Initiative of the chairman of the PDSH Mr. Tritan Shehu, chairman of the PDSH, has invited all parties that received more than 1 percent of the vote in the local elections to take part in consultations on the pyramid-scheme problem, to be held at the Palace of Congresses on Friday, 14 February 1997, at 11:00 a.m.

DP — the party of invincible peace The loss of money in pyramid schemes cannot be replaced by love for the Socialist Party and the other leftists. This has been made quite clear by Albanians who are grieving over even a small amount of their electorate. People are thinking even less about whether there are socialists in Albania or beyond its borders these days, when the collapse of the pyramid schemes has put tens of thousands of people in difficulty. This was best demonstrated by the announcement of an illegal gathering in Skënderbej Square. There were very few moneylenders in Tirana’s streets, and a few dozen socialists who could at least indulge their desire to roam around the city center. The people of Tirana turned a deaf ear to the ominous announcements in the left-wing press, and likewise to statements of the ’91 kind made by Kastriot Islami or Rexhep Mejdani. The socialists will have to wait for another earthquake to strike Albania, in which many socialists might drown or their headquarters might collapse, before they return to the protest ranks. Manipulating other people’s grief embodies a lack of humanity and a lack of readiness to ease that pain even a little. None of the opposition leaders has yet expressed solidarity with other people’s grief; instead, their first words were that people had been robbed. In the consciousness of socialists or other former communists, that means that those who were robbed are not entirely normal and are easily manipulated. This is not the first time the former communist left has shown contempt and indifference toward the broad masses of Albanians. Their stance, reinforced more than ever in recent days, is embodied above all in their appeals and the paths they propose in this situation. While calling for Albanians to pour into protests, the solution they propose is to bring Daut Gumeni, Fatos Lubonja and Kurt Kola to lead the so-called Democratic Forum; indeed, they explain… take to the Fatos Lubonja and Kurt Kola to head the so-called Forum for Democracy, without even first explaining where they found these people. According to these three, the full capacity of the moderate opposition points to a solution: forming a technical government that would undertake dialogue. They make no mention of the millions lost in pyramid schemes or of a plan to make this tragedy even partially repairable; they merely call for power to be divided among everyone so that it belongs to no one. They say their government would create conditions for dialogue. This way of presenting the problems or ideas of a group of no fewer than ten parties—some of them smaller than a DP branch in Karaburun—could be called ordinary militancy. The history of socialist protests is over. Their involvement in another protest, one many times larger than the socialists’ actual electorate—with no need to count the others—leaves this political force on its own. It remains fragmented and outside the framework of, and solutions sought by, citizens’ protests, which ultimately converge on the desire to get money back. It should be clear to everyone that the socialists can neither restore the losses caused by the pyramid schemes nor conceive of such a recovery. The same goes for Daut Gumeni, Kurt Kola and Fatos Lubonja, regardless of the fact that they suffered in communist prisons—or precisely because of it. The comradeship of Kastriot Islami, Neritan Ceka and Skënder Gjinushi, embodied in these three, cannot hide their communism or their long-standing collaboration with the communists. They can only express each person’s political differences, as well as their inability to face people directly on a day when things are not going well for them. Avoiding this confrontation and handing leadership over to the three forums shows a lack of desire to be close to the country’s problems, just as the socialists themselves have made clear. But even if they had not made this political mutation, they would still have been unable to repair anything they took in the previous year. In any case, people’s protests over money are legitimate. What is illegitimate, at least morally, is stealing protests or seeking to hijack them; and it is illegal to the point of arson and violence carried out in the name of these protests. Yesterday, Tirana showed that protests cannot be sold to the leftists, terrorists, arsonists, communists or Sigurimi agents. Tirana does not protest with the leftists. SAMI NEZA

The protesters’ placards read: “NO MORE TO OUR FUTURE” and “GO F...”;

President Berisha fully understands the citizens’ despair Albanian legislation guarantees all citizens, including lenders who lost money in pyramid firms, the right to demonstrate peacefully, and political parties the right to express their political positions in peaceful protests, always in compliance with the law. The President’s spokesperson announces that President Berisha, while fully understanding the despair of citizens who have lost their money in pyramid firms, condemns all acts of violence as unacceptable and considers violence against politicians and journalists a harmful act, for which he has asked the prosecutor’s office to launch an investigation.

