The Christmas holiday gives me the opportunity and pleasure to address all Albanian Christian believers, wherever they may be, with my heartfelt wish: “Happy Christmas, and many more years; health and prosperity, and may better times lie ahead!” EDUARD SELAMI Chairman of the Democratic Party We wish all Christian believers: “Happy Christmas!” THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF “RILINDJA DEMOKRATIKE”

On the occasion of Christmas To all Christian believers in Albania and abroad, wherever they may be, I wish you a happy Christmas and many more to come. Several years have passed since the fall of the dictatorship, and the Birth of Christ and his Resurrection have been celebrated by our Christian believers with dignity and joy, but also with justifiable pride, because through their virtue and faithfulness to God, their honesty, sacrifices and goodness, they have shaped and enriched the foundations of Christianity from its beginnings to the present day. The Birth and Resurrection of Christ symbolize an outpouring of faith and the courage to strive each day for what is good and for a better future. This day is a powerful symbol for all those who preserved their faith in God and in themselves. Faith in God is a great spiritual strength; it is the inexhaustible source of hope that enables people and communities to achieve great and noble goals. It is this faith that guides us and will continue to guide us in the achievements we have made and will make, and through the difficulties we have overcome and will have to overcome on the road to freedom and democracy. It is precisely this faith and strength that give hope to every Albanian and have enabled our nation to offer Christianity and all humanity Mother Teresa, a woman of statue-like stature, but with a heart as great as God’s love and message for humanity. It is this faith that this year has blessed our ancient church with its first Albanian Cardinal, His Eminence Mikel Koliqi, who is not only a martyr and pillar of Christianity and the Albanian nation, but also a symbol of human resistance and heroism. Christmas conveys a message of hope, harmony, understanding, love, tolerance, values and hope. It invites us all to love, help and respect one another more, to foster tolerance as the most humane virtue of a civilized society, and to strengthen the spirit of mutual understanding and harmony. Let us celebrate Christmas this year more united than ever, in our hopes, efforts, sacrifices and faith in a better future. Let us pray together to God for peace, stability and prosperity for Albanians wherever they may be. Let us also pray to Him for our neighbors and friends, and especially for those in Bosnia and elsewhere who are enduring the ordeal of war. Believing in all that has been achieved, let us have the courage to build on what we have gained and all strive together—with our strength, energy and wisdom, and with God’s help—to make Christmas and the holidays to come ever better. Once again, Merry Christmas! Glory to God! SALI BERISHA Tirana, 24.12.1994

ELBASAN Enforcing the law, fighting corruption and legal violations—the PD’s principal obligation The PD has fought and continues to fight for the rule of law All citizens are equal before the law Meeting of the branch leadership and its representatives on the district council In attendance: PDSH Secretary-General Prof. Dr. Tritan Shehu, Berishin Çela and Bashkim Kopliku On Saturday, 24 December, a joint meeting was held of the leadership of the PD branch in Elbasan and its representatives on the district council. The meeting aimed to review the documents, arguments and documentary evidence of the State Audit Committee concerning violations of legal procedures and regulations by the chairman of the Elbasan District Council, Mr. Ndriçim Allaj, who had been dismissed from this position by decree of the President of the Republic. Present at the meeting were the PDSH Secretary-General, Prof. Dr. Tritan Shehu; the chairman of the State Audit, Mr. Blerim Çela; PDSH leadership member Mr. Bashkim Kopliku; and specialists from SHKSH. At the beginning of the meeting, participants asked why Mr. Allaj was absent from the meeting, which was being held specifically about him, and sought information on whether he had been notified. After it was established that Mr. Allaj had been notified more than once, it was agreed that the meeting would proceed without him. At the start of the meeting, Mr. Blerim Çela said it would have been fair for Mr. Shkëlqim Allaj to be present at a meeting where he was being discussed; he then presented the main findings of the audit conducted into several legal procedures. The first case concerned the leasing for ten years of part of a building to the “Skampini” company, owned by his brothers. This was found to violate Council of Ministers Decisions No. 184 and 347, concerning privatization and auctions, respectively. The second case was the KRT decision of 15.11.1992 concerning the purchase of a warehouse by Genc Rushaj, under a district council decision signed by N. Allaj, even though this was not within his authority; moreover, the district council itself had not been informed. The third case concerned the approval of a building site by the district council’s decision of 21.12.1993. Here too, specialists confirmed violations of the law: for example, form 3, which is the basis for a permit, had not been completed; there was no contract setting a completion deadline or bank guarantee. Everything was done without a vote in the district council. The fourth case, the case of Nikolle (Continued on page 2)

