TIRANA: Albania is a member of the Council of Europe and its member states, as well as the European institutions, and today it is gratifying to observe that reforms in Albania over these two years have progressed much faster than in other countries, President Berisha told members of the Council of Europe delegation, led by Lord Fincberg, whom he received yesterday at the Presidential residence. The President also told them that Albania has fulfilled all the conditions for membership in the Council of Europe: free elections, respect for human rights, and respect for minority rights. Albania, President Berisha continued, is determined to deepen cooperation with the Council of Europe and its integration into Europe. Lord Fincberg said: “We appreciate the profound changes on the path of reform and wish to see Albania become a full member of the Council of Europe as soon as possible.”

According to internal sources in the PS —THE CRIMINAL GROUP AT THE HEAD OF THE PS CONTINUES ITS STRING OF DEFEATS According to internal sources in the PS DESTABILIZING THE COUNTRY, THE AIM OF THE PS LEADERSHIP’S LATEST MEETING —THE CRIMINAL GROUP AT THE HEAD OF THE PS CONTINUES ITS STRING OF DEFEATS F. Nano’s conviction forced PS leaders to meet and discuss the PS’s underhand “strategy” in a meeting that lasted almost six hours. Reliable internal sources indicate that many participants proposed ideas with a single aim: to destabilize the country. The extremist group at the head of the PS, with Ruci, Dokle, Brokaja and, most recently, Abdu, were not satisfied with making Nano’s crime their own, but presented it as an issue that would criminalize the entire PS. The “skull-crushers” who led the crowds in July, and who in Nano’s name were ready to cause new bloodshed, also organized what would later turn out to be nothing but a shameful failure: March 4, the day of defending crime. To their misfortune, Albanians received the trial of Nano calmly and indifferently; it was a trial against corruption. Having been placed in such a failed position, the Nanoist group, continuing its policy of criminalizing the PS, tried to draw others along with it, but... What was loudly publicized in “ZP” as an assembly, but ended up being only a meeting of the PS leadership, would demonstrate not only the extremists’ failure in their demagoguery but also their sinister aims. There are people in the PS who have understood that following the adventure organized by Ruci and Dokle can only end badly. The meeting achieved their ulterior aims. At first glance these may appear democratic, but, without exaggeration, they could also be called a “coup d’état,” since, as will emerge later, its aim and means of execution are entirely illegal. At the PS leadership meeting, a debate was held about reorganizing the PS, and a group of 4–5 people called for the election of a new chairman. This view was supported by most of the PS leadership, headed by N. Dokle. Dokle said that the chairman would stay until September, when they planned to provoke a parliamentary crisis, and that after new elections he would be released as a political prisoner. If the courts, at the other two levels—the appeal and cassation courts—uphold the sentence against Nano, then no other means of securing Nano’s release will be legal. It is striking that the communist leaders of the PS link Nano’s release to taking power and violence, but forget that Enver’s “revolution” will not return, and that the rotten caps they plan to bring out at rallies will take the place they should have occupied long ago for the crimes they committed. This is not pressure, but the consequence of the proposal made at the PS leadership meeting to organize rallies; had they vacated their seats, nobody from “the electorate” came forward. The entire discussion at the PS leadership meeting shows that the extremist group intends to use the Nano issue to achieve its aims. The chairman of the PS in Shkodra, after receiving his new duties, asked his comrades for two salaries: “We work in more difficult conditions, so we want greater support,” he said. The Shkodra representative was supported by the representative from Durres, F. Avdiu. As is evident from the participants’ discussion at the PS leadership meeting, the parliamentary crisis had been planned to be provoked alongside the Nano issue, but the fact that the PSD initially agreed and then withdrew prevented this “solution.” Likewise, there were some in the PAD who were willing to pursue the PS’s aim by leaving Parliament, thereby also satisfying the ego of the man who today bears the surname Alia and is not in Parliament. “But others called this action ‘unjustifiable’ when it was only to defend Nano. In any case, the motion supporters were not pleased to learn that their departure from Parliament would be followed by the immediate replacement of their seats by MPs from the PD list. Thus the PAD gave no final answer.” What was loudly promoted in “ZP”—that it would launch an active campaign but ended up merely as a meeting of the SP presidium—would prove not only the failure of the extremists people in the SP and Dokle can have only a bad ending. The SP presidium meeting would show all this. According to the information available, in his speech S. Pellumbi focused on the name of the SP’s organization after Nano’s conviction. Ruling out the possibility of creating a parliamentary crisis because of an insufficient number of MPs (something that was also said at the press conference), Pellumbi put forward two paths: -Creating a coalition with other parties such as PAD, PSD, etc. In this regard, PSD would have to withdraw from the coalition, while the SP would seek out representatives of local government. -a crisis through propaganda to be conducted throughout the country to encourage the electorate to demand new elections. As “strategies,” these two paths “are not to be dismissed.” In other words, the SP seeks to exploit the ambition and egoism of certain elements of the PSD (who have openly expressed their desire for “a few seats”) and the PAD in order to ... ... take power by force, but they forget that the time of Enver’s “revolution” is not coming, and the foul caps they think they can bring out at rallies will occupy crimes they have committed. This is not pressure resulting from the idea put forward at the SP presidium meeting to organize rallies even if they fail to obtain permission for them ... from Parliament. But others called this action “unjustifiable,” solely to defend Nano. In any case, things did not go particularly well for the supporters of the motion when they learned that their departure from Parliament would be accompanied by their immediate replacement by MPs from the PD list. So the PAD did not give a final answer. For these reasons, the head of the SP was forced to EDI PALOKA (Continued on page 4)

