-If in 1991 Albanians came to us to gain experience, today, in 1994, it is we who must go to learn from their experience in carrying out reforms. -I once again confirm the great importance of Mr. Zhelev’s refusal to take part in the bilateral summit proposed by the former Prime Minister of Greece. (Press conference of the two presidents in Sofia) -After the visit to Bulgaria’s National History Museum, the most important event of the third day of Mr. Berisha’s visit to the Republic of Bulgaria was the press conference the two presidents gave to representatives of the press. In his statement at the press conference, the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Zhelev, highlighted the successful progress of democratic reform in our country. Albania, Mr. Zhelev stressed, plays a key role in peace, security and stability in the region. In support of this view, he cited two arguments: first, the fact that Kosovo’s population is 90% indigenous Albanian, and second, the presence of ethnic Albanians living in Macedonia. Nevertheless, President Zhelev said, these two acute and sensitive issues are being handled with sound judgment, prudence and political maturity by the Albanian state and its head, Mr. Berisha. If in 1991 Albanians came to learn from us, today, in 1994, it is we who should go and learn how political and economic reforms are being carried out in Albania, Mr. Zhelev noted in his speech. Our countries have played an important role in reducing tensions and preserving peace in the Balkan region. I once again confirm before you the great importance for the Balkans of Mr. Zhelev’s refusal for Bulgaria former Prime Minister of Greece, which aimed to place the Balkans before a dangerous alliance. I am convinced that relations between Albania and Bulgaria demonstrate that two states with different political systems and their peoples can cooperate for the good of the entire region. In our discussions with President Zhelev, the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister, we noted with satisfaction that there is serious interest in developing economic cooperation. This gives us the opportunity to... human rights of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia as a condition for its stability. We consider the situation in Kosovo extremely grave. Ladies and gentlemen, today, when apartheid has disappeared from the far corners of the world, it remains present and all-powerful, harsher than the barbarities of the early Middle Ages, in the cradle of civilization that is Europe—in Kosovo. There can be no solution to the crisis in the Balkans, and there will be none, without resolving the Kosovo problem. Since the Albanians are not seeking to change borders by force, and thus respect, among other things, the two most fundamental principles of the Helsinki Charter, this position makes it entirely possible for the Kosovo problem to be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, Milošević will implement the memorandum of the infamous Serbian Academy of Sciences which, as you know, calls for the creation of a Greater Serbia by expelling, exterminating and massacring 40% of the non-Serb population living on their own lands. We discussed with President Zhelev a series of agreements for the future, and Albania and Bulgaria believe that it is not separate alliances, but bilateral and multilateral cooperation, that will... sensitive [text unclear] in 1991 it was the Albanians who in his speech. Stability, security and peace in the Balkans are ensured through the contribution of all Balkan countries. That is why we rejected the Greek government’s proposal for a meeting of the parties to discuss Balkan problems: we do not agree that two or three Balkan states should meet and discuss matters at the expense of the others. The time when discussions were held and decisions made by isolating the other parties is over. Dialogue is now open to every country that is concerned about and interested in security, stability and peace in the Balkans, Mr. Zhelev emphasized, among other things. In his statement, President Berisha said: First, I thank Mr. Zhelev, the President of Bulgaria, from the bottom of my heart for the warm and friendly welcome; he also expressed great satisfaction with the level of relations between Albania and Bulgaria. Our two countries have longstanding historical ties of friendship. Most important is the determination of these two countries today to strengthen and develop their ties of cooperation and friendship. In this respect, both countries, which suffered together under the communist dictatorships and committed themselves to the course of reforms

