ROME, 4 March. — As ANSA reports, Defence Minister Salvo Ando today received at the Barankini Palace the Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Army, Colonel-General Ilia Vasho, who is in Italy at the invitation of the Chief of the Defence General Staff, General Korcolone. Minister Ando reiterated the invitation extended to Minister Zhulali to visit Italy and made known his “full readiness to examine the needs of the Tirana government, including within the framework of a bilateral agreement of an organic nature.” (ATSH)

- Press conference by President Berisha - Yesterday at midday, the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, held a press conference. “I have come before you again, open to any questions,” Mr. Berisha said at the beginning of the conference. Then, for more than an hour, questions were asked by journalists from various press organizations, ATSH, Radio and Television, etc. RD journalist Shpëtim Luku asked: Recently, the socialist chorus, with Fatos Nano at its head, has started singing the song: The government must resign. What is the President’s comment on this? “I,” said Mr. Berisha, “believe in and fully support Mr. Meksi’s government. The demand for the government’s resignation has seemed strange and paradoxical to me. You may indeed have voted against the government, but it is a rule of democracy that, regardless of how you voted, the majority governs in a democracy. And by respecting democracy, you respect the vote of the majority. In this context, I want to say that the Government has and should have the support both of those who voted for it and of those who voted differently. To demand a government’s resignation for careerist purposes is a destructive and destabilizing act. To demand the government’s resignation without justification is not only something no one believes, but also makes you lose credibility with your own electorate. Naturally, not all the Albanian opposition can be identified with these demands and statements. Why? Because it is taking part in reform. All the passion, poverty, chaos, anarchy. Faced with the choice between reform and populism, between rapid reform and gradualism, the bolder, more difficult path was chosen. I am not saying that we have overcome all the difficulties. No, we have them and will continue to have them in the future. People who have walked in the forest for 50 years and one day find their way out cannot be expected to find the road immediately; but at least this time they are in the forest by day, not by night. The Government began reform with empty shops. Go and see them today: they are full. Of course, the Government did not fill them and will not fill them. The people will fill them, while the Government will adopt a trade policy that encourages free enterprise. This Government began reform with galloping inflation of 15 percent; in practice it fell to 3 percent. Reform began under conditions of a complete halt in production. The truth is that agricultural production has increased. Go to the countryside and look at the number of livestock. Although someone frightened the farmers by telling them not to register their livestock, lest they be taxed. This registration was not intended for taxation, but was purely statistical. We do not tax the farmer now, because he is already in difficult circumstances. But I do not think the increase in electoral production comes from an increase in “agricultural odhom.” Industrial production has also stopped declining. The main factor and obstacle for the time being is domestic debt. This is a problem for the countries of Eastern Europe too. I think the results of the first phase made it possible to sign the second agreement with the International Monetary Fund. This Government is a government of citizen-owners, and I say that this is one of its greatest merits: the Government is distributing land, and soon its distribution will be completed. Privatization of enterprises needs to proceed faster. Creating citizen-owners is Albania’s greatest hope. By making people owners, we will be able to increase their sense of responsibility toward work. It will not be the Government that makes Albania prosperous; it will be the citizens themselves who make themselves and the whole country prosperous. For this reason, I say that the Meksi Government has things to be supported for, both in Albania and in international circles. The calls for resignation seem to me like nighttime noise that cannot disturb the course it is following. In response to a question about the financial scandal, Mr. Berisha said that its discovery was the result of the policy of fighting corruption pursued by the Democratic Government. “This scandal,” he said, “occurred during a period when other forces were in power. We are determined to continue this policy toward injustices and scandals in the future as well.” Xhevdet Shehu of “Voice of America”: Recently, visits by citizens of Balkan countries have increased. Do you think these have reduced tension in the region? “The mutual visits of representatives of Balkan governments aim to foster understanding among these countries, and I am convinced that they do not aim to create or assemble alliances at the expense of one country or another. I have been and remain convinced that conflicts between democratic countries are resolved through dialogue and understanding. The visits of Zhelev and T. Ozal to Albania have had this purpose. Mr. Meksi’s visit to Greece will serve this purpose too,” was Mr. Berisha’s reply. In response to the same journalist’s request to comment on President Klinton’s letter concerning possible military intervention in Serbia, Mr. Berisha replied that President Klinton’s statement was of very great importance, and confirmed President Bush’s statement. The United States’ decision to send aid to the combat zone, as well as President Klinton’s warning