At the invitation of Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Shehu and his Portuguese counterpart Gama are expected to sign the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments At the invitation of the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Gama, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. Dr. Tritan Shehu left yesterday for an official visit to Lisbon. During the official talks, the sides will discuss expanding and strengthening bilateral exchanges, as well as cooperation on a multilateral level. Foreign Minister Shehu and his Portuguese counterpart Gama are also expected to sign the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments.

Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi on the Government’s latest decisions The Government’s anti-pyramid measure The Government took another step toward addressing the problem of usury schemes. Yesterday it decided to establish a government commission, involving ministers and government specialists, to monitor the phenomenon of usury schemes in Albania. Following the establishment of the foundations’ deposits, this is the second emergency measure taken by the Government to prevent citizens’ deposits and savings from being lost or appropriated. The commission’s duties are preventive in nature, while also eliminating the possibility of this highly vulgar phenomenon continuing in the country. The Meksi Government thus once again demonstrates its openness to doing as much as possible to reach an understanding with people who have left their money to chance, and to disseminating the necessary information about what is happening or could happen in the sedentary world of usury schemes. While the left-wing opposition, led by the Socialists, has called on people to take to the streets—a step unrelated to the world of finance and, moreover, nothing more than another way of soothing the problem faced by those harmed—the Albanian Government and the Democratic Party have offered possible ways to get through the losses of people’s savings with as little pain as possible. Every action taken by the Government so far has only one explanation: the possibility of avoiding the loss of people’s money. Any other explanation is malicious and aims to advance politically some force or party that feels less politically present in Albania than a group of people who have become rentiers. It is said there that a law will be introduced to distribute these frozen and blocked assets and to represent [the funds] that have frozen money in banks. Will this be the only measure? First, by Monday, the Government will introduce a law to prohibit and penalize all those who create pyramid schemes, to prevent such phenomena from happening in the future and to make those who have been engaging in them aware of how they are violating the law. How long will the process of verifying and distributing the money take? First, the amount of money will be determined; then, under the law, it will be distributed by the court, and every citizen has the right to appeal. If this law is not passed, it may happen that people are not treated on an equal basis. Page 3

The Council of Ministers is increasing its attention to borrowing companies

President Berisha received LDK Vice-Chairman Hydajet Hyseni Yesterday at noon, President of the Republic Sali Berisha received LDK Vice-Chairman Mr. Hydajet Hyseni I would like, through you, to greet the Democratic League of Kosovo and President Rugova. I would like to send a special greeting, President Berisha said, to all Albanian political prisoners in the former Yugoslavia, whose sacrifices and suffering constitute the epic and living symbol of our national resistance for freedom, dignity and democracy. Albania has had, and continues to have, a consistent policy on the Albanian national question, one that stems entirely from national principles and the values underpinning today’s society in Albania. On the basis of these principles, we have supported and will support all efforts, protests and other active peaceful means employed by Albanians in Kosovo and wherever they may be, President Berisha said, to secure the human and national freedoms and rights to which they are entitled under international standards. Albania has defended and will defend these rights and freedoms in all the major chancelleries and international institutions. We have not accepted, and do not accept, the violence and apartheid exercised in Kosovo, nor the disinformation and deception directed at the people of Kosovo and Albanians wherever they may be. Respecting the principle that borders must not be changed by force and that the national question must be resolved peacefully, we have insisted and continue to insist on the establishment of the parliament and all legislative institutions in Kosovo, as well as on the use of all means and forms of active peaceful resistance. This was so before the demonstrations in Belgrade began, and it concerns the rights to which they are entitled as citizens of Europe themselves. Those who envisage Kosovo as a card in the hands of Millosheviq or as a myth in someone else’s conception are politically shortsighted. Kosovo is the land of its people, who deserve to be fully free citizens. Our support for the demonstrations in Belgrade is support for a peaceful democratic movement. We have held, and continue to hold, in high regard the contribution of the Democratic League of Kosovo and President Rugova, and their efforts to achieve a just and peaceful resolution of the Kosovo question and to internationalise it. But we believe that, while international support is very important for resolving the Kosovo question, the decisive factor of importance in achieving this resolution, and in ensuring that international support has a positive impact, is and will be the efforts of Albanians themselves—their active peaceful resistance for freedom, dignity and democracy. Mr Hyseni conveyed President Rugova’s greetings to President Berisha and thanked him for the full support Albania has given and continues to give to a just resolution of the Kosovo question. He also stressed that the Democratic League of Kosovo and President Rugova are fully determined and committed to respecting the free will of Albanians in Kosovo.

