Speech by Mr. Tritan Shehu Chairman of the PDSH Page 2

Speech by Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi

Speech by President Berisha at the enlarged National Council of the Democratic Party -The government must study, through a special commission, the extent of the damage caused to each social group and individual family, and determine possible ways of alleviating the problems created by these losses. The affected families must know well that they will have our solidarity; they will be helped through employment in the public or private sector, in cooperation with that sector. Conditions facilitating private activities must be created and offered to these families, including the financing of their private activities by state banks; local authorities must facilitate and encourage the private activity of these families in this regard. As for frozen deposits and other assets, if the activity is proven to have been primary [sic] or fraudulent, then, through entirely legal and transparent procedures, every penny must be returned to citizens together with interest; and, should they wish, these citizens must be offered substantial facilities, individually or in groups, to invest the deposited money in the economy. It is also essential to assist individual initiatives to establish Albanian private banks or create investment funds. Albania will have ... were of a scale Parliament, to hear the voice of [the electorate?], the improvement of them and the making of new laws, and also the organization of free zones, which I think should extend not to one or two, but to

Albania will have

Decisions of the PD National Activity 1. The laws on decentralization and increasing the autonomy of local government in decision-making, administration of revenues and expenditures, projects, etc., are to be submitted to Parliament at the beginning of February; 2. Albania, the country with the lowest taxes, is to achieve a complete turnaround within the next three months in the collection of taxes and duties in the country, in accordance with the state budget forecasts. 3. The privatization of medium-sized enterprises is to be completed within this year, and the privatization of all large enterprises is to begin: banks, energy, mines and Telekom. 4. This year, the number of students in higher education institutions is to increase by 5% compared with 1995. The grounds of the former Party School are to be turned into a new university center; the entire student-city complex is to be reorganized. 5. The program to increase employees’ wages is to be implemented, along with their adjustment in line with price increases. A government commission is to be established to study the scale of the consequences of the failure of pyramid enterprises and determine comprehensive measures to ease those consequences for the families and groups affected by this phenomenon. 6. The cities in which free zones will be established are to be announced, their territories determined, laws and regulations for these zones set out, and operations in these zones commenced. 7. Parliament is to be asked to declare May 9 Mother’s Day. 8. All structures of the Democratic Party, as well as state institutions, are to engage in a broad campaign against crime and for the enforcement of the law. 9. The role of PD structures at every level is to be strengthened so that they can play a more active role in accelerating the development of reforms and explaining them everywhere. 10. Better coordination of cooperation is to be achieved between party structures and state bodies at all levels elected by the votes of our electorate, with an ever-greater awareness and sense of responsibility for implementing our program. 11. The current two-month period is to be an intensive working period for consolidating and expanding all our structures, starting from the most remote section, as a preparatory condition for the election campaign at branch level, which must begin in the spring.

First, I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all those hundreds of thousands of activists, members and voters of the Democratic Party who, through their commitment and dedication, turned 1996 into the year of democracy’s greatest victory—a victory that crowned not only the success of the Democratic Party’s four-year program, which brought Albania to the forefront of Europe’s economic growth, but which, through its great electoral victories, also flung open the gates to democracy and prosperity in Albania in the 2000s. During 1996, Albanians, unlike any other people, voted in two plebiscites for the same political force, the Democratic Party and its program. But while the Albanian electorate’s trust in and appreciation of the Democratic Party and its program were unparalleled in scale, today I must say that our responsibility—the responsibility of the Government, Parliament and all institutions, of the Democratic Party and all its structures, from the leadership to the sections—is extraordinary. In these years we built the framework of laws for the rule-of-law state. Now it is imperative that we consolidate the laws, implement them and ensure the smooth functioning of the state. In these years, through our program, we broke away from misery and entered the market economy. In the years ahead, we must overcome poverty and enjoy the prosperity we deserve. In these years, we have advanced towards Europe in giant strides. The coming years must be the years of our rapid integration into the continent to which we belong. 1997 is the decisive year for achieving these objectives. To that end, it is crucial that we commit ourselves to rigorously implementing the reforms and laws, improving them and enacting new laws. 1997 is a decisive year, one of great importance, for the country’s Constitution. We are determined to give the country a constitution; we are determined to respect our constitutional laws, to remain open, to cooperate with the Council of Europe, and to be ready for compromise with the other political forces. But when, years ago, the parties of the extreme left decided to provoke early elections by blocking Parliament through the Constitution, they were mistaken. At that time, we made it clear to them that Parliament would work until the last day of its term. Time proved the truth of what we said. Today, we tell you not to hope to provoke elections by blocking the Constitution. No. We are determined to give the country a Western constitution, and we do not want to exclude anyone from this process. On the contrary, we invite you to take your seats in Parliament, to hear the voice of the electorate that voted for you and the appeal of thousands of young people in Albania. I invite you to take part in this major act for democracy and Albania and, by playing an important role as co-drafters, to adopt the Constitution. Boycotting is self-exclusion; it is self-blocking. Albania will have the Constitution it deserves. Democracy is built only by those who love it and take part in building it. For us, 1997 will be the year of major privatizations. The privatization of all medium-sized and large enterprises must be completed during this year, and privatization of energy, banks, oil and telecom must begin. We have declared full privatization to be an alternative in our program. In this process, we see one of the most powerful sources of energy for free enterprise and Albania’s rapid development. This process must emerge from electoral sluggishness and make major strides forward. 1997 will be the year of establishing and organizing free zones, which I believe should extend not to one or two, but to many cities in Albania. The key to the significant rapid development we have achieved over these four years lies in freedom and openness, which is and remains the decisive factor in making use of the country’s entire financial potential and creative energies, and in attracting foreign investors. In establishing these zones, we must use the most liberal tariffs and standards known to date. Albanians and foreigners must be offered equal opportunities to invest in these zones. Above all, they must be regarded as powerful centers of development and employment. Continued on page 3

Statement by Albert Brojka, Mayor of Tirana “Legal reforms must ensure improvements to the local government’s financial system in such a way that it can meet its responsibilities” Page 4

Calls to occupy the squares are unconstitutional To organize a rally, the police have made designated locations for protest gatherings available, such as the annex of the “Selman Stërmasi” stadium, the “Ali Demi” field, the “Asllan Rusi” Sports Palace, the sports field in the City of Students, etc. Page 4