-Our principle: “Opponents, but brothers”; the opposition’s principle: “A fight to the death”- PD Chairman Edvart Selami, Deputy Chairman Ali Spahia, and Secretary General Tritan Shehu before reporters yesterday at the Palace of Congresses. We consider ’94 a very important year for implementing the Democratic Party’s program. Our aim this year, too, will be to accelerate the pace of political, economic, legislative, and social reform, as the only condition for promoting democracy. ’94 has already begun. And it has begun well. We welcome the initiative for peace, the political event that opened this year, as an active step forward toward Albania’s membership in NATO. This partnership, as well as President Clinton’s very warm message to President Berisha, attest to the success of Albania’s foreign policy and the support our Western allies have given us and continue always to give us. This year, too, we will continue to cooperate with our allies The government must accelerate it, because it is part of what we set out in our electoral program. Special attention will continue to be paid to increasing foreign and domestic investment, further improving the political conditions for investment, and attracting and directing it especially toward infrastructure, water and electricity supplies, and improving the communications network. This year will also be important for Albanian farmers, who are growing stronger month by month. Their further empowerment and strengthening will be our aims in agricultural policy. We welcome the increased absorptive capacity of our farmers and will continue to support them through the Bank. Since September alone, 3,000 wheeled tractors have arrived, which is [text continues: “that is development of the social market economy, expansion of freedoms and human rights, Albania’s integration into Europe”]. The left-wing extremists have proclaimed a platform of extremist nihilism and destructiveness. The extremist forces, remnants of the dictatorship they are moving beyond, continue their destructive and destabilizing policy. They have had, and seek to have, their hands stained by people’s losses and misfortunes; they have proclaimed a destructive platform, and some of them hold anti-Albanian positions. What is distinctive about the start of this year is that the anti-PD bloc is now emerging more and more openly. What we said—that the Alliance broke away from us in order to cooperate with the extremists of the PS—is now clearly visible in the coordination of their political actions. We [The words] of the American President will continue to cooperate with our allies for peace and stability in the region. The year that has begun will be a key moment in accelerating and deepening the privatization of the economy, the essence of reform. The transition from privatizing small enterprises to privatizing medium-sized and large enterprises as quickly as possible will also be the government’s main concern. In this regard, we will continue to pursue policies of rapid privatization and ownership by as many people as possible, as an important social step. This year, securities will also be prepared and issued to carry out compensation and reshape and invigorate the economic and financial system. The latter process, five months ago in Zerqan and Luzni, showed that this reality is concrete. We won and established our electorate in these areas, winning a higher percentage of votes than in the previous elections. But I agree with you that tensions are high; they are artificial and connected with what I said above, with their refusal to accept the loss of power. I have the impression that the judgment of Alia and Nano also sets more strings in motion, which they are compelled to move when they choose. Lorenc Vangjel (Aleanca): Do you think the priority at this moment is finding the killers of Gjovalin Çekini and then the instigators? Eduard Selami: We have answered this question and called for the crime and the criminals to be punished. In this regard, I think it is important that the competent authorities have their say. In the statement we issued both as a party and as a parliamentary group, we made this clear and stand by it. Lorenc Vangjel (Aleanca): You denounced Mr. Teta. Meanwhile, Mr. Teta has also said that the entire wording [of the accusation] came from the person himself. Then why haven’t you denounced those who formulated these accusations? Eduard Selami: Concerning the denunciation I made about Mr. Teta and the defense he offered, as well as those who say that he is accusing no one, I think this is connected with the fact that a bad tradition has developed: many things are said and, unfortunately, those who say them forget that they said them. I have found no thread to this. I want full accountability for everything that is said, and I agree also with what Mr. Teta says about some of the old accusations, but he