The Minister of the Interior wins his first tender ON PAGE 4

The traffickers “get stuck” at Uji i Ftohtë. ON PAGE 4

A barrage of attacks on Minister Kondi ON PAGE 4

The sublime hunger strike of Europe’s Mandela ends on its 20th day. Gratitude and greetings to all supporters at home and abroad. An important victory for the opposition. The Arbnori amendment returns to Parliament. Meidani and Majko are forced to sign. Europe’s Mandela and the opposition forced the government installed in power to back down from its arrogant revenge against freedom of speech. On the 20th day of Pjetër Arbnori’s hunger strike, the [unclear] finally agreed to return to Parliament the arbitrary law passed a week earlier, which restricted the opposition’s scope for expression. The previous day, the President of the Republic, Rexhep Meidani, had decided not to promulgate the law, which would have paved the way for a new dictatorship over freedom of speech in Albania, while Arbnori’s health, after he had committed himself to his sublime sacrifice, was continuing to deteriorate. Yesterday, the head of the PS parliamentary group, Pandeli Majko, was forced to set aside his usual pompousness and [unclear] and reconsider whether the Socialists’ 100 seats in the Parliament of the so-called Kalashnikovs were enough to overturn all the values Albanians had painstakingly built in recent years. The restoration of the law that the opposition had fiercely opposed—and which vindicates Arbnori’s self-sacrifice—is one of the opposition’s most important victories since the end of the violent elections of 29 June, which established the regime deemed acceptable only under the conditions accepted by Nano and Meidani. It was achieved with the strong and fully reasoned support of all Albanian Democrats, who showed solidarity through peaceful demonstrations in support of Arbnori’s cause; his decisive role in bringing about this outcome was also matched by growing pressure from the West on today’s rulers. Arbnori himself, who on this day became a symbol of the defense of democracy’s most important values in Albania, warmly thanked supporters and expressed solidarity at home and internationally. He also announced that he was ending his hunger strike, leaving us all to hope that his health will improve and that this episode will make it more difficult for today’s rulers to pursue their vendetta against the opposition and democracy in general. Yesterday’s victory for Arbnori, which is in truth a victory for the entire Albanian opposition, is extraordinarily important, first and foremost because it gave the bandit rulers a clear lesson: it is by no means easy to trample on the law and the rights of Albanians, won through immense effort and sacrifice. Yet it does not in the least signal the end of a fierce battle that began the day many of today’s rulers took the lead in the rebellion that burned and destroyed the country, culminating in the bloodied elections of 29 June. For example, while a law not promulgated by Meidani is being returned to Parliament, the censor appointed to head Radio-Television has set up a control room for programs, or a censorship bunker straight out of the dictatorship. And the resurrection of this information monster has already borne its first fruits, going so far as to censor programs devoted to the death of the symbol of Peace, Mother Teresa, among many other equally shameful instances. Arbnori’s and the opposition’s victory came just one day after Parliament Speaker Gjinushi declared that Europe’s Mandela should end his hunger strike, while the President of the Republic had no reason to summon him to Parliament. Likewise, it was Gjinushi himself who pushed…

The DP reacts to the return of dictatorship methods at RTSH Immediately after the illegal changes at RTVSH, its new directors are imposing censorship on female journalists by reopening the control room, a practice dating back to the communist era. Many television journalists know that transmission on screen depends on this room.

The Finance Minister opposes the IMF: “For the state budget, 10,000 ‘victims’ are too few” ON PAGE 5

The Prime Minister’s 555 years. Denial of history and a return to the “new man” ON PAGE 2

