The day before yesterday, the President of Malta, Mr. Tabone, received representatives of the Socialist Party of Albania at a special meeting at the Palace of Brigades, led by its deputy chairman, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, and held a warm and constructive conversation with them. Servet Pëllumbi informed the Maltese president of the Socialist Party’s views and positions on developments in the country. On the issue, he said, we welcome every good achievement, but naturally we have expressed and will continue to express our objections as well. And this is the democratic way. Among other things, we will continue to denounce violations of the human rights of journalists and the opposition, which have reached a peak with the unlawful arrest of PS chairman Fatos Nano. We are in favor of understanding, and this will be best for Albania above all else, but (Continued on page 4)

268 European deputies vote in favor of the release of Fatos Nano The European Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg on 7 February for a session that will continue until 11 February, discussed a report on Albania and also approved the corresponding resolution. In this resolution, European parliamentarians discussed and proposed five additional amendments, two of them solely on the Nano issue. Amendment 5 calls on the Albanian Government to release Fatos Nano. 268 deputies voted in favor of this amendment and 37 against. You will read further details in tomorrow’s issue.

The Second National Conference of the PSSH – realistic and optimistic alternatives for the future: The National Conference concluded successfully. Its success was confirmed throughout the proceedings and in the documents it adopted. It demonstrated the high political, intellectual, analytical and creative level of the Socialist Party. Two years after entering opposition, the Socialist Party came to the Conference with its true, broad-based and compelling potential. This period was one of accumulation and testing, of breaking away from consolidation and of adopting realistic positions toward it. The Conference gave a clear and unequivocal answer to the question: Is the Socialist Party capable of presenting its alternatives for bringing the country out of the grave situation in which we find ourselves? The report presented at the Conference, the message of chairman Fatos Nano, and all the other aspects of the Conference demonstrated the PS’s ability to understand, analyze and reach realistic conclusions about the complexity of the current situation and those that lie ahead. The report presented at the Conference is the result of the observations, analyses and constructive positions maintained by the Socialist Party throughout its time in opposition. It is the fruit of the collective thinking of the PS’s intellectual forces, which have had ample scope to contribute across all its structures. A realistic diagnosis of the economic, political and social situation the country is going through, and the identification of the right therapy to overcome it—these were the Conference’s two main pillars. It is no exaggeration to say that, to date, no Albanian political force has produced such a broad and profound analysis of today’s structures. In this way, the Socialist Party presents itself to domestic and foreign public opinion as a serious, mature, wise and analytical political force, and one capable of making effective choices for the life of the country. The Conference was proof that the PS’s potential can be put to effective use when it is in opposition, and also a guarantee of its ability to put these alternatives into practice if it comes to power. An important idea running through the Conference was that, under present conditions, the fate of the country and the nation comes before the fate and interests of political parties. This requires the parties’ political vision to rise above the narrow party interests that have gripped some parties today, such as the PD and others in alliance with it. It is precisely the idea of refusing to accept a change of power that leads the PD to resort to anti-democratic actions, seeking to suppress every alternative opinion, however rational, coming from opposition parties. The alternatives presented by the PS at its Conference are not alternatives belonging only to the PS or intended only for it; they are addressed to the broad masses of people and serve their interests. The Conference argued that new elections are the only political alternative, a democratic path to creating new opportunities for development and finding the best ways to bring the country out of the crisis. In doing so, the PS is carrying out an important duty arising from its responsibility, as an opposition party, toward the country’s fate. At the same time, it does not consider the question of alternatives and other possible ways of resolving the problems it has raised to be exhausted. On the contrary, without jealousy, it is open to dialogue with other parties about any alternatives they put forward, always convinced that such dialogue is in the interests of the country and the people. This was another message reaffirmed at the Conference. With the ideas it put forward and the alternatives it presented at the Conference, the Socialist Party made its position known on today’s Albanian reality. It is now up to the other parties to make their positions known. The table for the parties has now been set. Anyone who wants what is best for the country should take a seat at it and convince the skeptics. (Continued on page 3)