does not know that I have referred those accusations to the judicial authorities. He will join them. Yes, the fact that he is original is true. These things are concrete and require accountability. I understand your concern, and precisely because I understand it and respect it, I am turning to the court, so that it may resolve those concerns calmly and by legal means and give its judgment there. I will thank him for having his say there, since the accusations are concrete, original, and very serious. As for the timing, I tell you and Mr. Teta that I chose what he chose. I answered him at the time he chose. Lorenc Vangjel (Aleanca): Are you in favor of dialogue with the opposition, with the AD, and if so, what steps will be taken? Eduard Selami: We are in favor of dialogue, but we think dialogue requires serious commitment. Obviously, we cannot sit down for dialogue in circumstances like these, when the AD has made such accusations against the PD, defining it, word for word, as a party that organizes crime at every level. I think those who hold this view will find it difficult to begin a dialogue. Our principle is “opponents, but ... (continues on page 4) ... likewise. All of them will continue to grow. We will continue to pursue our agrarian policy. We welcome the increase in the purchasing power the Bank. From September until now, 3,000 wheeled tractors have arrived, representing a significant improvement in the mechanization of our farmers’ agriculture. This year, too, we will create conditions for their advancement. Legislative reform will aim to preserve and further expand human freedoms and rights, as the goal of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. We will continue to pursue further integration with Europe and the world, as well as the protection of Albanians’ national interests, as an important factor for national progress and for peace and stability in the region. What stands out this year is that we have devoted all our strength to implementing our program ... ... At the beginning of the year, the anti-PD bloc is increasingly emerging. Aleanca PS extremists; their political actions now appear to be clearly coordinated. This extremist bloc also includes the self-proclaimed, fanatical anti-communists, whose fury is directed only against the Democratic Party and whom the left-wing extremist press has taken under its protection. Apparently, the successes of the reform and the start of the trial of the two old communist bosses, Alia-Nano, who apparently also have many old, suspicious connections, are the reasons for this destabilizing alliance now being forged by the left-wing extremists of the PS, Aleanca Demokratike and the right-wing extremists. At the beginning of this year and in the future, we will remain anti-communist, because we consider this vital to the success of democracy in Albania. questions. Apollon Bace (Dojce Vele): I consider it a constructive appeal, a rightful Xhevdet Shehu (Zeri i Amerikes): Does the escalation of the political situation, manifested and statements by AD leaders that AD will come to power, constitute a concern for a tradition of elections, but a tradition stemming from certain political forces and politicians who have been swept up in the fever of power, which causes them to war in Albania is about to break out from everyday life. Support for us and President Berisha in Albania has been growing. The latest elections ... Lorenc Vangjel (Aleanca): Do you think that, for the moment, the essential thing is to find the killers of Gjovalin Çekini and then the masterminds? Eduard Selami: We have answered this question and have So, in this regard, I think it is important for the competent authorities to have their say. We have stated this in the declaration we made both as a party and as a parliamentary group, and we stand by it. Lorenc Vangjel (Aleanca): You have denounced Mr. Teta. Meanwhile, Mr. Teta has also reportedly referred to the fact that the entire wording was first put forward by the person himself. So why have you not denounced those who formulated these accusations? Eduard Selami: In light of the denunciation I made concerning Mr. Teta and the defense he has accusing nobody, I think this is connected to the fact that a bad tradition has taken hold, in which forget that they said them. I have not found any thread connecting you said, and I also agree with Mr. Teta when he refers to that I have turned to the justice authorities over those accusations that have been made. original is just as true. These are concrete matters and they court, so that it can resolve those concerns in a calm manner and through methods of justice; let it have its say of dialogue with the opposition, with dialogue requires a circumstances such as these, when AD has made such accusations against the PD, describing is “in opposition, but (continued on page 4) Photo: Hektor Pustina

