Consensus among the political forces The right-wing parties: Together, let us stop the Communists from returning to power Consensus among the political forces Elections after the Committees disappear The right-wing parties: Together, let us stop the Communists from returning to power The Democratic Party is determined to remain open to honest, successful bilateral and multilateral alliances, not only with the forces present here but also with other forces that did not organize the rebellion, did not condone it and did not support it—with those forces interested in defending democracy and continuing integration into Europe If the rebel committees in the south have not disappeared by Wednesday next week, then new parliamentary elections will not be able to take place at the end of June, as envisaged by all political forces and international organizations. The very slim prospects for the agreement reached among 10 political forces, with the mediation of the OSCE envoy, F. Vranicki, have been described by the latter as a development in Albanian politics resulting from political changes in the country and on the international scene. Reaching consensus among the political forces was not easy. A political agreement produced yesterday morning at the OSCE envoy’s office was immediately signed only by representatives of the left-wing parties, while the DP, BK and Christian Democrats stated their reservations, mainly regarding the issue of dissolving the “Committees,” which was not mentioned in the declaration. The working lunch offered by Vranicki to the political forces also ended without producing any compromise. It was followed by another meeting in the conference rooms of the “Rogner” Hotel, which delayed Vranicki’s press conference, scheduled for 15:00, by more than an hour. The Democrats Points of the agreement among the political forces 1- Parliamentary elections are to be held before the end of June 1997. Bearing in mind Albania’s obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, we welcome the support and assistance of the international community and commit ourselves to the proper organization and conduct of the elections. 2- We accept as the basis for administering these elections a new law on parliamentary elections, and elections will be held under a mixed electoral system: a) single-member constituencies with two rounds of voting, and b) a national proportional system. We bear in mind that, however well considered this law may be, the election result depends on how it is implemented. Knowing that the electoral law will establish the rules and procedures for administering and conducting the elections, we agree that the law itself must be adopted and completed by 11 May 1997. 3- The parties consider that the elections must be administered credibly and must enjoy the confidence of the participating parties and the electorate. The administration of the electoral process, beginning with voter registration and ending with the vote count, is to be carried out by the public administration. If the represented political forces so request, the so-called “Committees” must be formed no fewer than 46 days before the elections. 4- We also agree that all parties will make every effort to ensure the participation in the so-called Committees of all parties and individuals to whom the decision applies. By doing so, we guarantee a fair and equal opportunity for access to the media. 5- We agree that Article 3 of the Constitution should be interpreted in such a way that, following its amendment, persons may stand as candidates, with disqualification to be stipulated for members of the Political Bureau, collaborators with State Security, and all persons convicted by court decision of crimes against humanity. 6- We call on the relevant bodies ... domestic and international ... the elections. International monitoring will be carried out through a joint effort by the OSCE, Council of Europe and EU, including, among others, other structures. Organizations ... to ... act ... ... “Committees.” The ultimatum issued to the political forces regarding the so-called committees is that they must be dissolved. If they have not been disbanded by Wednesday, the elections will not be able to take place on the scheduled date and the agreement will have failed. Verification of whether or not the so-called “Committees” have been dissolved is expected to be carried out by a European political commission, which has agreed to visit Albania in the coming days. Vranicki has stated that the elections will be held in accordance with the conditions set by the Council of Europe, OSCE and EU, which will appoint a joint coordinator to give an opinion on the conduct of the elections. According to Vranicki, the coordinator, who has not yet been appointed, is expected to be either an expert in election observation or a politician or parliamentarian from a country that is a member of the Council of Europe. Regarding the agreement among the political forces on the electoral law, Vranicki emphasized that a mixed system would be adopted, combining the proportional system of 1992 with the majoritarian system of 1996, and that the law is expected to be drafted by the government. B. KASMI V. ELBASANI Yesterday, at the Palace of Congresses, at the invitation of the Legality Party, a consultation was held with the participation of the Democratic Party, the Demokratsiane Party, the Social Democratic Union Party and the Albanian Democratic Union Party, concerning the electoral law and the elections. The chairman of the Legality Party had also invited the President of the Republic, Mr Sali Berisha, to this consultation. Mr Guri Durrollari and representatives of these parties asked the Democratic Party, while retaining the majoritarian system, to take the interests of the smaller parties into account by expanding the scope of proportional representation. It was also suggested that the minimum threshold for the percentage of votes, or the redistribution of votes below this threshold, should be determined proportionally rather than under the current law. They expressed their determination regarding the need for cooperation and pre-election alliances in order to secure another decisive victory for democracy in Albania. The chairman of the Legality Party, who organized the meeting, alongside setting out his views on an electoral law dominated by the majoritarian system but with a broader proportional component than the current one, called for Albanians to be able to express their preference on the form of government on election day as well. Thanking them for the invitation to this consultation, President Berisha stressed that the Democratic Party, as the country’s largest force in relation to any other party or possible coalition of parties, is undoubtedly convinced that the majoritarian system is the best system. However, it cannot ignore the need for pluralism in the Albanian Parliament, or the interests of its spiritual allies. Only in this way can any possibility of the Communists returning to power be prevented and the country be governed jointly. Therefore, President Berisha emphasized, the Democratic Party must carefully study your requests and meet them, even if that means sacrificing something of its own direct interests. “Here at the table,” President Berisha said, “views were expressed about forms of cooperation, and this is in fact a strong demand from the electorate of our parties, which does not primarily decide for the parties; it will decide for itself. Therefore, the Democratic Party is also alliances—not forces that did not organize the rebellion, did not acquiesce in it, and did not support it.” President Berisha also said he agreed with Mr Durrollari’s request, but that he needed to consult the other parties on this. President Berisha stressed that it is the historic mission of the political forces that neither organized nor supported the armed rebellion, but which, through democratic means, caused it to fail completely, to cooperate in preventing any possibility of the rebellion-front parties coming to power, and in restoring Albania to the path of democracy and integration into Europe.

