Interview with the Chairman of the BSDSH, Mr. Teodor Laço Today, the PSD congress It is led by Ramiz Alia’s WC man

The “successes” of the Nano Government—hunger, fires, killings and the exoduses of the dark year ’91 p. 3

Press conference by the Secretary General of the PDSH, Mr. Tritan Shehu Yesterday morning, at the PD headquarters, the Secretary General of the PD, Mr. Tritan Shehu, together with the Deputy Chairman of the PD, Mr. Ali Spahia, the Political Secretary, Mr. Ferdinand Xhaferi, and the Secretary for International Relations, Mr. Albert Brojka, held a press conference concerning the recent visits of the PDSH delegation to Italy and Germany, as well as other important issues in current Albanian politics. At the beginning, Mr. Tritan Shehu read a press release: “The PD delegation had the opportunity, over the course of two weeks and on the basis of invitations received, to make two very important visits to two friendly EU member countries: Italy and Germany. During these visits, it was possible, in a short time, to hold talks with leading figures of their most important political forces, with very senior government officials, and with leaders of mass-media organizations. During our two-day stay in Italy, we met Mr. Buglione, Mr. Fini, Mr. Casini, Mr. Caputo, Mr. Fassino, Mr. Andreata, and others. Thus, the meetings were [text incomplete]. In Germany, the two-day meetings included politicians from the main political forces across the entire spectrum, from Mr. Hincke of the CDU to Mr. Hofman of the SPD, including the Liberal Party and the CSU, as well as a separate meeting with Mr. Gensher and one with Mr. Languth, Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In the German Parliament, we were invited by the Secretary General of the joint CDU parliamentary group, Neubert, and others. What stood out everywhere in the discussions held in both countries was Italy’s and Germany’s full support for Albania, for the development of the democratic reforms under way, for its full integration into European structures, provided it continues along the path it has embarked upon, and for a resolution of the Kosovo issue within democratic principles.” The Socialists will punish privatization The Socialist leadership is in the process of fully developing its anti-privatization theory. It has announced it at all meetings and conferences of the Socialist Party in the districts. What remains to be drawn up is how the nationalization law will operate. Naturally, there is ample and effective experience of this in Albania. It is enough to go back to 1946, and everything is ready. Here is what was declared at the third conference of the Socialist Party in Saranda: “We will review the entire privatization process. We will take property away from the fanatics of the Democratic Party. We will also review the consequences of Article 24/1.” This is not merely a directive from the Socialist branch in Saranda; it is an option announced by the Socialist leader at all the party’s district conferences, stated repeatedly in their press, and also clearly represented in the electoral program they presented some time ago. Capitalism is in the Socialists’ sights, to the point of completely dismantling the structures that sustain this system. Albanians who did not live through ’46 will have the chance to turn their calendars back fifty years as soon as they cast their votes for the Socialists. But it should not be forgotten that one year later came what is called “the year of rationing.” The Socialists are not telling the whole story. Deprivatization began as propaganda initially directed against the fanatics of the Democratic Party. Who are the “fanatics”? The Democratic Party has restored property to former owners, people robbed by the communist regime for decades. Property has been restored to peasants who had owned land for generations and to those who had owned none. Privatization has been given priority for former prisoners and people politically persecuted. They have received property and compensation for the punishments inflicted on them by the dictatorship. Democratic governance has not divided property into socialist property and socialist property. (The latter term makes no sense in the Albanian socialist context, because they recognize only state property.) Property and privatization have not been turned into ideology, as the Socialist leader wants to do with the greatest achievement of these four years. The impact of social problems in the countryside during these years has been substantially reduced as a result of property being returned. Likewise, the return of property in cities has alleviated unemployment and the housing problem. Above all, freedom to create and earn has been achieved, as have new types of business for Albanians; becoming wealthy has emerged as a normal phenomenon in a capitalist country. Thus, the Democratic Party’s newspaper [text corrupted: “gazetika e Partisë Demokratike mbeten të jenë pothuajse të gjithë shqiptarët”]. [The following sentence is also corrupted in the source:] “Elle me logjikën e socializmit që kanë bërë Italinë për të matur në favor të shtetit përsonal, fanatikë të Partisë Demokratike janë edhe anëtarë të Partisë Socialiste që jo vetëm janë bërë pronarë por edhe më shumë.” Playing with property means playing with the system. If property is touched, the capitalist system is touched, as is Albania’s future in the market economy—a future reflected in the country’s growing development and its progress toward integration into European currents. Democracy is an equal opportunity for everyone. The tendency to turn Albania back into a country of the favored and the despised is the Marxist logic of creating classes with social differences. key political forces, including the Liberal Party and the CSU, and separate meetings with Mr. Gensher and Mr. Languth, Chairman of the Konrad Adenhauer Foundation. In the German Parliament, they were invited by the Secretary-General of the joint CDU-CSU parliamentary group. Other very important meetings were with the Minister of State for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Hardtl, and the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. During our two-day stay in Italy, we met with Mr. Buttiglione, and others. Thus, the meetings covered the entire Italian political spectrum, from the left to the centre-right. In addition, we met with several leading figures in the Italian mass media. Now that the facts about Serbian financing of the SP and “KJ” have been confirmed and reported by several press agencies, newspapers and magazines renowned in Europe, many other facts within the country convince us that the accusations against the SP and “KJ” are true; therefore, everything must be uncovered very soon. (Continued on page 2)

