PD press conference at the Presidential Palace The latest appearance of the “number one” man of the Albanian administration, Mr. Sali Berisha, before the Albanian public has not taken long to arrive. Unlike two weeks earlier—when he had appeared at the podium of the Democratic Party of Tirana, before a small group of fans chanting his name—Mr. Berisha chose this time the seat of the Albanian Presidency to attack the Socialists for more than 90 minutes once again, to boast about the achievements of the second hundred days, and to boast of certainty about victory in ’96. Everything had been said before, except that it was now said directly in front of journalists, amid the tension created by the harsh criticism of the opposition, people not involved in politics, and more than half of Albanians dissatisfied with the current standard of living. Read on page 3

- Yesterday official talks began in Athens between the two delegations led by the foreign ministers of the two countries. Serreqi is to be received by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Stefanopoulos. At the center of yesterday’s talks was the balance of bilateral relations after the first meeting of the Albanian-Greek Joint Commission held in Athens, which was followed by meetings of the joint subcommittees in the capitals of both countries on various areas of cooperation, up to the second meeting of the Commission, which recently took place in Tirana. Another topic of the talks was cooperation between the two countries on a multilateral level, for Albania’s further integration into the European Community, in international forums and organizations. Sources from the Albanian delegation said that talks with the Greek side will continue today, when the Seasonal Employment agreement between the two countries is expected to be signed. According to these sources, Minister Serreqi will also be received today in separate meetings by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Stefanopoulos, by the Speaker of Parliament, as well as by the leader of “New Democracy”, Evert. Also on the program of the Albanian Foreign Minister’s visit are meetings with representatives of the prefectures and of Albanians who currently live and work in Greece, as well as other protocol activities. At the end of the visit, Ministers Alfred Serreqi and Karolos Papoulias will hold a joint press conference.

-In democracy, crime cannot be hidden- The first to suffer the consequences was Judge Bendo. Now it is the turn of prosecutors Qeleshi and Gjokutaj as well. The first was the president of the trial panel that conducted the anti-Nano proceedings, while the other was the deputy on the judicial file bearing the name of the chairman of the Socialist Party. The other two, prosecutors and deputies, were the ones who, in their role as representatives of the state, initiated the accusation against Nano. Everyone remembers: everything began with a fabricated setup in the corridors of power and announced in Parliament by Berisha. The campaign was followed by shameless attacks against F. Nano in the newspaper “RD” of the ruling party. Then came the sudden removal of the Socialist Party chairman’s immunity, the MP directly elected by the people, then the blitz arrest, the sentence, and the persistent recruitment to the point of absurdity. More than two years have passed like this. Three years ago, a crime was committed against Fatos Nano. The authors who manufactured the so-called “Nano Case” still hold on to their careers. Today they are daring the helpers in this crime, those hidden ones who recently did nothing with Bendo and who acted these days with Qeleshi and Gjokutaj. The executors of the crime against F. Nano are thus removed from the scene and can be placed in jobs that seem peaceful. But these judges and prosecutors who put their honor at the service of power resemble that wet, bedraggled rooster. In moral terms, they are dead as human beings and as jurists. They are only signatures on forms, so they are no longer heroes as they thought they had become by fabricating the “Nano File” with their signatures. All those who were tainted by the crime against Nano, by attacking the figure of the chairman of the Socialist Party, received severe and irreparable wounds to their own bodies. These wounds are called dishonesty. These wounds hurt them today. By removing from the scene worn-out figures, as they did with the prosecutors in the “Nano Case” in recent days, they think they can create a new alibi that will get them off with clean hands. They will not succeed in this.

Sali Berisha: “Investment in Albania has been hindered by the 50-year practice that you and your newspaper continue to defend to this day. You would do very well for investment if you reconsidered the newspaper’s title, the newspaper’s name. Because it would not frighten foreign investors very much. There is no doubt that other factors have also hindered and continue to hinder it. But let us not forget...”

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Three years and counting Prime Minister’s Office Page 7

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