** Statement by Mr. Ali Spahia, chairman of the PD parliamentary group, at the first sitting of the fifth session of the 12th legislature of the People’s Assembly- Responsibility must fall on the perpetrators of the crime At a time when Albania, now irreversibly set on the path of democracy, needs calm, stability, and constructive thinking more than ever, the destructive forces of left-wing extremism continue their determined, mad campaign of destabilization, constantly seeking to raise social tensions in order to destroy Parliament, destroy the Government, destroy Albania. These efforts reached a peak with the tragic event of 14 January in Shkodra, where the young Gjovalin Çekini was killed. Left-wing extremists tried to compare this painful event with the massacre of 2 April in Shkodra, but the only thing they have in common is the extensive participation of the state security service and the darkest forces of left-wing extremists in preparing the climate and staging them. The Democratic Party and its parliamentary group have constantly sought to convey messages of peace and brotherhood to Albanian society. We have always said: opponents, but brothers. Whereas those who came from Belgrade told us, “We are for a fight to the death.” No, gentlemen! We are always ready to strive only for life, to fight constantly for a better life in a democracy. The parliamentary group of the Albanian Democratic Party rejects and denounces as a grave provocation Mr. Imami’s statement in the newspaper “ZP” dated 16.1.1994 that “the PD is a party that has organized and is organizing crime at every level.” This statement is a grave insult and provocation not only against the Democratic Party, which has become a symbol of the struggle against dictatorship, crime, and corruption, a symbol of the struggle to build the rule of law and justice in Albania, but against all Albanian democracy. The Belgrade kisser, the one who goes to meet Milosheviç’s party, that of the greatest criminal of our time, evidently has no qualms about portraying the PDSH and the Albanian democratic state as criminal. The thoughts that led Mr. Imami to kiss and embrace war criminals in Belgrade compel him to trample on the blood of hundreds and thousands of Albanians martyred in Kosovo; they lead him to make criminal statements about the Democratic Party, which works with effort, sacrifice, and dedication to build the rule of law and a market economy. We denounce as criminal, vile, and baseless this statement by Mr. Imami, made through the notorious newspaper of the Albanian left-wing extremists, the most brutal extremism Europe has known in its history, “Zëri i Popullit.” We demand that the organs of justice and the rule of law have their say. The PDSH is fully committed to establishing democracy in Albania, to drafting—through its parliamentary group—modern legislation for democratic governance of the country, to eliminating as quickly as possible, through institutional, administrative, economic, legal, and social reforms, the consequences of the communist dictatorship; to respecting human freedoms and rights; and to creating a state governed by law, in which RTV, SHIK, the police, and other state institutions serve only the law and the individual, not political parties. Conscious of its responsibility in this undertaking to change times and systems, it has often encountered obstacles and difficulties caused by regressive forces, left- and right-wing extremists who want at any cost to prevent the trial and punishment of the old nomenklatura and yesterday’s and today’s corrupt criminals. The PDSH has respected, and will respect, political parties and the role and place the electorate has given them through its free vote. It has denounced, and denounces, every attempt and every effort to destabilize democracy. The PDSH condemns the crime committed and expresses its grief at the death of the young man from Shkodra, Mr. Gjovalin Çekini. It conveys its sincere condolences to the victim’s family and relatives and, at the same time, calls on Albanian justice, through a full and impartial investigation, to deliver the deserved verdict in accordance with the law for the perpetrators and those responsible for this crime. With their destabilizing calls, insults and slanders, and shameless insinuations against the justice system of the PDSH and the Albanian state, the leaders of the AD have repeatedly caused deliberate incidents at their meetings, culminating in this killing. Instead of democratic culture and ethics, and presenting their opposing views, the leaders of the AD have knowingly chosen the opposite. Moral responsibility lies with them. In order to pursue this matter to the end, uncover the causes of this tragedy and their sinister aims, the PD parliamentary group proposes that Parliament establish a temporary commission to conduct a full investigation into this matter.

