Following the meeting we had in Davos in January this year, it is a particular pleasure to welcome you to Albania, and to thank you wholeheartedly, the European Commission, its President, Zhak Delor, and the countries of the Community for the comprehensive assistance they have given Albania during this critical period in its history, said, among other things, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, at the meeting he held on 1 November with Sir Leon Brittan. “I want to assure you,” he continued, “that Albanians will remember with deep gratitude Europe’s great solidarity with them. I have also had the opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the taxpayers of the 12 Community countries, who bore the cost of assistance to the Albanian people. It was this great assistance, together with the courage of the Albanians, that made it possible for us, during these 18 months, to make a definitive turn toward a market economy and the rule of law. As you know, Albanian communism, the harshest in Europe, left the scene leaving behind chaos, anarchy, destruction, poverty and inflation. After 22 March we embarked on a reform to restore public order and calm, and we succeeded. A profound institutional reform replaced the army, the intelligence service, the police, diplomacy, the state administration, and the judicial system. We inherited a legislative vacuum and laws serving a dictatorship. During this period dozens of laws have been adopted concerning every sphere of life in a European state, the most important of which is the Charter of Human Rights. The reform to move toward a social market economy aimed to bring inflation under control, liberalize trade and prices, privatize the economy, and attract foreign investment. The most evident results are the general stabilization of prices, the fall in the price of bread, the privatization of housing, the creation of self-employment in Tirana, including ... state enterprises in Albania, the doubling of exports, an 8 percent increase in gross national product, etc. These demonstrate that Albania was treated by the EC as a special case, but also that Albanians used European assistance effectively. However, we are asking for this assistance to continue, now, in building Albania’s infrastructure and drafting legislation matching that of EC countries, so that economic cooperation and natural integration within this Community can take place. I think Albania deserves support to begin negotiations for an association agreement, and for the contribution it makes to stability in the region. Albanians are a nation divided among many states, in addition to the mother country. In Kosovo they often live in a way Europe has forgotten for decades. The Milošević regime intends, after exterminating the Albanian people, to occupy Bosnia and then, following an electoral spectacle, spread the war southward. We are determined to prevent conflicts, but I stress that the conflict in Kosovo is a Balkan war. In my opinion, any easing of the embargo against Serbia increases the chances of a war in the region, because Serbia, under embargo, indulged by no one and in the position of aggressor, spends 35 percent of its gross domestic product on its armed forces. Lifting the embargo means increasing the war budget. Serbia should lay claim to hegemony [unclear] only after its military forces have fallen to the levels permitted by the CSCE and it resolves the Kosovo issue. We also have difficulties in the south. Our efforts for affirmation ... are met by Greek chauvinistic refusals. A barbaric act was Operation “Broom,” the expulsion of Albanian refugees by Greek military personnel. For his part, Sir Leon Brittan said he was proud of Albania’s achievements during this period. “I have not been to Albania before, but I have read so much about it that I know very well that the conditions in which you began were incomparably more difficult and how hard it was to achieve these successes,” he said. Albania has now reached the stage where food aid should be replaced by development assistance. We have also supported the activities here of the European Investment Bank, which was ratified by the European Parliament.

