The Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Prof. Tritan Shehu, invites the leaders of the Socialist Party to bilateral dialogue In an invitation sent yesterday to Prof. Rexhep Mejdani, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Prof. Tritan Shehu, states: In an invitation sent yesterday to Prof. Rexhep Mejdani, Shehu, states: Mr. Rexhep, I have the pleasure of inviting you once again, on 28 February at 11:00, to the Palace of Congresses, together with two other representatives of your Party, to hold together, as the two main political forces, a constructive and unconditional dialogue concerning the situation that has arisen. This discussion must undoubtedly address the need to reduce tensions throughout Albania, the situation that has arisen in Vlora, respect for the rule of law, and the search for the best ways to minimize the economic damage suffered by some citizens as a result of the collapse of the pyramid schemes. I understand that such a discussion is broad and undoubtedly involves many opposing opinions, but what matters is that we begin discussing these problems responsibly.

President Berisha meets with citizens of Gjirokastër The Red Phalanxes In this difficult situation that Albania is going through, the Red Phalanxes, the criminal remnants of the dictatorship, are making every possible effort to hold Albanian democracy hostage; they are doing everything they can to sink democracy and its values, to bury freedom and its values, and are attempting to turn Albania into an arena of anarchy and mire, bringing the night of the wolves to this country. These hired criminals, organized in illegal units [?], after burning and destroying civilian legal institutions in several Albanian cities, after provoking thuggish violence that is offensive and humiliating for a European nation with one of the oldest civilizations, are doing everything they can to provoke the citizens’ misery and turn it into political capital for their own benefit, regardless of the price Albania, the Albanians, their present and their future must pay. These contingents of dictatorial darkness, whose hands still bear the indelible stains of Albanian blood, are trying with all their might to provoke a new misery for Albania, a new and bloody tragedy for its future. Stripped of every human feeling, freed of every civic value, blinded and darkened in mind by instincts of blood and crime, [?] fatal genes that cannot tolerate freedom and normality, organized in gangs whose leaders sometimes hold high positions as heads of parties and forums and sometimes lead secret criminal [?] groups, these Red Phalanxes are now seeking to spread across all of Albania, monstrously conspiring against the democracy we won with such sacrifices, patience and suffering—as few peoples in the world have done. These criminals, taking advantage of people’s unrest, despair and uncertainty, are inciting violence, violations of the law and disturbances of public order. They are issuing ultimatums against Albanian democracy, seeking to hold it hostage. These barbaric beings, with the portraits of Stalin and Enver calcified in their souls and the theses of revolutionary violence for seizing power calcified in their minds, have attacked democracy, the law and everything achieved in Albania during these five years of freedom with unprecedented brutality and savagery. They are trying, in the eyes of international public opinion, to discredit Albanians and portray them as a barbaric people who do not know how to live in freedom or use the values of freedom and democracy for their own benefit. They are trying to depict Albanians as vandals, arsonists and destroyers, as people who do not know how to build a state and respect the laws that govern the life of a society. To justify their crimes and philosophy of violence, they are trying to criminalize an entire society. These frenzied extremists borrowed [?] from the Serbs to portray us as a people without an identity, a people who do not respect themselves, their history or their future. These Red Phalanxes, whose instincts are like those of bulls before a fight, when their will is [?] before their eyes, issue ultimatums, leap about, insult Albanian civic life and, in their euphoria, rant and shout like madmen. They think their hour has come. But regardless of the situation that has arisen, regardless of the ultimatums, regardless of Islamet, Cekët, Gjunushët, Kurtiët and Cupët, their time will never come. It is over once and for all. Albanians will never allow the Red Phalanxes to hold their freedom, democracy, present and future hostage. These are ultimatums; no threat and no criminal gang will defeat the rule of law or democracy. Albanians have made great sacrifices for their freedom and to avoid suffering another dictatorship at their hands; they have sacrificed greatly in the face of the barbarians and criminals known to history. They have given their lives and spent thousands upon thousands of years in prisons and concentration camps; they were tormented and maimed for half a century. They are aware of how sacred the freedom they won is; they know how sacred and precious the democracy we are building for the present and future of the Albanian nation is. It cannot be compared with any debt; it cannot be held hostage, and none of its values can be trampled underfoot. Freedom and democracy, not any debt—these are sublime. These Red Phalanxes, who have taken action today, should understand clearly that Albanian democracy will be defended by every legal means. “The government’s returning the money,” Berisha said, “is an unlawful demand” insofar as the money was not contracted by the government; and if the government were to submit to this demand, it would lose its legitimacy with its own citizens as well as with Europe. “This is not a government issue,” Berisha said, “but a democratic principle of governing the country. ‘I will never sign demands that conflict with the fundamental laws of a democratic society. I am, and will remain, responsive to every request from citizens, but I will not …’ If it had addressed the problem of usury according to European standards and democratic laws, as it comments [?], it would not have received full European support. Thousands of citizens of Gjirokastër enthusiastically welcomed President Berisha yesterday. Several thousand people gathered in the city’s Sports Palace listened to President Berisha’s speech and then spoke with him about the problems that had arisen in the country after the collapse of the pyramid schemes, as well as other matters relating to the country’s politics and economy. Taking the floor, President Berisha said: “I have come here today to offer my heartfelt greetings to all of you, the noble citizens of Gjirokastër, and to the residents of your district, to acknowledge that your district stood out for the values of your civilized Albanian moral and ethical code. Therefore, today I also take this opportunity to express to all of you, the residents of Gjirokastër, and to all Albanians, my deepest gratitude for your noble and dignified conduct, which constitutes steadfast and important support for the Democratic Party, for the reforms and Albanian democracy, and for Albania, its stability and its integration.” Usury, a collective fever “This civilized conduct was also a fitting response to all those who, in your despair, sought to pursue anti-Albanian, anti-democratic, careerist and personal aims. I have also come to you today to talk with you, to hold an open and sincere dialogue about all the problems that concern you and, above all, to provide clear explanations about usury. The usurious schemes, which [?] last year, unfortunately turned into a collective fever; they were a negative manifestation of the economic liberalization pursued by the Democratic Party government, for which I undoubtedly bear undeniable responsibility for failing to warn of the dangers and for tolerating them for too long. But to this day, the Democratic Party is the only political force that has openly and repeatedly acknowledged its responsibility. Having acknowledged it, it also committed all its strength to finding a transparent legal solution to the pyramid schemes and overcoming their consequences. Thus, through the law on transparency for rentier firms and the anti-pyramid law, we demonstrated to Albanian citizens, as well as to our friends everywhere in the world and to international institutions, that we are fully determined to punish any kind of scheme or fraud against our citizens and the country’s development, and to build the market and a free society based only on genuine and shared values; and that no state institution was involved in these schemes.” Solutions only within the framework of the rule of law “After filling the legislative gap, we had decided that all problems would be addressed and resolved only within the framework of the rule of law and the market economy. This was a major test not only for the government and the Democratic Party,” Continued on page 3

