The PPSH, now the PS, after becoming convinced that nationwide anger would overthrow it in the elections of 31 March, applied violence, terror, murders, exoduses, arson and looting from 11 December 1990 until election day, culminating in the coup d’état of 20–23 February and the massacre at the United School, for which Alia, Nano, Ruci, Dokle, etc. bear direct responsibility. This staff organized the dictator’s bus’s dance of death in the cities and villages of Albania, treacherously and directly killing many members and supporters of the PD, innocent people as well. This strategy succeeded in confirming their power on 31 March. Precisely for this reason, the day after the elections held under terror, the red staff identified the destabilization of the country, organized violence and terror as the surest path and practice by which they had won the elections, in order to hold on to power and govern the country. By now, the Camps of Use [?]... , insecurity, chaos and anarchy. With this strategy they succeeded in bringing Albania to the edge of the abyss, and further humiliating and disfiguring the dignity of Albanians. But, at the same time, through these actions they sealed their profound and irreparable defeat. The red staff at the head of the PS showed Albanians that they were loyal successors of the red nomenklatura, incapable of reform. Their one-year rule can be described as a crime and a failure. Three governments, one after another, changed during a single year and will be remembered for the destabilization and rampant corruption they brought upon the country. Despite the great defeat of 22 March, the Marxist staff at the head of the PS would present the destabilization strategy as its main alternative even after the 22 March elections. Its authors, Nano, Ruci, Dokle, Islami, expelled from the party and left to fend for themselves all those who denounced this line as a failed platform with no future. Thus, the leadership of failure, in order to protect the crimes it had committed, continued creating and defending the new institutions, succeeded with new governments of the country [?]... PS crimes. They made numerous failed attempts to block parliament. Insults, breaking things, thuggery, walking out and abandoning it became the preferred conduct of the Albanian Zhirinovskys in parliament. They opposed Albania’s entry into the Council of Europe and the adoption of the Constitution. Today this staff, through the criminal rag “ZP,” blackens everything every day, just as its own writing is black. Now they have mobilized all their energy, money and potential for intrigue and plots, hoping to destabilize the country at the most decisive moment of reform. The time has come to tell them: let them try; their attempts, as up to now, will have only one outcome: failure. The year 1991 in Albania, their year of shame and monstrous crime, can never return. The PD, the democratic forces and the new institutions succeeded, together with the new governments that followed... in securing stability for the country over these three years. And a stability that no one can trample, however powerful they may be and whoever may support them. Gentlemen! Albania’s stability rests on the freedoms Albanians have won, on the functioning of the rule of law, and on the free, property-owning citizen, who is ready to defend the law, property and dignity against bandits of every color. ...ror, the red leadership defined the surest path and method by which they won the elections, retained power and governed the country. The concentration camps, the inhumane prison and the special trials are no longer acceptable to Europe. In their place came activities organized in the streets and everywhere by the forces of darkness. Thus, just two days after the elections, they planned and carried out the Shkodër massacre, continued to organize arson, looting and the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars, the killing of dozens of citizens, close cooperation with the international mafia, the exoduses of the March 22 elections. Its authors, Nano, Ruçi, Dokle, Islami, expelled from the party and cast adrift to protect the crimes it had committed, continued along the same course, leading the PS from one failure to another. Immediately after the elections, on March 23, they called for new elections. They organized the burnings and destruction, and held police officers hostage in Poliçan; they tried to incite people to take up the defense of their former prime ministers, Nano and Ahmeti. They issued calls for bloodshed, for skulls to be split open, for people to be dragged and slaughtered—calls not made by civilized people, but by leading figures, former persecutors in

The joint Albanian-American exercise “SAREX” 95 began The ships of the American 6th Fleet taking part in “Sarex ’95” dock at the port of Durres The joint Albanian-American exercise “SAREX” 95 began. “SAREX 95” — “Partnership for Peace” takes shape. The ships of the American 6th Fleet taking part in “Sarex ’95” dock at the port of Durres. The first ship to dock yesterday morning at the port of Durres was the American multipurpose ship “Ponce,” part of the American Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, which will take part in the joint exercise with the Albanian side, “Sarex ’95.” Senior Albanian military officers had come out to welcome its commanders and crew. “This exercise is particularly important in two respects, because these are the first joint maneuvers held at sea, on land and in the air, and, on the other hand, they are the first multilateral maneuvers,” said the military attaché of the American embassy. The deputy chief of the General Staff of the Albanian army, Major General Baki Shehu, said that “psychologically as well, these (Continued on page 2) energy difficulties. He also emphasized that relations with Bulgaria are long-term and it is in the interests of our two peoples that they develop further, regardless. (Continued on page 2) THE AMERICAN SHIP PONCE IN THE PORT OF DURRES Photo: P.Omeri

