At the meeting he held on the afternoon of 1 July with Janullatos, Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, President of the Republic Sali Berisha said that he wanted to emphasize that it was unacceptable for the disturbing events affecting relations between the two countries, in a troubled region such as the Balkans, to have the activities of a priest as their pretext. At the meeting he held on the afternoon of 1 July with Janullatos, Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, President of the Republic Sali Berisha said: “I want to emphasize that it is unacceptable for the disturbing events we are experiencing in relations between the two countries, located in a troubled region such as the Balkans, to have the activities of a priest as their pretext. Therefore, I think a more rigorous request should be made of God’s missionaries: that they faithfully adhere to their teachings and not engage in subversive and unconstitutional activity, as Mr. Maidonis has done. We will make his activities public very soon. I want to emphasize that it was precisely his public activity, for which we could have prosecuted him, that compelled us to take the appropriate measures. So far, no Greek authority has requested clarification about this activity. In any case, one thing is certain: the powerful wave of retaliation that erupted in Greek circles against Albanian emigrants recalls only mythological hatred. “At this meeting, I also want to emphasize once again that I know and greatly appreciate your efforts to revive the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. I assure you,” the President continued, “that in this mission you will receive increasing assistance from the Albanian State and from me personally. But on this occasion, I want to return once again to the issue of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. In accepting you as Archbishop of Albania, as we agreed together a year ago, until a suitable Albanian cleric is found for this position, I repeat what I told you: no foreign national will be accepted in the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, since the statute of this church does not permit it. Foreign clerics may come and go as they wish, and may pray and take part in religious ceremonies, but they cannot be appointed to the Albanian Church. At every level of our Church, Albanians or Greek and other minorities born in Albania and holding Albanian citizenship will be appointed. This requirement is, and will remain, unchanged. On the other hand, I want to emphasize that if these requirements are not respected, it would be better for them not to become a bone of contention between the two peoples. Your presence here requires you to take account of the particular characteristics of Albania and the Albanians. Thus, your absence from Assisi aroused great mistrust among Albanians as a whole. They wanted to see you. They wanted you to pray together with all the others who believe, but also because Albania itself is an Assisi in its own right.” “I agree with what you say about the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania,” said Archbishop Janullatos. “I would have liked to have been informed earlier about the case of the priest Mainodhis, since I, for my part, could have taken action, because the Church should not involve itself in matters that do not concern it. I am deeply saddened by the suffering of those caught up in the consequences of this incident. As Archbishop, I will work to build and strengthen the Albanian Church.” Regarding Assisi, His Eminence Janullatos said that he supported dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, but that the canonical rules of his own Church must also be respected. The meeting took place in an open and understanding atmosphere. (ATSH)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania once again expresses its strong protest to the authorities of the Republic of Greece, which in recent days have undertaken the mass expulsion of Albanian emigrants from Greece. During these four days, 14,300 people have been expelled from Greek territory, in most cases after being mistreated and beaten. Yesterday alone, more than 2,000 people crossed into Albania, among them 53 with various injuries, two of whom are in serious condition and have been admitted to hospital. Albanian refugees were not allowed to take their money and personal belongings; moreover, a very large number of them had their money forcibly taken by the Greek police after being made to sign a statement saying that they were voluntarily handing the money over to the Greek authorities. But what is particularly striking is that the Greek authorities are telling Albanian emigrants to “go to Tirana and overthrow the government,” saying that if they do so, they can return to Greece. For all these acts, which are in flagrant violation of Article 4 of Protocol 4 (1963) of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, to which Greece is a state party, we express our profound indignation. We also express our anger that certain chauvinist forces are trying to use the Greek minority in Albania as a bone of contention between the two peoples. All these actions, inspired by a theocratic policy, have as their ultimate consequence the destabilization of the southern Balkans and the deepening and widening of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. In light of these considerations, we call on the Greek government to stop these actions, directed both against the Albanian state and people and against peace and security in the Balkans.

