At yesterday's meeting with the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, President Berisha focused on his forthcoming visit to the USA, which he described as very important. President Berisha speaks about his visit to the USA, the progress of the reform and the genocide against the Albanian people At yesterday's meeting with the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, President Berisha focused on his forthcoming visit to the USA, which he described as very important. With President Clinton, high-ranking American officials and members of Congress will discuss bilateral cooperation and the situation in the region. Particular emphasis will be placed on the support of the USA for the strengthening of the rule of law and the market economy in Albania, as well as on encouraging American investment in the country. Special attention will be devoted to the Kosovo issue. At this meeting the President also referred to the progress of reforms and expressed appreciation for the work of Parliament and the Government over the summer in accelerating the pace of reforms. The major priorities for the period ahead are the speeding up of compensation to former owners in general and to those who had agricultural land in particular, as well as the acceleration of privatization of the key sectors of the economy. Another issue requiring a solution from Parliament is the genocide carried out in Albania by the communist dictatorship. The President stressed that Albania has undoubtedly experienced a human and cultural genocide under the former regime. The handling of this problem cannot be conceived as a vengeful stance, but as a duty to break with the bitter past. Some recent attempts by extremists, their calls for conflict, undeserved rallies, attempts to block the law and the rule of law, are failed efforts by the derivatives of the red nomenklatura and the country's former secret police, which seek to prevent this break from genocide. A warning must be given to the calls for abandoning Parliament. Such an act cannot in any way hinder the work of the People's Assembly; it only demonstrates the political parliamentary culture of its authors. Press and Information Office at the President of the Republic

President of the Republic Sali Berisha received the Minister of Defence of Romania, Mr. George Tinka I am pleased with the development of the good relations we have between our two countries, including military relations, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, pointed out in the meeting he held with the Romanian Minister of Defence, Mr. George Tinka. They serve not only our mutual interest, but also peace and stability in the region, he said, a region that more than ever needs cooperation and understanding. The conflicts that continue in the former Yugoslavia and the final elections are the best and common interests of all countries. But to achieve this, the Yugoslav crisis must be treated as a whole. For his part, Mr. Tinka, after conveying the special greetings of the President of Romania, Iliescu, to President Berisha, expressed his readiness to strengthen relations between our two countries and our armies, for the benefit of establishing stability and understanding in the region. Press and Information Office at the President

The American researcher John Hardy, a staff member of the well-known American institute Congressional Research Service, in a study presented during a NATO seminar, ranks Albania among the first category of countries most successful in reforms. Albania - a promising country in transition The American researcher John Hardy, a staff member of the reputable American institute Congressional Research Service, in a study presented during a NATO seminar, places Albania among the first category of the most successful countries in reforms. Along with Albania, this group includes the Visegrad countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), two Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia) and Slovenia. The criteria for this assessment were the implementation of a full program of economic reforms, control of inflation, private ownership of enterprises, and the development of a new legal and institutional framework. Promising countries in transition: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Esto- nia, Latvia, Slovenia, and Albania These countries deserve recognition for the progress made in the drafting and implementation of programs related to comprehensive economic reform, which has produced results in controlling inflation, in creating self-sustaining private enterprises, and in developing the legal and institutional framework for the market economy system. Each of the states in this group has managed to bring inflation down, ensure price stability, and reduce unemployment. A PASSING GRADE - PROMISING COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Baltic States, Slovenia, and Albania

Great concern in Kosovo after the decision to destroy the memorial complex of the League of Prizren The provocative decision of the Serbian Administration to turn the historic complex of the League of Prizren, within two days, into a collection center for refugees - the Serb column, has caused great concern and indignation among the Albanians in Prizren and throughout Kosovo. It is seen as a serious provocation against Albanians, precisely on the day when Kosovo commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Proclamation of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and as a continuation of the persecutions by the regime to destroy this symbol of Albanian resistance. Strongly condemning this savage Serb expansionist attack on the overall Albanian cultural and historical heritage and describing it as a very serious provocation for the entire Albanian world, the political subjects and other Albanian organizations and associations of Prizren demand that this dangerous step be abandoned. They have called on UNESCO and other international institutions not to allow the destruction and the stationing of columns at this monument of Albanian history and culture. The memorial complex of the League of Prizren was inaugurated in March on the 100th anniversary of the Albanian League of Prizren (1878), one of the most important national political events of the last century. But although it has long been protected by UNESCO, it was put in the crosshairs of the Serbian regime and throughout this period suffered major destruction and damage over years, despite its undeniable historic value. Now the Serbian regime seems to be aiming to erase its existence in the hope that it can thus wipe out the historical truths of the Albanians. ATSH

Working meeting of the country's main political parties on the changes in the existing electoral law At the initiative of the Chairman of the PR, Mr. Sabri Godo, yesterday morning in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses, a working meeting was held with the leaders of the country's main political parties, where the existing electoral law was discussed in detail. The chairman of the Republicans, Mr. Sabri Godo, opened the meeting with his remarks, in which, among other things, he stated that, if it is to be improved, the existing electoral law should be changed in the part concerning electoral groupings. Subsequently, the representatives of the other political parties took the floor and insisted that the future electoral law should have a proportional character. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, noted that this meeting was not consolidated and that, consequently, there would certainly be many other meetings before final conclusions are reached. He further pointed out that there are opinions within the Democratic Party that the future electoral law should be more majoritarian, because this would create conditions and opportunities for more stable governance. On the other hand, Mr. Tritan Shehu emphasized the idea that the time has come to establish new and clearly defined criteria regarding gender and other aspects and the political, social, and moral past of individuals who will be represented in the 1996 elections. Perhaps, he wrote, these criteria were adopted by the democratic parties themselves and from the recent experience of other former communist countries. This part of Mr. Tritan Shehu's proposal elicited different reactions. Thus, representatives of some right- wing parties supported this idea, whereas Secretary Glinushi together with the representatives of the PAD strongly opposed it, calling the undertaking of this step a violation of the order of freedoms and human rights. Meanwhile, in this regard, the socialist representative, Mr. Namik Dokle, remained silent and did not offer any comment! At the end of the meeting, the group of the main political parties on the proportional electoral law drafted a joint document, but without the participation of PD representatives. PDSH Press and Information Department

