— Interview with the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, given to RTSH after returning from his visit to Belgium RTSH: You have just returned from your visit to Brussels, where, regarding the crisis in the region, the German President expressed his country's willingness to help Albania and support Albanian policy for peace and stability in the region, as well as the great concern in Germany about following developments in the region. On this occasion, I renewed my invitation to Mr. Vajzaker to visit Albania, which he gladly accepted. S, Berisha: I must say that the Belgian people and the Belgian government, together with a large number of dignitaries, beginning with Emperor Akihito of Japan, the Queen of England, the President of Germany, the President of France and many other dignitaries, paid their final respects to King Baudouin I. The King's funeral was truly a grand ceremony. Hundreds of thousands of Brussels citizens attended, as did 43 heads of state and more than 100 delegations. This entire magnificent ceremony was an expression of the human feeling and respect the Belgian people had for their king and Queen Fobida, and for the major role this king played in Belgium's history. I think that Belgium, which emerged devastated from the War, thanks to the wisdom of its King and government, managed to rebuild itself and become a small country with a great name. I met the President of France, with whom I briefly exchanged views. I expressed my wish for him to come to Albania and conveyed our pleasure at the prospect. I also met President Skalfaro, who is a friend of Albania. He expressed his willingness to help Albania and his concerns about developments in the region. I also had a separate meeting with the President of Israel, with whom we discussed the possibility of developing cooperation between our two countries. Albania could benefit greatly from this state, particularly in the field of agricultural genetics, but also in many other areas of mutual interest. The President of Israel expressed his willingness to develop and intensify relations between our two countries. ...the magnificent ceremony was an expression of the Belgian people’s human feelings and respect role this king had played in Belgium’s history. I believe that Belgium, which emerged devastated from the War, managed, thanks to the wisdom of its King and government, great name. Brussels became the capital of NATO, the capital of the European Community. Through wise and prudent policies, Belgium became one of the most important and developed countries. With the loss of King Baudouin, it is not only the Belgian people who have suffered a loss; many other peoples and many other people have also lost a distinguished friend, a great friend. During my recent visit, I had the opportunity to meet him in a private audience scheduled for 30 minutes, but which in fact lasted more than 79 minutes. All this spoke, first and foremost, of his great respect for the Albanians and Albania. He had followed developments in Albania and the region very closely. I found a person with a profound analytical mind, noble hospitality, and great humanity. Indeed, the King raised his voice in defense of the rights of the Albanians of Kosovo. Thus, King Baudouin’s death was also a loss for the Albanians, who lost a distinguished friend. Naturally, we will continue to strengthen our friendly relations with the new King, ALBERT II, King Baudouin’s brother, as well as with the Belgian government and people. RTSH: Mr. President, you emphasized above that King Baudouin was accompanied with great honors by the Belgian people. Was this a matter of monarchist sentiment, or did he also have other particular merits? S Berisha: I would say that both factors were involved. First, there is a different understanding of the monarchy and great appreciation for all those families who serve and take such good care of their duties. A free people that maintains a monarchy does so while respecting the constitution and assigning it constitutional functions. On the other hand, I believe that Belgium’s Sovereign was not a merely symbolic monarch: he also had other functions, and at certain historic moments for his country, through wisdom, insight, and intelligence, he knew how to offer and suggest, and advise on, solutions that history has shown to be very right for his people and country. The funeral ceremony and its organization were, of course, also an occasion for numerous bilateral meetings held over the 24 hours in Brussels. During my stay, in addition to brief greetings and exchanges of views with Japan’s Emperor Akihito, England’s Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of Denmark, the Queen of Sweden, and the King of Spain, who had followed developments in Albania with great interest, I also met the Queen of Spain, who, I am told, is of Greek origin and is very interested in friendly relations between Greece and Albania. She considered these relations very important for Greeks and Albanians. During my stay, I held separate meetings and talks with Germany’s President Vayzaker, with whom we discussed the development of relations between Albania and Germany. We also discussed possibility of developing cooperation between our two countries. Albania can benefit greatly from this country, two countries. I had a warm and friendly meeting with Egyptian President Mubarak, with whom we discussed the crisis in the region and the development of relations between Albania and Egypt. On that occasion, I invited President Mubarak to come to Albania. The President accepted the invitation and will come. He also promised me that he would do everything possible to expand relations between our friendly countries, which have longstanding historical ties. I also met with President Zhelev, President Havel, and others. We also spoke with Turkey’s Minister of Defense, with whom we discussed cooperation between Albania and Turkey, as well as relations between our two countries. I had a special and very important meeting with Mr. Zhak Delor, President of the EC Commission, and Mr. Van De Brok, who serves as this Commission’s Foreign Minister. RTSH: Mr. President, what was the main purpose of your meetings with these world leaders? S Berisha: The meetings focused on two main areas. With these two figures, as well as with others, I expressed our views on the crisis in the region, on Albania’s role in preserving peace and stability, and on Albania’s determination to continue this policy in order to prevent the conflict from spreading to the southern Balkans. At these meetings, both with Mr. Delor and with leaders of other countries, I pointed out that Serbian ultranationalism and other forms of ultranationalism are very keen to shift tensions from Bosnia to other regions of the Balkans, and are seriously threatening peace and stability. At the same time, I emphasized that Albania is using every means, while facing various forms of blackmail, to prevent this conflict from spreading. For Albania to be able to play this role, it is essential that it receive substantial support—not only political support, but also economic support—so that reforms in Albania do not create major difficulties and obstacles, but instead serve the stability of Albania and the overall situation in the region. I can say that all my interlocutors fully understood Albania’s policy. Mr. Delor, too, expressed great support and understanding for the policy Albania is pursuing and for the role it is playing. I also found great willingness on the part of the European Community to move gradually from emergency aid to medium-term development programs. A meeting of particular importance was also the one with Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Klaus, who is also presiding over the EC for these six months. I invited Mr. Klaus to visit Albania, an invitation he welcomed. Mr. Klaus expressed interest in visiting, as well as high regard for all the efforts and contributions toward preserving peace and stability, advancing democracy and its institutions, and carrying out economic reforms in Albania.

