Yesterday morning, at 10:15, in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, NATO Secretary General Mr. Manfred Verner and President Berisha held a joint press conference for domestic and foreign journalists. President Berisha spoke first, followed by Mr. Verner, who then answered questions from the journalists present.

-He made his final unofficial visit to the city of Krujë- NATO Secretary General Mr. Manfred Verner concluded his official visit with the press conference he held together with President Berisha. Afterwards, accompanied by President Berisha and the Minister of Defense, Mr. Safet Zhulali, Mr. Verner, his wife, and other members of the NATO delegation visited the museum city of Krujë, where they visited the castle and the museum inside it. In the reception hall of this museum, Mr. Verner wrote the following in the visitors’ book: “With my admiration for a people who fought successfully for the independence and freedom of their people and country.” Yesterday at midday, accompanied by President Berisha, Mr. Verner and the delegation accompanying him departed from our country. At the moment of departure, he once again expressed his high regard for the beautiful and beloved country of the Albanians. Other senior figures of the country, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tirana, were also present at the farewell ceremony.

JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE VERNER-BERISHA Verner: “There is no doubt, and I will state it clearly again: the place of the new Albania is in Europe!” Berisha: “Geostrategically, all of Albania is a continuation of NATO’s southern flank...” Verner: “We agreed on increasing the efforts of the international community to help Kosovo regain its autonomous status... NATO will act only with a UN mandate, including in the crisis in Bosnia.” Berisha: “We would greatly appreciate NATO, led by the USA, influencing matters so that the application of double standards toward Milosheviç comes to an end as soon as possible.” Verner: “...NATO will provide concrete assistance to Albania to help it along the path of reform and the modernization of its armed forces.” Berisha: “Through this cooperation, we also aim, having put forward our candidacy for NATO, to receive consideration at the appropriate time for this act, which is very much welcomed by Albanians.” Verner: “I express my appreciation for the moderate policy of the Albanian government and ask that this policy continue.” Among other things, [there will be] high-frequency equipment, particularly for cooperation with NATO’s naval forces, with which Albania is cooperating on the naval embargo against the former Yugoslavia. This equipment will be provided in the coming days. We have agreed that Albanian officers serving on NATO ships operating in the Adriatic will receive assistance in increasing their knowledge of naval operations. We also planned visits to Albania by experts and senior military officers for military surveys, programming and planning, to help reorganize the Ministry of Defense and its leadership staff, as well as Albania’s participation in scientific programs. Finally, on behalf of my wife and the delegation, I wish to express my most sincere thanks to President Berisha and the Albanian people for the extraordinary welcome they gave us. I leave with a great sense of hope for a prosperous future for Albania. I am certain that our cooperation will develop in a very favorable way in the future.

Question: Do you think the conflict in Bosnia can be resolved by political means following the failure of the Vance-Owen plan? Werner: As we know, at this moment the United Nations in New York are trying to find a political solution to this conflict, and they have not yet failed. The policy of our countries is to support these efforts. We hope there will be a peace plan that is acceptable to everyone. NATO has made it clear that if the United Nations present a plan, we will implement it. Werner denied a report by the Yugoslavs claiming that, with his visit to Albania, he was encouraging the war

