The Prime Minister began dialogue with the large companies Financial experts began examining the documentation collected at the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office so that further work could be done to supplement it with registers and other information from all the branches of the foundations Page 3

Appeal by the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha No one can distribute the money in one day, or two days, or three days, to 200 or 300 thousand lenders. This takes time, requires a procedure, requires an assessment. I invite all the lenders to form their committees and cooperate with the government commission, which must be completely open with regard to all the documentation; likewise, I urge them not to damage property. Acts such as those that took place today in Berat have nothing in common with the civic culture of Berat, Lushnje, or any other city. They are entirely foreign to our culture, to our civic spirit. They are acts by manipulators who exploit the justified despair and misfortunes of Albanian citizens caught up in these schemes, and carry out such ugly acts, which are entirely punishable and unacceptable. At the beginning of his appeal, President Berisha took the opportunity to urge all lenders to remain calm and assure them that very great, serious, and sincere efforts are being made to resolve the problem that has arisen as soon as possible and in the best possible way. I urge them not to listen to the speculators and manipulators, who have also approached them today claiming that the money will not be returned and that the schemes were not honest. Do not fall victim to these deceptions. Your money will be returned in full. Their committees should and unacceptable.

Working meeting between President Berisha and representatives of Albanian political parties Those who took part in the meeting were Sabri Godo from the Republican Party, Hysen Selfo from the National Front Party, and Vasil Melo from the Human Rights Union Party. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Socialist Party, Rexhep Mejdani, declined to attend this meeting . Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic called a working meeting with representatives of Albanian political parties: Mr. Sabri Godo of the Republican Party, Hysen Selfo of the National Front Party, and Vasil Melo of Also present were the Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Pjetër Arbnori, and Prime Minister Meksi. At the meeting, President Berisha briefed those present on the difficult situation that had been created over the past few days by the collapse of the pyramid schemes, which had caused distress and serious problems, and asked them for their views on overcoming this situation. Those present expressed full understanding of people’s despair and anger, as well as their right to protest without damaging buildings, and condemned the violent acts demonstrated by certain groups, which had been manipulated at the gatherings in Lushnje, Berat, Gramsh, and Belsh. They called for the government’s full commitment to ensure that the money was returned to the people as soon as possible through accelerated, legal, and transparent procedures. They also urged people to distance themselves from terrorist elements and give the government time to act, since the return of their money is certain. After the meeting, President Berisha and the leaders of the political parties issued the following appeal to the citizens. Appeal by the leaders of the political parties who took part in yesterday’s meeting with President Berisha

The collapse of the pyramid schemes heightens tensions Police station chief Ylli Busheti urged the protesters to leave, expressing confidence that the measures taken by the government would resolve their problems Page 3

Korçë

Gramsh: They ransacked the Municipality and the District Council

Belsh under the irritation of “Xhaferri” Page 3

We call on all Albanians to wait calmly for the necessary measures to be taken so that all the money is returned to them, and not to allow these tragic moments for the Albanian people—moments of great difficulty—to be exploited in any way by the forces of the state security service, by those forces that have ruined and terrorized the Albanian people for 50 years. We must never exploit this for our own political purposes. And today we see such exploitation by the Albanian Communist and Socialist Party, which is inciting the masses to these kinds of revolts.

Sabri Godo, Chairman of the Republican Party First, I express my gratitude to the President for having remained calm, maintained order, and not allowed the conflicts to turn into bloodshed, although there were times when the law-enforcement agencies had to act in self-defense as well. This is the maturity of a statesman, and it deserves praise. I complained to the President that he had called on me too little. The parties should be consulted before fires are set, not after they start. Nevertheless, better late than never, as the people say. I had several technical proposals to make to the President; I do not know how much the government, which has discussed this problem from every angle, will take them into consideration. But I think that at this moment it has taken on a political and social character, and the solution must be more or less of that kind. We absolutely must get out of this situation. We must put a stop to the arson, whatever the reason for it; the day must come when those responsible answer before the law. The Socialists did not come to the meeting here tonight. I had a question to ask those gentlemen: Are they in favor of setting Albania on fire, since they have declared themselves the organizers and leaders of these movements? Although these peaceful rallies may get out of control and lead to acts of primitivism and people may burn things themselves, they must then say what they stand for. Money is not found lying in the square; money is not found in the street. Nor is money found by setting the Municipality on fire. It is precisely at moments like these that we must remain calm and try to set aside our disagreements with one another, to work out the best way to help a large part of the population who have... genuinely suffered severe losses because of what is happening.

Vasil Melo, chairman of PBDNJ We call on everyone to distance themselves from and not fall prey to certain individuals who are calling for violence and terror, because Albania has been devastated enough; enough has been burned, enough windows have been broken, and enough roads and shop windows have been destroyed. It is incumbent on all of us, calmly and with greater awareness, to understand that this is not the way to solve problems. On the contrary, the way forward is dialogue, peaceful protest, mutual understanding, and the presentation of demands through committees elected by the creditors, who have indeed lost their money and are asking for greater guarantees from the state. This is the way forward, and I believe the state is fully in agreement on this. We believe this is the right course to take, all the more so because both the government and the state as a whole are disposed to act, and the political parties are insisting that the state find a fair solution to this great drama and tragedy that occurred during this period with the destabilization of these companies. more quickly and as effectively as possible. I call on them not to listen to speculators and manipulators, who even today have approached them with claims that the money will not be re... that the schemes were not for... Do not fall victim to these deceptions. Their money will be returned in full, as they were promised. But I urge them to reason that lenders. This takes time, requires a procedure, and requires an assessment. I invite all lenders to foster a civic culture of trust, whether in Lushnje or another city. Lushnje or another city. They are of interest to foreigners because of our culture and our civic spirit. These are acts by manipulators who speculate on the legitimate despair and misfortunes of Albanian citizens in these times and carry out such ugly acts, which are wholly condemnable and unacceptable. I also take this opportunity to invite all lenders who have invested in this company through their investments not to damage their property, because they are co-owners of it through the loans they have provided. The government is studying numerous options to increase the profits of these companies in one way or another for the benefit of the lenders, and I must assure the lenders that these companies will be supported with every means available to the government so they can achieve growth rates that serve the lenders’ interests. A case like this appears possible, but all of this will be decided together with the lenders. will be decided together with the lenders.

Demonstrations and protests have continually been held not only in Lushnjë, Gramsh, or Berat, but also in Paris, London, Athens, Rome, or Ankara, over various issues; the municipality, as a common element for all sides, good and bad alike, has never been touched. It is more than a religious institution and more than a political institution for the area or city to which it belongs Page 3 The vandals and those who incited them will be held accountable

Deputy Prime Minister Tritan Shehu went yesterday to meet and talk with protesters in the city of Lushnje. Unable to meet with the people because of their agitation, he stayed for several hours in the rooms of the city stadium under the protection of the police and groups of citizens. Late in the evening he returned to Tirana.