Press Conference of the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha [Photo of Sali Berisha] Secondly, I had no meetings scheduled for last week. What is certain is that I will begin a series of meetings in Kavajë and throughout Albania in the coming days. Shifting responsibility onto others is not the way to avoid the responsibilities each person has Question: Avni Neza, newspaper “Albania”: What has been the position of the international institutions, the IMF and WB, on the problem of pyramid schemes? What is your opinion following several statements by former National Bank Governor Luniku? Answer: Several times in our meetings I have emphasized that the international institutions, the IMF and WB, from the middle of last year—the second half of last year—made three requests of the Albanian government: first, that the population be warned about the danger of pyramid schemes; second, [they presented] documents in which they praised the transparency law, or viewed the initiative for this law very positively. But what was the response to the measures we took to control and unblock the phenomenon? The response is very clear: the phenomenon multiplied after our initiative to stop it. No one can deny that. Look at the figures, gentlemen: in the last quarter, the “Populli” foundation, when we had taken all the measures to adopt a position toward them, attracted around eight or nine times more investment than in the first quarter of 1996. It is true that the governor raised his concerns with me, and also raised concerns with the prime minister and other institutions. What response did the governor receive? The governor raised concerns about the informal market and also had the idea that these companies could be turned into banks. All of this is documented. Will that date also be the date of the referendum on the monarchy? Answer: I consider implementation of the May 9 agreement and holding the elections entirely possible, and I have confidence in the political forces that, through a social contract, social peace, and a joint decision to hold a calm campaign, they will be able to create for themselves and the country as a whole the opportunities they deserve. That is my conviction. I consider the agreement implementable. I am not saying there are no difficulties; there are difficulties, and serious ones—not imagined, but real—yet they can be overcome. Secondly, I am in favor of holding the referendum. The political parties have an agreement to hold the referendum on election day. It is for the days of Albanian democracy to give people the chance to express themselves on the form of the regime, because the truth is that the King was unjustly prevented from returning to Albania. He did leave, but he tried in various ways to help Albania during the war, and circumstances prevented him. It is up to Albanians to show themselves, Europe, and the international community their commitment to free and fair elections; to respecting one another during the campaign, respecting one another on election day and during the counting of votes, and recognizing the results. This cannot be influenced by the presence of this or that person. It must be an inner quality of Albanians themselves. That is my opinion. I think the neutrality of the multinational forces is a condition for their success. I do not think they should intervene in the chaotic and uncontrolled situation created by the actions of the rebel committees. Albanians must solve the problem, because intervention could complicate the situation. And you should not conceal that the attacks against Italian investors conceal very bad intentions; they are traps set by irresponsible groups. That is why I think respecting the mandate is the right course for the mission to succeed. The events at the beginning of this year? Do you intend to go to the city of Vlora during this election campaign? And third, do you think the American CIA has a hand in these events, as written in a book by journalist Mero Baze? Answer: Mr. Lesi, I think you should address the first question to the press analysts; they will give you a more accurate answer than I can. As a politician who is completely open to the press, I am understanding toward the press, both when it is mistaken and when it tells the truth. As for the second question: Nothing has shaken the respect I feel in my heart for the citizens of Vlora, and nothing can shake it. I have been and remain convinced that they endured wholly undeserved terror. During the last two months, committees led by left-wing extremists and left-wing gangs took control of the city. I believe you understand that there is no Lefter Zani; there is another Lefter, known for his extremism throughout Vlora and the surrounding areas—his brother, Fatmir Zani. I will not go into...

