TOMOR DOSTI, PD secretary, ! Today the PD is the party of the majority and, as such, it has a moral and historic obligation before the fate of the nation. And the foremost obligation is to renew the moral, political and economic life of our country. We believe that the PD is carrying this out with the seriousness of a party that seeks to represent with dignity the aspirations and will of our nation and our people. Our motto at this moment is: work, dedication, seriousness, courage. In our work, we must avoid spontaneity, in order to make the PD a ready, trained and efficient organization. Only in this way, we believe, will we put our political line into practice and clarify it in all its aspects—a line that we have adopted as the basis of our political action. The PD responds to two important demands of our country’s political life. The problem of eternity, an essentially moral problem. The renewal of material and civic life without the participation of the moral conscience of our popular strata would be without foundation, perhaps liable to run in parallel, because it would be affected by the corruption of the generation of our time, which is a characteristic that cannot be overcome during a period of transition. I call on all spiritual forces to try to draw as close as possible to the source of the people’s vitality, because I am certain that we will find sufficient strength to renew ourselves. The second demand is the socio-political revolution. This revolution, which is under way, must be carried out by reflecting and protecting the highest human rights, all the freedoms necessary for human development. We have the moral right to affirm that the PD will always respond to these demands with an unwavering commitment to protect freedom of conscience and democratic institutions. We accept all social-democratic challenges, but we will never accept that the fate of our people be determined by groups with outdated ways of thinking, who seek their lost privileges, or by forces that seek to destabilize the country and its pulse. I want to emphasize that the youth are our eternity, the life of our people. But they must understand that we are working for them, to open the way so they can move forward safely. The youth should not rush; they should educate themselves, have clear democratic ideas, and have the courage, ability and prudence to see reality. Political charlatans, disinformers, those who deceive with malicious lies, those who still struggle in the roles of conservative communism—history will hold them accountable before the people.