Yesterday in Tirana, the DP showed that it is a party of invincible peace, a national majority with many reasons to defend peace, order and calm. It must restrain the aggressive, anarchic tendencies of a group of red terrorists who want to incriminate a nation. Around mid-morning, hundreds of DP supporters drove in a procession along “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard and through the capital’s center, carrying national and United Europe flags. Asked why they had chosen this form of protest, citizen S. M., a resident of “Sh. Ishmi” Street, replied: “In the morning the police wouldn’t let us demonstrate in ‘Skënderbej’ Square, so we chose this way to respond to the red terrorists and the red mafia, without disturbing public order or obstructing traffic.” The dark forces that have gained the upper hand over the past few days, abusing the ruling party’s boundless tolerance, must now be stopped. The distinguished writer I. Kadare says, “Everything in this world has a limit.” S. Cvajg, referring to such destructive tendencies, which civilizations have often faced, warns: “Every human community held together by religious or national spirit, in order not to disintegrate, finds itself obliged to restrain the individual’s aggressive, anarchic tendencies […] and keep them subdued behind the barriers called morality and law.” From the early morning hours until 11:00 a.m., the DP headquarters in Tirana was visited by thousands of residents of the capital. Many came to ask why they had not been allowed to use “Skënderbej” Square to demonstrate against red terrorism; others expressed their readiness to defend democracy, public order and property, even at the cost of their lives. A very large number stayed in front of the DP headquarters until late in the evening. E Meta, a longtime DP activist, says indignantly: “It is now clear that this is not simply about losing money in pyramid schemes. The red terrorists want to seize power.” The father of this leader of the first DP branches in Kombinat was executed by the communists about 50 years ago, leaving him an orphan at just three years old. They took his property, interned him and imprisoned him. Now they are seeking power again, hiding behind economic terms: interest, compensation, coefficients, and so on. To be continued on page 3

considers violence against politicians and journalists a punishable launch an investigation. The President condemns violence against law-enforcement forces, property, and state and public assets, and stresses that an open democratic society creates conditions for all individuals to express their ideas and positions openly—not through violence, but through dialogue or peaceful protests. protests, always in compliance with the law. He calls on the opposition and citizens to respect the laws, since unlawful actions create conditions in which the situation may no longer be controlled by the police and may be exploited by extremists.

The U.S. government’s views on recent developments in Albania The collapse of the pyramid schemes was a severe blow to a poor country like Albania, which continues to make great efforts to overcome the many difficulties caused by 50 years of communist rule. In recent weeks, angry Albanians have taken to the streets to express their protest over the collapse of several fraudulent investment schemes, in which many people had deposited their entire life savings. In a number of cities, demonstrations were accompanied by acts of violence and the burning of several government buildings. The crisis arose as a result of pyramid investment schemes run by several companies, which had collected very large deposits by promising very high interest rates. According to some estimates, the total amount deposited with these companies must have been around $1 billion. These schemes are called pyramid schemes because money deposited by an ever-expanding base of new investors is used to pay earlier investors. When new deposits become insufficient to pay the promised interest, the pyramid collapses. This is what is happening now in Albania. In response, people have taken to the streets to protest, as many of them see it, against the government’s inability to control the pyramid schemes. More than 100 protesters have been arrested. Meanwhile, the authorities have arrested many of the executives of these companies, who may be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. The government has begun compensating people who invested in these firms, using funds from their frozen accounts in state banks. years of communist rule. Albania’s economy continues to rely on agriculture, although the trade sector is growing increasingly in a number of large and small cities. Overall, the country’s economic growth remained high in 1996, at around 6 percent. The country’s economic transformation has led to the emergence of a middle class, but many have been harmed by the pyramid schemes. The United States recognizes that pyramid schemes, uncontrolled by the laws in force, have caused great concern and hardship for many Albanians, but For this reason, the United States welcomes the call to convene a multiparty roundtable to find a solution to Albania’s economic and political problems. Dialogue and cooperation are the paths Albanians must follow to make Albania a democratic and prosperous country.

A day of sublime love for God This year we celebrate Bayram with great hope in our efforts for democracy and our national ideals, and with great faith that the wishes and aspirations of all Albanians will be fulfilled. On the occasion of the great day of Bayram, I wholeheartedly wish all Albanian Muslim believers, wherever they may be: Happy Bayram, and many happy returns! After a month of fasting, during which Muslim believers shared suffering, generosity, charity and love, they faced the physical and spiritual test of endurance and self-restraint, triumphing over evil and its temptations. Today, in the name of respect and sublime love for God, this day brings all Albanian believers together at the great table of goodness, respect, harmony, understanding, tolerance and brotherhood. be fulfilled. Once again, I wish all believers a happy Bayram. May it bring goodness to our entire nation and to all our Albanian homes. Glory to God!

PDSH wishes believers a happy Great Bayram This year we celebrate the Great Bayram together with great hope in our efforts for democracy and our national ideals, with great faith in God, and in the fulfillment of the wishes and aspirations of all Albanians. This year we celebrate the Great Bayram together national ideals, with great faith in God, and in the fulfillment of the wishes and aspirations of all Albanians. “RD”: Happy Great Bayram The editorial staff of the newspaper “RD” wishes all Albanian believers, on the occasion of the “Great Bayram,” a more prosperous life, full of peace and harmony in their families and society. This symbolic celebration brings into the soul of every believer love for God, the Homeland and one another, and devotion to our Nation and Democracy.