— Meeting of the PD Secretary-General, Mr Tomor Dosti, with intellectuals from the Lezhë district — As part of the campaign for new elections in the Democratic Party, and following an invitation from a group of intellectuals from the Lezhë district, the PD Secretary-General, Mr Tomor Dosti, held a meeting in the morning in one of the halls of this city’s Palace of Culture. Mr Kolë Kola, chairman of the Lezhë branch of the PD, thanked Mr Dosti for accepting the invitation issued by a group of non-party intellectuals and PD supporters, and then gave him the floor. After speaking about the great importance of the campaign for new elections in the party, not merely at the party level but also nationally, Mr Dosti continued: Democracy can in no way be the monopoly of a few people who, at one time or another, have risen to the top. Democracy is conviction, it is conscience, and it does not mean anarchy or unlimited freedom. We must strive first and foremost to win democracy spiritually. The Democratic Party is a political organization with a specific program for the society it intends to represent through its work. One cannot go forward with party members [text unclear]. The paternalism of a party can cause it to lose its awareness. The example of such parties was the communist parties that brought dictatorship to power. We are an open party, and we oppose the isolation of a party. Isolation also has tendencies [unclear] that existed under the dictatorship. We consider the PD a party of free unity and free thought. Today the PD is a reality embodying all the progress achieved since its creation. Intellectual thought has undoubtedly played a major role in this progress. There is no nation in the world that does not need intellectuals, especially in the process of creating a democratic society. Intellectuals are the mind and soul of a nation. It is inconceivable that Albanian intellectuals should feel unfulfilled during these historic times through which the nation is passing. Was it not the unity of these intellectuals that brought the Democratic Party into being? Today we need, more than ever, to give these people moral and spiritual encouragement and recognition; this will help them recognize themselves and their value. Today, more than ever, we need a humane spirit. A mind grown old through distant, fearful hesitation brought the infamous class war to Albania. It was this war, with its regressive ideology, that destroyed this ... (continued on page 4)

The campaign for new elections in the Librazhd branch is going well. Re-elections have been held in more than 55 percent of the sections. New members have also been accepted during this campaign, and 73 have been appointed, 15 of whom are intellectuals. Most of the new members are residents of the towns of Librazhd and Prenjas. For this reason, the executive council of the PD branch decided at its last meeting to reorganize the town sections. Thus, 4 sections were established in the town of Librazhd and 5 sections in the town of Prenjas. RD CORRESPONDENT

— Albanian justice is prejudged — It is unclear whether he seeks to defend Nano or to conceal him It is rather difficult for a jurist like Comrade Abdiu, whose career and education are owed to the services he rendered to the “justice” of the dictatorship, to step outside himself. This is also evident from the leading article he published in «ZP» on 31 October about the Nano case. From the very beginning of this leading article, Comrade Abdiu draws, in the name of the judge and chief judge, the conclusion that the investigative body ... has been implicated in wrongdoing because of its one-sided attitude and approach to the case and the accused. Comrade Abdiu says what, in his view, citizens ought to say. In truth, like in the days of the dictatorship, he is giving it directions. The court has not declared that it is biased or that the investigative bodies are guilty; it has said that the investigation must be completed and, in the direction of an extended inquiry, that the investigations should be completed. This has been made clear publicly: it must be established whether the case should be tried solely for abuse of office and document falsification, or whether it should also include corruption. This truth is of no importance to Comrade Abdiu. It seems that the inertia of the dictatorship’s justice system still acts upon him, where the truth did not trouble it. Having issued his guidance and drawn his conclusion, Comrade Abdiu proceeds to prejudge the case without waiting for justice to have its final say. In his view, we should believe that this is simply a “name” for the outcry that certain people in positions of power have created around this case. Why does Comrade Abdiu not let an independent court try the case and then give his opinion as a jurist, on the basis of the facts, evidence and conclusions it reaches? Apparently he does not know this practice, which is elementary to justice in a democratic country. But, in the end, what does F. Abdiu want for Nano? This is not very clear from his leading article. “Where is the corruption and theft?” Abdiu asks. Is that what concerns him? Is he trying to prove that Nano should not be tried only for abuse of office and falsification of documents, but also for corruption and theft? It is best for Albanian justice itself to say. Abdiu is needlessly concerned. But can he not wait for the court’s ruling, since under the dictatorship rulings were not made in court but outside it? And Comrade Abdiu hands down his rulings before the court does. According to him, “the accusation has suffered a fiasco.” On this basis he also gives his final verdict in these words: “it is clear” that those who were tried should be accused because, in any case, they have seriously harmed not only the personal interests of the accused but also the image of justice and Albanian democracy. Thus the court no longer needs evidence or further investigations. Comrade Abdiu has completed its work. All that remains is for it to follow his directives, conclusions and verdicts! B. TRENOVA

