Press conference of the Socialist Party DEMOCRACY HAS A LONG LIFE WHEN CITIZENS MANAGE TO UNDERSTAND IT Chronicle — Remarks by Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, deputy chairman of the Socialist Party, at the press conference — Fatos Nano was imprisoned and sentenced as chairman of the SP because he called for capable and uncorrupt governance, because he called for a fair and lawful distribution of property for all Albanians and not its plunder by government decisions, because he called for social protection for those left unprotected by the workings of the market economy, for fair wage-price relations, because he defended the blood of the martyrs and the wounds of the veterans, and because he called for Albania’s rapid integration into Europe. Yesterday, the Presidency of the Socialist Party of Albania held a press conference concerning the Court of Appeal’s decision in the Nano Case. First, the floor was taken by the SP deputy chairman, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi. Then the Party’s deputy chairmen, Servet Pëllumbi and Luan Hajdaraga, answered journalists’ questions. Will an appeal be lodged with the Court of Cassation in the “Nano Case,” and if so, what does the Socialist Party expect from that Court? It is Fatos Nano’s own right to decide whether to apply to the Court of Cassation. However, as far as we know, an appeal will be lodged with that court. We want to go through every level of the judicial process. Naturally, we have no illusions, but it is nevertheless also an opportunity for the Court of Cassation to express its impartial position. You said that Fatos Nano’s sentence was ordered by President Berisha. Do you have concrete evidence of this, or are you basing this on his statements about the opposition? At today’s press conference, “On the Nano Case,” I would like to emphasize from the outset: First, we consider the Court of Appeal’s decision, announced yesterday and upholding the previous court’s decision, unjust and incredible in terms of the law and the evidence. It has now become completely clear that the judicial bodies have no impartiality whatsoever; their functions have been usurped by the PD’s political power. But this is a legal and political effort to dominate Albanian political life by means of practical neodictatorial methods. The Socialist Party and its chairman, Fatos Nano, have never feared the law, but they have warned of the installation of lawlessness. feared justice, but have called for justice to be defended. feared [text as printed is repetitive and incomplete], but have called for justice to be defended. Second, there is no longer any doubt that the “Nano Case” is a political case, a settling of scores with political opponents who, according to one adviser, identify him with the enemy. In this respect, we regard Fatos Nano’s sentence, ordered and directly overseen by Sali Berisha, as the opening of a series of political trials and as a diversion from the failures. But the paralysis and exhaustion of Parliament cannot be concealed by such means; it is a Parliament that does not [sentence garbled]. Parliament, which is unable to adopt a Constitution [text garbled] the government’s incapacity and the witnesses. Ramiz Alia said there had been an agreement for 16 thousand old lekë, while the current president (without saying whether he belongs to those he called communists converted into blue democrats, whom he grouped together with the neo-Ballists), when speaking about the organizers of the trial, receives a monthly salary of 260 thousand old lekë. First, we consider the decision of the Court of Appeal, announced yesterday and upholding that of the Court of Taktik, bodies have no independence whatsoever; their functions are directed by the PD’s political power. But the legal effort to eliminate the political opposition will stand as one of the most shameful acts in Albania’s fragile democracy, an act carried out at the height of the efforts of the kla- As I said, we consider the decision of the Court of Appeal, which was announced yesterday and upheld the decision of the Court of Taktik, to be unjust and unsupported by law or evidence. It has now become perfectly clear that the judicial bodies have no independence whatsoever; their functions have been dictated by the political power of the PD. feared the rule of law, but have denounced—and will continue to denounce—the state of PD-ist clans and groups, which are endangering the fate of the country and the Albanian nation.

Yesterday at the Tirana Court: The former Head of State and two senior officials denounce the political nature of the trial Lawyer Kleanthi Koçi addresses the bench: “— I ask you not to continue violating the Constitution.” At 9:00 yesterday, the third day of the hearing opened. It began with the examination of Simon Stefani’s testimony, continued for more than two and a half hours with Hekuran Isai’s explanations, and ended with Ramiz Alia’s statement. But what did yesterday’s day of the trial reveal? RAMIZ ALIA: “— This is a political trial organized by the neo-Ballists and communists converted into blue democrats... The leitmotif of this trial has been the education and cultural development of the people, and the freedom and independence of the homeland...” After 20 months under house arrest and in the cells of Tirana prison—which the former President of the Albanian [word unclear in source] had also seen during the years of the fascist occupation—Ramiz Alia explained before the bench yesterday the political essence of the trial organized against him and all those he called old politicians, whom the trial’s organizers, seeking to humiliate them as a group, have accused of theft. Thus, if we bear in mind Ramiz Alia’s appearance at the trial against Nexhmije Hoxha and Fatos Nano, where he had been called as a witness, his stance yesterday was not unexpected. He declared at the outset, he said, that the charge was tendentious and unfounded in law. It aims to smear my reputation for the benefit of today’s politicians. Then Sali Berisha’s predecessor explained the essence of how the party-state functioned in a one-party system, whose role was legitimized by the Constitution. Using facts and logical and legal arguments, he told the bench that the charge of embezzlement in collusion did not hold, because in 1976 he had voted for the Political Bureau’s decision concerning the treatment of the leadership. The expenses of the Political Directorate concerning the treatment of the leadership. He said the expenses of the Reception Directorate accounted for only 0.002 per thousand of the state budget. Ramiz Alia then said that his monthly salary had been 16 thousand old lekë. Meanwhile, the current president (without saying whether he belonged to those he called communists converted into blue democrats, who accuse [text garbled])... [remainder garbled in source]. In response to the charge that he had banned the practice of religious activities and faith in 1967, Ramiz Alia essentially replied that, since it was a political decision of the PPSH, I will say nothing before this bench, since only members of the Party of Labour have that right. But he explained that it was a period of major movements to democratize the country’s life, especially to emancipate women in the struggle against backward customs. We did not make this decision into a law in parliament, he said, even though we had two-thirds of parliament, just as we acted in 1990, when religion was permitted by a decision of the PPSH Central Committee, without taking a decision in parliament, where again we had two-thirds of the votes. My position on this issue, Ramiz Alia said, was the same as that of the Central Committee of the PPSH. Now, as I approach 70 years of age, said the first person to resign from the post of President in order to leave it to another former communist, looking back, I find nothing to regret—