DURRËS: Unofficial sources report that the father of former Governor General of the Albanian Bank Ilir Hoti, who, as is known, ended up in prison months ago, has also been arrested. DURRËS: Unofficial sources report that the father of former Governor General of the Albanian Bank Ilir Hoti, who, as is known, ended up in prison months ago, has also been arrested. So, apart from the «Arsidi Case», what role does Ilir Hoti’s father play in all this? It is learned that he wrote a letter to President Berisha! Is that true? If so, what did it contain? Mysteries! Meanwhile, on 8 February, the ruling party’s newspaper «RD» highlighted on its front page, in a news item, an article titled «The black hand of the security service that is at work in the Arsidi Case», which says that «the “Friend,” who imprisoned honest people in the not-so-distant past and used the crushing language of terror against family members, is the godfather behind the concealment of the Arsidi Case documentation». Without wishing to draw attention to «RD»’s “Friend,” and to everything it knows about him, which it writes from his address with the aim of branding him a criminal, we ask: will the investigations into the Arsidi Case ever be completed? The Observer

TIRANË: At midday on 8 February, a letter dated 8 February also arrived at the Tirana Municipal Council, in which the deputy mayor, Çëzim Kalliu, announced his resignation. At midday on 8 February, a letter dated 8 February also arrived at the Tirana Municipal Council, in which the deputy mayor, Çëzim Kalliu, announced his resignation, citing his inability to carry out his duties. Meanwhile, it is reported by the other side that the group representing the PD at the Municipality had held a lengthy meeting, which Dylber Vroni is said to have attended as well. He simultaneously holds the important position of head of the PD group for Tirana and that of Governor of the Bank of Albania. The governor of the Bank of Albania, as is known, replaced Ilir Hoti, who was imprisoned for embezzling large sums. The Mayor of Tirana accepted Mr Kalliu’s resignation, while the Municipal Council is expected to discuss the matter soon. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

Of the Second National Conference of the PSSH on the immediate release of the Chairman of the Socialist Party, member of the People’s Assembly, Fatos Nano, and all other political prisoners The Second National Conference of the Socialist Party, held on 7–8 February 1994, based on its analysis of the current situation facing the country, developed and announced its political, economic and social alternatives. Among the complex issues addressed by the Conference, a special place was given to issues concerning the protection of human rights and freedoms and the opposition. The Conference denounced, with a strong sense of responsibility, the escalation of violence and police pressure, the suppression of free speech, political-crime vendettas, and the political arrests and imprisonment of opponents of the current authorities. The Conference firmly condemned and characterized as an illegal and unconstitutional act the arrest (Continued on page 4)

Dear comrades, delegates, honored guests, I believe I am also expressing your view when I say that our Conference, the Second National Conference of the PS, completed its proceedings with full success and achieved its purpose. At this Conference, we not only announced our political, economic and social alternative, but also gave it concrete form and developed it further. This will further enhance the PS’s prestige and its constructive role in Albanian political life. From now on, we will have a program and statute that reflect the PS’s development and the changes that have taken place in Albanian reality. These documents will contribute positively to strengthening the PS further, both politically and organizationally. We now have an additional experience: the experience of this Conference; and its main slogans, among which the demand for early elections stands out. The Conference is an achievement that will make the party more progressive and its action program for 1994 more concrete. At the Conference, the PS once again presented itself as a political force that holds high—and will continue to hold high in the future—the banner of the struggle to defend human rights and freedoms. In this context, the demand “Release PS Chairman Fatos Nano” sounded natural and legitimate, since we consider it a profoundly democratic demand; his arrest and continued imprisonment are, in our view, a political matter. While regarding these as the main achievements of our Conference, we are aware that their value and importance will multiply a hundredfold, because we will know how to work to bring them to our thousands upon thousands of members and supporters. Forward to new successes. Forward toward new democratic developments. Long live the Socialist Party! Long live the Albanian people! Tirana, 8.2.1994.

On Friday, 11.2.1994, at 12:00, the Socialist Party will hold a press conference at its headquarters. Representatives of the press, telegraph agencies, radio and television, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, are invited to attend.