Grand rally in the city of Kavaja. Thousands of citizens greet the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha Berisha draws thousands of people, as in ’90. The square resounds: “Down with Nano! Down with the Government!” The socialists’ removal from power is demanded. New elections are the only solution ON PAGE 3 Yesterday in Kavajë

. Kavaja demonstrated yesterday its total support for the Democratic Party. Thousands of citizens from Kavaja, as well as from the surrounding villages, brought back memories of the final days of ’90, when the dictatorship was breathing its last and democracy was living its first days. Seven years later, the situation looks much the same. Albania has been usurped by the second part of the communist clan, by a criminal clique of smugglers seeking to turn Albania into another Colombia in the heart of Europe. Poverty has fallen to the levels of those years, while bread lists have begun to fill up in thousands of villages and in the cities too. Prices have risen higher and higher, while the investors brought to Albania over five consecutive years were thrown into the sea by the communist rebellion. Since the beginning of the communist uprising, more than 150,000 people have been left without work, more than 3,000 have been killed, more than 5,000 wounded, hundreds of enterprises and firms have been closed, while thousands of others are going bankrupt because of high taxes. Several constitutional laws have been violated so far, while the Albanian justice system is under pressure from those in power every day. Bandits and perpetrators of crimes have infiltrated the government, while the police have become victims of their own chiefs. State violence and discrimination against the educated, European-oriented administration continue, as it is replaced with party militants and Kalashnikov-wielding rebels brought in from the villages. The opposition continues to be attacked daily by those in power, from provocations and threats to bullets. In a even remotely normal state, under even remotely normal governance, none of these major problems should arise. Life has been brought to a standstill by masked men and gangs with the full support of the state, while Europe has begun to fear the vulgarity being cultivated in Albania. In precisely this situation, after the country has been bloodied by the rebels, bandits, and rebel politicians and bandits who are now in power, the arrival of a new alternative—the PD’s alternative—is essential. The main leaders of the PD have met with its electorate, and not only its electorate, across two-thirds of the country, particularly over the past few days. From Saranda to Kukës, from Durrës to Korçë, large crowds have welcomed the PD leaders enthusiastically, demanding from them the prompt, necessary, and natural solution: new elections. In Tepelenë, Vlorë, Mallakastër, Kukës, Burrel, Peshkopi, and elsewhere, people have expressed their outrage at the deceitful government of Nano’s lackeys, officials with habits of theft and corruption, involvement in drug trafficking, and government crimes carried out through moral [unclear], and, moreover, officials directly involved in crimes. Hundreds of thousands of people have welcomed Berisha in Shkodër, Durrës, and Kavajë, expressing their support for the PD leader and putting him at the head of this new movement, which calls for new elections as soon as possible. These grand meetings have revived among the electorate throughout Albania the prospect of a different government—precisely the kind of government that, for five consecutive years, placed Albania among the poorest countries in the bloc, made the country attractive to criminal investors from all over the world, turned it into a landing strip for billions of dollars from international institutions in various countries, and made it a place of threat and revival, hope and future. People call it the communist rebellion; they are still experiencing it today in all its violence and terror. They know who can fill it again, who can protect them from gangs and bandits, from criminals and thieving state officials.

Yesterday in Kavajë

The reorganization of the branch is continuing intensively ON PAGE 2

SPMSH determined to continue the general strike The miners’ acute economic problems, SPMSH believes, are not the responsibility of Ylli Bufi alone, but also of the militarization of the party in power SPMSH believes the miners’ acute economic problems are not the responsibility of Ylli Bufi alone, but also of the militarization of the party in power ON PAGE 5

Christmas with dynamite ON PAGE 5

Disarmament will happen when Ceka’s criminals leave It was Ceka and Gjinushi who, in Vlora, acted as though they had not laid down their arms. They are the ones who support the criminals today ON PAGE 2

Last night, judges and prosecutors took refuge for over 3 hours in the Catholic Church of the Heart of Christ in the capital ON PAGE 3 Berisha welcomes the protests in Prishtina The chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, yesterday welcomed the protest by Kosovo’s students and the support that the citizens of Prishtina are giving the students in pursuing their just demands for freedom, education, and national identity. Thousands of students and citizens of Prishtina demonstrated in the streets of Kosovo’s capital in defence of [the schools] on December 24, and again yesterday, demanding the liberation of Albanian-language schools from the Serbian occupiers.

Nano conceals his latest trip The official media and the Prime Minister’s press office have not chosen to provide information about Nano’s sudden trip; indeed, there have been efforts to keep this visit secret Prime Minister Fatos Nano has been absent from Albania for two days. The day before yesterday, his deputy Bashkim Fino chaired the Council of Ministers meeting, while yesterday the Prime Minister was seen neither at the Catholic church nor at the Orthodox church to wish the faithful well. Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said that Nano, together with his family, has been in Greece privately with his family for two days to spend Christmas. Meanwhile, sources at Rinas Airport added that Nano departed from Rinas on a special plane, aboard which a large consignment was transported, the details of which have not been reliably confirmed. Last week Nano welcomed his family at Rinas as they returned from France, during which he also crashed the state car, which he was driving himself, into one of the airport walls. Before a week had passed, he left for Greece with his family. It is not known whether Nano will return to his homeland before the New Year, but it has been confirmed that many suitcases, their contents unknown, went with Nano to Greece. The official media have given extraordinary publicity to all his trips, but this latest one, apparently for other reasons, was not considered worth announcing to the public, which is very interested in the Prime Minister’s movements. Until now, Nano has brought ships carrying projects back from all his trips, but this time it is known that he has taken many suitcases out of the country, which are not believed to have contained projects for the host country. R. M.

Saturday, 27 December 1997, at 12:00 Rally, grand concert in “Skënderbej” Square The country’s finest artists will take part “UNION FOR DEMOCRACY”

On Saturday, 27.12.1997, at 11:00, at the Palace of Congresses, the Democratic Party is organizing its second national-level meeting with the local officials of the Union for Democracy. All elected local officials are invited to attend: councillors, commune heads, mayors, and district heads.