PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY THE SP ANNOUNCES ITS POLITICAL OBJECTIVES FOR THE YEAR - Not to allow the country to slide further into spontaneity and explosive chaos - To offer the people new ideas, new solutions, realistic options that demonstrate its governing abilities - To consider drafting the new Constitution a priority task, as it is a fundamental factor in establishing and ensuring the genuine functioning of the rule of law - To turn the fight against corruption into a broad anti-corruption movement - To further establish itself on the international stage and cooperate more actively with the political forces of Albanians in Kosovo, Macedonia, etc.

TODAY AT THE FAKRIR COURT IN TIRANA: - Berisha’s decoration—the connecting thread between the courtroom and the Presidential offices. Who will dare touch it?... TODAY AT THE FAKRIR COURT IN TIRANA: Will the “Arsidi File” really be opened... - Berisha’s decoration—the connecting thread between the courtroom and the Presidential offices. Who will dare touch it?... Announced with great fanfare, today’s hearing is expected to be the most interesting yet in the forthcoming hearings of the trial linked to the spectacular exposure of the political-financial corruption of the Berisha regime. Among other things, this is because witnesses will be heard—including, as the court decided at the previous hearing, such figures as Genc Ruli, whose parliamentary immunity has also been requested to be lifted; Osman Shehu, who directly accuses Prime Minister Meksi, Genc Ruli, former Tourism Minister Spaho, etc. Ermin Mysliu, Fatos Nano, Gramoz Pashko, etc. will be heard. But will the “Arsidi File” really be opened? Let us wait and see. One thing, however, is certain. Berisha has not revoked the decoration he gave Arsidi. Thus, it is the connecting thread between the courtroom and the Presidential offices, and unless it is severed, no one can believe that the “real Arsidi File” will be opened. Who will dare touch it?...

After Clinton’s interview “Although there were attempts in Athens to downplay the interview given by the American President to the newspaper ‘Khimerni,’ it seems that Bill Clinton’s suggestion to begin dialogue with Tirana without preconditions has, among other things, created the right and necessary climate for making decisions. That was how the BBC journalist began his commentary, reporting from Athens, as he discussed last night several de[?] (Continued on page 4)

A few days ago, 170 women employed by the “Albhyseni” company in the town of Bilisht protested outside the office of the district council. The reason for their anger was the deception perpetrated by the company’s presi[?], the Greek Mihal Papadhopulli, and the corruption of the Albanian representatives who made an agreement with him and signed legal documents. These women, who are now appealing to the authorities, were hired by this company only through the inter[?]vention of the representative of the Employment and Social Support Department at the district council. His closest associates say that the arrival of the Greek in this joint enterprise has resulted in the women not receiving three months’ wages. Yet the aforementioned Greek, a highly dubious man who arrived in Bilisht under entirely unexplained circumstances as the owner of the former NPV, has been gone for months, and nobody knows anything about him! The employees contin… continue to appeal to various district authorities and demand from them not only the wages owed for the past three months, but also guarantees and the provision of social assistance! But what is the caretaker supposed to do because someone turned out to be a swindler, one might ask. — [Illegible] moreover… because, after all, it was precisely the representatives of the authorities who made this swindler a [illegible] in Bilisht. They found him, brought him here, made an agreement the [illegible] at the district council. His closest associates say that his arrival in this town was sanctioned by the Ministry of Finance, even by the former minister himself, Genc Ruli! In Bilisht it is well known that the president of the company in question, Mr. Mihal, from the day he began operations until he disappeared, was marked by a serious lack of honesty, both in his dealings with employees and in his various obligations to the state, such as profit taxes, social insurance, etc. Since September of last year he has not paid a single cent, and now that he has left, his [illegible] account is not a small one: around 50 million old lekë. Now it turns out that he also has unpaid bills with the electricity company, the water utility, and the municipality… Apparently “a warm hand” and (Continued on page 2)