December ’90 seems more acutely present in these days of December ’94. Everyone is talking about it, its authors and its opponents; those who were there and those who were not are writing their memoirs. All the political parties, including the PS, are passionately laying claim to its ideals. With December ’90, even “ZP” and “24 Ore” began their uprisings and front-page articles; references to December ’90 can even be found in “Kushtrim i Brezash.” On these cold days of December ’94, those who have decided to write about it first include the very former “ZP” editor-in-chief Dokle, who helped overturn it, the Communist militant Beqir, the “professors” of Enver Hoxha’s philosophical thought, Kureta and Zana, and those whom the secret police paid to prevent December ’90 from arriving and to discredit it. Even Alianga, behind bars, instead of showing remorse for the crimes weighing on his conscience, “analyzes” and concludes that he too “worked hard” for democracy… Who saw Martin Leka in December ’90? Where was he? That is up to him, but it is also a matter for public opinion when he makes threats against the figures of December. Those who came second, and left just as they had arrived, have undertaken to publish their memoirs this December. With his “memories,” Arben Demeti claims that he played some role in the offices of Ramiz Alia when they opened to stage the secret meetings. Demeti deliberately forgets that it was the popular subsidies that brought Neritan Alia joy. With Gonxhe, politically exploited under the tutelage and political manipulation of Ed Ramu, he makes the fatal mistake of claiming, in retrospect, that December did not result in mass bloodshed. As if December depended on him or anyone else… Is it or is it not time for histories and diaries? It is good to write about December; it is good for history to be known, especially by those who like such things. But it must not be shamelessly and endlessly politicized, nor falsified and distorted for short-term interests. December ’90 happened only four years ago, so memories are still fresh, especially of the events that brought about the overthrow of systems and the end of eras… December ’90 belongs to an entire people—to their desire, dream and struggle for freedom; it belongs to the finest sons and daughters, the Albanian students. Alongside them, hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands… (Continued on page 2)

On the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Cassation, the General Prosecutor’s Office and local government bodies, and pursuant to Article 28, paragraph 14, of Law No. 7491 of 29.4.1991, “On the Main Constitutional Provisions,” the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, pardoned the remaining sentences of 15 convicts and granted partial sentence reductions to 52 other convicts, from five months to five years. He also pardoned one child under one year old who had been sentenced to death, commuting the sentence to life imprisonment. In exercising his power to grant pardons, and as an expression of Albania’s determination to contribute to reducing tension in the region and strengthening peace, the President of the Republic decided to pardon the remaining sentence of one person who had served 18 years in the prisons of the communist dictatorship and who was sentenced this year by the Albanian courts for cooperation with the Greek secret police and illegal possession of weapons. He also reduced the sentences of four other Albanian citizens of Greek origin convicted of the above-mentioned crimes. Thus, Kosta Qirjako had two years taken off his remaining sentence, while Theodhoridhi Bezhanaj, Vangjel Papakristo and Panajot Marko each had one year remitted. Press and Information Office of the President Tirana, 24.12.1994

-The architects and executors of the strategy of destruction, terror and crimes during the transition period must now answer before the courts. -The 2 April case file is back at the Prosecutor’s Office. What will the outcome be? No one can any longer doubt that all the destruction and terror inflicted in Albania during the period ’90–’92 had been laid down as a strategy by those seeking power. The substance of the ’90 arrangement was an indisputable fact, and those in power knew it better than anyone. They had two options: shed blood or resort to deceptive methods. Some declared, “We will not surrender power without bloodshed,” but there were others who knew the consequences of such an act. Alia removed his old comrades and his companion from the leadership of the state, because they were the ones carrying out the scheme and weaving it into a strategy whose full extent Alia did not know. For these reasons, Alia did not relinquish power on 31 March and used every means at his disposal to hold on to it. He resorted to violence to seize power, but was opposed on 2 April, resulting also in the documented attacks and crimes. The second thing they did was use terror to seize power, with the rapid looting of the wealth left behind in the municipalities… To accomplish these aims, two new but inexperienced figures were recruited: Fano and G. Ruci. Their task was to create conditions for the recovery of power. The creation of a public belief that the Democrats would bring destruction and terror, and the creation of a suitable climate for a massacre, would allow them to take power. No one could carry this out better than the former State Security service. All Albanians now know what the years ’91–’92 were like: terror, crimes, murders and destruction. When the PD took power in March ’92, it found an Albania completely devastated economically, with institutions that had been stripped of everything by the remnants of the old regime. The authors of that strategy knew that no one could hold on to power amid chaos. Today, they accuse the PD of responsibility for all these events, asking why the democratic government did not repair what they themselves had caused, with the sole aim of ensuring it would not be easily repaired. In any case, this strategy has now been exposed; the facts were also presented in Parliament. The questions asked by MP Balla—who controlled the State Security service at the time, and who was in a position to implement that strategy—have answers, with names attached. The strategy conceived by Alia and Nano and carried out point by point by G. Ruci began with the killings of 2 April and encompassed all the crimes of that period: organizing killings, arson, exoduses, and so on. The time has come for justice to finally speak and not let the events of 2 April go unanswered. The principal culprits of 2 April must be punished for that crime. Finally, a police officer from that period has been arrested, but what about those who put the guards in the prisons? The 2 April case file has been reopened. A large dossier concerning it was opened in Parliament in recent days. Will the perpetrators of these crimes finally receive the punishment they deserve? Let the judiciary demonstrate its professionalism by punishing the criminals and protecting the freedom and civil rights of honest, free citizens. EDUARD PALOKA