MANY SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS At the meeting between President Berisha and SWISS PRESIDENT ADOLF OGI, the latter expressed Switzerland’s high regard for the achievements of the reforms in Albania and for the courage shown in overcoming major difficulties. The Swiss government agreed to continue expanding its assistance to Albania. President Berisha thanked the Swiss government for the assistance it has provided directly and through international institutions. He said that Swiss assistance in healthcare and energy, in training young diplomats, and the work in Albania of humanitarian organizations from that country had been very important. At this meeting, President Berisha called for development and cooperation in this field as well as in agriculture, and for the development of infrastructure and tourism. He insisted that Switzerland also help Albania by taking on seasonal workers. The Swiss president said his government had prepared vocational training programs, but the first group had created problems and did not encourage their expansion. Nevertheless, Switzerland would continue these programs, emphasizing the selection of seasonal workers, for which knowledge of the country’s language would play a role. A special place in the discussion was given to the situation in the region and integration in the former Yugoslavia. President Berisha invited Mr. Ogi to visit Albania. At the meeting with BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ZHELEV, the crisis in the region and relations between our countries were discussed. Bulgaria and Albania hold the same views on the causes of the crisis and its dangerous consequences for the region. A solution can be achieved only through sanctions and tougher stances toward Serbia. The meeting also discussed speeding up the signing of the cooperation treaty between the two countries, and identified a number of other intergovernmental agreements in the economic, trade and financial fields as important next steps that would serve as a basis for developing bilateral cooperation. President Berisha invited Bulgarian President Zhelev to visit Albania; the invitation was gladly accepted. At the meeting with ARGENTINE PRESIDENT CARLOS SAUL MENEM, President Berisha discussed the situation in the region as well as economic cooperation between the two countries. The areas in which this cooperation could be made concrete are especially agriculture, employment and trade. President Menem expressed his appreciation for Albania’s determination and efforts on its path of reform, as well as Argentina’s readiness to cooperate with Albania in all fields and assist it. He condemned Serbian aggression and gladly accepted President Berisha’s invitation to visit within this year, and also invited him to Argentina. President Berisha held a working lunch with POLISH PRIME MINISTER JOSEPH OLEKSY, discussing the progress of reforms in both countries as well as bilateral cooperation in tourism and transport. President Berisha had a brief meeting with PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF, where the prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation were discussed. At President Berisha’s meeting with the Speaker of Romania’s Parliament, Adrian Nastase, they discussed deepening exchanges between the two countries through more visits by delegations at various levels and the signing of bilateral agreements in areas of mutual interest. President Berisha held separate meetings with the two VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY COMMISSION, LEON BRITTAN AND HANS VAN DEN BROEK. Both expressed the European Community’s great appreciation for the progress of the reforms and the Albanian government’s prospects for implementing them. After expressing his thanks and appreciation for the considerable assistance the EC is providing to our country, President Berisha presented recent developments in the country, explaining the decisive importance of 1993 for reform in Albania. President Berisha requested increased funding for Albania, the involvement of the European Investment Bank in financing infrastructure projects in the country, and Albania’s inclusion in regional development projects funded by the EC. The meeting also discussed the possibility of involving the Coal and Steel Fund in Albania’s mining and coal-fired power plant projects. They promised that the EC would continue to help Albania and accepted the invitation to visit the country. At the meeting with BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY DOUGLAS HURD, they discussed the situation in the Balkans and the risks of a Balkan war breaking out. Mr. Hurd spoke very highly of domestic developments in Albania and Albania in the former Czechoslovakia, as well as Albania’s desire to establish cooperation with the Czech Republic in agriculture, tourism and trade. At this meeting, President Berisha requested that the Czech government grant an export credit to purchase Czech-made agricultural machinery and equipment. Prime Minister Klaus spoke of the credit, saying that the Czech government in principle does not grant such credits, but would do so for Albania. He also expressed support for reform in Albania, a desire to develop relations between the two countries, and his intention to visit Albania. At the meeting with THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, LEONID KRAVCHUK, the expansion of relations between Albania and Ukraine and their establishment on the basis of bilateral documents and agreements were discussed. It was agreed that the foreign ministries and other ministries of the two countries would begin work on drafting agreements that would serve as the basis for developing bilateral relations in the relevant fields. The two presidents discussed the progress of reforms in their countries, as well as the problems arising during their implementation. President Kravchuk and Ukraine condemn Serbian aggression and did not supply oil to Serbia. His government has submitted documents proving this to the UN. President Berisha invited President Kravchuk to visit Albania, an invitation he gladly accepted. President Berisha held a separate meeting with NATO SECRETARY GENERAL MANFRED WÖRNER. The main subject of discussion was the crisis in the region and efforts to contain and resolve it. Albania’s cooperation with NATO was also a key issue at the meeting. In this context, both sides expressed their support for strengthening cooperation between Albania and NATO across all possible structures. Secretary General Wörner said that he wished to visit Albania soon. At the meeting with SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER KARL BILDT, President Berisha discussed the crisis in the Balkans, the situation of Albanians in the region, and the progress of reforms in Albania. President Berisha asked the Swedish prime minister to establish cooperation between the two countries in tourism and trade, provide technical assistance, and increase Sweden’s contribution to Albania through international institutions. Prime Minister Bildt said that the Swedish government would consider the requests. He expressed Sweden’s concern about the situation in the region, as well as his willingness to visit Albania. At a separate meeting between President Berisha and Slovenian Prime Minister Drnovshek, discussion of the crisis in the region occupied a prominent place. The two countries held identical views on the approaches and methods for resolving it. It was agreed at the meeting that Albania would increase cooperation in agriculture, tourism, construction, etc. Prime Minister Drnovshek expressed his willingness to visit Albania at a time convenient for him. At the meeting with CZECH PRIME MINISTER VACLAV KLAUS, the crisis in the region and relations between the two countries were discussed. President Berisha expressed to Prime Minister Klaus his high regard for the civilized manner in which the changes had been carried out. The areas of this cooperation include well as Argentina’s willingness to visit within the year, and invited him to Argentina. At the meeting with BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY DOUGLAS HURD, the situation in the Balkans and the risk of a Balkan war breaking out were discussed. Mr. Hurd spoke highly of developments within Albania and the government’s efforts to implement reforms and of the initial achievements along this path. The British minister praised Albania’s stance in the region. He expressed pleasure at the appointment of the Albanian ambassador in London and the forthcoming opening of our embassy in the British capital, and stressed the need to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. At a meeting with GERMAN MINISTER VOLKER RUHE, cooperation between Albania and Germany and the crisis in the region were discussed. At a meeting between President Berisha and FRENCH MINISTER OF HEALTH AND HUMANITARIAN AID BERNARD KOUCHNER, as well as FRENCH MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND HOUSING JEAN - LOUIS BIANCO, the expansion of cooperation between Albania and France in health and transport was discussed. Minister Bianco promised that he would send a team of experts to make concrete the assistance France would provide Albania in railway transport. President Berisha conveyed his greetings to President Mitterand through them and reiterated his wish that he visit Albania. At a meeting with GREEK DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF ECONOMY STEFANOS MANOS, relations between the two countries were discussed, particularly economic cooperation and the problems arising from the crisis in the region. President Berisha expressed his gratitude for the assistance Greece had given Albania during this period and asked the Greek government to support At a meeting with EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AMRE MOUSSA, countries were discussed. They also discussed concrete Albanian-Egyptian cooperation, which could focus on agriculture and textiles, as well as President Mubarak’s visit to Albania. At the meeting with ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SHIMON PEREZ, the deepening of relations between the two countries and the crisis in the region were discussed. Minister Perez stressed that Israel was ready to support Albania in its projects. This cooperation could be developed directly or through international institutions. (Continued on page 4)

