A contribution to friendship between the two countries and stability in the region President Berisha conveyed his thanks for the invitation to President Stefanopullos and assured the Greek ambassador that he is especially looking forward to his first visit to the friendly country and is convinced that it will contribute not only to friendship and cooperation between the two countries but also to the entire region. soon. Yesterday, the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Tirana, Konstantinos Prevedurakis, delivered to the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, the official invitation from President Konstantin Stefanopullos to make a state visit to Greece, with a view to the continued progress of relations between our two countries. “I am convinced,” the Greek President writes in his letter, “that your visit will further strengthen friendship and cooperation between Greece and Albania, for the benefit of both our peoples and of stability and cooperation but also to the entire region.

President Berisha’s speech at a meeting with citizens of Shkodër “The political force and program that make it possible to recover the money you lost will make it possible to overcome the consequences caused by these losses.” “To form a coalition with the SP means answering for their legacy, criminalizing Albanian democracy with this arrangement. To form a coalition with the SP for Shkodër means trampling on the ideals of Arben Broci and Nazmi Kryeziu, of Bujar Besanaku and Besnik Ceke; it means answering for the coup at the United School, the massacres of February and 2 April, the burning alive of people in Fushë-Arrëz, and the burning of Berat, Lushnjë, Vlorë and Fier. This would be capitulation before violence and terror. The Democratic Party would never capitulate.” President Berisha met yesterday with thousands of citizens of Shkodër at the city’s sports palace. His arrival was greeted with great cheers and enthusiasm by citizens, who had filled the stands all around the palace as well as its floor. Speaking with the citizens of Shkodër at the sports palace yesterday, President Berisha said: “I have come to you today, first and foremost, to express my thanks and gratitude to you, the Democrats of Shkodër, for the dignified and civic way in which you responded to the loss of money in the fraudulent schemes, and to assure you, all the people of Shkodër and Albanians everywhere, that this civic attitude constitutes a major obligation for the Democratic Party, Parliament and the President to undertake a series of important and concrete measures to overcome quickly and decisively the pain and problems created by the collapse of the activities of the fraudulent schemes.” Urgent measures to clean up “I have not come to you to share responsibility for this phenomenon, because through your attitude and judgment you have apportioned it in a noble and civilized way. But I have come here today to assure you and all Albanian leaders that overcome the consequences caused by these losses. I call on Albanian leaders not to forget that four years ago they were many times poorer than they are today, and I assure them that we are determined to correct the mistake and the loss through concrete measures...” Continued on page 3 …said to him, as well, that they should give a lot ... to

Greece will support Italy’s proposal that relations between the European Union and Albania be examined at a special meeting of the General Affairs Council TIRANA, 22 February /ATA/- The Greek government has emphasized that, at this time, priority must be given to providing humanitarian aid to Albania and Bulgaria, as well as to finding ways to normalize the turbulent situation on the Balkan Peninsula. The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, who returned last night from Sofia, said that his side would seek to have these three proposals considered at Monday’s meeting of the European Union’s General Affairs Council. From Athens, the BBC correspondent reports: Announced four weeks ago, Athens’ initiative concerning the situation in Albania and Bulgaria is now very close to being put into practice. On Monday, at the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the 15, two proposals are to be considered, as confirmed last night by the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorgo Papandreu. The first proposal calls for priority to be given to humanitarian aid for Albania and Bulgaria, as well as for discussion of ways to ease tensions throughout the Balkan region. The second proposal, put forward last week in the Committee of Permanent Representatives, concerns convening a meeting in Athens or elsewhere, in which, in addition to the foreign ministers of the 15, the heads of diplomacy of Albania, Bulgaria and Serbia would also participate. Mr. Papandreu also announced that Greece would support the proposal made by Italy for relations between the European Union and Albania to be examined at a special meeting of the General Affairs Council. The Greek minister drew the Community’s attention to the fact that, until now, it has dealt much more with Central Europe and has somewhat neglected the Balkans. Mr. Papandreu made these statements last night at Athens airport, after a brief visit to Sofia. He said that he had chosen the Bulgarian capital for this visit because the country is currently under the pressure of an economic holocaust. For this reason, Greece has sent emergency food aid there in recent days. Representatives of the Bulgarian government asked Greece to also send specialists to help carry out economic reforms, and announced that they would soon organize a conference to inform Greek businesspeople about the privatization of 64 large enterprises and 300 small ones. Jorgo Papandreu expressed confidence that the European Union’s involvement would help overcome difficult situations in both Albania and Bulgaria, and stressed that this intervention should also overturn the balance within the European Union as a whole.

The Government’s directive has been drafted on providing loans to citizens who lost their household savings in pyramid investment schemes Page 2

DP Chairman Shehu meets his constituency in Kavajë Shehu: The force that overthrew the dictatorship is the guarantor of democracy’s protection The leader of the Democrats, Shehu, met yesterday with his constituency in the Kavajë district. He first held several meetings in the commune of Synej and then continued his discussions with residents of the town of Kavajë. Shehu explained to his constituency the economic harm caused to people by the bankruptcy of several rentier firms, but he called the violence being inflicted on democracy through the use of the extreme left for political purposes even more dangerous. Shehu recalled that the phenomenon of usury had been manipulated by the extreme left and exploited by them to impose red terror in several southern districts, citing the burning of municipal buildings and other public institutions. “The concepts of violence and Marxist proletarian revolution will never defeat Albania’s fragile democracy,” Shehu said confidently, also referring to people’s growing awareness that this is no longer a problem of usury, but rather concerns the political aims of the extreme left, which is not interested in people’s plight. “What would a Frenchman, Italian or German think when television channels show the resistance [??] in the assembly hall together in Lushnjë, Berat or Vlorë? What might Europe have thought when it saw some defenders of the law, some unprotected police officers, being beaten with stones and everything else?” Shehu asked, explaining further that at the head of these crowds were elements of the extreme left, whose aim was precisely to damage Albania’s good image in Europe and isolate Albania again. The leader of the DP guaranteed that in every case the law would be applied fully, because without respect for it—as anyone could tell you—everyone would lose. The pyramid schemes, Shehu said, are emerging as having been directed by the extreme left. He recalled the so-called “Driza Foundation,” whose “boss” had founded a party that did not take part in the elections of 26 May and is now involved in an alliance with the extreme left, against the DP. Referring to the latest meeting of the DP National Council, Shehu said that the most important decision taken was not to form any alliance with the extreme left. Shehu assured those present that this decision would remain unchanged at the next meeting of the DP National Council.

The National Council will meet next week The selection of the candidate for President of the Republic will also be discussed At yesterday’s meeting of the Democratic Party leadership, it was decided that the Party’s National Council would meet next week. At yesterday’s meeting of the Democratic Party leadership, it was decided that the Party’s National Council would of the Republic, who will be proposed to Parliament on behalf of the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, will also be discussed at the DP National Council.