In Krakow, delegations from 30 European and other countries have arrived, and more are expected, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi camp Auschwitz. Sixteen of them, including Germany, Austria, Norway, the Baltic States, Bulgaria, Czechia, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania and Ukraine, are headed by heads of state. Seven laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize have also arrived. Alongside the program of ceremonies organized under the patronage of Polish President Valesa to commemorate this 50th anniversary, the various delegations are taking the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings. Yesterday morning President Berisha met with Bulgarian President Zhelev, with whom he had an open and very friendly discussion about relations between the two countries and recent developments in the region. President Berisha praised President Zhelev’s readiness to assist Albania during the period of long-term and that they develop further, regardless of changes of government, which are normal in democratic states. President Zhelev noted that a genuine danger in our region is the tendency to create certain non-Atlantic alliances which not only do not serve peace and stability in the region, but instead lead to its destabilization. Both presidents stated that the Euro-Atlantic orientation and European integration are top priorities for the national interests of our peoples. During two separate meetings with the presidents of Lithuania and Latvia, President Berisha expressed his commitment to initiating and promoting cooperative relations between our countries in the future. The shared interest in exchanging visits at all levels was emphasized, with the aim of encouraging cooperation in international organizations, exchanging experience in implementation and reform, connecting businesses in the two countries, and strengthening economic ties. Yesterday afternoon President Berisha had a warm meeting with the Federal President of the German Republic, Herzog. President Berisha expressed to him (Continued on page 2)

170 families from Kukes are to

Implementing the Government’s decision to relocate those displaced by the Fierza Lake flooding In implementation of the Government’s decision to relocate those displaced by the Fierza Lake flooding, 170 families from Kukës will settle in the district of Lushnjë. Specifically, 70 families from Kukës will settle in the municipality of Grabian, while 100 families from the Has area will settle in Rremas. According to explanations by Mr. Hasan Haxhiu, chairman of the Lushnjë district council, all the procedures involving the local authorities have been completed. Thus, the newcomers have been provided with designated agricultural land as well as construction plots. The council’s organizational section has been tasked with receiving and settling the arriving families, and the process is proceeding normally. Mr. LLESHI

The People’s Assembly continued its review and approval of the articles of the Draft Criminal Code in another plenary session. The Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Tomor Malasi, who chaired yesterday’s session, first gave the floor to deputy Bashkim Kopliku, who proposed an amendment to Article 199 of the draft code, concerning the legal status of land. In explaining his proposal on this matter, deputy Kopliku expressed concern about the unlawful occupation of land. Many other deputies also voiced the concern raised by deputy Kopliku and supported the proposal he had put forward. A discussion lasting more than an hour followed, with the article being reformulated to include the relevant proposals. After a short recess, during which the members of the Legal Affairs Commission consulted with the relevant specialists, Deputy Chairman Malasi gave the floor to the chairman of the Legal Affairs Commission to present the wording of this draft law. (Continued on page 2)

The standing parliamentary Committee on Mandates, Immunity and Rules of Procedure met yesterday morning to consider the request of the Republic’s General Prosecutor, Alush Dragoshi, concerning the lifting of the immunity of deputies Genc Ruli and Rexhep Uka. Regarding the proceedings of this meeting, committee member and deputy Marash Ibraj said: “At this meeting, too, we discussed the General Prosecutor’s request to lift the immunity of deputies Ruli and Uka. At the committee meeting held yesterday morning on this request, the General Prosecutor’s materials were presented, and the committee reviewed them; deputies Ruli and Uka also heard them. The committee asked the Presidium of the People’s Assembly to provide it with additional materials, as well as a series of laws and statements concerning the General Prosecutor’s conduct in this matter. A meeting was held for members to vote for or against lifting their immunity. At the second meeting on this issue, after reviewing the additional materials from the General Prosecutor’s Office, we concluded that the General Prosecutor’s Office should appear before the committee to clarify several points in the materials that were unclear. It was also decided that deputies Ruli and Uka themselves should be summoned to be heard by the committee. this matter. N. GJINI