By Elvan… Popullor By Elvan… Popullor Stop! The law on the restitution and compensation of property is expected to come “At the request of deputy P. Teta, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Ruli, will provide clarifications regarding the reports in the newspapers ‘Republika’ and ‘Lajmëtari’ about the government’s alleged violations of UN resolutions on sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro”—with these words, the session chair, Mr. T. Malasi, invited Mr. Ruli to explain the matter before the deputies at the start of Wednesday’s proceedings in the People’s Assembly. In his explanation, Mr. Ruli refuted the accusation made by the newspapers in question, presenting more or less the same arguments that our newspaper had published a few days earlier in the response by the spokesperson of this ministry on the issue. At the end of his explanation, Mr. Ruli stressed that there had been no illegal crossings—not only at the Hani i Hotit crossing, but at any of the Republic’s customs points. Continuing, among other things, Mr. Teta said that he was convinced these crossings had not taken place, but what he wanted to emphasize was the confusion created by the absence of a press law, which leads to reports of… (Continued on page 4)

As part of the aid program that the Turkish government is providing to Albania, on February 1, 1993, the ship “Gjirokastra” arrived at the port of Durrës carrying 1,000 tons of flour worth $830,000. The Turkish government will continue sending aid to the friendly and brotherly Albanian people in the coming months as well.

How can we be transparent? ...

By E... Popullor Stop! The law is expected to come for ...

How can we be transparent? DEAR BASHKIM, Tomorrow at 10 o’clock I have a meeting at the ministry with the creators of K. Studios. As I also discussed with you yesterday, I would ask you to send me a newspaper to share, and if he thinks it appropriate, he could write something. At this meeting, the issues are addressed in a complex and detailed way. This approach helps transparency, and the newspaper gets the information firsthand. 3. 11, 93 Best wishes, I wish you good health Regards, DH. ANAGNOSTI Editorial note Wouldn’t it be good if all government officials followed such practices? This would greatly help with government transparency.