LIMAN DACI, DOCTOR OF SCIENCES In a biblical passage it is said: "many of those who are first will be last, and many of those who are last will be first". PSSH's economic program is contradictory, confused and suspicious LIMAN DACI DOCTOR OF SCIENCES In a biblical passage it is said: "many of those who are first will be last, and many of those who are last will be first". The meaning of this line is that in the Kingdom of Heaven the first are not the careerists, the men in power, those who hold high offices in this world, those who bear titles and degrees, but the first will be those who do good works, "those who wipe the tears from the eyes of the wretched," those who fight for truth, honesty, and justice, for the uplift of the individual and the nation itself, for the future of humankind, those who fight for their high ideals and who know how to face the contempt of dishonest people, the pain and suffering inflicted by those in power, with the patience of a martyr and faith in the truth. Have not all the great men, true democrats of all times, been such, men who have sacrificed their soul and heart to their time, their people and their nation, to all humankind? But such are also today's democrats throughout the world and in our country, who fight with all their soul for peace and human happiness in the world, for the sacred prosperity of building a world of greater justice and freedom, peace, and for the nation. Take a look and you will see what a titanic struggle the PD and its leaders have waged in these three years of post- communist transition toward democracy. Against it have rallied the left and right extremists, the communists of yesterday, the pseudo- socialists of today, all of them, those who do not want democracy. Against the PD the initially democratic PSSH has risen up. The exhausted opposition insults, defames, boasts and so on; it has the "true" program of the age, that "socialists seek a fairer social order," that they want to bring to Albania the socialist achievements of economic progress, freedom, human emancipation...; that Albania should be the free home of free people, of law and order... Rightly the question arises: Who is against a just society? Can the distinguished and democratic party be against this, when it is known that it is the Democratic Party which in government set itself the noble goal of "establishing political and real democracy in our country"? Are not the years '92-'95 the years of the founding of democracy, of the consolidation of the rule of law and the market economy in Albania, years of freedom and great hopes, of Albania's exit from the great oblivion, deep isolation and unprecedented loneliness, years of its rapid approach to Europe, years of great solidarity with all the friendly countries of the world, of the European Union, of the USA, and others? Individual freedom, honest development, human humanism - have been and are always one of the sources of jurereizëm. They are also contained in communist doctrine with its slogans of "freedom, equality and justice," "well-being and happiness for all and not just for a few," "for the free and full development of man with his free demands." But life proved that these are demagoguery and hypocrisy on the part of the communists; their freedom, distance, hatred and violence, equality, justice and human dignity are monopolies only of democracy. They were born and flourished together with the birth and spread of democracy. Therefore, from this point of view, the program of the PSSH and in particular the (Continues on page 4)

Gjinushi, apparently accuses himself At the meeting held with the leaders of the political parties, where the changes to the electoral law were discussed, Gjinushi sat like a squeezed lemon when Mr. Shehu spoke about the political, social and moral past of those individuals who are to run as candidates in the upcoming 1996 elections. Gjinushi was the only one completely against Mr. Shehu's ideas. Could it be a coincidence? Apparently he has made up his mind to accuse himself. The wicked say that he has locked himself in his room and sleeps while raving. Gaqo, that great ideologue of social democracy of machines and tractors, is smiling over TIRONA in front of Dajti. It is said that Milos has fallen for a triumph after the split of his chairman, although they also say that he recites the leader of Tirana. No one came to Gjinushi's defense, except those lemons of the PAD. Dokle was brilliant in his cynicism toward Gjinushi. He threw mud at him. They say Dokle knows a lot of folk proverbs, and the one that came to mind when he saw Gjinushi turn pale was the proverb about the fly and the cap ... E.D

Crimes of the Communist Dictatorship soon in Parliament's focus The new session of the People's Assembly opened yesterday with a short speech by the Chairman of the Presidency, Mr. Pjeter Arbnori. In this speech Mr. Arbnori pointed out that, as the first Parliament in which democracy has triumphed, we have historical duties to ensure (Continues on page 2)

Holbrooke: This is not the end of the tragedy Geneva: Belgrade de facto recognizes Bosnia The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY, Serbia and Montenegro) de facto recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, Richard Holbrooke, said yesterday in Geneva, according to AFP. This is a step further toward peace, but this is not the end of the tragedy, Holbrooke, who chaired the Geneva conference, stressed. ATSH

From the heritage archive of the Socialist Party the "Shehu" file From the heritage archive of the Socialist Party The "Shehu" file In today's issue: SECRET Minutes of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSh of 17 and 18 December 1981 AGENDA: Analysis of the serious mistake committed by the member of the Political Bureau, Mehmet Shehu, regarding the engagement of his son to a girl with very bad political background Read on page 5

We inform readers that with "the Shehu File" we will continue for a few more issues