to Serbia, are decisive factors in resolving the Balkan crisis. Their commitment is very hopeful. When the efforts of the European Community are added to these, these hopes are even greater. (Continued on page 4) and of those who voted differently. To demand the resignation of a government demand the government’s resignation without having thought it through not only means nobody believes you, but also makes you lose credibility among your own electorate. Of course, demands and statements. Why? Because it is participating in the reform. All the parties, as the data show, support the reform. They support it because common points in their programs converge in this reform. They support it because they understand the game and the rules of democracy. This is the reason, the President said, why this statement cannot be identified with the position of the opposition. As soon as the Meksi Government was inaugurated, people began saying that this government’s term would end in June. Gentlemen, democracy cannot be treated like a dictatorship. It was said that the government would not last through the year. But the government made it through the year. Later there were voices saying it would not make it through the winter. Now the government is emerging from winter and someone is trying to ruin the spring. These are not serious positions. For us Albanians, the opposition will remain a vital element of democracy’s existence. We Albanians have suffered more than others from the absence of an opposition. Therefore, I call on all those in power to respect and value the opinions of the opposition and the opposition as a whole. Why do I support Mr. Meksi’s Government? This government has broad support, both in Albania and among international organizations, in the region, in Europe and beyond. For this reason, viewing developments in Albania through dark glasses serves nobody’s interests. I also support today’s government because, after terrible storms, anarchy and unprecedented destruction throughout Albania, it managed to stabilize the situation. Please compare last year’s destruction with this year’s. You may say that there are still criminal acts, thefts, etc.—and yes, there are. But I say they have been halved. Statistics show a decline from 7.4 murders to 4–3 murders per 100 thousand inh[a]bitants. And the same can be said of other indicators. The Meksi Government is a government open to the world, a government that is politically de-bunkerizing Albania. Through its foreign policy, this government managed, in a short period of time, to open Albania to the world and the world to Albania. Albania has never had the ties it has today with Western countries, the European Community and the international community. The treaties and agreements signed are more numerous than those of all previous periods combined. The EC alone gave Albania around 400 million dollars in aid during the past year. I am pleased by its—only 400 million dollars in aid. With its assistance, the Meksi Government manages to have acted, and continues to act, as a factor in making Albania a source of stability wherever it seeks to contribute to peace and stability. Haste—the Meksi Government is a government of reform. Every government that launches a reform takes upon itself its risks and consequences. Reforms wherever they are carried out bring with them difficulties and dissatisfaction for the country, as well as the measures they require and impose. I think that no Eastern European government ... [the text continues in the adjacent column]

- The chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Mr. Eduard Selami, meets with the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Ibrahim Rugova - Yesterday morning, at the Democratic Party headquarters in Tirana, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Mr. Eduard Selami, received the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Ibrahim Rugova. In a fraternal atmosphere, they discussed the domestic situation in Albania and the political situation in the region, particularly the situation of Albanians in the former Yugoslavia. Mr. Selami, outlining political and economic developments in Albania, emphasized the idea that political and economic stability is an important and direct factor not only for the Albanian question but more broadly. Mr. Selami made known the Democratic Party’s serious concern about the situation of Albanians in Kosovo. “We support a policy of resolving the Albanian question step by step,” Mr. Selami continued. “It is positive and significant that the main political parties in Albania share a common view of the situation of Albanians in the former Yugoslavia.” For his part, Mr. Rugova outlined the situation in Kosovo and presented a plan for a just resolution of the Albanian question by peaceful means. He stressed that the presence of UN peacekeeping troops in Kosovo is necessary and urgent. “Without doubt, an Albania that is politically stable and economically developing is valuable assistance to us,” Rugova continued. The participants agreed that Europe must be made aware that this is not only a matter of the Albanian question, but a broader issue. Kosovo carries within itself the possibility of the conflict spreading and the consequences of its expansion. At the meeting, they welcomed the concrete steps taken by the U.S. administration and President Klinton in pursuing efforts to find a just solution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. They also discussed the need to expand and strengthen ties between the Democratic Party and the LDK, as well as other Albanian political parties in the former Yugoslavia. Also present at the meeting were Messrs. Leka Toto, a member of the Democratic Party leadership and a deputy in the People’s Assembly, and Mehmet Kraja, a member of the LDK leadership. Press and Information Office of the Democratic Party.