(Interview with the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, given to Albanian Television after his return from Turkey) Berisha: Albania offers many advantages: an exceptionally favorable geographical position, abundant natural resources, a skilled workforce, an advantageous labor market and, above all, legislation based on investors’ freedom, individual freedom and freedom of free enterprise. —Mr. President, what was the purpose of your visit to Turkey? —I went to Turkey at the invitation of President Demirel, and the main purpose of my visit was to encourage and promote the further development of political, economic and comprehensive friendly relations between the two countries, as well as to discuss regional issues. I can say that relations between Albania and Turkey are progressing and developing rapidly. This is first of all because these relations have a sound and solid foundation, based on the strong blood ties between Albania and Turkey and on historical and cultural ties. In the political sphere, relations have been given a new dimension over the past two years and have developed very well. Likewise, technical relations and relations in other fields are developing well, rapidly and in a friendly spirit, while economic cooperation and economic relations remain to be strengthened. I emphasize that over these two years Turkey has provided Albania with substantial economic assistance: more than 30 million dollars in humanitarian aid and other assistance. But there is still considerable scope for economic cooperation, and in this regard I insisted both with President Demirel and with Prime Minister Çiler, as well as at the Istanbul meeting with Turkish investors, that Turkish investment is very welcome and will play a major role in bringing our two countries closer together. —In your opinion, were the objectives of this visit achieved? —I think the objectives of this visit were fully achieved. First, in the political sphere, there is a mutual and firm will to further develop these relations. Both sides note with satisfaction the rapid and harmonious development of these relations. Albania and Turkey also share the same views on developments in the region. Both countries make a genuine contribution to peace and stability on the Balkan Peninsula. Economic issues and problems occupied a special place in our discussions. In particular, I insisted that the Turkish government, the President and the Prime Minister contribute more strongly to expanding economic cooperation, and I drew their attention to the interest of many Turkish investors in this area. (Continued on page 4)

Yesterday, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander-in-Chief of the American Forces in Europe, Xhorxh Xhulluen, arrived in our country.