We offer you electoral alternatives, not handouts To tell the truth, we have come here without rumors, with ... To tell the truth, we have come here without rumors, without flour, without expired English goods, without soldiers, but with honesty, courage and a desire to talk with you about your concerns. That is how Dr. Luan Haxhiraga, deputy chairman of the Socialist Party and a member of the People’s Assembly, began his latest meeting in the municipality of Zall-Herr, [text unclear] and Herraj, with residents of the villages of Bovillë, Paskuqan and Herraj. In the form of a warm and cordial conversation with the residents of this area, the SP candidates were introduced: Gani Allushi for head of the commune in Zall-Herr, [text garbled]. Haxhiraga did not... “We do not make promises,” Mr. Haxhiraga continued. “We do not say that we will build roads and bridges, but we promise that we will put good, capable and honest people in charge. The PD government officials are involved in playing games for their own benefit, now that...” ... The problems are ... honesty and professionalism. ... Albania is in danger ... Faced with this grave and tense situation in political life, faced with the loss of the electorate ... [partly illegible passage] ... ... we showed that we wanted to go to Europe, starting from zero at a time when we should be starting from the stage at which these processes caught us. The Socialist Party entered political life as a new party. Political parties are judged by their programmes, alternatives and the paths they offer for solving the country’s problems. The noise being made today against the SP as an old party is nothing but fear of its strength, which, despite all the forms and methods used by those in power, they have failed to weaken; on the contrary, they have strengthened it and made it evergreen [sic]. Competition between parties is not enmity, as the PD is acting today. The arrest and sentencing of the Socialist Party chairman, Fatos Nano, the monopoly of TVSH, the refusal to allow opposition meetings and rallies, particularly those of the SP, are measures in the campaign of injustice that those in power are waging today against the Albanian opposition. The Socialist Party has long declared that it has used this method and will never use [text garbled]. We will go to Europe by bringing in a new spirit, a spirit of tolerance and understanding, always built on dialogue. Albania needs early elections, and this is what the people say, whose voice must be heard by today’s regime. The elections being held in these communes are a good test for demanding early elections even more strongly. Now, you have the right to vote for whomever you wish, but it is in your interest to choose the most worthy, the best, the most capable and the most honest. Discussions and questions about the future followed... [Continued on page 3]

A TOYOTA with yellow plate TR 0414 Z at the Zall-Herr military unit. It is carrying PD MP Mr. Shaban Memia, accompanied by an officer with the rank of colonel and another man with a very familiar face. Concerned by an extraordinary deployment of military forces at the military centers in the Commune of Zall-Herr, the SP issued a statement on Thursday morning denouncing this action, which was carried out solely to intimidate voters in this commune using the soldiers’ votes. Stung by the criticism, the Ministry of Defence responded by justifying the movement of the troops as a normal part of the army’s restructuring, while also issuing the slogan, “The army is depoliticized and serves only the homeland.” Yesterday, well-informed sources from the Commune of Zall-Herr told our newsroom that on 25.9.94, Thursday, at 12 o’clock, a TOYOTA with plate TR 0414 Z [was] at the Zall-Herr military unit, carrying PD MP Shaban Memia, a person whose face is well known in the area and who, according to the source, was Mr. Ferdinand Petrela. The group also included a senior officer with the rank of colonel. The source said that the PD group remained at the unit for 1 hour and 10 minutes. They did not discuss politics at all, while according to Mr. Zhulali, the army is depoliticized. SHABAN PETRELA

What has the PD government brought to Reç? You know it well, because you live here together. Nevertheless, let us recall a few things. Reç suffers from a lack of water. First of all, there is no drinking water; there is no water for plants and animals. The PD government blocked the water-supply funds that would have brought drinking water to Reç and given you the opportunity to put an end to the “water queue,” which starts in the morning for drinking water in Bardhaj-Reç. The Lashkizë-Qafë-Draj water-supply system, for whose construction millions of lekë have been invested and hundreds of tons of pipes buried, was not built, and no one mentions it anymore in order to ... [Continued on page 2]

— Who is Naun Prifti? I am the son of a farming family here in Libofshë, born in 1960. I completed higher education in agriculture. After graduating, I was appointed to the Kukës district, to the former agricultural cooperative of Topojan, where I stayed for five years. I consider this not a hardship imposed on me by the monist state, but a patriotic duty to serve these remote mountain areas. After 1989, I came to the Libofshë cooperative as an agronomist and later joined the local-government structures. I am currently the commune’s agronomist. — Interview with Naun Prifti, the Socialist Party candidate for commune head in Libofshë. — You are a candidate for commune head put forward by the Socialist Party. Why did you accept the candidacy? — I accepted the candidacy proposed by the SP after this alternative was accepted not only by me, but also by many other comrades and young people here in Libofshë, who ... [text cut off at the lower edge] ... the SP’s alternative ... the only alternative ... the conditions of our country ... the interests of the entire people ... [Continued on page 2]