President Berisha thanked French Minister Lamasur (Lamasour) for the assistance that the French government and institutions have given Albania, demonstrating a solidarity that has been important for our country. This assistance has focused on culture, but also on social affairs, administration, medicine, legislation, agriculture, etc. He stressed that these relations should be further developed. In this regard, we would welcome your influence in encouraging French investment and establishing the legal framework for bilateral relations in order to facilitate investment and exchanges. We would also like to build closer cooperation with France in the political sphere and in other areas. Regarding the situation in Kosovo, I can tell you that Milošević has chosen the path of suppressing the Serbian people and, most recently, dialogue with elements whom you French have called collaborators and we Albanians have called sellouts, as his solution to this problem. But when I say this, I want to assure you that I support genuine dialogue, which can take place only with the elected representatives of the Albanian political forces in Kosovo, in a real dialogue. President Rugova and the other representatives of the LDK, the Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Christian Democratic Party and other parties have forces [text unclear] who call for individuals and public figures enjoying the full confidence of the Albanians outside Kosovo’s legitimate leadership. Resolving the Kosovo problem is a condition for resolving the Balkan crisis. In this regard, we insist that any easing of the embargo against Serbia would be direct encouragement to spread the conflict further. Today, under embargo, Serbia spends around 35 percent of its gross national product on supporting aggression in Bosnia and the military regime at home. Easing the embargo means directly supporting Serbian acts of occupation and making a solution to the issue more difficult. We insist that the Security Council link sanctions against Serbia to a resolution of the Kosovo issue. We must also recognize that, with the electoral spectacle he is staging, Milošević is seeking to create support for himself and his parties by force, in order to continue the aggression. Given the conditions under which they are being held, the legitimacy of the December elections would support the Serbian dictator’s aggressive course. He has used the frequent elections he has provoked both to make the system function in a certain way and to weaken the Serbian opposition. The Albanians, a nation of 7 million divided among several states, have shown admirable patience. But it would be a mistake with catastrophic consequences not to take their issue into account. We are determined to work together to prevent conflict in the region, but we ask that the Albanian question be taken seriously by France and the international community. Our aim has been to establish friendly relations with Greece, considering these relations important for us and for the region. Unfortunately, all these efforts were not only unwelcome but rejected through a policy intended to increase tension and help Milošević in the region. As part of this policy, it continues Operation «Broom», which consists of expelling, mistreating, killing and even deporting Albanians. It uses the minority in Albania as a factor of conflict. To this end, after many statements that we were satisfied with the situation, it was said that the minority was oppressed, and even that things were better under Enver Hoxha. The truth is quite different. It has been presented fully in the report of the CSCE High Commissioner, Mr Van der Stoel. We can tell you that we are determined to respect the highest standards for the minority, as was also ...

A MESSAGE OF SECURITY AND PROTECTION FOR INVESTMENTS Draft law “On Foreign Investments” — Approved Minister Arta[n] Hoxha, leading a group of specialists, came to the People’s Assembly session with this draft law for approval and regulation of the draft law “On Foreign Investments.” The draft law came before this session after discussion and the relevant assessments by various parliamentary committees, in consultations and amid polemics and reviews arising from the discussions and ... (continued on page 4)

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MR LEON BRITTEN AND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MR BASHKIM KOPLIKU Following the progress made over the past 18 months, which is noteworthy, the EC will move from humanitarian aid for Albania to assistance for the development and restructuring of the Albanian economy. After his two-day official visit to Albania, the Vice-President of the EC Commission, Mr Leon Britan, and his two ministers held a press conference with representatives of the Albanian press. In his statement, Britan said ... He explained that during the visit he had held a series of important meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Economy and Finance, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy, the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. Mr Britan also met representatives of the political parties and visited the textile combine in Tirana. “The EC is Albania’s main donor,” said Mr Britan, and continued: “We have done this ... Albania is a specific case among the former communist countries, having suffered from a particular isolation that led to particular economic problems. We want to help Albania in every way possible, although it has only just emerged from several decades of dictatorship into democracy, from an entirely tyrannical dictatorship toward a market economy. Mr Briten then spoke about ... (continued on page 4)

VIII I III EDITION No. 500 Wednesday 3 November 1993 Price 5 lekë

In the model article about Tirana these days, 8 PD sections were established at section level and 250 new members were appointed. We continue accepting new members.