Editorial A great deception The Socialist Party voluntarily gives up integration into Europe An isolated party cannot integrate Albania After Fassino’s statements about the Albanian Socialist Party, the accusations against that party intensified rapidly. They, to remain standing, finding themselves completely exposed before a bitter truth, the old communist and unreformed cadres of this party, who have blamed it on him, through which they present these statements as manipulations of official propaganda, thus insisting that public opinion is witnessing a great deception. The fact that Fassino continued to repeat his statements even in the independent press and even in the newspaper “ZP” itself further deepened the confusion and disorientation of the “red” leaders. To speak out against the Socialist Party was not the act of a leader of a right-wing political force, but of the chairman of the Socialist International committee for the countries of Eastern Europe, one of the relations with the Italian PDS party. Faced with such a shocking reality for the PS, according to the old Stalinist model, they did not spare Mr. Fassino from accusations. Majko stated that he had come to Albania to do political business. (typical Bolshevik-style insult) while another leader of that party, Luan Hajdaraga, admitted that “the Socialist Party has never sought admission to the Socialist International”, thus admitting that for the PS integration into Europe had always been presented to the world capitalist revisionist system as a devilish hell, while socialist Albania was a paradise descended from heaven to earth. This great deception that has been done to the Albanian public, systematically for several years, surely has a certain strategy. The party of this devilish propaganda thought it would be able to fool the Albanian people as well, by hiding crude and distorted masks, the faces of the real Stalinists. They thought that with Fatos Nano, a common thief of fiscal theft, a convicted ordinary criminal for theft, with the former interior minister Gramoz Ruçi accused of crimes resulting in death in defense of the Marxist demands of Servet Pëllumbi and the LKA, they could, through lies, mask the truth, because they were so enormous that no one would see them. But for Fassino, as well as for the overwhelming majority of the political forces of all European left-wing politicians, the Albanian socialists were openly told, “change the leadership,” adopt a social-democratic program (the PS is advised to listen to the Marxists), reform yourselves and when the public supports the Democratic Party as a serious political force, the socialists were forced themselves to recognize the isolation of the “terrible” one, an isolation which through their fiery propaganda they have tried to impose on Albania as well, having during these three years and as signatories, with the European structures and international organizations, demonstrated strongly again that they have failed in all their efforts, as they have strongly opposed everything that institutionalizes or justifies crime in the brand of Albania. Albanian socialists, by isolating themselves voluntarily, through deception tried and were trying to impose their own isolation on Albania. Because, yes, Nano, Ruçi, Pëllumbi, Doko, Albania cannot offer you any other alternative except isolation

Sir John Birch, director of the British Central and Eastern Europe Association, has expressed support for the Albanian anti-genocide law, which temporarily excludes from the country’s political life senior officials of the regime implicated in crimes and directly responsible for them. He has said that those with criminal responsibility in the dictatorial past cannot hold public responsibility in the democratic present. As we learn from an official source, Mr. Birch made this statement at a meeting with Albanian diplomats. The British Central and Eastern Europe Association is a governmental association that promotes political ties, cultural exchanges, and links with Great Britain and the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. Sir John Birch, a former senior official of the Foreign Office, the British Foreign Ministry, covered Albania for a long time and recently served for six years as London’s ambassador in Budapest.

To condemn the crime or to defend it is a matter of morality, and in this case there is no place for political convictions. Condemning this crime proves the civility of Albanians ILIR SECI ARBEN PRENDI P. 2

Being so unprepared to secure even a gram of morality, only a little, enough at least to be, Tozaj takes on what perhaps even the victims he has created would not take on. He is sure that he cannot get any dirtier. He has done enough that he no longer understands that it is time to keep the mud so that at least he remains wrapped in it, so that people do not recognize him. Not to curse him as Neshat but as mud, or as a mark. In the end, Neshat no longer exists, only his mud does. Very few people would have time to deal with him P. 2

In the parliamentary committees on Defense, Public Order and SHIK, and on Laws PS deputies oppose the law on “the checking of the official’s background...” PS deputies, who are members of the parliamentary committees on Defense, Public Order and SHIK, and on Laws, opposed the “Law on the Checking of the official’s background,” expressing themselves against the opening of the files. They repeated their demand that the seven-member commission for verifying the background of the senior political official should be made up of representatives of different political parties. A member of the committee on laws declared that this law is not a law for opening files but a law that guarantees a clean democratic state. They accused the fact that it had been Socialist deputies who had insisted some time ago on the opening of the files. The claim by Socialist deputies for a commission made up of representatives of political parties was opposed with the argument of experience in other post-communist countries. The members, being state representatives because this is an executive matter, it was said in the above parliamentary committees. In both committees it was assessed that the law protects the democratic state from figures incriminated under the dictatorship, that it serves the opposition itself for renewal, that it is among those laws that makes the final separation of democracy from dictatorship

Sleeping with Marx, the Socialist opposition dreams of “wild capitalism” JEMIN GJANA Member of Parliament P. 3

Work with young people, away from political labels and clichés Strengthening the spiritual ties of young people with education The National Council of FRPD met The Youth Forum of the Democratic Party reaffirmed yesterday, at the expanded meeting of the National Council held in Tirana, that it will put forward its candidacies in the upcoming elections both at the level of the electoral races as deputies in the People’s Assembly and in those for local government. The leader of the democratic youth, the second-year student and one of the founders of this form, Arlind Ariani, spoke in a coordinated manner highly on this bold action, emphasizing that the youth candidacies will make verbal contributions to the opposition in the race for the next victory. Mr. Krasniqi pointed out that in the victories so far, when in the last PD elections young people made up 34% of the leadership of the district branches, we will aim to have a representation that is both dignified and in the upcoming elections, where young people according to all surveys are the most liked in all these communities. The president of the Youth Forum called for the young people’s collaborators in the candidacy to work with young people in spirit, citing as an example “The Youth of the blue space.” Today, Mr. Krasniqi stressed, around 20% of Albanian voters are young, and this mass will undoubtedly decide the fate of the upcoming elections. Therefore, he continued, let us call, let us talk with young people of spirit, away from slogans and political labels, to whom the young people of spirit, through our forum, should develop diverse activities outside political stereotypes, which the youth does not like. In the welcoming speech of the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Mr. Tritan Shehu, they said that this is an optimistic note for the future, but also a belief that the youth of democracy are gaining greater support, based on the fact that “Without us we are lost” in the leadership and in the future. (Continues on page 2)