The PP declared, in a hall full of communists, that it would become socialist in an instant. It took the PP deputies, the PP leaders, the PP members, the PP membership cards, the PP working methods, the PP's anti-Albanianism, the PP's shame, the PP's Enverism, the PP congresses, the PP martyrs, the PP oaths... and became the PS. Only, with a small psychological operation, it tried to change its ideas; nevertheless, its leadership remained what it had been: a product of the PP: - Fatos Nano, chairman of the PS, former prime minister and official, with a career in the PPSH. A member and former scientific collaborator of the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies. - Leni Niste. Gramoz Ruçi, member of the PPSH Central Committee, vice-chairman of the PS, former PPSH minister, PP chairman in the district, graduated from the PPSH school and the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies. Namik Dokle, vice-chairman of the PS, former member of the PPSH Central Committee, and graduate of the PPSH school and the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies. Servet Pëllumbi, secretary-general of the PS, philosopher at the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies, member of the PPSH Central Committee, graduate of the PPSH school. Thus, the credit for training the PPSH leaders belongs directly to N. Hoxha, director of the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies and of the PPSH school. But what was their role in the transition and democracy? - Fatos Nano, ousted from power after 32 days as prime minister by a nationwide general strike, and an abuser of power and of the 18 million dollars in Italian aid to Albania; E. Hoxha's lawyer in Switzerland and a traitor to national interests in the statement with PASOK in Athens. - Namik Dokle, who botched the circus act of his presidential candidacy, editor-in-chief of the fascist newspaper «ZP», supporter of revanchism and initiator of the policy of kicking in parliament. - Gramoz Ruçi, the gendarme of the 2 April events in Shkodra, an extremist opposed to democratic developments, a persecutor of reform and an instigator of hundreds of provocations, arsons, looting and killings. His period in power is known as a time of crimes and genocide against the innocent people. - Servet Pëllumbi: initiator of Cuban socialist theories, at the forefront of unconstitutional and illegal actions, a chess piece in the hands of Nano, Dokle and Ruçi. - Kastriot Islami: inquisitor of the national university, propagator of political extremism, supporter of gangster politics, standard-bearer of illegal actions and the representative in the PS of the most lawless clan. - Ylli Bufi, the man with dark glasses, whose disastrous statement killed 40 innocent lives in Fush-Arrëz; an official responsible for the destruction of the economy and the paralysis of the entire Albanian economy. - Vilson Ahmeti, accused in the Bank scandal alongside the anonymous Arsidi; a government official of false poses and trafficking, corruption, economic paralysis, crime and prostitution. - Sabit Brokaj, accused of stealing humanitarian medical aid; ideologue of the extremist line in the PS, defender of the corruption and criminal crimes of the dictatorship. And undoubtedly «Zëri i Popullit», which for 50 years has continued to be the «poison of the people». Far from wearing the mask of renewal, it kept its name, its people and its content, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding by the independent ideologue of the PS, its first editor-in-chief, Enver Hoxha. Hoxha, Alia, Nano and Ahmeti before the courts—but the crimes have no end. Nevertheless, from the moment it was born, the head of the PS has been knocked out by itself, by the Marxist-Leninist ideology that leads it from one hell to another. But justice is law, and the law will take its course. Otherwise, no sooner do you count to ten than the knockout victims get up and commit crimes again. Their future is... a knockout.