—From the meeting between press representatives and the Council of Europe delegation The Council of Europe delegation handling the reports held its final meeting in Albania with representatives of the press. Their interest focused on how free the Albanian press was and whether Albania met the conditions for becoming a member of the Council of Europe with this freedom of the press. Taking part in the discussion were representatives of the mass media and the best-known Albanian newspapers. It should be said that although the discussion was conducted by journalists, it did not escape political undertones, particularly between the parties represented. Zogaj, director of “Aleanca,” said that the press was independent, but denounced measures in the law that he considered repressive. Y. Rakipi, editor-in-chief of “Republika,” emphasized that more than 250 newspapers are published in Albania today, but the problem is that there are many newspapers and few journalists. During the discussion, the issue of the lack of professional ethics among journalists was raised. There was back-and-forth among press representatives regarding the press law and several penalties imposed on journalists. It became clear that the law on the Albanian press had been adapted from that of the Land of Westphalia, and that the Albanian Parliament had even removed the prison sentence from the repressive measures contained in that law (of Westphalia). The journalists unanimously acknowledged that the fine of 8,000 dollars was extremely heavy for Albanian newspapers, but it was also emphasized that abuses of freedom of the press were not innocent. The representative of “RD” said that democracy means respecting rights. But if someone’s rights exceed their limits by violating the rights of another person, then there is no democracy. With the tools at their disposal, journalists can easily lead public opinion into bias against someone else; therefore, such abuse cannot be allowed. There were several exchanges concerning penalties imposed on newspapers. In principle, all the journalists agreed that a journalist should not be punished, but that journalists too must respect the rule of law. Some journalists interpreted the penalties imposed on the “KJ” newspaper and other newspapers as violations, but the others explained (and corrected some inaccuracies presented by the first group) that those who had been punished had not only harmed the reputations of particular public figures by publishing slander, but had also harmed the national interest, which is connected first and foremost with the duties of every citizen, regardless of profession. The chairman of the Council of Europe delegation handling the reports, Lord Finsberg, listened attentively to all the discussions and then gave the floor to Mr. Lambrt Kelcherman, a Belgian senator and member of the Political Committee of the Council of Europe. Kelcherman said he had only two questions to ask, and requested brief answers: 1—In your view, is Albania a country with pluralist parliamentary democracy? 2—Do you think Albania’s entry into the Council of Europe is important? All the journalists answered “Yes” to both questions. This concluded the Council of Europe delegation’s final meeting. “RD” CORRESPONDENT

Yesterday, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander-in-Chief of the American Forces in Europe, Xhorxh Xhulluen, arrived in our country. At Rinas Airport he was welcomed by the Minister of Defence, Safet Zhulali, and others. PRESIDENT BERISHA RECEIVED GENERAL XHORXH XHULLUEN BERISHA: Albania is determined to participate in all NATO structures XHULLUEN: The Alliance is open to Albania’s gradual integration into NATO. “Your visit is a very important event for Albania’s cooperation with NATO. First, I want to congratulate you personally and Admiral Borden on the successful operation in the skies over Bosnia, which will remain historic, since it marked the beginning of NATO’s functioning in a new role,” President Sali Berisha told NATO’s Supreme Commander, General Xhulluen. “I want to assure you,” President Berisha continued, “that the Albanian army feels deep admiration for NATO, which defends democratic values, security and peace. Albanian military personnel are working tirelessly to adopt the standards of this Alliance. We were the first to seek membership in NATO, and today we strongly support the Partnership for Peace as a natural, dynamic process leading to membership in this Alliance. Albania is determined to participate in all NATO structures envisaged by the Partnership for Peace and is ready to conduct joint exercises in NATO member countries or groups of member countries. Albania seeks NATO’s assistance in preparing troops for peacekeeping or participation in humanitarian rescue operations, and also reaffirms its readiness to provide NATO with ... (Continued on page 4)

Minister Musaraj comments on the “accusations” against him In connection with the recent articles in the newspapers “Koha Jone” and “Aleanca,” in which the Ministry of Public Order and its head were irresponsibly implicated, our correspondent contacted the Minister of Public Order to obtain his public statement concerning these “accusations.” If one reads carefully the article written by Shyqyri Çela, the contradiction between its first part, where he describes an accidental crime committed in the course of a quarrel—that is, an ordinary crime—and its second part, where the crime is called political, immediately stands out. Everyone clearly understands the reasons that compelled Shyqyri Çela to “come forward” a) The highland custom: he did not want to remain in a blood feud with the Çuniket, so he had to sell this story, it did not matter to whom—Agroi, Fiktimi or someone else (surely as instructed). b) The accusation by F. Nano against Mr. Musaraj had to be linked to another sensational incident to make it believable. Those directing him chose precisely this one. Regarding the above, I wish to clarify: It is true that a few days after the murder of the late Çuni, I summoned Mr. Shyqyri Çela to my office, in the presence of others, and asked him to hand over his brother. Explaining why I was asking for him specifically, the person who more than anyone else turned him ... ... an old officer that he was, that handing over his brother, together with an expression of remorse, could positively influence his judgment and put an end to any political abuses by certain forces that were exploiting the facts of the Çekini case. I am convinced that his many years of experience in the State Security organs, where slander and intrigue were the motto of their work, helped him immensely to present the matter in the way he does. It is true that I met him in Shkodra when I went there concerning the Çekiu case, in the presence of the head of SHIK, and I again asked (Continued on page 4)

Cartoon: COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK; COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK; Ruke 94(?)