Vlorë. Two killed. 20-year-old woman kidnapped Vlorë. Two killed. 20-year-old woman kidnapped Skënder Gjinushi mediates between the gangs ON PAGE 4

Slavic weapons strike at the northern border ON PAGE 4

Yesterday in Albania, five killed and seven wounded ON PAGE 4

. The “Commissar” of the rebellion in Vlorë seeks to reward the gang bosses. Xh. Kocia, A. Qilimi, L. Petroshati, A. Gozhita. Albania’s year zero and the Nano-Meidani clique. The prime minister of the government installed by the PS astonished Albanians three days ago when, although he was neither drunk nor high, he declared that Albania was in year zero of its history and that this was precisely where his administration’s work would begin. This declaration, which would make even primary-school children learning their first history concepts laugh, is in fact the essence of the governing policy of the Nano-Meidani clique. Year zero and this Quixotic nihilism are needed by Fatos Nano, first of all, to erase from history the year 1991, when he became known in Albania and around the world for stealing humanitarian aid and forging official documents, for which he was sentenced by the courts to 12 years in prison, as well as for the February massacre in Tirana and that of 2 April in Shkodër. With year zero, the people of the Nano-Meidani clique are seeking to erase their past as active participants in the February 1991 coup. They are trying to erase from the memory of our times their origins and their representation of the most anti-Albanian clan in the country’s entire history, while trying to whitewash the PPSH under a new name, cleansing it of its criminal past and the genocide it inflicted on Albanians. But it seems that they need year zero not only to forget their past, but also to begin from scratch dismantling all the values of democracy that Albanians built during these difficult years of transition. Those who came to power with the help of gangs, criminals and bandits, who were forced in Rome to pledge that they would stop stealing aid and transform themselves from thieves into honest people, are now trying to convince Albanians that the purges and dismantling are happening because we have now reached year zero. By proclaiming the idea of year zero, they are trying deliberately to ignore all the excellent relations Albania has established with the powerful countries of Europe, the treaties and political declarations with Germany, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Italy and Greece, as well as hundreds of other agreements with international institutions. Why is the Nano-Meidani clique in such a hurry to wipe away Albania’s undeniable achievements in these years? First of all, because they know very well that a prime minister who has stolen and been convicted for it, as well as a president of the “çerrik,” will never be acceptable or respected in the chancelleries of these countries. Fatos Nano is the only prime minister in Europe to be elected while convicted and guilty, while Meidani is the continent’s only clan-based president. The compromised prime minister knows that during the years he was serving his sentence, apart from some Greek journalists, no other European statesman protested or expressed the slightest doubt about his guilt. On the contrary, he has all the confidential European reports from those who examined his case file; they only further damaged his credentials with Europe, which are now those of an ordinary thief and forger. Meanwhile, the clique’s number two knows very well that, apart from someone compromised like Nano, there was no one else to nominate for president. The Nano-Meidani clique ignores the fact that over the last five years Albania hosted and saw off presidents, prime ministers, parliamentary speakers, government officials and parliamentarians from all over Europe and the world. Year zero is an insult to all those statesmen who came here to strengthen ties with Albania and help its fragile democracy. With its occult idea of year zero, the clique installed after the violated elections of 29 June is presenting Europe with the alternative: “Either accept that everything begins with us, or we will turn once again toward the East.” Year zero is needed by those who came to power with Kalashnikovs to proclaim their so-called “new policy,” which means turning Albania from a sovereign country into a vassal state, from a country making rapid progress toward integration into Europe into one returning to the old policy of isolation. It suits them so they need not take account of the interests of Albania and Europe, but only of those who brought them to power through the armed violence of the gangs. The idea of the prime minister convicted of corruption is an attempt to wash his hands of the blood and scandals of the rebellion that plunged the country into terrifying abysses. Year zero is a desperate attempt by the Nano-Meidani clique to make Albanians forget that, through the efforts and programme of the Democratic Party, they became free masters of their own lives, gained dignity and confidence, and became owners of their homes, land and businesses. Neither the severe consequences of the rebellion plotted against Albanians’ freedoms nor the terror or revenge being warned of by the installed socialist government can make the achievements and successes of the Democratic Party’s government be forgotten. Year zero is a communist posture adopted by representatives of the most savage clans, who never for a moment accepted losing power through the vote, but returned through a frenzied barbarity, with the help of armed gangs and anti-Albanian extremist circles.

. The socialist Minister of Defense threatened yesterday that he would reserve for the RD journalist the same fate he had envisaged for members of the Democratic Party. “You should be careful about the articles you write,” the minister declared in response to the questions the journalist put to him during the press conference. The open threat by the left-wing extremist, who has held the high office of Minister of Defense for barely two weeks, is another display of the violence and terror that the Socialists are inflicting on their political opponents. A threat that could range from imprisonment and physical abuse to physical execution is a flagrant violation of human rights and the right to information, and is also in complete contradiction with the press law. Minister Brokaj cannot make up with threats against journalists for what he inflicted on his city, Vlora, and then on all of Albania, together with his colleagues from the PS and the other left-wing parties. It is our newspaper’s moral obligation, ... left. It is our newspaper’s moral obligation, as well as its professional obligation, to inform its readers and the entire Albanian public about what is happening in the country, even when officials like Brokaj do not like it. As for the Defense Minister’s open threat, the staff of the “RD” newspaper is able to withstand pressure from anyone and threats from any minister or criminal. We remind Minister Brokaj that this newspaper, the country’s leading opposition newspaper, has been threatened on other occasions too, but this has never deterred its journalists. Likewise, in cases of such threats, we will appeal to the competent authorities and to the Albanian state, which must ensure the right of newspapers and journalists to provide information. RD

International activities in support of the Democratic Party EDU affirms its determination to help and cooperate with the DP in the future as well. The leader of the Democratic Party, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, had a telephone conversation on Sunday with the President of the European Democrat Union, Mr. Alois Mock. In this conversation, Mr. Mock expressed his own determination, and that of EDU, to provide comprehensive assistance to the Democratic Party, as well as to organize important political activities in its support. The Democratic Party has been a full member of the European Democrat Union for a long time. From the time it joined until today, this important organization of the European center-right has never ceased supporting the Democratic Party.

The National Council will decide on participation in parliament Yesterday, at the Democratic Party’s central headquarters, the Democratic Party parliamentary group met to discuss the ways and means the Party should use to stop the former communists’ revenge campaign. At this meeting, the repeated [act] involving two members of parliament on the Democratic Party list was denounced as a decision without precedent in the history of democracy, and it was stated that participation in parliament would be decided at the forthcoming meeting of the Democratic Party’s National Council.

Montenegro’s border forces are expected to intervene to stop Fino’s smuggling, since the Albanian police, under the direction of Neritan Ceka, have taken no action despite being alerted The cigarette smuggling operation moves to Velipojë beach. The Greek ship is unloaded every weekend

The DP calls on the Nano Government to be transparent. A broad roundtable of political parties in Albania is proposed In its program, the government turns Albania into a bone of contention, transforming it from a sovereign country into a vassal state; it ignores the vital importance of bilateral relations with France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain as key players in today’s Europe. Relations with Italy are treated merely within the framework of neighborhood relations ON PAGE 3

The Prime Minister speaks about the Rome meeting Yesterday, the head of the PS did nothing but read the Democrats’ statement concerning the Rome meeting, which set out all the conditions ON PAGE 3

NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA

The Minister of Defence warns of the bandits’ revenge in the Albanian army