Comrade FATOS NANO Comrade GRAMOZ RUÇI Comrade KASTRIOT ISLAMI

At the invitation of the Hungarian Democratic Forum, the chairman of the Albanian Democratic Party, Mr. Eduard Selami, left yesterday for a two-day visit to Hungary. During the visit, issues concerning relations between the two parties, the situation in the region and the progress of reforms in the respective countries will be discussed.

After Nano's arrest, several leading figures are distinguishing themselves through their devotion to the PS, and among them, without a doubt, the «party's» deputy Kastroit Islami is one of the most prominent. In fact, he is not a member of any party, at least not one of those that have been legalized, so it is rather difficult to understand what his true political convictions are. As someone who studied in France and holds an «academic degree», if you did not know him, you might take him for a genuine intellectual. He has been accused in parliament, and not only in parliament, of spying on some of his fellow students in France, who later left the country. Nevertheless, not even such a fact helps you discover what Kastriot's political convictions are. Some of his former comrades say that he did not spy out of political conviction—(Continued on page 4)

Play, FATOS NANO In the newspapers of «RD», where you have been so considerate as to sentence us to death, before carrying out the sentence we dare to present you with our final requests. - To those who are married, we beg you to put your hand on your heart and think of our children. Within the very limited means of your poor party, grant them each a minimum pension from the gold reserves inherited from Enver Hoxha; or from the 8 million dollars in Italian aid saved by comrade Fatos. After this noble act of sacrifice, humanism and tolerance, in the spirit of pluralism, perhaps our children will change their minds and become members of the PS. - The bachelors request that they be allowed to choose the place and time most suitable for their execution. It would be unforgivable and undemocratic if they were killed while out walking or while making love with their sweethearts, because the girls would be terrorized and would not even be able to bring themselves to kill a fly. - We would be very grateful if, in honor of our execution, you organized a grand rally, where you let comrade Fatos, from the prison administration, attend and deliver a historic 3–4-hour speech to put us to sleep, thereby sparing us the terror of being executed while awake. Before the execution, we would like to hear a recording of the Nano–Papandreu prattle and comrade Fatos's message, «I am you», delivered from cell no. 5 of Tirana Prison and published by «ZP» on 6 August 1993. - The last wish of us all is that you put us in the common grave together, throw us in there by our arms and legs, with our eyes closed—not with earth, but with portraits of comrade Fatos Nano and copies of «ZP», which you have left over in stock. We have full hope and confidence that you will study our plea with care and goodwill, thereby once again demonstrating that you live by and consistently carry out the Enverist slogan: «What the people want, the party wants; what the party says, the people do». THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF “I’m with you” Play it, FATOS NANO

Read tomorrow: Mr. Gensher declares that his interview in the newspaper «Shqip», in which he supposedly emphasized, «Let us hope Albania will not be sold off at all»; from beginning to end is a pure fabrication.