At noon on 1 July, President of the Republic Sali Berisha received Lyn Hansen, the United States ambassador to the CSCE. Focusing on recent developments in Albanian-Greek relations, the President noted that before the Greek government began its retaliatory campaign of mass expulsions, it could have requested the facts concerning the expulsion of the self-proclaimed commander. But, knowing that the facts were available, it immediately began a campaign of mass expulsion of Albanian citizens from Greece, branding as illegal both those who lacked proper documents and those who had visas and residence permits issued by official Greek bodies, thereby violating Article 4 of the European Charter of Human Rights, which Greece itself has signed as a member state of the Council of Europe. This mass retaliation against Albanians recalls the historic mass expulsions of Jews and has no parallel in history. Apparently, this began because we expelled a priest who, contrary to the teachings of God, had engaged in unconstitutional and illegal activity in Albania for an extended period. We thought that expelling him from Albania was better than arresting him. The local authorities in Gjirokastër contacted the Greek consulate, which promised that it would remove him the next day at 11:00, but at that very time the next day it did the opposite. For our part, we have documented all his activities, the materials he brought into Albania, and the statements he made in various places and in the presence of Albanian citizens. But the Greek side never asked to see them; indeed, it implied that, regardless of his activities, he should not be expelled. Instead of asking for clarification about this incident, it deliberately chose to apply mass retaliation and expel Albanian refugees. Dozens and dozens of them have been beaten, robbed and mistreated. A large number have been humiliated by the Greek authorities, who told them: “Go to Albania, overthrow the government, and then we’ll send you wherever you want.” This subversive and antidemocratic activity clearly shows their desire to destabilize Albania at any cost. But I want to say that this destabilizing policy is detrimental to peace and stability in the Balkans. Not only that, but for three days they have been trying to foment hostility between the members of the minority and the Albanians, who live together in brotherly relations. It is quite possible that Greek-Serbian chauvinism is seeking to destabilize the southern Balkans. For our part, we are determined to adhere firmly to the principles of Helsinki and will never allow Albania’s sovereignty to be trampled by anyone. Ambassador Hansen, for his part, noted that unfortunately the Balkan region is highly explosive because political logic is lacking there and the CSCE process has slowed down. It is unacceptable for large states to ignore the interests of small states. No state is permitted to become an aggressor, just as each has the right to defend itself against aggression. The United States is making efforts to stop the spread of war and intends to play an even stronger role in the region. Ambassador Hansen added that Albania makes an important contribution to the CSCE process and to the creation of great democratic values in Europe. By remaining committed to democratic processes, it is a country with a future and will have friends everywhere.

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Kudret Cela, answers 10 questions from the group of independent deputies — In his answers during the interpellation held on Wednesday, Mr. Cela addressed requests and problems concerning justice and the previous training courses. He assessed them ... as a sound source for supplementing the justice system, especially since after completing them candidates will continue with higher legal education. He clarified their status and the internationally recognized standards approved by the relevant organizations. The latter have offered full support. Italy was the first to offer its support and assistance, providing 20 scholarships for specialization in these courses. Mr. Çela also rejected the various allegations raised in the questions about actions taken on orders from above. He also demonstrated that administrative measures had been taken against people who had abused criminal-record certificates.

- Beautiful promises in speeches; great deceptions in life. - Happy is the one who lives to enjoy the “paradise” of Fatos. In his public and secret meetings “knee to knee with the people,” particularly with village residents, Chairman Nano has also floated the promise of reducing the price of bread to the level of “Enverian paradise.” “Support me, protect me, give me your votes when early elections are held; once I take power, I’ll set the price of bread at 4 lekë!!!” he has proposed and promised. But Fatos Nano, whether from a delusion of grandeur or panic at the approach of his prison day, forgets something essential and irreversible. The facts are these: Albanians in general, terribly disappointed and contemptibly mocked by him, can never believe such a person again. Enver Hoxha promised them a night of miracles for 50 years, but in the end they remained a fog, a slogan and unrealizable dreams, accompanied by speeches and theoretical works. For all these deceptions and historical crimes, the people punished Enver Hoxha as he deserved. Feeling himself to be a worthy son of this monster-father, a pupil and heir to the theoretical and practical theory of the Enverian art of demagoguery, deception and manipulation, Fatos Nano has devised and is implementing a campaign strategy to deceive the Albanian people even in the 1990s (why not for another 50 years?). But Fatos Nano is far too late and out of date: a modern Don Quixote, but more absurd, ridiculous and pitiful than Cervantes’s. The Enverian “artillery” not only does not serve him, but instead exposes and discredits him. He feels and understands this, but his brain, irreparably destroyed by the Enverian disease, cannot find new, contemporary and effective weapons. Convinced that they will make him victorious (just as they made E. Hoxha victorious), he imagines he is climbing toward the summit of Olympus, toward Zeus’s golden throne, and does not see that he is rolling inexorably toward the prison cell, toward the swamp of the hell of disgrace. Let us suppose that Nano’s dream and “prophecy” could come true and that one day he would regain power. It is absurd and as unbelievable as a fairy tale to imagine that he would bring about the great return by lowering the price of bread. Where would Nano find the billions to buy this generous “masterpiece”? Only if he sacrificed funds from his honorarium for his valuable service in the interests of Milosheviç in Belgrade and historically anti-Albanian circles in Athens, or from the gold stolen by Enver Hoxha and his comrades from the state treasury and the deposits of wealthy Albanians. As one can gather, F. Nano has done his sums using Enverian arithmetic, which added and removed zeros as it pleased. On the other hand, one must assume that Chairman Nano would also lead the reversal in other areas. He would lower the price of bread to 4 lekë, and monthly wages and pensions would also fall to 400–500 lekë. To ensure that the farmers’ barns are stocked with their “Z… (Continued on page 2)

