The Austrian Christian Democrat takes Tarschys’s place ON PAGE 3

Great Britain supports the development of democracy in Albania ON PAGE 3

By Sami NEZA The owls of the Socialist Party have now been declared even by the party’s secretary general and Prime Minister Pandeli Majko. The [?] panic among the most important people in the SP about a number of people around him who resemble owls is not simply a literary game played by people who are seeking to take control not only of the government but also of the party’s reins. The Prime Minister’s [?] outburst, although it sounds painful, expresses the slide of people in the party in power in several directions, running parallel to the Prime Minister, but also to Fatos Nano. Socialist factions have now openly declared their war, which is not simply a matter of being excluded from party celebrations, but a vow to bring down whoever they can, by any means. Two years ago, although there were many groups within the party, the struggle for power among those who wielded power had never been so clear. If the workshop inside the Socialist gathering had two groups, one aligned with Servet Pëllumbi and the other with Fatos Nano, today there are several such groups: some seeking support for Majko, some for Fatos Nano, some for Ilir Meta, and even a group seeking support for Ndre Legisi. Depending on their positions or power, the forces may shift, and people in parliament or on the steering committee will lean toward whoever holds power, or strengthen their ranks so as not to lose it completely. The powerful people among the Socialists are those who appoint customs officers and directors, or announce tenders. Just as powerful are those who control the country’s national roads, along which contraband trucks travel, while the gangs form the hub through which power moves or is transferred. The mechanism of the clans in the SP is even stranger, to the point that Majko calls them owls, since on no occasion has he himself been able to ... reckon with the people who brought him to the post of Prime Minister, or with those he can reward with new positions, or those whose positions they are protecting. The clans in the SP, like the functioning of the Albanian administration, have an illegal nature, depending on the real business they conduct, on their mafia links to trafficking and smuggling, and on the financial balance they achieve by backing Majko, Nano, Meta, or someone else. Majko’s harsh insult shows that these days he is in the grip of the power he holds within his own party. Just a few weeks ago, in a test he conducted in parliament, he realized that his strength was too small to withstand what could also lead to his dismissal. Although he is Prime Minister, he does not control a majority in parliament, which has made him a real measure of Socialist power and of the powerlessness of power itself. His call for a strong hand is not aimed at the country’s development, since he and his government do not have that potential, but is a warning to voters at the congress and in the party, as well as to those who have dared to defy him in Parliament. Large files filled with crimes, trafficking, smuggling and [?] in the hands of trusted people, but which tomorrow could become weapons against those who are trusted—against Majko. The Prime Minister, strengthened in himself because of the crisis but not at all fortified within the institutions, no longer has his own success in hand, just as the Socialist Party, with all its factions and power, does not. The clans, which may now also appear divided, are protected by a fierce struggle, which is no longer fought in [?] or with pebbles, but within a power structure, with money, trafficking and smuggling accounts, and mafia networks, in politics as well as in the economy.

The Prime Minister returns to the practices of the former communist nomenklatura and Nano in squandering state funds. A Socialist vacation in Latin America ON PAGE 3

Mitrovica, Albanians continue returning to their homes

The DP chairman begins his visit to Switzerland with Albanians The Chairman of the DP begins his visit to Switzerland with Albanians Berisha begins meetings in Crans-Montana The Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, arrived in Geneva on Wednesday afternoon, warmly welcomed by a large number of Albanians from the diaspora in Europe. Berisha, accompanied by the DP’s Organizational Secretary, Fatos Beja, thus began his visit to Switzerland, where he has been invited to take part in the annual Crans Montana Forum. At the meeting with Albanians from Switzerland and other European countries, Berisha presented his and the Democratic Party’s views on historical developments in Kosovo, describing the successful deployment of NATO troops there as an unprecedented victory in the entire history of the nation. Berisha once again emphasized the importance of unity and of US President Bill Clinton in resolving the Balkan crisis; they led the joint efforts of NATO countries to show the Butcher of the Balkans his place and to open the way to freedom and prosperity for th- [?] ...tical and explained that precisely the failure to respect normal procedures was also the reason for the reservations the Democratic Party had about Hashim Thaçi’s previous government, although it considers him an important figure in the Kosovo Liberation Army. Meanwhile, he also spoke at length about recent developments concerning the Albanians of Kosovo. At a dinner hosted in Berisha’s honor by the Albanian diaspora at Geneva’s “Intercontinental” hotel, the Democratic Party chairman praised the role of the Kosovars themselves in the great victory over Millosheviç, and paid tribute to the heroism of thousands of freedom fighters, who made the most sublime sacrifice for Kosovo’s freedom. According to him, now that peace is being established in Kosovo and life—violently interrupted by Serbian barbarities—is being revived, the need for cooperation among all the important political actors representing Albanians is greater than ever. Berisha said it is essential that democratic institutions be established in Kosovo— tical and explained that it was precisely the failure to respect normal procedures that had also been Hashim Thaçi’s interim government, even though it considers the Kosovo Liberation Army an important factor. Meanwhile, he also spoke at length about recent developments in Albania, where the governing and failure to govern by the left-wing coalition in power has made the need for a new political solution urgent. After meeting with Albanians from the diaspora in Europe, the chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, gave an interview to Switzerland’s first television channel, TVSR, and the following day gave an interview to the Swiss newspaper “La temp”. Yesterday, the chairman of the DP was invited by the president of the Crans Montana Forum, Zhan Pol Kaldero, to the dinner for the dignitaries attending the conference, and today he is expected to hold important meetings with many of the senior officials and politicians taking part.

The diplomat who brokered agreements that were never implemented is appointed to Kosovo Everts’s mediation efforts, although never fulfilled, give the OSCE ambassador the highest ratings as a highly intelligent and successful diplomat, judging by his biography; Albania, meanwhile, despite the mediation and the efforts of the Mission he headed over these two years, remains very far from any democratic country where the law is upheld. ON PAGE 3 Mitrovicë: Albanians continue returning to their homes

200 employees protest: Deputy Fino, give us what you promised ON PAGE 5

The DP Secretary for Public Relations discusses the reasons that led the DP to return to parliament, the grassroots’ view of this political move, the long-standing option of the minority within the DP, internal party democracy, etc. “I understand the views of those who say there is no internal democracy in the DP, because when they were in charge, there really was no internal democracy, to the point that these people took it upon themselves even to appoint the chairmen of DP branches.” ON PAGE 2

First hearing against ten more people accused of “armed insurrection” fails to take place Prosecutor Bandilli insisted that the hearing should not proceed because three defendants, who are being held under house arrest as a security measure, had not been brought into the courtroom; one of them resides in the city of Elbasan. ON PAGE 2

Today, 286 days since the murder of the December Leader Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and its successor in the crime that weighs heavily on the entire Albanian world. The governments of the former communists, who have the same and unpunished criminals who took the December Leader’s life, have made it clear to Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the murderers, who have names, but are untouched by those in power. Democrats cannot accept this; Albanians who loved and valued Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate any criminal killing, or must publicly declare that the criminals should face justice, or must publicly declare that the government itself committed Azem Hajdari’s murder.

Ambassador Frowick meets with leaders of Kosovo NGOs ON PAGE 3

On Monday, 28.06.1999, at 11:00, a meeting of the National Council of the Democratic Party will be held. Members of the National Council and MPs are invited to attend.