë. This is shown even more clearly by the position the PQ leaders have begun to take. ... to take advantage of the situation created a more or less similar position, and will not hesitate to direct their insults and abuse at the current socialist leadership. It is said that precisely in this Pole ...

Disagreements between the Socialist Party and Poli i Qendrës continue. The centrists are very dissatisfied with the political actions of the socialist vice-chairmen regarding the PS-PD dialogue, and the left-wing vice-chairmen are just as dissatisfied with this discontent. The latest to express himself on this was Luan Hajdaraga, at the latest meeting of the PS General Steering Committee. “We cannot accept anyone’s ‘advice’,” Hajdaraga said two days ago, “that we should first obtain their approval for the initiatives we undertake.” Although the socialist vice-chairman does not mention the centrists by name, it is clear that “anyone” means Poli. This is also because only the centrists have criticized the PS for its relations with the PD, demanding that it avoid the force and other political parties, and the centrists have attacked the vice-chairmen’s line in particular. Hajdaraga justifies his position by pointing out that although “democracy is not the monopoly of any political force,” “responsibilities and roles are different.” In his speech to the Steering Committee, the PS vice-chairman for local government emphasized that the way out of the crisis is dialogue between the PS and the PD. “To overcome the crisis that has engulfed Albanian society and restore the electorate’s confidence in the real values of democracy,” Hajdaraga said, “our party has identified the establishment of political dialogue with the Democratic Party as the main path.” “Although he did not name them, the vice-chairman was responding to the Pole’s accusations that the dialogue begun with the PD ‘aims neither to blunt the party’s political action nor to submit to the PD, as is routinely claimed in some press outlets.’” Hajdaraga thus becomes the third vice-chairman to react to the Pole’s accusations. The first was Meta, who described the centrists’ attacks as stemming from “unreasonable jealousy” and being “detrimental to the national interest.” On the same day, Dokle called these attacks mere “misunderstandings,” while later he emphasized his party’s merits, saying it had established dialogue better than the Pole. Thus, the allies of May 26 continue to fail to reach an understanding on a common position regarding political actions. A. S.

The Democratic Party—candidates and police P. 2 Is Albanian politics heading toward “polarization”? P. 4 Football: Tirana–Croatia The Croatians show how football is played P. 8