One year after Azem’s murder in Parliament, Democrats are more determined than ever in their protest “Union for Democracy” calls on all honest Albanians who believe in freedom and its values, true patriots who aspire to a free Albania, and right-wingers wherever they are in Albania, to join the citizens of Tirana on Friday, September 18, at 11:00, in “Skënderbeu” Square for their peaceful protest against the neocommunist regime which, after seizing power by force, has not stopped applying its old platform against the opposition: persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and killings. Democrats from all over Albania! Let us gather on Friday, September 18, at 11:00 in “Skënderbeu” Square, in memory of the first anniversary of Azem Hajdari’s murder in the Albanian Parliament.

Berisha appeals to Albanians for restraint: “Don’t become part of Nano’s scheme to set Albania on fire” Fatos Nano is seeking to light the fuse of civil war in Albania by ordering the arrest of the chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, and several of its other leaders. It is no coincidence that the unexpected step toward the final execution of the scheme is being called by a certain Spartak Braho, the man accused of organizing the attack at Shkallnuer, in June of last year, when former President Berisha was hit with a bomb which, fortunately, did not explode, while he was campaigning for his party. Opening the prison doors to the people who brought down communism and brought democratic change to Albania comes after a long ordeal of repression against the opposition, which reached its peak a few days ago with the murder of the December Leader, Azem Hajdari. By ordering the imprisonment of Berisha and half of the Democratic Party leadership, Fatos Nano is showing all Democrats in Albania the prospect of death and prison doors. He cannot arres-[text cut off] Secretary of State Albright warns Fatos Nano The arrest of Berisha would also show all Democrats in Albania the prison doors. He cannot arrest the leader of the DP and the other Democratic leaders on the absurd charge of “armed rebellion” or “coup d’état,” when he himself has destroyed this state and then abandoned it in panic, fleeing to Dajt for two days. While Azem Hajdari’s blood has not yet dried in front of the Democratic Party headquarters, and six political prisoners, former senior officials of the last Democratic government, are still being held in cells, Fatos Nano is once again challenging the hundreds of thousands of Democrats in this country, warning them that now they will face only bullets, prisons, and dictatorship. Berisha also called on Albanians to restrain themselves and not become part of Nano’s dark scheme to set Albania on fire, but his appeal is also insufficient. Democrats throughout Albania can under no circumstances forgive the blood of Azem Hajdari and of all those who have been killed, wounded, and terrorized since June 29. They cannot remain silent and turn a blind eye to the former officials held as political prisoners who have been in Fatos Nano’s prisons for a long time, while they cannot obey anyone—not even Sali Berisha himself—when it comes to the imprisonment of their leader. If they listened to him last year for the sake of major issues, when Fatos Nano and his mafia clan destroyed the state, killed, burned, and looted to come to power, now they can no longer listen to anything other than their instinct for self-preservation. Tomorrow, Democrats will face their trial by fire, because after Berisha’s arrest every one of them will be completely exposed to Fatos Nano’s political prisons and bullets without warning. None of them can hold back when they think that the same people who, together with the dictatorship, were overthrown seven years ago have now bared their weapons and teeth, more ferocious than their own communist forebears. Nearly half the population, opposed to the government in Albania, cannot be restrained by anyone in the world when they see Fatos Nano imitating Enver Hoxha point for point and bringing back those times of dictatorship, prisons, and internment. Before this happens, Fatos Nano must think carefully, because he may not have time to flee and hide in Dajt and to wash and change his clothes in fear, together with his Peros. If he drives this country into smoke and flames, the fire will begin with him. If he ignores all the political forces opposed to him and concludes that he has the guts to put Sali Berisha in prison, that too will be his undoing. First, he must understand that he is more isolated in this country than ever—and that this began on the day he appeared in Albanian politics. If he has with him a few rewarded thugs who do not have the courage to [unclear text] the powerful forces capable of stopping the inevitable decline of his power, which is rotting and [unclear text] even before the ministers washed and changed their clothes after the blood of the protest victims. Before signing the arrest warrant for Sali Berisha, the prime minister of the most criminal and most corrupt government in the world must read Washington’s message once again and understand, in general terms, that it warns him about his actions against the opposition. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has made it clear to Nano that he will be held fully responsible for destabilizing the situation in Albania following the attempt to arrest Sali Berisha. If Fatos Nano disregards all the unfavorable circumstances, then he has only one last hope of saving himself: to isolate himself from responsibility. In every other case, the prime minister will sign his own terrible end. Braho carries out the order of chief prosecutor Fatos Nano. The parliamentary commission decides to lift the immunity of the Chairman of the DP. The criminal prime minister is seeking a fight at any cost

The DP vice-chairman strongly condemned last night the lifting of the immunity of DP chairman Sali Berisha by the Mandates Commission of the People’s Assembly. In a statement issued last night, Pollo said that approving the lifting of DP chairman Sali Berisha’s immunity was the realization of Fatos Nano’s revenge and a continuation of attempts to kill the DP and its leaders. Nano is reviving the tradition of Nevzat Haznedari and Koci Xoxe, and this People’s Assembly looks very much like the 1946 Assembly. But Fatos Nano is seriously mistaken if he thinks he will weaken Berisha by attacking him in this way. The DP is strong and united, and such attacks will only raise the popular revolution higher. Sali Berisha will remain just as active, whatever Nano does, Pollo said. Statement by PD Deputy Chairman Genc Pollo

Dozens of foreign journalists in every part of the DP headquarters Yesterday, at the press conference, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha read the government’s statement issued that day, which referred to a war headquarters, armed units, and large quantities of ammunition. At the end of the conference, Mr. Berisha asked the foreign press, accompanied by Secretary General Ritvan Bode and Presidium member Pjetër Arbnori, to visit all the premises at the Democratic Party headquarters which Fatos Nano’s statement had claimed were filled with heavy weapons. Numerous journalists from American, Italian, French, Dutch, German, Danish, and Spanish television networks, as well as private and foreign radio stations and news agencies, visited the Democratic Party headquarters. Mr. Bode told the journalists that the headquarters is and will remain open to any diplomat from friendly countries who wishes to visit it.

Telephone conversation between the DP chairman and the former U.S. Secretary of Defense The chairman of the PDSH, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, held a telephone conversation at 20:30 with former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry. During the conversation, Mr. Perry expressed his deep concern about the decision of the Albanian Parliamentary Mandates Commission, conveyed the U.S. government’s disapproval of this decision, and assured Mr. Berisha that he and the U.S. government were following these developments very closely. Berisha expressed his great thanks to Mr. Perry for his friendly sentiments and said, “Albanian Democrats are proud to have a friend like you.” “I must assure you and all of Albania’s friends that today I am just as determined as I was on the day I decided to fight communism,” Berisha told Mr. Perry.

Statement by PD Deputy Chairman Genc Pollo

American political analysts blame the governing party for the current situation in Albania ON PAGE 5

The state does not accept independent media in Albania ON PAGE 7

The government fabricates news to implicate the opposition ON PAGE 7