President Berisha congratulated the Albanian political forces on the agreement reached and former Chancellor Vranicki. In this agreement, the political forces have had all their main demands met. Reaching this agreement constitutes a genuine and important contribution by former Chancellor Vranicki, the delegation accompanying him, and the Albanian political forces. President Berisha expressed his determination to engage in and contribute to the implementation of this agreement.

Italian Prime Minister Prodi congratulates forces Yesterday afternoon, President Berisha received a telephone call from Italian Prime Minister Prodi, who warmly congratulated him on the agreement reached among the Albanian political forces. President Berisha expressed his satisfaction with the agreement and thanked Prime Minister Prodi for his interest and friendly sentiments toward Albania. President Berisha expressed his profound gratitude to the Italian government, and personally to Prime Minister Prodi, for their valuable contribution to overcoming the crisis Albania is going through, and praised the Italian Prime Minister’s direct engagement and assistance in reaching this agreement. He emphasized that the agreement is important because it meets the main demands of all Albanian political forces, and that he will make every possible contribution to its implementation. Prime Minister Prodi assured President Berisha that the June elections would open a new phase in Albania’s comprehensive cooperation with Italy and the international community.

TIRANA, 9 May/ATSH/ - Radio “Voice of America” reports that a U.S. State Department official said the United States is very pleased that an agreement has been reached among the political forces in Albania, describing it as a major achievement. The U.S. official said the United States is pleased that the agreement was signed by all sides. The State Department official said the United States expects all sides to implement this agreement faithfully now. TIRANA, 9 May/ATSH/ - Radio “Voice of America” reports that an official of the Department

Photograph of the meeting at the Palace of Congresses.

Page 3 Hajdari-Malaj has burned down the Municipality of Vlora Page 2

In Thursday’s issue, the newspaper “RD” published on its front page a correction addressed to “ZP” from the family of Vehbi Demi, concerning President Berisha’s visit to the family on the occasion of May 5. Due to a technical error, the word “Family” was missing at the end of the article. It should therefore read: The Vehbi Demi Family. After publishing an article on the occasion of the Uncovering [Zb[a]llimit], the newspaper “Republika” is calling for a “sensational scoop” on this page of the article, which concerns this technical error in “RD”.