...the societies of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance have been built. This cooperation also takes on a special character because of several other geostrategic and historical factors. Geostrategically, all of Albania lies along the continuation of NATO’s southern flank and occupies a strategically unparalleled position. Communism was an accident for Albania. It has never been a sanitary cordon. I believe these factors are appreciated by the Atlantic Alliance, headed by its Secretary General. Albania left the Warsaw Pact 30 years ago. All these factors together have led, in a short period of time, to the establishment and achievement of very intensive political, military, technical and operational cooperation between Albania and NATO. The numerous visits at every level, culminating in the visit of the Secretary General, which was preceded by a visit from NATO’s highest military authorities, Field Marshal Vincent, clearly demonstrate the strong political support and the importance NATO attaches to Albania. Likewise, the establishment of cooperation between our units, our naval fleet and the forces of NATO and the Western European Union demonstrates the open spirit that exists between the two partners. Through this cooperation, Albania aims, with NATO’s assistance, to achieve a complete restructuring of its armed forces in accordance with NATO standards, thereby creating an army suited to a democratic country. Through this cooperation, it also aims, having submitted its for this act, which is so deserved by the Albanians. Naturally, through this cooperation it also aims to make its modest contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the region. Mr. Verner and I discussed the crisis in the region. The conflict in Bosnia is a dangerous one for the Balkans and Europe. We believe that this conflict stems, on the one hand, from Milosheviç’s determination to create a Greater Serbia; yet, while the victim is denied the right to arm itself, the aggressor is allowed to do so. comes to an end as soon as possible. We are convinced that this would contribute to restoring stability in the region. Milosheviç and his forces are being overestimated. Harsher measures will show him that he will learn to know his place. The situation in Kosovo is extremely worrying. We have insisted, and continue to insist, that Kosovo be placed under the control of NATO and the UN. This would make it possible to find a solution acceptable to everyone. Our position is clear: we do not seek border changes or violence; we are determined to do everything possible to prevent conflict, just as we are determined to resist by every means the ethnic cleansing of Albanians from their homes. For Albania and the Balkans, the stability of Macedonia is of great importance. The new initiatives for negotiations between Macedonia and Greece are encouraging, since if one proposal is not acceptable, other proposals acceptable to both sides can be found. Resolving this problem would greatly help reduce tension in the south. Finally, I wish to thank Secretary General Mr. Verner and his colleagues for this fruitful visit, and assure him that the visit has been warmly welcomed by all political forces and all Albanians. I also assure him that Albania will be completely open to cooperation with NATO and its member countries, and that it knows how to honor the cooperation and agreements it has signed. The visit of NATO Secretary General Mr. Werner was a successful visit and an extremely important one for Albania and stability in the region. We greatly appreciate and value the exceptionally important role that the North Atlantic Alliance plays in fulfilling the community’s aims and establishing democratic regimes in Eastern Europe. We highly value Mr. Werner’s and the Alliance’s role in making a major contribution to the preservation of democratic values. It was this major role that made it possible for the changes in Eastern Europe to be more or less peaceful in character. We greatly appreciate the Secretary General’s and NATO’s commitment to a new role and a new dimension for the North Atlantic Alliance, which serve the interests of peace, stability and the development of democracy in Europe and the world. For us, Mr. Werner’s visit to Albania marks a very important event in our close cooperation with NATO, as well as for peace and stability in the region. Albania’s cooperation with NATO, established in recent months, is based on Albania’s will to establish a democratic society built on the rule of law, grounded in respect for rights, a full prospect of freedom, the economy and liberties as a universal value, law, but we, those universal values, guarantee…

Regarding the problem of Kosovo, Mr. Verner reiterated that there is no doubt the situation is very dangerous and that the international community will do everything possible to prevent the conflict from spreading; NATO member countries support this policy. Efforts to prevent the spread of the conflict must be increased.” Asked how he viewed Mr. Berisha’s point about the international community’s two different positions toward Milosheviç, Mr. Verner said: “The NATO Secretary General has his own views on the policy pursued by Milosheviç and others in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The role of the Secretary General is to contribute to stability throughout the region. I regard my visit as one of the means of helping achieve this stability. Milosheviç must be the one to contribute to bringing the conflict to an end. This is also ... of our Alliance. In response to a journalist’s concern that NATO might appear closer to the conflict than the UN, Mr. Verner said that NATO would support the United Nations and would not replace it, because that would make no political sense. NATO will act under a UN mandate, including in the crisis in Bosnia. In answer to another question, Mr. Verner reiterated that NATO member countries and the Alliance itself are among those exerting strong international pressure on Serbia to restore autonomy and respect human rights in Kosovo. Mr. Berisha and I assessed the situation there and discussed how we could help reduce tensions. Asked whether NATO would take military action following approval by the UN, Mr. Verner said that they wanted the approval of all 16 member countries. Finally, he assured us that NATO would make every effort to help Albania restructure its army. Regarding his visit to two military bases, he said that the material infrastructure was not modern, but that the soldiers were confident in their ability to defend their country. Our visit is coming to an end. I think it has been very productive. During my days in Albania, I met with the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and other officials. I also appreciated the arrangements made for me to address the Albanian Parliament and visit two military bases. What did we achieve? First, I think we further strengthened the cooperative relations between Albania and NATO. We have developed these relations in a short time, since Albania became a member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, and I think my visit has moved this process forward. There is no doubt—and I want to repeat this clearly—that the place of the new Albania is in Europe. Its participation in the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, together with the countries of the European Community, in providing for Europe’s security, guarantees Albania’s integration into the European Community. My visit made clear that Albania’s security is of direct interest to the North Atlantic Alliance and its member countries. NATO seeks to contribute to stability throughout the region, and I think my visit will serve this purpose and help prevent any spread of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and bring it to an end. Second, my visit made it possible to exchange views on the situation in Yugoslavia. to help Kosovo regain its autonomous status and to ensure that the rights of the Kosovars would