- Joint press conference of the Ministry of Public Order and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Explaining the departure of the Greek citizen who called himself Kristos Stamos and the course of events in recent days was the purpose of yesterday’s joint press conference at the International Centre, held by the Ministry of Public Order, represented by its Deputy Minister, Mr. Sabri Jacaj, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented by Mr. Shaban Murati. “I have come to this press conference wishing to clarify the police actions concerning Stamos and proclaimed himself priest of Gjirokastër.” After these words, Mr. Jacaj referred to the procedure followed for this purpose. Mr. Jacaj went on to explain that the public order authorities in this district had on file a request from the Metropolis of Gjirokastër seeking permission to hold a protest demonstration against the expulsion of the Greek priest. The authorities’ proper refusal was met with an attempt to hold an illegal rally, which, after the police intervened, was reduced to a mass. It should be noted that this “mass” was led by “priest” Thoma Mico, a member of the Albanian parliament. But was the complete absence of any kind of document relating to the Greek “jewel” Stamos perhaps the only, or the main, reason? Shaban Murati: Much more than that, it was the “priest’s” activity. Since the summer of 1991 he has been known for distributing leaflets, brochures and maps that openly laid claim to Albania’s borders and called for its South to be united with Greece. What was the international community’s response after the letter sent by President Berisha? Shaban Murati: A response expressing understanding of the Albanian position and describing the Greek action as hasty and harsh. Was there a confrontation between the security forces and members of the minority in Derviçan? Sabri Jacaj: Absolutely not. Like many others, it is a false report. Were special forces sent to Gjirokastër? Sabri Jacaj: Such a report, which I deny, is the product of an image that has been created—that whenever an event occurs, special forces are sent there. Were there direct contacts with Greek counterparts? Shaban Murati: Naturally, there were contacts through diplomatic channels. What justification does the Greek side give for its actions? Shaban Murati: Its reaction, to use a euphemistic term, has been justified by the removal of the “priest.” This is an act of retaliation, because for one priest in a scandal, thousands of Albanians have been expelled in violation of international conventions. It is also connected with the unjust policy of certain circles that have used the refugee issue as a means of blackmailing the Albanian government and imposing concessions on it in a longstanding dispute between them. Was the recall of the Albanian ambassador for consultations, or for a review that could lower the level of diplomatic representation? Shaban Murati: This is absolutely a recall by the President for consultations, and it will continue until normal working conditions, free of pressure and provocation, are established in Athens. Prepared by SHPËTIM LLOGU

To the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Ibrahim Rugova To the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, To the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Bujar Bukoshi. On the occasion of the third anniversary of the adoption of the Constitutional Declaration of the Assembly of Kosovo, by which Kosovo was proclaimed an Independent Republic, I send you and the People’s Assembly’s greetings, and from the bottom of my heart wish the people of Kosovo new victories on the road to freedom and independence, under your wise and far-sighted leadership. By courageously and wisely resisting the violence, genocide and cunning policy of barbaric Serbian chauvinism, the Albanian people of Kosovo will surely make real the aspirations embodied also in the Constitutional Declaration of 2 July. Fraternally, PJETER ARBNORI