The right, trade unions and associations in intensive talks to unify their efforts to overthrow the criminal regime of Fatos Nano Albania risks suspension from the Council of Europe. Tirana will resume the protest tomorrow at 11:00. Albania risks suspension from the Council of Europe Tirana will resume the protest tomorrow at 11:00 Yesterday, front page The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe accepts for consideration the suspension of the Albanian delegation At the parliamentary house, yesterday afternoon, the first meeting was held between the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party and several delegations from allied opposition parties, trade union organizations and associations of the persecuted. According to official information received at the PD headquarters, the meeting was held behind closed doors and aimed to coordinate joint efforts to escalate protests against the Nano government. At the center of the talks was the creation of an "Alliance against Dictatorship," a political and social cooperation formula for uniting all right-wing and dissatisfied forces against the current regime. Opposition sources said that the Republican Party, the Balli Kombëtar Party, the Independent Miners’ Union, organizations of former political persecuted persons and other civic groups are expected to be included in this initiative. The initiative seeks to organize daily protests, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience. The article also stresses that Albania risks suspension from the Council of Europe because of political tensions and the lack of democratic standards. A major protest has been announced for tomorrow in Tirana, at 11:00. ON PAGE 7

Thousands of citizens at Sunday’s memorial gathering. "A magnificent procession from Skanderbeg Square to the Sharrë cemetery" Today the work begins on dismantling the bomb that killed Hazbi Allnollari The state has taken no measures whatsoever to ensure order and prevent such acts. Azem Hajdari was finally laid to rest in the free soil of democracy yesterday at 11:00, just three days after the explosive attack that took his life. A great human procession accompanied the architect of the student movement of December 1990, the PD deputy, the tribune of democracy, to his final resting place. The funeral ceremony for the late Azem Hajdari began in the early hours of the morning at the Palace of Congresses. Hundreds and hundreds of citizens of Tirana, students, intellectuals, workers, but also people who had come from other districts of the country and had spent the night near the lifeless body of Deputy Hajdari, gathered yesterday morning to take part in the farewell ceremonies. Thousands of other citizens later filled Skanderbeg Square, Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard and Mother Teresa Square to escort with honor the hero of Albanian democracy. The funeral ceremony began with the national anthem and that of the USA, continuing with the placement of the coffin at the entrance of the Palace of Congresses. Afterwards the cortege moved through the center of Tirana toward the Sharrë cemetery. It was attended by figures from political life, opposition deputies, former president Sali Berisha, leaders of the PD, representatives of the diplomatic corps and many citizens. In Skanderbeg Square, many supporters of the Democratic Party also gathered, holding banners and flowers in their hands. Numerous tributes were paid in the premises of the Palace of Congresses. The lifeless body of Azem Hajdari was accompanied by thousands upon thousands of citizens. The procession set off toward the Sharrë cemetery, where the democratic deputy was buried. ON PAGE 4

Handcuffs for the director of Radio Kontakt and the former director of ATSH. Search launched for the former deputy director of RTSH, Antoneta Maja Journalist Alfons Zeneli and the former director general of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, Ilir Zhilla, were arrested in the late hours of last night. Police sources say the arrests were carried out as part of investigations being conducted against several former leaders of public and private media outlets. According to the same sources, former RTSH deputy director Antoneta Maja has also been declared wanted. By late hours, the full charges had not been made public, but the arrests are linked to suspected activities carried out while performing their duties. ON PAGE 5

Call from the Alliance against Dictatorship In the "Alliance against Dictatorship," all the parties, trade unions and non-governmental organizations that have decided to make Fatos Nano’s governance impossible and to express their opposition to this government have grouped together. Within this framework, they will organize a protest in the center of Tirana, to be held tomorrow at 11:00. Citizens are called upon to take part massively in this protest against the criminal regime of Fatos Nano. According to the organizers, the protest will be peaceful, but determined and with broad participation. ON PAGE 5

The tactics of the prosecutors emerge, sometimes taught on the back of Raqi and Enver Hoxha, when the class struggle was intensifying Nano fully restored Aranit Çela’s "justice," a scare bomb in the house of the French prosecutor ON PAGE 3

Hajdari's trail, a political scandal Excerpt from an interview with the chairman of the Albanians, Ismail Kadaré, given to the magazine "Liria" ON PAGE 7

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe accepts for consideration the suspension of the Albanian delegation At the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the situation in Albania and the escalation of political violence after the killing of opposition deputy Azem Hajdari were discussed yesterday. According to the first announcements, a group of deputies has requested the suspension of the Albanian delegation until the political and institutional circumstances that led to this event are fully clarified. The debate focused on the lack of public order, the responsibility of the government, and the guarantee of democratic standards in the country. ON PAGE 3

In an interview with the Greek newspaper "Stokos", former prime minister Sali Berisha described the activity of the Socialist Party and its government as a political use of justice to strike at opponents. Berisha stated that the arrests and accusations against journalists and former media directors are a sign of a vengeful spirit and that the state is being used for party interests. He stressed that these actions are contrary to European standards and democratic freedoms. ON PAGE 7

ENGLISH RILINDJA DEMOKRATIKE / Democratic Rebirth Tuesday, 24 February 1998. Daily newspaper of the Democratic Party of Albania. Main headline: Together in the Alliance against Dictatorship. Subheadline: The right, trade unions and associations in intensive talks to unify their efforts to overthrow the criminal regime of Fatos Nano. Other visible headlines translated: Flowers and tears over Azem's grave; Tomorrow, again in protest; In Albania the opposition is being killed; Fatos Nano's lackeys bare their teeth at the opposition; Nano, the Bolshevik head of the Socialist Party; Nano is using justice for personal and political revenge; Alfons Zeneli and Ilir Zhilla arrested. ITALIANO RILINDJA DEMOKRATIKE / Rinascita Democratica Martedì 24 febbraio 1998. Quotidiano del Partito Democratico d'Albania. Titolo principale: Insieme nella Lega contro la Dittatura. Sottotitolo: La destra, i sindacati e le associazioni in colloqui intensi per unificare i loro sforzi per rovesciare il regime criminale di Fatos Nano. Altri titoli visibili tradotti: Fiori e lacrime sulla tomba di Azem; Domani, di nuovo in protesta; In Albania viene uccisa l'opposizione; I lacchè di Fatos Nano mostrano i denti all'opposizione; Nano, il capo bolscevico del PS; Nano sta usando la giustizia per vendetta personale e politica; Arrestati Alfons Zeneli e Ilir Zhilla.