The Committees of the South are bringing terror to other cities In recent days, Vlora’s criminal gangs have spread terror to other cities as well, which are not “occupied” by the committees. Three masked people kill a citizen from Divjakë. Bomb in the centre of Vlora, near the “Cenaj” company ON PAGE 2

The killing of the guard at the Greek consulate in Gjirokastër begins to be cleared up A Greek man suspected of killing the first guard of the Greek consul in Gjirokastër has been arrested at the Kakavijë border crossing. The arrest has been confirmed by Greek news channels ON PAGE 2

No “green light” for creditors’ lawsuits against pyramid schemes The lawsuits cannot be heard before the financial audit is completed, in accordance with the law on these companies passed by Parliament ON PAGE 2

Yesterday, the international community declared the debate over the Albanian elections of 29 June to be over, making it clear to the obstructionist left that its attempts to bring the elections to an end would no longer be tolerated, not even by a comma. Former Austrian Chancellor Franc Vranicki described the agreement reached on the electoral law as an achievement, throwing in the faces of the Socialists and other left-wing parties the final ultimatum, which called for the OSCE to administer the elections fully as a condition of their participation in the vote. Vranicki said yesterday in Vienna that all the points of the 9 May contract had now been fulfilled, pointing out to Albanians the real “uncles” who dragged things out and made his political mission in Albania extremely difficult: helping a country shaken by the communist rebellion move toward resolving the crisis. The OSCE envoy said the international community would provide maximum assistance in finding solutions in Albania, but stressed that they would be administered by Albanians themselves. Vranicki’s report to the OSCE was warmly welcomed by all Western chanceries, while it was received badly only by the Albanian left, who saw in the new political situation the end of their hopes of winning the elections by taking the country down a dead end. The General Steering Committee of the Socialist Party failed to make the expected decision on participating in the elections, but [text cut off at the end] delegated this right to the leadership, which should decide only after receiving full guarantees from the international community. The Socialists’ reluctance to begin their electoral campaign now has strong grounds in their distrust of the West. If until yesterday they had claimed to have problems with the Democratic Party and other institutions in Albania, now there is talk of clear distrust toward the international community. This means that the Socialists and other left-wing parties have had endless misgivings about the coming electoral contest, concealing the fact that the reasons they have put forward so far have been merely an excuse not to go to the elections or to delay them. The Socialists’ hesitation to declare their participation in the elections, although it is now clear that things cannot happen otherwise, brings back to the fore their old communist complexes and xenophobia toward the West and Europe in particular. Europe now faces two clear pictures of the political situation in Albania. On one side are those who have long since launched their campaign, showing Albanians Europe and their strength, and explaining to the people that 29 June will mark the end of the armed seizure that brought the country to the brink of the abyss. On the other side are those who failed in their efforts to carry the rebellion through to the end, placing a roadblock in the way of the new political solution offered by free elections. The Socialists will enter the elections after delaying their campaign by several more days, showing everyone that they and their supporters were responsible for all the disasters that struck Albania, beginning with the burning of the first municipal buildings and culminating in putting Vranitzki’s mediating mission at risk. Yesterday’s decision by the PS’s top bodies, demanding extensive guarantees from the OSCE and Europe before entering the elections, is indeed another stain on the Socialist Party’s anti-European record.

Vranicki removes the left’s roadblock to the 29 June elections PS enters the elections with its head bowed Democrats welcome the report of the OSCE envoy. Socialists set new conditions for the International Community. Berisha gets the Elbasan Sports Palace on its feet

Yesterday, the meeting of the SP Steering Committee ON PAGE 3

Radio Deutsche Welle, BBC, and KJ are contradicted

The Socialists warn of an administrative offensive, which is no less dangerous for Albanians than the offensive by the armed Socialist wing State money ready for the SP headquarters DP: This is political revenge Dismissed officials must be reinstated ON PAGE 5

It is very good that they decided to participate, but they needlessly wore us out with breadless roundtables The DP Secretary General, Genc Pollo, welcomes the SP’s decision to enter the elections Mr. Nano’s declaration that he will participate in the elections should be welcomed, since democracy is achieved through everyone’s participation. The Socialist electorate would itself have felt the risk of being betrayed if the SP had returned to the path of a boycott, the DP Secretary General, Genc Pollo, said yesterday. I regret the time wasted at the Prime Minister’s fruitless roundtables, where the Socialists and some others kept bringing forward new proposals and formulas for the election law, forgetting the agreements signed just the day before. I do not know whether they seriously intended to carry out what they were asking for. In any case, for this leader and on a few other matters, it is worth saying: better late than never. I am also disappointed by the fact that, for the last-minute decision to enter the elections, the SP leaders were forced to act after receiving advice in a foreign language, which served as a shoehorn. I have no doubt that this advice was well-intentioned, but it would have been in the country’s interest—and also to Mr. Nano’s credit—for him to make this decision independently. A person who anatomized the “Albanian Banana Republic” in his letters from prison three years ago, yet allows himself to be treated like a puppet, even when making a useful move, does not seem capable of shouldering the responsibilities of leading an independent country. As for Mr. Nano’s demand-condition that the international community monitor the elections, it does not constitute a new commitment, but rather an attempt to make it easier to enter and leave the country. International observation was included by the DP in the March 9 agreement, and we insisted on external monitoring at as broad a level as possible—Mr. Pollo concluded.

Malaj replaces officials with SP activists without having a mandate to make changes The SP’s purge campaign against the state administration has begun, as expected. Socialist Finance Minister Arben Malaj, although his mandate does not grant him the authority to do so, has dismissed several second-tier bank directors together with their management boards. Malaj cited professionalism as the reason ON PAGE 5

Radio Deutsche Welle, BBC, and KJ are contradicted ON PAGE 4

The Social Democratic leader gathers 150 people in the district of Vlora ON PAGE 5

Another denial concerning KJ No document exists, nor has one ever existed, with the content advertised in the article in the newspaper “Koha jonë”. “Highly secret—this is how May 26 was stolen,” says the statement from the DP press office. We express our regret at the positions being taken in the Albanian left-wing press by this unscrupulous fabrication. Inability to absorb accurate information and professional shortcomings should not be replaced with imaginary slander. We emphasize that, contrary to what the left-wing press likes to promote, the May 26 campaign in the Democratic Party was on the scale of organizational work based on Western experience. Technically, we have thousands of arguments with which we can refute the “KJ” pseudo-document, and these can easily be examined by the interested press. In the Democratic Party, all documents and protocols are kept in accordance with all the rules. We are also obliged to remind readers that in “KJ”’s computer-generated attempt to fabricate a document, the element commonly used as the signature of the Chairman of the DPSh is missing. The PDSH Press Office, which is familiar with the procedures and working system of the DP, states under its legal responsibility that no instructions have been issued by this party’s offices concerning the transmission of information through the channels of the Ministry of Interior or Customs. The PDSH’s capillary organizational network is powerful enough to function within itself. This attempt is accompanied by the absurd claim that the inscription “highly secret” appears on it—an inscription that does not in fact occur in the working practice of the Organization Department. The Press Office would not wish to engage in speculative games aimed at keeping the newspaper at a satisfactory level.

Berisha gets the Elbasan Sports Palace on its feet