Those who joined forces against the constitution, who did everything they could to prevent its adoption, now want to wash their hands like Pontius Pilate, in their desperate and malicious attempt to impose on the country a party constitution. Contrary to the constitutional provisions, which stipulate that Parliament elects the commission responsible for the Constitution—the Constitutional Commission—after declaring the Marxist axis their alternative for making only 2,000 Albanians happy, they now claim for themselves, just like the PP scheme, the right to give the country their own red party constitution. The Reds in the dark do not understand—or do not want to understand—that their time has definitively passed: the time when Albanians acted according to the dictates of the supreme leadership. The law now prevails in Albania, so their initiative recalls only the Quixotic nostalgia of the PPSH era. Their propaganda is pathetic when they claim that the PD does not want a constitution, when it is well known that it was precisely these people, “concerned” with human freedom and rights, who opposed the PD’s desire and efforts to provide Albania with a constitution by every means available. They blocked, voted against or abstained on the landmark document—the law on individual rights and freedoms. Albanians do not forget, irresponsible gentlemen and enemies of the law. A. DARA

Interview by “Voice of America” correspondent Ilirian Agolli with Deputy Prime Minister Nuri Hoxha -Mr. Vrioni, please tell us what was specifically decided at today’s meeting of the government commission with the chairmen of the district councils regarding the relocation of families from areas flooded by the lake of the Fierza hydroelectric power plant? -Today, the timing and method were decided for relocating the first 650 families, those in the most urgent situation, from the flooded districts to the Fierza district. It was decided how this relocation will be carried out, in compliance with the laws in force on this matter. Once the dates have been set, the districts are expected to issue building permits and residence permits for the people arriving. The Housing Enterprise and the Ministry of Finance will prepare the arrangements, and once this procedure is completed, the financing for building houses in these districts will be ready to begin. -Relocation of the first 650 families from the area flooded by the lake of the Fierza Hydroelectric Power Plant (Continued on page 7)

-The flow of the Drin River has increased to 100 m³/sec. -The level of Lake Fierza has risen by 26 cm. Yesterday at midday, Arben Gjokulaj, an electrical engineer and director at the central dispatch center, told RD that the flow of the Drin River had increased over the previous 24 hours. From about 85–90 m³/sec the day before, it had reached around 98–100 m³ of water per second by midday yesterday. This increase in river flow has resulted from rainfall and snowfall in the northwestern areas, which, although still limited, have contributed to the rise in water levels in the Drin basin. Over the past 24 hours, Fierza and Koman have each operated one turbine. Mr. Gjokulaj further explained that this was done to conserve water in the lake so that the level of Lake Fierza would rise. Thus, the level of this lake has risen by 26 cm since the day before yesterday, the aforementioned dispatcher informed us. Imports from abroad are continuing. Over the past 24 hours, Greece’s exports to our country have reached 3 million 800 thousand kWh. The senior executives of the Albanian Energy Corporation are traveling abroad to seek new sources of energy.

Yesterday, too, bread production by private and state producers was higher. There are no longer queues or shortages of bread at sales outlets in many areas of the capital. However, it is worth noting that in the city and its surrounding area, observations made in the “Vasil Shanto” block, near the New Tirana train station, found that some residents complained they had not found bread at their local outlets and had been forced to travel far from their neighborhoods to find some. “We are an old woman and we get our bread from the big bakery.” “We hope this ‘oversight’ in supplying this block is only a one-off.” DYLLMAN KARAJ

It is entirely normal that, as society now faces electricity problems in the middle of winter, there should be strong reactions from all sides, with everyone wishing to minimize these problems and free citizens from the stress of the energy crisis inherited from the past—something paradoxical and unacceptable at a time when economic reform is reaching its peak. Nevertheless, in the interests of truth, the opposition’s reactions, accompanied by an amplification of its accusations and various surreal precedents, need only be placed in their proper context: the causes and consequences that the socialists ignore, going so far as to call the Government’s energy policy a “strategy of destruction.” One issue of the newspaper “ZP” says that in 1971 even the most remote mountain village was electrified, while the Democratic Government has still not electrified the capital. If this “sentence” is meant as a relic of perverse humor, perhaps it could win some coveted prize, but… (Continued on page 7)