-All the deputies stand for one minute of silence in honor of the memory of the young Gjovalin Çekini- -A temporary parliamentary commission is established to investigate the tragic event of 14 January in Shkodra- The parliamentary curtain rises amid political fever

-All the deputies stand for one minute of silence in honor of the memory of the young Gjovalin Çekini- -A temporary parliamentary commission is established to investigate the tragic event of 14 January in Shkodra- -The Assembly’s work program for the period 20 January–18 March 1994 is presented, and the President’s decree releasing and appointing a minister, dated 14.1.1994, is approved -Deputy Imami, already at the first sitting of ’94, is forced to leave the chamber for charlatanism and breach of parliamentary ethics- After a somewhat extended holiday recess (24 December–20 January), the deputies of the Albanian Assembly returned the day before yesterday afternoon to the parliamentary “arena,” thus raising the curtain on the proceedings of the fifth session of the 13th legislature of the People’s Assembly. Speaker Arbnori, as always, full of wisdom, tolerance, culture, and kindness, welcomed the deputies’ return and wished the proceedings of this session success, an honest political struggle, and as much consensus as possible for the good of Albania, the national cause, democracy, reforms, the Albanian rule of law, and its market economy. The year 1994, he said, would be an extremely busy one for Parliament. First, I hope it will be the year of large-scale privatization, the year securities are issued, which will be a kind of distribution of wealth to those who sweated without receiving anything from the [garbled text] of socialism, for protocol procedures, and then to burst into political [garbled text]? In fact, Mr. Arbnori then read the Assembly’s work program for the period 20 January–15 March 1994, which, among other things, provides for consideration of draft laws such as “On Personal Income Tax,” “On Some Amendments to Law No. 7516, dated 7.10.1991,” “On Trade Unions in the Republic of Albania,” “On Some Amendments to Law No. 7502, dated 25.7.1991,” “On Political Parties,” “On Industrial Property,” Albania’s draft mining law, a draft amendment to the law “On the Status of Former Convicts and Political Persecutees under the Communist System,” the draft law “On Chambers of Industry and Commerce,” as well as ratification of several agreements and ... After this press statement by Mr. Selami, the journalists asked questions. Apollon Bace (Deutsche Welle): How do you assess Vaclav Havel’s appeal that the peoples of the East need more melancholy than enthusiasm? Eduart Selami: I consider it a constructive appeal, a sound call to focus attention on the problems that are most fundamental in Albania, because unfortunately a not insignificant part of the press, led by left-wing extremism, is turning into “black criticism” and focusing only on the most serious problems in society. I consider such a call valuable for Albanian democracy. Xhevdet Shehu (Voice of America): Does the escalation of the political situation, reflected in the opposition’s calls for early elections, the Shkodra incident, and statements by AD leaders that the AD will come to power, concern the PD? Do you think we have a tradition in the Albanian parliament? Eduart Selami: I think this is not a tradition of elections, but a tradition arising from certain political forces and politicians seized by the fever of power, which also makes them lose their judgment and political realism. This tradition comes from the left-wing extremist press, which creates the impression that civil war is about to break out in Albania at any moment, but that is far from reality and from everyday life. In Albania, support for us and President Berisha has been growing. The elections ... ... the rightful owners of the city and countryside, who must be compensated for the kind of property that cannot be returned to them; political persecutées, who must receive their lawful share, not as compensation for their brutal suffering—for that cannot be compensated—but because they performed slave labor in mines, factories, and swamps, and also because they too should be able to start from an equal position with others. In addition, we have to pass laws on the system of wages and taxation in favor of budget-sector employees, and pass the law concerning the price of land and building plots, etc. The drafting of the Constitution will also be at the center of Parliament’s attention. But despite Speaker Arbnori’s wise and peaceful words, the left-wing forces and their blind supporters seemed to be waiting impatiently for [the sitting] to end ... (continues on page 4)

-The AD rally-goers who attack the police today apparently told the police on 14 January: “Thank you! We owe you our lives!...(?!!!)... When pathological resentment overwhelms reason In general, lack of reason is impotence. All the more so for a contemporary person aspiring to be a politician: a neatly and tastefully tied tie over a white collar is not enough. Neither are eloquent, noble facial expressions and carefully chosen, courteous words enough. These would be complete and credible if they stood on the foundation of reason, all the more so political reason. I have in mind the deputy Imami’s complete political, ethical, and moral “fiasco” at the People’s Assembly sitting the day before yesterday. His charlatanism was unprecedented. Passion, resentment, and schizophrenia marked the end of logic. He and the supporters of his group, as well as those of the far left, came to this sitting prepared in advance, prejudging and politicizing the 14 January event in Shkodra to the extreme, so that they could have a “billiard ball” in their dirty hands for their political interests. I also have in mind deputy Inami’s barbaric cries directed at Mr. Spahia: “You murderer, criminal!...” Parliamentary unity will not tolerate such perversities, charlatanism, and gross abuses of freedom. His pathological resentment, blindness, and political [unclear] finally defeated Imami in the confrontation with ... (continues on page 4)