42 University of Vlorë students on hunger strike Yesterday, 42 students of the University of Vlorë went on hunger strike in one of the university’s premises. This was announced last night by the Rector of this university, Shezai Bazaj. He said that the students were on strike because their demands had not been met; these concerned the government’s resignation and the return of the money they had lost because of the collapse of the Gjallica pyramid scheme. Bazaj said the students would end the strike only when effective results were seen from the measures that various government bodies or others had promised to take. On this occasion, the Rector of the University of Gjirokastër arrived and called on all of Gjallica’s creditors to help the students end the strike. He also issued a similar appeal to the political parties. Continued on page 3

Office-seekers capitulate to the Socialists A group of office-seekers and some people who had been misled decided to make public a memorandum that they had also read at the last meeting of the National Council of the Democratic Party. In this memorandum, the office-seekers present themselves as a “Government of Public Salvation,” a notion associated with the socialist leaders, who are trying by every means to hold Albanian democracy hostage. The memorandum they read at the DP National Council was categorically rejected and described as capitulation to the left-wing extremists, who, taking advantage also of the despair and pain of citizens who lost money in fraudulent pyramid schemes, are trying to manipulate the situation to provoke violence and overthrow the legitimate government by revolutionary means. At this meeting it was stressed that the Democratic Party would never form a coalition with left-wing extremists, with those who incite and lead the burning of civilian institutions, municipalities, courts, cadastral offices, etc., and who provoke violence in order to overthrow the government elected by the free vote of the Albanians. But the office-seekers and those they had misled, who had signed a so-called memorandum through their spokesman Dashamir Shehu, apparently discussed things in cafés and concluded that their memorandum, couched in socialist rhetoric, should be made public. It is clear that the purpose of this memorandum is by no means to illuminate the situation that has arisen and overcome it with as little pain as possible for the citizens. If that were the case, Dashamir Shehu, instead of drafting a memorandum with black underlining, would go to his electorate in Vlorë and discuss with the citizens who voted for him the real solutions to the grave situation caused by the collapse of fraudulent pyramid schemes. Overcoming the situation and finding real solutions—the best possible ones—cannot be achieved by writing a memorandum whose ultimate aim is, at the very least, a ministerial post in the so-called Government of Public Salvation for the office-seeker Shehu and the other office-seekers in the Democratic Party, who see it as an opportunity to fulfil their ambition for office. Mr Shehu alone, as deputy prime minister for a period, has responsibilities toward the citizens that he does not wish to acknowledge; on the contrary, together with his colleagues, he is trying to seize the opportunity to reclaim the positions they lost. It seems these office-seekers joined the Democratic Party not because they were inspired by the ideals of freedom and democracy, nor by the ideal of serving Albania and its future, but out of primitive ambition, out of a desire for an important career. But people of this sort are unacceptable in the Democratic Party, alien to the ideals for which it was founded and to the mission it undertook before the Albanians. The Democratic Party will never become a party of careerists. It has been and will remain a party of freedom and its values, a party of democracy and its values, a party of the values of a free and progressive society and of the future. It will never remain hostage either to office-seekers or to those who, in league with the Socialists, now serve up new theories as salvation. This group of office-seekers and a few people they have misled represent political forms that the Democratic Party has already learned to recognize, along with the sympathies and names associated with them. The office-seekers impress no one in the Democratic Party, which, as a vital political force with a clear democratic vision, is able to take responsibility and face difficult situations, find reasonable solutions and advance the progress of Albanian society. It has never been, and will never be, a party of capitulation, a party of those who kneel before the Socialists, or of those who instigated violence. The Albanians and all the citizens of Albania will respect the circumstances and dictatorship. The Democratic Party is a party that respects rights and its programme; it is a party that respects the free vote of the Albanians and puts its programme into practice, for those who voted for an Albania of freedom and democracy, for a European Albania making every effort to attain the standards and values of Western civilisation.

President Berisha’s speech at yesterday’s rally in Tirana February 20 is a great appeal to us Albanians: to awaken freedom and its values, expand and consolidate democracy, honour and respect one another, develop tolerance and understanding, and move confidently along our path of integration toward Europe

Today, Albanians wherever they are celebrate and honour February 20, the day when the tyrant and the tyrants were brought down; the day of the greatness of our individual courage, the day of the greatness of our national courage, the day of the [unclear] dignity and freedom of our people over the most brutal oppression, conformism and depersonalisation that Albanians have known in their history. On this day, in all Albanian cities, and first of all in [unclear] people, we honour our rising to our feet, the rising to their feet of a people suffering under the Communist yoke. Despite the [unclear], the symbols of the ugliest dictatorship that post-war Europe has known were brought down. We honour the deeds of hundreds of students who barricaded themselves in a hunger strike so that freedom would triumph. We honour the bravery of hundreds of thousands of citizens who faced police violence, tanks and armoured vehicles and rose up to overthrow the dictatorship and the symbols and great and small tyrants who survived. The anti-Communist revolt of February had its martyrs. Throughout Albania, we will honour today and for all time the sublime sacrifices of Ismail Copani, Pëllumb Tahiri, Artan Lënjes, Artur Dakës, Lulzim Bashës and Mikel Larës, as well as the courage of hundreds of thousands of others. Honour for the lives of the February martyrs and all Albanians who fought and fell for freedom in every era! February 20 was not a revolt against statues; it was a revolt against tyranny, [unclear], prisons and [unclear], surveillance, persecution, isolation and collectivisation. It was a revolt to set out on our road, the road of God, of the civilisation of freedom, prosperity and the enrichment of our country. The statues were indeed empty on February 20, but the tyrants and dictators of that period emptied people, killed the children of Albania at the borders, continued the isolation and declared Albania to be the “Cuba” of the Adriatic. February 20 is the day of national celebration for the [unclear], of their collective memory. Let us not forget to honour today and always the suffering, sacrifice, [unclear], imprisonment and execution of more than 400,000 Albanians during the Communist dictatorship. February 20 is a great appeal to us Albanians: to awaken freedom and its values, expand and consolidate democracy, honour and respect one another, develop tolerance and understanding, and move confidently along our path of integration toward Europe. February 20 is an appeal to all of us to expand understanding; it is an appeal to all of us to consolidate once again the values of democracy, the values of the market and the values of freedom.

