Specialist doctors and officers work together to steal Military personnel: “Whoever donates blood gets 10 days’ leave” Specialist doctors and officers work together to steal Blood trafficking in the military and schools Military personnel: “Whoever donates blood gets 10 days’ leave” page 8

BY ENKEL DEMI The Democratic Party and the Legaliteti Party yesterday came out in moral support of the new Austrian government and, in particular, its extremist leader, Hajder. This is a policy pursued by these two political forces, which nonetheless gives rise to comment. Being right-wing in Europe need not be considered an outdated choice, despite the left’s insistence on proclaiming otherwise. This is because the struggle for power in Europe, too, follows its own normal rules, which we try to dream about in Albania but do not always (or, to put it another way, have never yet) respect, or which suit us only when we wish. The conservative and neoconservative right is not in crisis anywhere, as left-wing opponents claim. Therefore, Albania’s right-wing political forces have someone to look to for partnerships elsewhere, beyond their borders. There are conservatives throughout Europe and the USA; there are conservative organizations such as their International, which includes Albanian Democrats and Republicans, and organizations such as EDU, which likewise includes the Democrats and Christian Democrats. In short, Albania’s right-wing parties have room to find partners. But publicly declaring support for Austria’s Hajder, or potentially for Le Pen in France, is not a principled right-wing venture but diplomatic myopia. Hajder is an extremist politician, enamored of Nazism, anti-immigrant and, why not, antisemitic as well. Albanian Democrats and legalists have no reason to publicly seek such an ally in Europe, one criticized by Europe itself. If Hajder has spoken out against immigrants (even though he later made excuses), then we would have to support a politician who is also against Albanian immigrants in Austria, who are not few in number, from both Albania and Kosovo. In such a case, we would have to swallow his positive opinions of Nazism. In other words, we would have to disagree with Albanians themselves, who were anti-fascists, and with King Zog himself, who chose exile rather than collaborate with the fascist occupier. We would have to take an opposing position to the Jews, whom we sheltered during the Second World War. We would have to show Europe and elsewhere that Albania has a right wing that favors extremism. (continued on page 3)

Page 19 Former Minister of Public Works and Transport, Gaqo Apostoli

While in the Italian press she speaks out against the Albanian Government to make political theater, in Tirana she seeks criminal proceedings against journalists Page 2

Page 7