The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, gave a press conference yesterday at midday. Taking the floor at this conference, President Berisha said: First, I wish to greet you, express my pleasure at meeting with you, and assure you that I have come here before you ready to answer any question, whatever you may wish to ask. Before giving you the floor, I would like once again, here before you, to thank all the friendly countries that took part in the “Alba” mission, thank the command for the proper way it directed this mission, and congratulate it for the ability and competence shown in achieving the objectives of the “Alba” mission in Albania. I also want once again to congratulate all Albanian political forces on the May 9 agreement, and thank former Chancellor Vranitzki and the Italian government for their valuable contribution. I wish to call on the Albanian political forces to give a national spirit and provide all their assistance so Albania can emerge from the spiral of the losers’ rebellion, with its violence aimed at overturning the elections, and hold a civilized electoral campaign on the road to democracy, on the road to integration into Europe. All election campaigns are important, but I think this one is of extraordinary importance for Albania, because together we will set it on the path of democracy, for which we have repeatedly expressed our unequivocal commitment, and on the path of integration into Europe. I wish to assure the Albanians, the political forces, and the international community that I remain committed to contributing in every way to the smooth progress and successful implementation of the March 9 agreement and the May 9 agreement. Armed committees, the ugly symbol of rebellion President Berisha then answered questions from local and foreign journalists. Question: Italian television RAI: What will you do if the committees are not disbanded, and will they go to Kavije? Answer: As for the rebel committees, naturally they were the truly ugly symbol of the rebellion and imposed a medieval situation in the districts of Vlora, Tepelenë, Sarandë, and Gjirokastër. Undoubtedly, they were and remain a serious obstacle, which must be overcome for the elections to be held. It is up to the political forces that organized and supported this mix of gunmen, made up of Enverists, traffickers, mafiosi, etc., to disband them and clear the way, as they pledged, for the electoral process and the free vote, because I am deeply convinced that today very few Albanians want to decide their fate with a Kalashnikov rather than with a free vote. That is the answer. year—the international institutions, the IMF and WB, made be warned about the danger of pyramid schemes; second, that laws be drafted to control them; third, a WB document called for the Ministry of Justice to consider the legitimacy of this activity. I think this responsibility does not belong to the Ministry of Justice; it belongs to the prosecutor’s office. These were the basic recommendations in the second half of last year. What did the Albanian government do? You may say that this warning came late. I want to say that the international institutions do not bear any direct responsibility for this matter. You are all witnesses that in 1996 the pyramid schemes were not operating intensively, and their own documents confirm this. I can give you just one figure: “Gjallica” grew from 27,000 investors at the beginning of 1996 to 180,000 at the end of 1996. Or take the “Populli” foundation. From no investments in the first quarter of 1996 and 1.5 billion collected in the second quarter, this foundation reached 13.4 billion collected in the fourth quarter. So I am not saying that action should not have been taken against these schemes earlier. But, on the other hand, I say that it was in 1996 that these schemes caught fire. If they were to be dealt with in this way, then, faced with this reality, the IMF and the World Bank expressed their serious concerns in the second half of the year. We did not remain unresponsive to the requests of the World Bank and the IMF. First, you are all witnesses to the statement made by the Minister of Finance in September, after his return from Washington—or perhaps in early October, I do not remember the date—in which he publicly warned Albanian citizens about the danger of these schemes. Secondly, an official commitment was made to draft a law, because these were entirely private, unlicensed activities, and no intervention could be made without a law. They fully approved our law, the transparency law, which we have...

Question: Italian newspaper “Il Giornale”: “Il Giornale”: Italy’s Defense Minister, Andreatta, has said that more soldiers mean more people during the election campaign. I want to know whether you agree and what your request is; and my other question: should the international force in Vlora intervene to restore order? Answer: I will answer both questions together. We are all interested in the success of this mission. I do not think the mission’s mandate should be expanded. I think expanding the mandate could create complications that we cannot foresee. With this mandate, the mission is successful. To those who criticize it or ask what it achieved, I will say that it achieved a great deal. The restoration of confidence among Albanians, whose confidence had been badly shaken by the rebellion, and the fact that opinion polls show Albanians overwhelmingly welcoming the multinational force demonstrate that it had a calming effect on their state of mind, and this has a very positive impact on the elections. I cannot say that it had no effect on the election climate. It did, and its effect was very positive. As for expanding the mandate, I personally prefer to avoid the complications that could arise from the fact that, further analysis here. I deeply regret not having gone there during this time. I will go, and I will get along very well with them. Vlora experienced what the committee was like and will remember it for a long time in its history. I am convinced it will remember it for a very long time. Nikollë, I belong to those people, those individuals, who have had the opportunity to see Albania always from within. I have always looked at our entire history—and perhaps I cannot claim to do so with complete objectivity—from within, from the time of Skanderbeg to the present, and perhaps even earlier. When things have not gone well, I have found the main cause among Albanians, in ourselves, in us. There are others who ignore the internal factor and give all the weight to the external factor. I belong to the other group. That is my comment on your question. As for your colleague’s book, I think you would be better off commenting on one another; I do not think it is the subject of this conference. Hamdi Jupe, “Zëri Popullit”: In yesterday’s issue, the newspaper “Albania” provocatively wrote that the anti-genocide law will undergo further changes to limit the categories of people barred from standing as candidates, and that, according to the newspaper, this will be done by presidential decree. Is there any truth to this? Edyta: Are you psychologically prepared for a possible PD defeat in the coming elections? And a third question: MP B. Kopliku has made a statement to the press claiming that you ordered the PD to arm itself. As far as I know, you have not responded to this statement. Can you answer? Answer: Regarding the first question. It is true: to consider “Albanian” pro-Fino, I think you would have to be in the prime minister’s shoes yourself. I will also offer an assessment—not of the election law, but of the genocide law. I will explain why I am... There is no doubt that it is a law...

