President Berisha at the meeting with intellectuals and citizens of Berat For Albanian society to develop successfully, first and foremost the human being must stand at the center of all reforms. Sali Berisha continued yesterday in Berat the pre-electoral campaign with the aim of presenting the PDSH program in these elections. According to the press office announcement, at the meeting with intellectuals and citizens of this district, Berisha pointed out that in these five years Albania is entering its second century, as a society in which the intellectual class will play an extraordinary role. This, he said, based on the reforms of recent years, is also reflected in the consolidation of the values of freedom and democracy, economic freedom and freedom of speech, placing the Albanian at the center of the state's attention, etc. Emphasizing that the goal of PDSH governance in the next four years is to ensure a better and happier life for every Albanian, Berisha said it is very important to bring Albanians into the currents of contemporary development. In this sense, he focused attention on the whole activity of reforms that help achieve this objective. Calling for greater effort in further emancipating Albanians so that they move more securely on the road to Europe, Berisha noted that people need to know their own qualities better, the reality in which they live, as well as the efforts being made to approach it. According to Berisha, in these years the written and electronic media play a primary role in making Albanians more aware of the challenges of the time. Berisha highlighted the importance of affirming women in political, economic, and social life as well. Valuing their emancipation and participation in civic life as an important moment, he said that Albanian women must be given the opportunity to take part in public life in a more comprehensive way. Berisha said that in this framework, especially in rural areas and the outskirts, the issue of women remains one of the most delicate. Touching on the problems of education, President Berisha considered the positive effects of the profound reform undertaken in this field to be extraordinarily large for the country. Referring to the greater opportunities that school should create for directing girls and boys toward the profiles needed by Albanian society, Berisha said that a greater effort is required in guiding them. He also dwelled on the need to increase care for the elderly and people in need, saying that the government will create every opportunity for them to have a better life. Berisha also spoke about the fruitful work done within the framework of property owners and political persecuted persons, in order to make them more part of life and the reforms in the country. During this meeting, President Berisha also addressed PDSH’s position toward the religious community in Albania, saying that the Albanian government will fully respect religious freedom as one of the fundamental human rights. Also yesterday, President Berisha held a meeting with residents of several areas of Berat, where he listened to their concerns and promised that the government would work with greater dedication to solve them.

“Our today’s celebration was incomplete without the socialists [...]. Let us rejoice in the great victory we will achieve on 20 October and with the heritage of the Democratic Party, because the victory of 20 October will be historic for Berat and for all Albania.” This is what the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, said to the citizens of Berat at yesterday’s rally held in one of the city’s main neighborhoods. “I am pleased by this political life that is unfolding before you so freely, I am pleased by the civic spirit [...]. Let us rejoice that every day we are building more bridges of rapprochement with Europe. Let us rejoice that we are moving with a smiling face toward the elections of 20 October. Together with the government you have chosen and will choose, with the government to which you have given your soul, the fate of humanity, freedom and the future,” Berisha said. The President of the country said that the PDSH government’s aim and ideal is to serve every Albanian. “I stand for an Albanian society of value, oriented toward the market economy, social peace and anti-corruption [...]. Every Albanian has the right to enjoy the fruits of the reforms and the welfare created, because at the center of this government’s policy has been the human being.” Berisha made these statements during a rally held in Berat, in which he took part together with local PDSH leaders.

Symposium with representatives from around the world in Albania [partially illegible title]. As part of the strengthening of relations between police structures and their international counterparts, a symposium was held in Tirana with the participation of representatives from several countries around the world. At this meeting, the problems of the fight against crime were addressed, especially the measures for preventing murders and serious criminal acts. The participants emphasized the need for closer cooperation between domestic and foreign structures in order to prevent criminal offenses. During the discussions, the Karasanesun[?] case was mentioned, as well as other sensitive public security issues. It was requested that the law be enforced without amnesty and with determination against the perpetrators of crimes.

PS attempts to bribe Pjetër Zamoni Release 100 million lek false for PS “Two exponents of the PS, very close to Servet Pëllumbi, have offered me around 100 million lire to change the list in favor of PS...” At today’s meeting before the Parliamentary Police Commission, PDSH deputy and former Interior Minister of the Meksi government, Zani Caushi[?], publicly accused two exponents of the Socialist Party of having offered him a large sum of money to manipulate a list in favor of the PS. According to the statement, the persons involved are very close to Servet Pëllumbi. The matter has been described as a political scandal and an immediate investigation has been requested. [The text in the narrow columns is partially illegible]

The SPO communiqué states that “the representative of the Albanian Socialist Party, Namik Doke, who has paid the guest-speakers must commit himself to correcting and reforming himself and others who are driven by the ideology and communist destiny, in which he is found from the socialist history of Serbia” Vuk Drashkoviq confirms the financing of Albanian socialists from Belgrade EDI VALOKA Through a statement to the Serbian media, the leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, Vuk Drashkoviq, accused the Socialist Party of Albania of conducting a campaign of disinformation and slander against him, in order to divert the attention of Albanian public opinion from the ties it has with Belgrade. “Instead of asking forgiveness from Albanians for the crimes, expulsions and terror carried out against them, especially the population of Kosovo, the communist nomenklatura of Albania, starting with the head of the Socialist Party, has launched a campaign of disinformation against me,” says Mr. Drashkoviq’s statement. He adds that the accusations raised against him by the Albanian socialists are part of a strategy to hide their cooperation with circles in Belgrade. “The Albanian Socialist Party, which for decades has been tied to the Yugoslav communist nomenklatura, is trying to present itself as a democratic force, while in reality it still maintains ideological and financial ties with the old structures,” Drashkoviq says. The communiqué further emphasizes that the Albanian socialists have misused the funds that came from Serbia for propaganda and party purposes. According to him, these funds were used to support campaigns that run counter to Albanian national interests. Drashkoviq calls on Albanian intellectuals and public opinion not to fall prey to manipulation. He underscores that the future of Albania and Kosovo cannot be built on the communist legacy and ties with Belgrade. At the end of the statement, he demands that the Albanian socialists clearly distance themselves from their past and accept moral and political responsibility for the damage caused. (Continues on page 6) Vuk Drashkoviq Namik Doke

Former member of the PAD Assembly, Albert Karriqi:

Conversation with the artist photographer Pirro Naçe p. 7

4 “Glances” and (Continues on page 3)