Interview with President Berisha, given to the BBC World Service Page 3

Initiative committee for the Creditors’ Council of the “Gjallica” company for Vlora

Initiative committee for the Creditors’ Council of the “Gjallica” company for Vlora We ask all those who lent money to the “Gjallica” company for their understanding and to give the creditors’ council at least some time to present to them all the possible ways of making the company’s activities operational and enabling its real estate to be used for the benefit of its lenders, says the letter from the initiators of the “Gjallica” company creditors’ council. VLORA The group of 15 creditor initiators of the “Gjallica” company creditors’ council in Vlora has as its object the analysis, management and making operational of the company’s activities ... its sole aim being to begin repaying the company’s obligations to its lenders as soon as possible. According to the announcement sent to the press, this group is seeking first to organize contact with ... View of Vlora.

The second day of protests in Vlora VLORA—At around 9:30 on ... day, creditors from the city of Vlora ... yesterday, a large crowd gathered in the city’s Flag Square. They began chanting slogans, among which “We want our money” and others directed against the Government predominated. After about an hour, the crowd headed toward the main Vlora-Skelë boulevard, chanting the same slogans. For a short while the crowd stood in front of the city’s high school and asked the students to join them. They did not join, and the crowd continued toward the University. They remained there for a longer time, while throwing stones and other objects at police officers who had taken up positions at the entrance to the building. Throughout the demonstration, the police did not intervene, but merely accompanied the crowd. So far there has been no official confirmation of the number of participants, but in addition to creditors from the city of Vlora, it is thought that those present were mainly from the surrounding villages and other cities. At around 11:30, the protesting crowd moved from Flag Square to the area in front of the Prefecture. For about 20 minutes, the crowd chanted the now familiar slogans “We want our money” and others against the government. The protesters then dispersed peacefully. At lunchtime, Flag Square and the city’s other streets returned to their normal state. But this situation lasted only until the afternoon. At around 17:00, a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered again in Flag Square in the center of Vlora. With the usual cries of “We want our money” and slogans against the government, the crowd continued on page 3. Protesters in Vlora.

More than 30 creditors of the bankrupt “Gjall ica” company in Gjirokastër have shown interest in a request by a group of creditors to turn “Gjall ica” into a joint-stock company. The group of 15 creditor initiators of the creditors’ council of the “Gjall ica” company in Vlora has as its purpose the analysis, management and making operational of the economic activities of the “Gjall ica” company, the use of its immovable property and the use of any other profitable opportunity, with the sole aim of beginning as soon as possible to repay the company’s obligations to its lenders. is first seeking to organize immediate contact with creditors’ councils in the country’s other districts in order to coordinate their work in the interests of ... [unclear in source]. It was said that this was a fair and acceptable solution. Meanwhile, the assets of “Gjall ices” in this district are being monitored by the prosecution and the court authorities. Work at the “Adi Petrol” tourist complex is continuing normally, but under the constant supervision of these authorities. The representative of the office attached to the Gjirokastër District Council, regarding the deposited conditions and this request, Ms Afërdita Papamihali, says: “The initiative of the Gjirokastër creditors’ group has aroused considerable interest. Around 30 creditors signed today in support of this request.” One of the creditors of this company, who had put ...

Prof. Dr. Ylli Vejsiu meets representatives of the American Democratic Institute Xhonas Role and Erin Saberi. Ready to make their contribution, the American friends expressed particular interest in Albania’s economic and political situation, especially the difficult social situation that has arisen in several districts following the collapse of the fraudulent pyramid schemes. Mr. Vejsiu acquainted the representatives of the American Democratic Institute with the efforts of the Government and the Democratic Party to overcome the situation with as little suffering as possible. In his view, the situation has been exacerbated by the incitement of left-wing extremist forces, who, by exploiting the creditors’ demonstrations, have tried to gain political advantage from them. Expressing their concern about the situation, the representatives of the American Democratic Institute said they did not condone the violence and destruction that occurred in several cities last week, which can have nothing in common with citizens’ right to hold their demonstrations peacefully. They praised dialogue between political parties as an effective way to solve problems, and encouraged creditors to be given the opportunity to investigate and learn about the financial situation of the companies in which they had invested, in order to protect their economic interests. They promised closer and more effective cooperation with the Democratic Party in the future. BLEDI KASMI The meeting between Mr. Ylli Vejsiu, organizational secretary of the PDSH, and representatives of the American Democratic Institute lasted about an hour and a half,