From the visit to Germany by the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs TIRANA, 4 March. — The delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Minister Alfred Se[c]ker, met with a group of members of the German Bundestag. “From the contacts we have had with Albanian personalities, as well as from our direct visits to Albania,” said MP Raushenbach in his opening remarks at the meeting, “we, a group of members of the German Bundestag, wish to take part in a parliamentary group which, through direct contacts with Albanian parliamentarians and with the staff of the Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Bonn, will seek to support democratic processes in Albania more closely and convey messages of friendship and cooperation from the German people to Albania.” Albania’s Ambassador in Bonn, Mr. Zaganjori, welcomed those present and informed them of the existence of a parliamentary group for relations with Germany in the Albanian Parliament. “It would be of great interest for these two groups to cooperate as closely as possible with one another,” he said. MP Rushen Golemi, after thanking the participants for this initiative in the interests of both countries, and particularly Albania, expressed the wish to increase contacts and cooperation between parliamentarians of the two countries in the future. Our Foreign Minister, Mr. Alfred Serreqi, described the political and economic situation in Albania, emphasizing the importance of support for our policy by the German Parliament and Government, as well as the support Germany gives Albania in the European Parliament and other international institutions. He also answered questions from those present. ✦ ✦ ✦ TIRANA, 4 March. — Representatives of all the main parties represented in parliament also took part in the meeting held on 3 March between the Albanian delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Mr. Stercken. The German parliamentarians showed great interest in the current situation in Albania; the progress of the reform; and the country’s political stability, which is relevant to foreign investment in Albania. The situation in the region and Kosovo also constitute— (Continued on page 4)

- THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PS OPENLY DECLARES THAT HE OPPOSES RETURNING PROPERTY TO ITS LAWFUL OWNERS - In the wake of the late-winter efforts, in an attempt to fulfill his “promise” to bring down the government before this winter ends, Nano made an attempt (or at least tried to make an attempt). The geography and the leaders of the attempts are clearly the same old, old and semi-isolated areas where the PS received its votes. (Nevertheless, nothing prevents Nano from trying to stir up the proletarian revolution among the inhabitants of these areas.) - NANO SEEKS TO KEEP HIS GUARANTEED VILLA As always, it is understood that Nano speaks in the name of the people and the underprivileged, but his own interests are much narrower. For him, the front page of “ZP” is all about “bringing down the government.” Confronted with the facts and in a deep crisis (the end of winter has come and the government has not budged), Nano no longer tries to maintain the mask of a modern socialist and reveals his withered face as a revanchist. The truth is that at these “meetings” his vocabulary is precisely the vocabulary used by E. Hoxha for 50 years. This is also conditioned by the fact that those he gathers around him know only that vocabulary. The people are just the façade for his villa and his armchair. Here is what Nano says about the government: “To date it [the government] has shown that it does not think about the people, but only about bringing out of the drawers all the old and yellowed scraps of the former filigrees.” And further: “...history clearly shows who shed sweat and who created the properties. It is the people, and they should be the owners.” Nano shamelessly talks about returning the properties that his party destroyed and that the democratic government is seeking to give back to those entitled to them: the people and their lawful owners. Nano really speaks shamelessly about the return of property, if you bear in mind that gil- (Continued on page 2)