Europe scrambles to “defend” Nano “They are neither his comrades nor his enemies,” Zëri i Popullit declared yesterday, commenting hysterically on the President of the Republic’s meeting with PSDH activists. This time, “ZP” started with the office and not at the newsroom door. Like a drunkard celebrating his own intoxication, the unmistakable “ZP” wanted to confuse the world with its own loquacity. Instead of denouncing those responsible for the meeting, “ZP” was intent on blackening the “opposition” and presenting it as anti-national. In the communist seventies, Ka[r]ol(?) built his name as the only hero from among his relatives. He was paid up to 90 grosh (?) in fees that he called the reward of the elite of “ZP” and, with eyes and mind always fixed on the den of the Turkish socialist rogue, this interchangeable magazine with their unfortunate democracy, with the same Hoxhaist style, the same vocabulary, the same worldview, continues even today to dominate the left-wing fair. When Adil Çarçani’s government was making a fuss over a dinner celebrating the “victory” of socialism, “ZP” was giving its comedies a fanfare-worthy place. When the last word of freedom was moving in Albania, “ZP” continued writing about “victories” in the series of its articles. When pluralism emerged, “ZP” changed only its skin, not its mentality. In its editorials we find the same language of hatred toward the adversary, the same divisive vocabulary, the same fear of Albania’s opening to Europe, the same nostalgia for the bunker era. And today, as the country is trying to emerge from the ruins of the totalitarian system, “ZP” brings back onto the scene the old symbols, names and myths of a time that Albanians have rejected. Everyone knows that the anniversary of Enver Hoxha’s newspaper is not just a jubilee date. It is a political provocation. Behind the celebration lie the links, schemes and groupings that still seek to keep yesterday’s spirit alive. It is no coincidence that their propaganda seeks to take center stage precisely at a time when reform, privatization and openness to the world are moving forward. Yesterday’s and today’s “ZP” has the same problem: it cannot accept the freedom of others. It cannot accept the loss of privileges. It cannot accept the rule of law. And so it needs an enemy, it needs slander, it needs noise. That is why the left-wing extremists today celebrate not a newspaper, but a symbol of old thinking. (ATSH)

Yesterday at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Mr. Salman El Berr, representative of the Saudi Development Fund, was received and handed Minister Serreqi the draft loan agreement for financing the second phase of the project for the rehabilitation of the Kosovo reservoir. The talks addressed issues of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture. Also yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Mr. Hasan Halili Serreqi, received the German Bundestag deputy, Dr. [Schwartz/Schwarc?], with whom he discussed opportunities for further cooperation and foreign investments in the Albanian agricultural sector. The Minister presented the priorities of reform in the countryside, land privatization, and the need for modern technology. The German friend valued the achievements so far and expressed interest in encouraging German entrepreneurs to contribute to agricultural and agro-industrial projects in Albania. The parties expressed their readiness to continue contacts in the future. (ATSH)

Private TV has been prevented from operating on the basis of the agreement it signed with Albanian Television. This was stated yesterday by the spokesperson of PPSH, [..]. Mili[s] said that in its structuring phase PDSH has shown correctness in complying with the law and that it is ready for the further development of media activity in the country. He underlined that cooperation with foreign organizations and foundations has been carried out in accordance with the relevant rules and that the project to establish a private television station remains an important goal. He further added that opening the media market will create new opportunities for communication and information. (ATSH)

After the parliamentary scheme of appearance that turns it into the rules of PPSH, Teme Sejko (?) is handing over with all the texts of the new “deputies”. But should the guilt of Nano, Alimero and Mëzoz (?) themselves legalize their experiences and their hidden acts of bravery? Back then it was easier for them to write about yesterday’s “heroics”, but today the time calls for clear responsibilities. The article, in polemical tones, deals with the figure of Tosi and with the way he tries to keep alive a personal myth from his cell. Through a series of comparisons and political implications, the author links this correspondence to the current debates about the left and its moral crisis. In conclusion it is said that a letter from prison does not change the political truth and that the public already knows the actors in this story very well. E PAVAR

With the momentum and the revisionism of MA Turri i Leçit (?) and the inconsistency with the legal decree on decommunization, “ZP” has, while shutting its eyes to 400 km ori, taken refuge in the surges of “social democracy” in order to come out nakedly from its own skin. This is how a commentary is written that mocks the recent statements of Ajdin Sejdisë and some of his supporters. According to the article, the rhetoric used in his defense has nothing new compared with the old political vocabulary, while the attempt to present him as a reformer is seen as insincere. The author brings examples from his earlier public positions and emphasizes that his contradictions are now evident. In the end it is underlined that the Albanian public can no longer be deceived by new labels when the content remains the same. Any attempt to hide the responsibilities of the past, the article says, is destined to fail. (ATSH)

Today, as always, let us walk along chosen, peaceful paths and keep ourselves in check. Let us not use nationalism as a card for personal gain. Let us not treat the nation as anyone’s private property. If we want a free and European Albania, then we must learn to be citizens before we are cheerers. This appeal is a moral reminder to Albanian society not to fall into the trap of hatred, revenge and division. To be Albanian means to know how to live together with differences, to accept the law and to defend human dignity. At the end the author emphasizes that the future of the country is not built with empty slogans, but with work, self-restraint and responsibility. (Star of pages 4-5)

NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA “I am truly impressed by the developments in your country” - From President Berisha's meeting with the German parliamentarian, Sharc - Angelos said that controlling the currency would further strengthen the image of the government and of the President, who is actively fighting corruption. The German parliamentarian said that if the restructuring reaches all levels of government, and the parliament and the country will achieve a great deal. He said that his hope regarding the choice of venues for the Congress of the Democratic Union group in Tirana is that it can be an incentive for German investors in Albania. (ATSH)