Albania is seen in the eyes of Europeans as better than in the eyes of some Albanians who stand on the left. This was one of the many conclusions reached by European parliamentarians after the numerous meetings they held with all political forces, government officials, and senior representatives of the justice system and the country. So, before ordinary Albanians there appeared two images: one obscurantist image projected by the Albanian opposition and mainly by the socialists; the other, from the government side and the other democratic forces, which is reality itself. The deputies of the Council of Europe, caught between these two realities presented at the Albanian negotiating tables, came to understand that in Albania a reality prevails that looks to the future, a democratic reality, being convinced of the value of the democratic forces' option. This is the case of the last four visits by foreigners, which shows that Albanian socialists and other leftists are isolated in the "way" they present to Albanians before things move forward. Now they are isolated not only because of their theory, which leans toward Marxism, but also practically because of the false observations they have repeatedly conveyed through protests, memoranda and resolutions devised in their offices in Tirana to important international bodies such as the Council of Europe. Socialists are now dismissed as untrustworthy. This is not the fault of ordinary socialists who believe in the European social-democratic ideal, but the result of the transformation of a Marxist leadership at the head of the Socialist Party. Columberg and Finsberg spoke without reservations about democratic developments in Albania, making it clear that the Socialist Party of Albania is not at fault for seeking its own path, but for an Albania with greater chances of rapid integration. The fact that all the socialists' conclusions on reform in Albania were set aside as unfounded and false means that the socialists have also been left out of the integration process. According to information with the statements of the two Council of Europe rapporteurs, the European station "Euronews" declared that Albanian socialists have been reformed, distinguishing them from Polish, Czech and Hungarian socialists. Even for a law much attacked by the left opposition, such as the one on genocide, Finsberg, a man so realistic and Albanian, far removed from the communist world, finds it more legitimate than to provide compensation. Once again the socialists remained on the side of the past. By attacking as demagoguery of the party in power all the achievements of the democratic government and the democratic state, the socialists have now entered their own legalized demagoguery. The Council of Europe rapporteur is not grateful to this Maxit, nor to a Democratic Party deputy, nor to a member of this party. They come from Europe and bring a European vision. This is also the major difference between their view on the opening of democracy in Albania and the position from which the Socialist Party, Democratic Alliance, and Social Democratic Party view reform. Nano is an Albanian citizen and has enjoyed all the rights of such a citizen, and likewise has enjoyed all the rights as an Albanian. Brozi rose to the highest level of the judicial system in Albania, not to abuse this power but to be correct in its exercise. For both Council of Europe deputies, the legal and democratic procedures that convicted Nano or dismissed Brozi from office are now clear and have been considered normal. It has now been fully verified by Europeans that Albania is moving toward Europe, while for Albanians it has been verified that the left is moving toward its communist origins.

President Berisha held a meeting with the chairmen of the PD branches Yesterday at the headquarters of the Democratic Party, the President of the Republic Sali Berisha held a meeting with all the chairmen of the PD district branches. Present were the Secretary General of the PD Tritan Shehu and the vice-chairmen of the party Engjëll Hysi, Bexhari and Tomor Dosti. President Berisha, among other things, emphasized at this meeting that the year 1995 was decisive for the implementation of the PD electoral program and for Albania's achievements, with such a high appraisal not only among the electorate that voted for the PD in 1992, but also from many heads of state, leaders of institutions, experts and prominent specialists in different countries of the world. And in an equally great ranking, thought Hue, said the president, there is also the substantial improvement of work and the consolidation of PD structures during 1995. PD was admitted to the EDU and today it has the support of the parties and heads of state of the greatest countries of Europe and the world. It is now a renewed party and over four years it created useful experience in leadership, governance, and victory with the Albanian intelligentsia, scholars, experts and specialists. So the PD will sign the new pact with the Albanian electorate with more confidence, more determination than ever in its victory and implementation, with many more friends and allies at home and abroad than ever before. It is of great importance that the PD draft its program based on the principles of preserving the pace and the social dimension, defining concrete and purposeful tasks, fields and regions. But the response of culture, based on arguments and on what has been accomplished and what climate and the expansion of new alliances will accomplish, including the categorical exclusion of left and right extremists, is now our most immediate task. From the worrying internal developments of life, we note that the President, the domination at the head of today's opposition by divisive and extremist elements who have blocked all possibilities for reforming the PS, are pushing it ever more and isolating this party day by day. They are radicalizing not only its positions but also the actions of its satellites. The expulsion of the malëshovists was the merciless blow of the Nano-Ruçi binomial and the hopes of the reformers of this party. The European left party, after seeing such extreme escalation, found no reason, indeed received no explanation for this action, understood that this was about anti-democratic methods of eliminating people from the position of those who now lead in the PS, and through their representatives brought to Albania the clear message that a moderate Albanian left must be created, and clearly stated that they would not heed either the dogmatists or the conservatives who have seized the leadership of the PS and its satellites and have left only their puppets there. Mr. Tritan Shehu, in his speech, focused on the concrete implementation of duties by the PD branches in the districts and on the work carried out in the sections. He congratulated more than 10,000 new members who joined the PD in recent months, and he also congratulated the PD branch in Durrës as well as all those AD members who joined the PD.

The American Republican Institute on the upcoming elections in Albania Unlike in other Eastern European countries, in Albania there are greater chances for the Democratic Party to prevent the return to power of the former communists, emphasized Peter Dickinson, representative of the International Republican Institute in Albania, in a discussion organized by the International Republican Institute on problems of democracy in Eastern Europe, including Albania. Dickinson said that the parliamentary elections to be held in Albania this year will be vitally important, unlike in the other countries of the communist East. He said the Democratic Party in Albania achieved a landslide victory in the 1992 elections, so it did not need to undergo much in order to create coalitions. The program in Albania, Dickinson said, has been to work with democratic forces in efforts to soften them and make them capable of competing in the upcoming elections. These elections, says Dickinson, will be the first test of how much success the Democratic Party has had in Albania. Albanians, Peter Dickinson stressed, are very pro-Western, therefore the Democratic Party has the opportunity to prevent the return of the former communists. Mr. Dickinson says that the International Republican Institute will work with democratic forces to show them how to run a modern party and a modern election campaign.

The Balluku dossier The minutes of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PPSH, dated 2 and 3 July 1974 p. 7

PS Precisely on the day that the reformist wing lost power within the party and the prospect of influencing even slightly the party's future affairs, Mr. Nano-Ruçi emerged and, following the Enverist practice, began eliminating his closest collaborators, who at one time had risen to the leadership of the Socialist Party. The first to sense this were the conservative leaders, who had contributed greatly to the elimination of their reformist colleagues. p. 3

This week's interview Interview with the distinguished intellectual from Kosovo Azem Shkreli p. 4

p. 3

Shame and shamelessness belong to those people who speak on the political stage from the toilet; that is an insult. I have not, Mr. Gjinushi, been among the students of December who fought the battle against the dictator and the dictatorship with their government. I was not, even in the history of Albania and Europe, shamelessly, you included me in Ramiz Alia's toilet and from that toilet you engage in talks with the leaders of opposition parties who do not represent the government. RD stated categorically that the government deserves respect and considers your presence in the Albanian Parliament shameful. There is something elementary that, for the sake of a camera and television, crosses every form of honesty like the dog from the dictator's toilet. At this meeting you are the man of Enver's toilet defenses and his name. Therefore, all of us are telling you: if you still have a little dignity and are not totally disfigured, go back, go to the gate from which you came out.

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