PD reacts: “The accusations are futile. We don’t care at all” (Page 2) PD reacts: “The accusations are futile. We don’t care at all” Page 2

. At the Council of Europe, they are tired of the empty seats in the Albanian Parliament. A resolution adopted yesterday during the Parliamentary Assembly’s debate on Albania called on the PD to end the precedent set by the Socialists a year ago, when they boycotted the Parliament elected on 26 May for months on end. Without getting entangled in the Albanian muddle, in Strasbourg they are calling on the Democrats to retake their seats in the People’s Assembly. A clear message to a political class whose actions are anything but clear. The latest request from the Council of Europe, the institution favoured by all those who hold the party’s reins, must have caused no little disappointment in the PD. Berisha and Arbnori have now been able to understand that at the Council of Europe they think as they do at the OSCE or the EU when it comes to reprimanding Albania’s hot-headed politicians. But the message of yesterday’s resolution does not leave out the June victors. If the opposition “must act constructively,” the governing side, according to the Council of Europe, “must behave well toward the opposition.” From the Hajdari case to press freedom and the standards of democracy, the resolution’s paragraphs outline the path the left-wing coalition in power should follow. Yesterday’s Council of Europe resolution is the first official position taken by this important European institution since the Nano government won the vote of confidence. Based on the reports by Katrin Lalumier and Rene Van der Linden, yesterday’s document expresses support for the normalization of the situation in Albania. In this respect, order appears to be the most delicate issue for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The resolution speaks of “the elimination of criminal gangs,” an encouraging signal for greater resolve by the Albanian police and specialized anti-crime agencies. But at the Council of Europe they have not forgotten that Albania needs extensive and rapid assistance. That is why the resolution also encourages continued aid, based on the results of the Rome conference. Albania has been a member of the Council of Europe since June 1995. As such, our country has also undertaken the corresponding obligations associated with its position in this organization. On the day he signed the document of accession to the Council of Europe, Pjetër Arbnori, then Speaker of Parliament, signed a letter listing several conditions that were never fulfilled. The Constitution, press freedom, respect for minorities and the abolition of the death penalty—these were some of the conditions imposed on our country in exchange for membership in the Council of Europe. Now, when the PD has lost and new political forces have taken the stage, Albania must put an end to the bad image it has projected over these years. Yes, for the sake of improving an image that is currently more damaged than ever. In this context, instead of beginning the thoroughly unfair game of reading between the lines of statements by international institutions, Albanian politicians would make a much better impression if they showed more humility in the face of the West’s repeated calls for restraint. They must finally make a “return to the past,” whenever there is talk of this “return to the past,” whenever Albania and its government are discussed.

31 deputies urgently call for a concrete investment plan for this port In recent days, at the initiative of Nikollë Lesi, deputy for Lezhë, 31 deputies have signed a request addressed to the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr. Gaqo Apostoli, asking the government to urgently plan investments in the Port of Shëngjin, the only port in northern Albania, from which all the northern districts benefit economically. The deputies, who are from the PS, PD, PSD, PLL, PDK and PAD, are asking for a clear answer, since revitalizing and expanding this port in the north of the country would create opportunities for foreign investors to arrive in the north as well, and not only in Tirana or in some districts close to the capital. If Minister Apostoli does not provide a clear answer, the deputies have decided to summon Prime Minister Fatos Nano for an interpellation.

Vlora, the funeral of Artur Rustemi a few days before the attack on the SHIK building

Eurosocialists: Nano is against us Page 3