Statement by the Socialist Party

The new political year 1995 is beginning its course under special circumstances. Although the efforts of various sections of the population and political forces, including the ruling DP, to open up new space for pluralist democracy and the market economy continued during 1994, we regret to observe that 1995 has inherited from the previous year a deep economic, political and social crisis, with devastating consequences. In brief, this is evident in the crisis being experienced by the ruling Party itself, also as a consequence of Berisha’s policy of attacks; in the crisis of state institutions and of DP governance, which, even after its most recent achievements, offers no guarantee of credibility or ability to govern more effectively and fight corruption. The prolonged economic crisis, the abnormal course of the reform and especially of privatization, its fundamental component, the 20 percent decline in industrial production compared with 1993, mass unemployment, foreign debt, the budget deficit, rising prices and falling living standards; the lack of investment, etc., have created an extremely difficult and dramatic situation in the country. In Albanian society, human freedoms and rights are being systematically violated. The intolerance of the ruling Party has made relations between government and opposition remain confrontational. The chairman of the SP, Fatos Nano, despite the growing demands of the Albanian electorate, ultimately stressed: “We believe that one of the most important messages from the meeting with Mr. Holbrooke is contained in his conclusion at the end of the conversation, after he had listened to representatives of all the parties: ‘I am very pleased that I will inform the US Department of State that all political parties in Albania are striving and aiming for a genuine democracy. Any prejudice against them—which sometimes needs to be checked, whether it comes from the press or elsewhere—has finally fallen away, and the Albanian political parties are each, according to their own programs, parties that implement reforms and are open to political relations with countries.’ “Powerful countries around the world, whether in Europe or outside Europe. “You proposed new parliamentary elections as a solution to the political crisis. When do you envisage holding these elections?” The subject of early elections, as is known, has long been addressed by the SP, based on its analyses of objective factors, the trends at work in Albania, changes in the electorate, the emergence of new political forces in the country, etc. All these factors, taken together and compounded by the all-encompassing crisis the country is experiencing and the difficulties of the transition, have made the subject of early elections one of the most topical issues. Last year, at the press conference where we presented the objectives for the 1994 political year, we proposed putting early elections on the parties’ agenda and setting autumn as the timeframe. We note that in the autumn of 1994, on November 6, the Albanian people went to the ballot boxes. Indeed, President Berisha said at the press conference where he set the date of the referendum, in this context: ‘You wanted elections (Continued on page 3)

There are dozens of thefts in the Fushë-Krujë area. Homes and livestock of all kinds are being stolen. And the response of the law-enforcement authorities to them is entirely unjustifiable. We single out a case that occurred in recent days: in the village of Halli Zgërdhesh, the home of the villager Rexhë Seferi was burgled. A considerable amount of money was taken (family members state the sum was 50 thousand new lekë), as well as some household appliances, etc. This was the fourth burglary at this family’s home. The homeowner once again informs the police. Petrit Hoxha, a police officer for …, goes to the scene (Continued on page 2)

An investor from Belgium was in Shkodër yesterday, with the aim of exploring the possibility of investing. After introducing himself to the local authorities, he said that, in addition to his own interest in building in this city, companies based in Belgium were also interested in coming to invest in Albania. He stated that he was an expert for the European Union, tasked with seeing where the funds provided for the establishment of solidarity companies were going, so that they would not remain in the pockets of the same … Belgium was) litlkanëve. The project he is proposing is the construction of a factory for producing bricks. Shkodër did in fact have such a factory, which had managed to produce up to 15 million bricks and more than 2 million roof tiles a year. But its production was halted as part of the transformation of the city’s economy during the transition. Shkodër has a great need for the construction of … (Continued on page 2)

TOMORROW YOU WILL READ: “Don Quixote’s Journey to Albania” By Professor Alfred Uçi

The Socialist Party of Albania held a press conference yesterday with representatives of newspapers and members of the diplomatic corps. At the start of the press conference, the Deputy Secretary of the SP, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, read a statement by the Presidium of the SPA on the country’s political situation at the beginning of this year and the SPA’s political objectives for the coming year. Afterwards, Dr. Servet Pëllumbi and the SP Deputy Chairman, Namik Dokle, answered journalists’ questions. How does the SP assess Albanian foreign policy over the past year? Foreign policy is the area in which consensus among political forces should be present more than in any other area. And we would like the official foreign policy of the Albanian state to be successful at all times. In reality, however, we observe that this policy is at a standstill as a result of the absence of the necessary balance, the amateurism displayed in foreign policy, and the government’s insufficient efforts to work together with the other political forces to develop a common platform for foreign policy. Therefore, we regret to say that the deadlock in Albania’s international relations is a consequence of this unbalanced policy: Albania continues to remain outside the Council of Europe, without an association agreement with the European Union. It is also a result of this policy that we do not have with our neighbours the relations we ought to have in order to serve the interests of our people. What was the essence of the meeting between SP representatives and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Hollbruk, during his visit to Tirana a few days ago? Mr. Hollbruk was greatly interested in the political situation in the country, and he wanted to hear about Albania’s political future not only through official meetings with Albania’s leaders, but also at a joint meeting with all the political parties represented in Parliament. It was clear that, in addition to his general interest, the senior American official requested a separate interview about the SP’s position regarding the situation in the country. This was also apparent from the questions he asked.

VIII Macedonia, etc.