-Speech by Mr. Berisha in the Bulgarian Parliament- His Excellency the Speaker, Aleksander Jordanov, Honorable members of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ladies and gentlemen, It is a particular pleasure for me to have the honor of meeting and speaking today with the legitimate representatives of the friendly Bulgarian people. Allow me to express my gratitude for today’s welcome and, before you, to thank President Zhelev for inviting me on this visit—the first by an Albanian head of state in many decades, although Albania and Bulgaria have been age-old neighbors in the same region and it takes only an hour to travel from Tirana to Sofia. The new atmosphere created in the countries of Eastern Europe after the overthrow of dictatorial regimes, the orientation of Albania and Bulgaria toward universal democratic values and pan-European integration, and their commitment to the path of the rule of law, human freedoms and the market economy have given a significant impetus to political and economic relations between our two countries. The visits to Albania by President Zhelev, Foreign Minister Daskallov and other Bulgarian ministers, as well as the visits to Bulgaria by the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Arborni, Prime Minister Meksi, Minister Zhulati and other Albanian ministers, have helped build bridges of closer ties and sign agreements of interest to both our states. I would single out the signing in Tirana by the two presidents of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. I am pleased that during this visit as well, agreements on Economic and Trade Cooperation and on the Protection and Encouragement of Investments were signed; they will directly help strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. Ladies and gentlemen, Many times over the centuries, our peoples have had to face similar situations: during the Byzantine period, under five centuries of Ottoman occupation, under the totalitarian rule of the last half-century, and today, in the phase of a post-dictatorial leap forward. Our two states are currently engaged in difficult but historic efforts to fulfill the desire of our peoples, expressed through the free vote, to build a society based on the rule of law and the market economy, one that gives the individual the freedom to protect himself, his family and the whole country. Allow me to pay tribute to this Parliament for the extraordinary task it faces: implementing, in a dictatorial society, the laws and standards of a contemporary democratic society that guarantee individual freedoms in practice, the functioning of the rule of law and respect for the universal human values that the Bulgarian people have expressed their will to enjoy. I am pleased to inform you that Albania, too, is intensely committed to this path of transformation. We chose the fast track for implementing legislative, institutional and economic reforms, which is certainly the most feasible path; it requires greater sacrifices but yields visible results more quickly. Parliament has passed hundreds of laws meeting European standards, among the most important of which are the Charter of Human Rights and other constitutional laws fully in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. In two years we privatized almost all arable land, state-owned apartments, road transport, trade and more than 1,000 enterprises, and during 1994 we will continue with the privatization of medium-sized and large enterprises. We liberalized prices and currency exchange. The results were not long in coming: progress in agriculture and livestock farming is very visible; shops were stocked and the food queues that had tormented our people for half a century disappeared; the currency stabilized and is practically convertible; annual inflation fell from 300% to 30%; and in 1993 Albania recorded Europe’s highest growth, at 10% of GDP. Albania nevertheless remains Europe’s poorest country, with third-world infrastructure and networks, outdated technology and high unemployment ranging from 14% to 18%. Even so, we see light at the end of the tunnel, and the latest Gallup poll places Albanians among the leaders in Eastern Europe in their support for reforms and optimism about the future, which strengthens our confidence to move forward. Ladies and gentlemen, On its path of radical transformation toward building a developed democratic society, Albania needs (Continued on page 4) between Albania and Bulgaria demonstrate that our two states, which differ economically but share a common [unclear], can cooperate for the benefit of one another and the region. In my Prime Minister, we noted with satisfaction that there is a serious commitment to developing economic cooperation. We have the opportunity to seek the help of the European Union so that this cooperation may become even more fruitful. Not only our two countries, but others as well, expect to benefit from the idea of President Delors’s “White Paper.” Extending the principles of this paper across the Balkans would mean putting the east-west corridor into practice, with other branches. This would not only bring these countries closer to one another; more importantly, it would connect the Balkan Peninsula with Europe. The situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina remains a constant concern for us. President Zhelev and I believe that only forceful action by NATO, and cooperation among the United States, the European Union and Russia, can put an end to the war in Bosnia and the crisis in the Balkans. At the same time, we consider stability in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia very important. Our two countries, Albania and Bulgaria, have recognized this Republic and offered it the modest assistance these two countries are able to provide through cooperation. We will continue to call on Macedonia to establish and guarantee national freedoms and rights and [continues?] Serbia, which, as you know, seeks to create a Greater Serbia by exploiting, expelling and massacring 40% of the non-Serb population living in their own lands. We discussed a series of future agreements with President Zhelev, alliances, but bilateral and multilateral cooperation, that can bring our region out of crisis, promote processes leading to integration into Europe and prevent confrontation. Regarding the presence of troops in Bosnia, I would like to clarify that Turkey made a concrete and real contribution to the understanding and signing of the agreement between the Croats and Muslims. If the Serbs, too, were to sign such an agreement to stop the war and resolve problems through dialogue, that would be the most civilized way to establish peace in that country. In closing, Mr. President, I would like to wish you and the Bulgarians a happy Easter. * * * After the press conference in front of the presidential residence, where the ceremony of appointments had also taken place, a farewell ceremony was held for President Berisha, his wife and the delegation accompanying him. President Zhelev, Mrs. Zhelev and other representatives of the Bulgarian state were present at the farewell ceremony. The delegation returned to the Homeland.

It is understandable why “ZP” has recently been keeping quiet and is no longer treating this “Nano affair” as the main problem of Albanian life, but merely as a secondary one. “ZP” and the PS cannot comment. It is once again clear why “ZP” and the PS cannot comment: the mafia-style meeting, in the Palermo “state” style, between the mobsters Alia-Nano cannot be for the good of the PS, for the good of Albania, and still less for the good of democracy. The political—and perhaps also economic—Mafia, Alia-Nano and their clan, considered this meeting highly necessary and urgent because crime and corruption are bursting out mercilessly from the Albanian leadership; because they fear this justice; because they seek to conceal the traces of the crime, in the first place, the tragic massacre of Shkodra, for which they bear direct responsibility as those who ordered its execution. You must truly have benefited greatly from the Mafia and its methods to manage to organize clandestine clan meetings while isolated in prison cells. As for the Communist Mafia and its leadership, which included Alia and Nano, there can be no doubt about their ‘pleasant’ Mafia experience in this regard. When the PS leadership is now silent, do they have a hand in this? Are we dealing simply with a ‘bilateral’ meeting between the PS dignitaries and its leaders, or with its organization?! It is not possible for such a thing to happen without ‘help’ and a hand from outside the cells. Since Prof. Servet Pellumbi is, at least publicly,

Any resemblance to real persons is coincidental

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, SALI BERISHA, ADDRESSED TO ALL ORTHODOX BELIEVERS ON THE OCCASION OF EASTER On the occasion of Easter, I wish all Orthodox believers, wherever they may be, in Albania or abroad, “A happy holiday, and many happy returns!” Easter is the day of great faith in God, of great hopes, peace, harmony, understanding and brotherhood among people. Therefore, today all Albanians wherever they are rejoice in this day, regardless of [text unclear] the beloved memories of Albanian Orthodox believers who laid down their lives as the foundations of the Albanian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, who were tortured and treacherously killed by a chauvinist inquisition, to be canonized and become immortal in the national conscience of Albanians. The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of the great Noli has contributed and will continue to contribute to the development of our national [text missing] and to brotherhood and complete understanding with its sister churches, setting the highest example of tolerance and harmony among a people who know how to respect others as they respect themselves. I believe that the Albanian Autocephalous Church will faithfully fulfill this lofty mission to the end. Once again, I wish you a happy holiday with all my heart.

We wish you MANY HAPPY RETURNS—HAPPY EASTER We wish all Albanian workers and trade unionists A happy 1 May RD EDITORIAL STAFF