During the meeting, the very good and friendly relations between our two countries and the need to expand and deepen them in all fields were emphasized. The Croatian Foreign Minister conveyed to President Berisha the greetings of Croatia’s President Tuxhman and stressed that Croatia supports respect for the rights of Albanians in Kosovo. President Berisha, for his part, expressed Albania’s support for Croatia’s territorial integrity and sent his warm greetings to President Tuxhman.

The Italian news agency Adnkronos raises another suspicion concerning Serbian funding for the Albanian Socialists and the newspaper “KJ”. Today, the Serbian Chetnik extremist Zeljko Raznjatoviç, known as “Commander Arkan”, may be behind these black funds. The Italian news agency Adnkronos reports Is Arkan behind the Socialist black funds? may be behind these black funds. Adnokronos revisits the facts about Serbian funding, stressing that, according to the documents, the money is being used for a neocommunist plot aimed at maintaining dominance over Kosovo and returning the Communists to power in Albania.

According to the BBC The SP is financed by the Serbian Socialists Sources in Belgrade confirm the shocking scandal The scandal of Serbian funding has also been confirmed by another source. Qerim Iliazi, chairman of the Serbian Renewal Party for Dragash, says that he learned from private sources in Belgrade that the Socialist Party of Serbia is financing the Socialist Party of Albania. Iliazi says that this fact was also confirmed to him by several friends he met in Prizren, who have close ties to the Albanian Socialist Party. This news was reported by BBC correspondent Muharrem Nitaj.

As we have been informed by the ADP, yesterday representatives of the PAD and PDK submitted a request to Mr. Albert Brojka, the ADP secretary for foreign relations, to jointly sign the invitation addressed to the Christian Democratic Union. Mr. Brojka rejected this request, explaining that the ADP has regular, constant and very good relations with the Christian Democratic Union. These relations have also been strengthened through the services and visits made by various ADP delegations. However, the ADP refuses to sign a joint request with the PAD to a party seeking to join European organisations of the centre and centre-right while, at the same time, having joined a far-left front within Albania. The ADP cannot cooperate in any way with parties in the Red Front and is convinced that the European Christian Democratic Union, when informed of these facts, will also reject any request from the PAD. “RD” correspondent

Agreement signed with the French side The small Balkan country of Albania will receive its gold reserves, seized from the Germans by the Allies during the Second World War, which were blocked after an incident between Britain and Albania. Albanian Finance Minister Dylber Vrioni and the French ambassador to Albania, Lui Dominici, signed an agreement yesterday for the return of the gold, which has been held in British vaults for 52 years. The gold will be returned to Albania by the end of next month, Vrioni said, describing the agreement as an important political act for Albania. “This is further proof that Albania has broken with its communist past,” he stressed. The agreement marks the end of a half-century-long story concerning the fate of 2,454 kilograms of gold, transported from Rome and held in reserve in Germany by the Germans during 1944. The gold later fell into Allied hands. Britain and the United States signed similar agreements with Albania in 1992 and 1995, respectively. Together with France, they were members of a three-party commission established in 1944 to administer the Albanian gold. The Allies refused to return the gold following the incident in the Corfu Channel. Britain accused the Albanian regime of the time of laying mines, and in 1949 the International Court of Justice in The Hague confirmed Albania’s responsibility. For 50 years Albania refused to accept responsibility, but after the fall of communism in 1990, the new democratic government in Tirana declared that it accepted the Court’s ruling. Both sides also regarded the signing of the agreement as a political act.

Clarification by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance The press spokesperson at the Ministry of Finance, regarding the issue of the cigarette factory in Durrës, clarifies: For some time, the Ministry of Finance has been following the claims of both parties to the dispute, the owners and the employees of this factory. The legal proceedings concerning this factory and some of its former owners are still open; the factory has been connected and has begun operating. Along with their concerns, the Ministry has also contacted the employees of this enterprise in particular to obtain information. The commotion being made in the press has no basis whatsoever.

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