The Ministry of Health on the injured TIRANA—The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health reports that, according to a telephone conversation with the director of the Vlora hospital, Servet Kojdheli, two residents with minor injuries arrived at the hospital yesterday at 13:30. After being kept under observation for a period of time, they were discharged from the hospital in good health. At 18:30, two police officers wounded by gunfire arrived at the hospital. Their wounds were to the thigh. The spokesperson said that, according to Mr. Kodheli, the officers are still at the hospital, undergoing medical examinations. Nevertheless, their condition is good. There are no other injured people.

The Ministry of Defense declares TIRANA—The Ministry of Defense yesterday refuted a report published in the newspapers “Koha jonë” and “Zëri i Popullit” claiming that the army had intervened to disperse the crowds and had fired weapons during yesterday’s unrest in Vlora. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense clarified that “these reports are entirely untrue, deliberate and malicious.” Under the decision of Parliament, only limited army units have been deployed to protect important state institutions. “No soldier, under any circumstances, has been deployed outside the duties stipulated by this decision,” the MoD spokesperson stated. All army personnel, the spokesperson pointed out, are carrying out all duties assigned to them by law with composure and propriety. “The army will enforce only the constitutional laws in defense of the constitutional order and the institutions of the state and of all Albanians,” the statement from the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense concludes.

The Democratic Party and its structures, in encouraging the Government to undertake initiatives and actions in the interests of Albanian citizens, have been guided precisely by the social character of its program on economic reforms and by its electoral philosophy. The collapse of the pyramid foundations, as well as the bankruptcy of some rent-based companies, would bring those social elements that run through the PD program into effect. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has officially declared that it has no connection whatsoever with usury and borrowing, or with fraudulent companies and foundations. Indeed, the PD has made the involvement of left-wing parties in fraudulent foundations known to the public, directly or indirectly, with facts and arguments. Nevertheless, in the situation created following the bankruptcy of fraudulent foundations and rentier companies, the Democratic Government took on the heavy and difficult burden of standing by citizens, thereby fulfilling its fundamental electoral and programmatic promises, in keeping with its political philosophy of a social state—which means, first and foremost, a state for the citizens and of the citizens. As always, the left-wing opposition was quick in this case too to blame the Democratic Party and, more generally, the market society we are trying to consolidate, exploiting citizens’ despair over their financial losses and encouraging its militant gangs to engage in violent and vandalous acts. But, unfortunately for Albania’s new democracy, the left-wing opposition merely thinks that this is the right moment to oppose the PD and the market alternative chosen by the Albanians. Because nothing—from its irresponsible, euphoric statements to its calls to burn, destroy and ruin—is a solution; these are attempts to plunge the country into anarchy, to create the impression that capitalism is anti-human, inhumane and anti-citizen, and to take Albania back to the anarchic state of 1991. The left-wing opposition has still offered no opinion on how the financial crisis caused by the collapse of the foundations and rentier companies might be resolved. It has merely declared that the actions of the PD Government are wrong, while the left itself offers no alternative. A political party’s responsibility in the life of the country does not end with holding a contrary opinion; above all, it is demonstrated by the alternative it puts forward to solve a problem, whatever form that problem takes. The opposition calling for a Technical Government should explain to citizens the alternatives and how its government could solve the problems. Yet it invents and announces them whenever the new Albanian society, moving toward the free market, faces a problem it has not encountered before. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and its Government, fulfilling one of their electoral promises to establish a social market economy, have also taken responsibility, in the case of the financial crisis caused by fraudulent foundations and rentier companies, for protecting the interests of Albanian citizens. This once again proves that the PD is determined to build a free-market capitalist society without losing its social dimension. The fact that the Government has undertaken to protect citizens’ interests and is working in favor of their economic interests is incontrovertible evidence of the social dimension of the Democratic Party’s state—something, unfortunately, that none of the other parties in Albania’s political spectrum is demonstrating; indeed, the left-wing parties are working against this human dimension. The defrauded creditors of “Xhaferri” choose savings passbooks “The bank offers security and returns” Page 2 An annual bank interest rate of 22 percent is not small, says citizen Belishova, as he makes a deposit at the counter opened especially for new depositors.