DP Chairman Shehu comments on the memorandum by several MPs A memorandum read at the DP National Council a few days ago was published yesterday by Dashamir Shehi. The memorandum advocates a Government of Public Salvation and contains a thesis opposed to the political positions of some of its signatories. The memorandum was signed by [unclear] MPs, four of whom have been members of the government and two of whom are former deputy prime ministers. Last night, MP Bashkim Kopliku told our newspaper that he knew nothing about its publication, while describing the published text as a fabrication. He distanced himself from this way of drafting the memorandum. DP Chairman Tritan Shehu commented on the memorandum last night. —Mr Shehu, a group of members of the National Council of the Democratic Party of Albania have today made public a memorandum that they initially presented at the last meeting of the National Council. What is your comment on this memorandum? —First, I would say that procedurally they acted quite wrongly, because such a document was presented by one or two MPs at the National Council and then withdrawn by them, with the statement that they would not make it public. Meanwhile, a future meeting of the National Council had been scheduled to discuss this issue in detail. So I think that, in the normal and proper course of things, they acted contrary to DP rules and contrary to the collegial views and ideas on which decisions are made within the party. Perhaps, because of personal issues, Dashamir may also have personal grievances over the positions he no longer holds; someone else may have other problems, but I think that, in principle, they acted wrongly. They did not act in accordance with the rules of the Democratic Party of Albania. —Mr Shehu, this group of National Council members says that the party leadership has not included them, and that this has compelled them to make the memorandum public. —I would not put it that way. I would say that the National Council will meet, but at present the entire party structure is fully mobilised for something greater than the party. Work is under way everywhere, in every district, and meetings are being held in every sector; in other words, the work assigned by the National Council is continuing. Once this operation and this broad dialogue between the party structures and the grassroots have concluded, we will meet, and I believe we will meet soon. At present we are waiting for the conclusions of the working groups that have gone out to the grassroots. I would recommend that these National Council members, instead of producing this memorandum, engage in constructive work and dialogue at the grassroots of the party. Continued on page 3

Tens of thousands of residents of the capital commemorated yesterday, together with the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, and the leaders of the DP, at a magnificent rally in front of the University of Tirana, the historic event of the fall of the symbols of dictatorship: the dragging through the streets of Tirana and all of Albania of the bust of the dictator, Hoxha. The leader of the Democrats, Shehu, called February 20 one of the most significant events not only in the history of Tirana but in the history of all Albania. Shehu regarded the toppling of the dictator’s bust as breaking away the foundation stones of the dictatorship. Looking back six years, Shehu recalled the Red Terror that the Communists had inflicted on the people. “We are all witnesses to how the Communists tried to impose the violence of hell on the people, but we answered by fighting them with bullets of peace, saying no to terrorism and vandalism,” Shehu said, adding that Albania was reborn six years ago, right here in Tirana. The events of recent days and the violence displayed by the far left show, according to the Democratic leader, that six years after the fall of the dictator’s bust, we are once again seeing old Communist remnants emerge among the far left, which is spreading a wave of violence, terror and destruction. Shehu said that the far left’s main aim was to push Albania backwards, remove it from the European family and destroy the good image Albania had built over these six years. The Democratic leader expressed confidence that the far left would fail again, as it did six years ago, and that democracy, with its ideals of peace, development and integration into the European family, would prevail. “The far left belongs to the past and has no connection whatsoever with democracy. The future belongs to us,” Shehu said, praising the stance and wisdom of the President of the Republic and the government, who had prevented the far left’s ominous scenario in recent days. The Democratic leader Shehu recalled that six years earlier, too, the Communists had sought to plunge Albania into bloodshed among Enver’s volunteer associations. “But those scenarios,” Shehu continued, “failed then and are failing now thanks to the democratic values displayed by the Albanian people.”

A major rally of the Democratic Party in Tirana

Teng Hsiao Ping, architect of China’s opening-up and modernisation The Press and Information Office attached to the President of the Republic reports that, in a telegram sent to the President of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, the President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, writes: “The death of Teng Hsiao Ping, father and architect of the new Perestroika, the opening-up and modernisation of China, is a great loss for your great people, for China and for all its friends around the world. With sorrow, I extend to you, the people [unclear], and the family of the late Teng Hsiao Ping my most sincere condolences.”