Question: Apollon Baçe, “Deutsche Welle”: Recently, there has been violence by radical elements against opposition politicians and the independent media. You spoke of a civic campaign. Would you consider the head of state’s clear stand against this violence a basic condition for free elections? Answer: I have condemned and condemn every act of violence and every violation against Albanian journalists and politicians. I want to tell those who commit these acts that they are blind, shameful acts in a civilized society. They do not help; they do not contribute; rather, in a way, they bring shame on Albanian democratic society. This has been and remains my constant position, regardless of whether a journalist’s stance or reporting is responsible or irresponsible. I think the best judge of that is the reader, who will know how to respond in a civilized way—whether or not it influences their opinion, and so on. The same applies to politicians. But, Mr. Apollon, I think that during the past months, as the political elections approached, the head of state demonstrated most clearly his commitment and dedication to opposing violence against citizens, politicians, and journalists. Nothing has changed and nothing can change my position. The chances of victory for the PD and its allies, who were not implicated in and did not organize the rebellion, are greater than ever. Nikollë Lesi, “Koha Jonë”: Do you agree with the opinion spread by some state sectors that the independent press and foreign radio stations have influenced the s... year—the international institutions, the IMF and WB, made fully approved our law, the transparency law. We raised the concern with the prime minister and other institutions too. What response did the government into banks. All of this is documented. The response was that he should go to court, because there was a legal conflict between the Civil Code, which permitted borrowing—so it was legitimate—and the Banking Law, one of whose articles prohibited deposits. First and foremost, perhaps the only institution responsible for defending its violated law was the State Bank and its institutions. If the law on deposits had been violated, the Bank’s Legal Bureau was required, both compulsorily and by law, to file a criminal complaint with the Tirana prosecutor’s office or the Albanian prosecutor’s office against these fraudsters. I had repeatedly made it clear to the governor that these are institutions that resolve legal disputes, not the executive. What we—and I—were to do following these concerns was pass the transparency law. The governor raised the issue of the money-laundering law. That is quite true: he submitted the law in April, not to the government, but circulated it among two or three institutions. It was returned to him for some additions, because parliament had been dissolved, and he submitted it on 27 January 1997. That is the truth. I want to hold those who are absent today responsible, but I do not think this is a sound way of assigning responsibility. As for basic institutional responsibility to protect the law from violation—the law on deposits—it belonged to the State Bank and its officials. Whether they would win the court cases or not is another matter. The government was working to control these phenomena. All of this is documented. are possible Question: Italian newspaper “Il Giornale”: I want to know whether the political contract signed by the ten parties can be implemented to guarantee free and fair elections, and what their date will be. [The text then repeats the preceding passage:] The governor also raised his did the government these phenomena. All of this is documented. what their date will be, and [the question repeats] the concerns raised the government receive? Answer: It is a day on which Albanian democracy should give Albanians the opportunity to express themselves on the form of the regime.

Political crime and ordinary crime aim to turn Vlora into a new center of the Mafia in the Mediterranean Within three days, 12 killed and dozens wounded in Vlora Page 2