“Corrupt DP,” “DP scandal,” “DP dead end,” and so on. It is absurd that “ZP,” the organ of the SP, writes all this. This alone would suffice to understand the extent to which paradoxes have reached in Albanian politics. Left-wing propaganda has long been trying to portray the DP government as corrupt, and today it has brought all its guns to bear on depicting the country under DP leadership as facing a fatal crisis from which Albanians can be saved only by the SP coming to power. “The Arsidi scandal is a smokescreen to hide the millions of dollars resulting from the corruption brought into government by the DP...” writes “ZP,” repeating the claim that the DP brought corruption into government and going beyond every limit of common sense. They, the offspring of crime and corruption, are accusing the DP. The paradoxes are endless. It was the DP that, for the first time in Albania, took a stand against corruption, seeing it as a real threat to democracy, the DP’s greatest objective. It was the DP that declared corruption has no other color: it is black. Even today, paradoxically, the mouthpiece of propaganda accuses the DP of corruption, basing its case on the DP’s own declarations that elements of corruption cannot simply be removed from power. Immediately, the “experts”—those who accused the DP without having a single fact—had found a hair to split. Thus, the DP was once again trying to fight corruption by denouncing it, while they accused it of being the source of corruption: “the corruption the DP brought into government”; meanwhile, those offspring of corruption pose as accusers and saviors. It is clear that they seek political capital, while their propaganda is exceedingly stale. To some extent, through disinformation specialists from the former secret police, by means of propaganda outlets and so-called “secret” methods, through wiretapping and other means, they managed to influence public opinion and obscure the effects of corruption. But their bluff is obvious when they try to present themselves as the “clean ones,” as “saviors.” Albanians know very well who they are, because they know not only their origins and past but also their present. “ZP” accuses the DP of corruption, but wasn’t it a newspaper belonging to those who reached the height of economic, political and moral corruption during the dictatorship—those who stole with both hands? Their corruption started with petty charlatans who accepted chickens at home and bottles of raki from villagers in exchange for arranging a job, and went all the way up to the plunderers throughout the state who seized all the wealth of this people. Someone will say that “ZP” is no longer an organ of the PP but of the SP, having separated from the PP. Let them go mad and accept, for a moment, that this is true—but wasn’t “ZP” the organ of the SP that came to the defense of the former members of the Bllok in court? During the “ZP” proceedings, N. Hoxha and others entered the courtroom in groups, while the next day they tried to convince people that the accusations against N. Hoxha and the others were unfounded. But let us move on from that and turn to 1991–92, the period when the PP remained in power under the name SP. The descendants surpassed every expectation, as one might expect given their biological inheritance and the development of their genes. Being born into the art of corruption, unlike their former socialist predecessors, they did not have enough time to practice their profession, so they were forced to commit acts beyond even the moral imagination of the “scoundrels.” During 1991–92, economic and political corruption erupted throughout Albanian life. The former communist prime minister F. Nano went so far as to steal aid intended for Albanians—their only means of subsistence—while his ministers divided up the national wealth among themselves. At that time, houses, shops, construction businesses and companies were distributed to loyalists, along with money whose origins were unclear. But the descendants were not satisfied with that; they sank deeply into political corruption as well, and then destroyed every opportunity by implementing a scorched-earth strategy. So those are the people who today accuse the DP and present themselves as saviors, while the pamphlet “ZP” continues to make noise. (Continued on page 2)

BY MICHAEL GUNTON ENGLISH JOURNALIST For more than 50 years, the media in Albania was controlled by the state. It was a plaything of a manipulative government, and politicians were forced to play the role of government publicists rather than reporters of facts. Then, at the beginning of 1990, change came and, for the first time, democracy was allowed. Albanians took their facts into their own hands, and anyone like me who visited Albania regularly could see that Albanian newspapers were independent. They expressed their freedom, at least through personal opinion. The difficulty lies in enabling citizens to understand what is fact, what is comment and what is personal opinion. A journalist’s skill lies in describing events clearly and accurately, using words and sentences that readers can readily understand. I have been a newspaper reporter for more than 40 years, and I am proud of my profession. That is why I do not like it when someone practices journalism in an unprofessional way. That is why I feel disappointed when I see that in Albania the standard I consider essential is not being applied by one of the Albanian newspapers. Journalists are very fortunate people. They have a profession that puts them at the heart of part of what is happening in the country. They have an opportunity not everyone has: To express themselves. And they must do so responsibly. Truth and accuracy are essential, and anything else that may be essential to an article should be checked by responsible editors. Making serious accusations such as those of corruption without supporting them with evidence, and accusing someone unjustly when that person has no opportunity to defend themselves, is unfair and makes you appear so. Those who write such things have no right to call themselves journalists: they are amateurs, and worse than their predecessors in the communist era. At least then the people knew what they were doing. What seems most important to me—and the reason I am writing this article—is that I know the impact journalists’ accusations have on readers in other countries. Albania urgently needs foreign investment. It will not receive it if foreign investors in developed countries read only about the situation in Albania and gloomy news. The final question I ask myself and others is: What is more important to these journalists, their personal ego or the future of their homeland, Albania?

READ D. KARAJ’S DOSSIER ON THE TIRANA - FILANTO SHOE FACTORY (Page 2)

IDRIZ KALI ON NESHAT TOZAJ’S FREQUENT MISSTEPS (Page 5)

On the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the birth (Page 6)

The final question I ask myself and others is: What is more important to these journalists, their personal ego or the future of their homeland, Albania? Look and see that everything has changed for the better. Not everything has fallen into place, since rebuilding takes time, but the important thing is that the country is moving in the right direction. In Albania, as in all true democracies, newspapers are free to express themselves, with little or no “interference” from the authorities. A free media is one of the most important supports of a democracy. Figuratively speaking, it is the people’s “watchdog.” A modern democracy cannot function properly without a well-informed electorate. And it is the media that keeps the people continuously supplied with information. The media is an indispensable part of a process of RESPONSIBILITY Just as they win and defend their freedom, the media must uphold high standards of accuracy, “putting” truth behind every word and conveying it in a balanced way. News must be clearly separated from comment, so readers can understand what is fact, what is commentary and what is personal opinion.