“The government’s returning the money,” Berisha said, “is an unlawful demand.”

President Berisha received a group of Japanese business representatives. The Japanese businesspeople said they would study every opportunity to invest in Albania Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, received a group of Japanese business representatives, the press and information office of the President of the Republic reports. President Berisha thanked the businesspeople for their interest in investing in Albania, as well as for the assistance Japan has provided our country during the years of transition. He also assured them that Albania would continue to develop, based on the most liberal principles of the market economy. The Japanese businesspeople expressed their gratitude to President Berisha for the warm and friendly reception they had been given in Albania, and expressed their admiration for the successes achieved in such a short period of time. They said they would study every opportunity to invest in Albania and would also make efforts to increase Japan’s assistance to Albania in the future.

Protest by the Independent Student Union of the “Luigj Gurakuqi” University of Shkodër concerning several media and press outlets Shkodër students are not on strike We, as the legitimate representatives of Shkodër’s students, declare that: We share the grief of the students and citizens of Vlora over their losses in the pyramid schemes, but, on the other hand, we believe that freedom and democracy, the homeland and the nation have a higher price. We, the students of “Luigj Gurakuqi” University, vigorously protest against the unfounded reports published day after day in the newspapers “Koha Jonë,” “ZP,” and “Gazeta Shqiptare,” and broadcast on the BBC, according to which there has been a student strike at the University of Shkodër. homeland and the nation have a higher price. The aforementioned news sources have often conjured up open-ended strikes at our University in their imaginations, but we also appeal to them and to everyone else that we will not use a strike, which is a lawful means, to pursue unlawful demands, and that we respect the law and support legal solutions. As sons and daughters of a city that suffered thousands of years of imprisonment and thousands of executions under the communist dictatorship, we do not support politicizing the issue. We tell politicians of Milo’s ilk that when you were teaching our papandavët [?] that Albania’s turmoil came from United Europe, they did not listen to you but came out in defense of freedom and human dignity, which you know so little about. We were also present at the meeting with the President of the Republic and at his invitation to dispel the rumors or false reports that we are on strike; naturally, however, [?] from all our friends. We will not become victims of those who manipulated our workers for fifty years. For the Executive Committee of U.P.S.SH Chairman GEZIM NILA. A.J