The Arbnori amendment: the DP’s first victory in opposition Democrats celebrate the first achievement of the democratic protests Thousands of DP members and supporters gathered last night in front of the Democratic Party headquarters to demonstrate their support for Pjetër Arbnori, who has been on hunger strike for three weeks. In his speech, Democratic leader Berisha said that the victory of the Arbnori amendment was a victory for the democrats of all Albania, achieved also with the strong support of Europe, prominent figures, parliamentarians, heads of state, leaders of international institutions, etc. All this made the amendment prevail, and today the people in power are signing what we proposed to them a week ago. This is the first victory that will lead us all together toward the great victory. Those who stand firm win; those who defend just causes win, Berisha continued. We, as a loyal and constructive opposition, are determined to defend the values of democracy. This, he said, is even more significant today, when the socialist rulers openly declare that they will dismantle 555 years of Albania’s history. Let us not forget, Berisha said, that this power is exhausted and committed to the path of progress. But all of us together must prepare to strongly oppose any such attempt to impoverish the individual and society and line their own pockets. Genc Pollo, Secretary General of the PDSH, said that today the DP, as the opposition, had scored its first great victory, while the PS had suffered its first great defeat. First and foremost, he said, this is your victory—you who filled the squares throughout the country—but above all it is dedicated to Pjetër Arbnori, who, through heroic resistance, knew how to face death, place dignity against cowardice, place nobility against thuggery, and become an inspiration to all the democrats of Albania through his example—a rebuke to those who withdrew in shame. We all thank the International Community, Europe and the United States, friendly governments and parliamentarians, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, who from the first days of Pjetër Arbnori’s hunger strike did not stop protesting in favor of the opposition’s rights. Pollo said there was something else that had forced them to sign their defeat. Nano has declared that he will go to Europe tomorrow without anyone having invited him, and he will go there tomorrow without having settled the Arbnori issue; at the table, no issue other than this one will be discussed. Deputy mayor Ylli Vejsiu and Azem Hajdari also spoke at the meeting. Zef LLESHI

It is hard to believe that Meidani, Nano, Islami, Gjinushi, or anyone else will find Kadare, Daut Gumeni, Fatos Lubonja, or Kurt Kola among their supporters The Assembly for National Reconciliation as a “Forum for Democracy” . President Meidani has asked the renowned writer Ismail Kadare to take part in his initiative for an Alia-style assembly for national reconciliation. It was Meidani himself who, before his rise to the top, called Kadare the court writer. Such hypocrisy is only natural coming from President Meidani. To achieve his own aims, he has no qualms about extending even bolder invitations than this one, despite the fact that people like Kadare have passed through the slumber and silence of the Socialist Party. Apparently, even in Meidani’s time—or that of his bosses—the “Forum for Democracy” grouping’s center of gravity still lies where it did. This is also the rationale behind such invitations, sent by the socialists precisely to those people whom they had humiliated to the core until yesterday. or Kurt Kola among their supporters. The “Forum for Democracy” scheme showed what it was: it brought the country to this state. Some of the killings and destruction began when Kurti declared at a press conference that there were Serbian and Macedonian soldiers in Vlora. Alia’s idea for a nationwide assembly for National Reconciliation ended with honoraria and tickets for Drithero Agolli and an assembly of Marxists in Istanbul, never to be heard of again until Alia’s man took the country’s presidential chair. If this one is also serious about this “philanthropic” idea, he should be given the precise itinerary of the three pensioners, as well as a guide to several Marxist clubs in Zurich, Copenhagen, and Brussels, which have sponsored the PS up to the present day. It is difficult to play games with the nation’s distinguished figures. No great person in this country can believe a side that, in five years, has twice again asked forgiveness for the tragedy it has brought upon the nation and the Albanian cause. Meidani should also understand that people like Kola, Gumeni, and Lubonja are not the only ones. There are no others in their game. S. NEZA

We will not attend Godo’s roundtable Statement by the Union for Democracy. ON PAGE 3

Bread producers: “We risk bankruptcy” The price of wheat is being liberalized; taxes and duties will increase ON PAGE 5

Democrats celebrate the victory in front of the PD headquarters. Above, Pjetër Arbnori on the last day of the hunger strike

are imposing censorship on newspapers the communist era. Many television journalists know that the broadcasting of every item on screen depended on this room. At the same time, this control room was where punishments were decided for journalists “who blackened reality” or did not “showcase the successes of victorious socialism”—punishments ranging from being sent to work in agriculture to being put in prison cells. ON PAGE 3