“We will support and back your efforts toward cooperation and integration in Europe, as well as the agreements Albania plans to sign with the European Union,” declared Senator Jacques Genton, President of the French Senate delegation for the European Union, and MP Robert Pandraud, President of the National Assembly delegation for the European Union. They expressed this position to MP Genc Pollo, Chairman of the Committee on European Integration in the People’s Assembly, during two separate meetings with him in Paris. They praised the establishment of this special body of the Albanian Parliament as an important signal of the political will expressed by Parliament to integrate with Europe. Our efforts to move toward Europe were also discussed at these meetings. Cooperation between the committees was also discussed, and the French side undertook to assist their Albanian colleagues through exchanges of documents and information, as well as by providing specialist staff from French institutions.

Berisha received Erik Ridell, Chairman of the Economic Committee in the German Bundestag After pointing to Albania’s achievements in economic reform, Mr. Ridell praised Albanian legislation, which had created very favorable conditions for foreign capital to enter the country. Bundestag, who was accompanied by representatives of well-known German firms interested in investing in Albania. President Berisha praised the interest and commitment shown toward Albania by the Chairman of the German Bundestag’s Economic Committee since the early days of democracy, as a valuable contributor to the friendship and steady, growing cooperation between our peoples and countries—a cooperation that encompasses dozens of projects across the country. foreign capital to enter the country. “In particular,” he said, “your visit to Germany, as well as that of German President Herzog to Albania, opened up a new prospect for friendship and cooperation between Albania and Germany.” The German businesspeople present at the meeting told President Berisha about the projects they had earmarked for Albania and assured him that German businesspeople are increasingly interested in investing in Albania.

I would like, through you, to greet the Democratic League of Kosovo and President Rugova. I would like to send a special greeting, President Berisha said, to all Albanian political prisoners in the former Yugoslavia, whose sacrifices and suffering constitute the epic and living symbol of our national resistance for freedom, dignity and democracy.

The usury-scheme issue — The State offers solutions; the opposition offers the streets The usury-scheme issue The State offers solutions; the opposition offers the streets Page 2 The Albanian government and the Democratic Party have done everything possible to help people get through the loss of their so far by the government has only one explanation: making it possible to avoid people losing their money. Any other explanation is malicious and intended to bring political gain to some force or party that feels less politically secure rentiers. The Socialists cannot build an image of humanity by turning other people’s troubles upside down and assimilating them politically. Their game with those affected by the pyramid schemes is antisocial and runs counter to positive results—that is, results that would lead to people getting their money back. The approach they have chosen is ineffective and cannot keep them alive even for a single day. Those who have lost money need what they lost, not Nano’s illusion, which reminds them of Sude or some other rentier. It is possible that the Socialists may call for the money, and it is entirely normal to call for their party’s money too if they do not wish to publish the sums held in the name of each of the party’s leaders. But it is not normal to label and confuse Fatos Nano, who was jailed for theft and corruption, with those who have been robbed or defrauded. This is a bad model for achieving any result under democratic conditions and in a democratic situation. All the more so when this approach has been chosen by the people who lead the Socialist Party. Yesterday, the Albanian government demonstrated its readiness to implement measures or fully mitigate the consequences of the pyramid schemes and the irresponsibility of those who collected people’s money.