GENC POLLO

President Berisha attends the traditional Mass Now freed once and for all from the satanic chains of dictatorship and Hoxhaist atheism, hundreds of thousands of believers travelled on 12 and 13 June 1995 from all regions of Albania and came to the Church of Saint Ndue in Laç to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of the “Working Saint,” which for eight centuries has been the symbolic place of salvation and rest for all Albanian Catholics. The black bunkers lining the roads that lead to this blessed place are a macabre reminder of the time we have left behind. A few moments before the Holy Mass began, the Bishop of Tirana and Durrës, Monsignor Rrok Mirdita, said, among other things, that five years earlier, in June 1990, the mass media would have called these pilgrimages youth excursions. “Today,” Monsignor Rrok Mirdita addressed the believers, “before we begin the liturgical celebration of this great feast for all the Albanian people and for the whole of Catholicism in the world, I have the special pleasure and privilege of warmly welcoming our President, the President of the Republic of Albania, Dr. Sali Berisha, the President of the

SAINT NDUE, PRAY FOR US of their people and their country. God heard these prayers, and today Albanians are free and Albania is a country of free faiths. Glory to God! Religious tolerance—the most precious message the Albanian nation conveys to European civilization Brothers and sisters, I have come here today to Honored Monsignor Rrok Mirdita, Esteemed clergy, Dear brothers and sisters, pilgrims, First of all, I must express my deepest condolences to the Mirdita families who lost their loved ones in the Gziq accident, and wish the injured a speedy recovery. From the bottom of my heart, I pray that God will help us all to Photo: A. DHIMITRI

(ZP, June 10, ’95) We singled out this statement by Dritero Agolli in Saranda, published in “ZP” on June 10, 1995, for several reasons. On several occasions, PSSH leaders have declared at meetings in various districts that they will annul the privatization process if they come to power. Some of these statements—not all—have been published in ZP; they have also been repeated in declarations and are being made increasingly often at meetings where representatives of the mass media are absent. The newspaper “RD” has challenged these statements, but communist propaganda has at times been forced to deny them and at other times to refine and downplay their dimensions. Agolli’s statement comes from a member of the SP leadership, one of its deputies in the People’s Assembly. It comes from one of the SP leaders considered somewhat more liberal, a deputy who has dared to raise his hand in parliament contrary to the group’s instructions. It is therefore clear that the decision to annul the privatization process is a collective decision of the SP leadership; in this case, even an occasional “rebellious hand” obeys. Qualifiers such as “those” and “the mafia” do nothing other than provide Agolli—or the editor—with an answer that limits the scope of the annulment of privatization. They are simply propaganda devices. The SP leadership has openly stated in official declarations that it does not accept the privatization process, that it does not recognize the activity of the privatization boards, and that it has described the process of turning Albanians into owners as “plunder,” “theft,” etc. So the questions “which objects, what privatization will be annulled?” seem belated. The answer has been given: They will annul the privatization process. But what is new in Agolli’s statement is what will happen next. A man enamored of “the beard of Marxism” does not hesitate to answer: nationalization. “The SP will nationalize them tomorrow in order to re-privatize them.” Thus the SP, following Marxism in the tradition of the PPSH, will begin nationalizations. The new Albanian owners, the businesspeople, will be expropriated, and the state will become the owner. One of the most important elements of the reform—the divestment of the state in favor of ownership by individuals—will be turned into its opposite if the SP wins. In other words, if it wins, the SP leadership is offering Albanians state ownership. This is the basis for the statements about a centralized economy, a powerful state, “social care,” and so on. Albanians have experienced the state as the great and sole owner; they have experienced collective property and are able to easily distinguish it from private property, initiative, and business. On the other hand, the PSS’s alternative is to block reforms, turn back, and discard the sacrifices and achievements of the transition period. The anti-reformers who have usurped and lead the SP are destined to remain a minority. Let them indulge their nostalgia for cooperatives, state enterprises, and economic centralization in the works of the Father and the son. Albania has chosen its own path: democracy, the rule of law, and a market economy. If the phrase “in order to re-privatize them” were taken seriously, its only meaning would be: let us rob and plunder this people once again. Was half a century of plunder not enough? Was the dark year ’91 not enough, when they plundered, stole, and destroyed everything? This is the PSSH’s alternative. A.DARA the privatization process is a collective decision of the PS leadership; in this case, even a few “rebellious hands” will comply. The references to “them” and “the mafia” do nothing but represent an attempt by Agolli or the editor to vent.

Today, addressing the faithful, Monsignor Rrok Mirdita said: celebrated by all the Albanian people and by the entire Catholic world, I have the particular of the Republic of Albania, Dr. Sali Berisha, to this holy place. I also welcome the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Pjeter Arbnori; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Serreqi; the Minister of the Interior, Agron Musaraj; the Mayor of Kurbin, Zef Gjonaj; the Prefect of Kurbin, Mirdita and Lezha, Mr. Estref Hasani; and others.” President Berisha’s arrival at this holy place, among thousands of pilgrims, was greeted with prolonged applause. Monsignor Rrok Mirdita then expressed his condolences for the victims of the accident in Geziq, Mirdita, who had been on their way to take part in this Holy Mass. Giving a brief history of the arduous journey of the Albanian Church, His Excellency Monsignor Rrok Mirdita said, among other things, that faith is of the communist dictatorship, challenging darkness, violence, terror, persecution, camps, and imprisonment through the strength of their faith in God. Through their work, they testified that during the atheist tyranny in Albania, faith in God truly suffered and languished as never before in history, yet it was not defeated; this gathering best demonstrates that it triumphed over darkness. Albanian pilgrims in this holy place sought God’s help and prayed to Him to ease their suffering, and to honor together the noble virtue of the Albanian spirit, religious tolerance—the most precious message our nation and civilization convey to European and world civilization. Here, at Shen Ndue, for years and hundreds of years, people of different faiths have come from all corners of the country and together they pray for themselves and for Albania, thus bearing witness before Him not only to their great faith, but also (Continued on page 2)

A brief comment “ZP,” June 11, 1995: “President Berisha was the only head of state from the countries of Eastern Europe who had not been officially invited to the White House.” “Gazeta Shqiptare,” June 11, 1995: “This is the first time Berisha will visit the White House in his capacity as President of the Republic of Albania.” Were these drafted by a joint office, or is it a coincidence?

Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, received the Prefect of Tirana and a group of representatives from the villages of Zallmner, Bulçesh and Bruz, whose localities were submerged by the dam of the Bovilla lake. At this meeting, the representatives of these villages presented President Berisha, in a constructive spirit, with a series of requests that they consider essential for resolving their problem. President Berisha listened to them and assured them that the Government would meet their requests and that it fully understood the need to resolve as quickly and effectively as possible the problems caused by this displacement. Press and Information Office of the President

Yesterday at the PDSH headquarters Yesterday morning, the Secretary General of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu, the Vice-Chairman, Mr. Ali Spahia, and deputy Shaban Memia received four representatives of the hunger strikers in Lakras at the PDSH headquarters. The meeting was intended to provide direct information from both the strikers and the PDSH leadership about the demands over which the hunger strike is continuing. The strikers complained mainly about the structures and the district council and below, and the district council and below, ... PDSH Press and Information Office [The strikers called for] a speedy resolution of their problem by the PD structures, which “has been strongly supported in seeking a solution by the residents of this area.” After receiving the information, the PD leaders promised to establish a commission with representatives of the area’s deputies, the Democratic Party for the area, the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Control [Office]. They also requested and continue to call for attention to the strikers’ economic situation. PDSH Press and Information Office

At the invitation of Euro Merchant Bank S.A. in Thessaloniki, former U.S. President Mr. George Bush delivered a speech entitled “A Look at the World Today.” The event was held at the Vellidio Cultural Center in Thessaloniki. Several ambassadors from Balkan countries, as well as the ambassadors of the United States, England, the Russian Federation, etc., were invited to attend. The Albanian ambassador, Mr. Hysen Çabej, was also present. In his speech, he explained that Euro Merchant Bank S.A. was opening its branch in Thessaloniki. The bank’s recent activities have been aimed at expanding financial and economic cooperation in the region. The bank has established the Eurobank Forum, whose activity is the creation of a democratic space in Greece and the region. The opening speech was delivered by Dr. Laçi, a multimillionaire. The forum has organized several activities, including a meeting with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; it has created the Euro-Balkan Development Fund for the region, organized a meeting with Prime Minister Papandreu, and, most recently, it was this forum that invited Bush to deliver his speech in Thessaloniki. Mr. Laçi emphasized the importance that

SAMI MILLOSHI As it has emerged from the press, Neritan Ceka also took part in the “test” of the PS’s “creation” (which, to be precise, was on the fourth anniversary of the 10th Congress of the I(??)P). “Gazeta Shqiptare” brings out the announcement in its marketplace corner: “Meanwhile, only Ceka of the PAD, a parliamentary party, had responded to their celebration.” Meanwhile, the newspaper “KJ,” in political parlance, asserts that “the Socialists’ eyes were not at all bothered by the blue of PAD chairman Neritan Ceka, the only one of the parliamentary party chairmen who attended the celebration.” Of course, everyone has the right to choose whether to attend the parties they host. But that does not mean that the parties can change certain elementary truths. It is known, for example, that the parliamentary parties are PD, PS, PSD, PR, and PBDNJ. A number of deputies who formed PAI, PD, after the elections of March 22, 1992, are legally independent deputies. Or, put differently, they are former PD deputies who secured their parliamentary seats through its name. Ceka’s participation in the so-called “creation” celebration of the PS, meanwhile, surprises no one. What stands out is that he attended the PS’s lonely celebration, where, for reasons known only to him, Gjinushi was absent. In any case, neither the organizers nor “the only Ceka” can so easily strip away the makeup from the PS with the glasses of champagne left in R. Alia’s drinks minibar. Nor does anyone believe the possible excuse for Gjinushi’s absence. (Continued on page 8)

Within one month -16% more votes for Berlusconi than in the last local elections -No permanent winners or losers -The Albanian left-wing press in mourning silence The result of the local elections in Italy, which marked a victory for the left, seemed to leave the leader of the center-right, Silvio Berlusconi, on the losing side. But very soon, the voting held this Sunday showed that the electorate’s position had changed again, and the recent victors became the defeated, once more falling short of the predictions. Although the fact that on Sunday people voted on the fate of FININVEST seemed to distance the issue somewhat from politics, in reality the Italian electorate’s votes were political votes, since the political parties conducted a genuine electoral campaign for “Yes” and “No” in these referendums, which ultimately gave Berlusconi 16% more votes than in the local elections. Berlusconi’s victory on Sunday was rightly described not simply as a personal victory for him, but as a shift in favor of the center-right. Following this victory, Berlusconi asserted that parliamentary elections should be held in Italy, at least in the autumn, as had also been proposed and agreed. The facts of One of the most important elements of the reform, the transfer of state property into the ownership of individuals, will be turned into its opposite if the PS wins. That is, in the event of its victory, the PS leadership is offering Albanians state ownership. This is where they intend to rob this people once again. Was half a century of robbery not enough? Was 1991 not enough, when they robbed, stole, and destroyed everything? This is the PSSH’s alternative. E.P.

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PS leadership threatens democracy