- According to the radio “Zëri i Amerikës” According to the U.S. State Department, "Judge Zef Brozi was dismissed under circumstances that appear not to be in accordance with democratic procedures. The State Department - emphasizes "Zëri i Amerikës" - says that in order to clarify this matter it has addressed the Albanian authorities, but their responses have not been convincing. The U.S. State Department states that this action raises the question of whether Albania acted in accordance with the Helsinki Final Act. The United States say that they will present their concerns on this issue this month during the review of the Helsinki process on human rights".

Editorial Misaligned coordinates The last card Berisha has brought out in the harsh political game he is playing against the Socialist Party is this: Albanian socialists are anti-Western. He keeps repeating this thesis without pause, sometimes giving it anti-American overtones, sometimes anti-European ones. By the West, Berisha does not mean a specific geographical position, but seeks to convince people that socialists are against Western civilization, against the democratic system he represents, against that system of political and socio-economic values that are the highest achievements of humankind. So we socialists are nothing more and nothing less than against civilization, therefore primitive, against pluralist democracy, therefore in favor of monist dictatorship, not in favor of a market economy but of a centralized one. Berisha lets all this be understood in his endless and pathetic speeches. The president has misaligned the coordinates. First, with this position he takes in the struggle against the Socialist Party, his concern is not to convince the electorate at home, but the Western world around us, which is becoming more and more convinced every day that the Socialist Party and the Albanian opposition as a whole are a factor of stability in the country. Whenever political tensions rise in Albania or even in relations with neighbors, the hand behind them is not the opposition’s, but Berisha’s power. Berisha is an amateur in the tangled games of politics, which is why he loads his theses with passion, with fiery rhetoric, with inconsistencies, with lack of coherence and with a closed future[?]. By now everyone knows that you cannot come out into the light in international relations when you do not know how to build fair relations with your neighbors. Breaking the embargo, rampant smuggling, and clandestines from all over the world coming to the Albanian coasts have badly damaged the image of Berisha’s government, first and foremost among neighboring countries. The tactics of cooling and warming relations, as he has done with Greece, Italy and Macedonia, have outlined a new political closure of the country. The credibility of our politicians is at a low point. Third, even the Great Powers, after the establishment of democracy in Albania and the enthusiasm of this historical event, no longer endure every move of Berisha. On the contrary, skepticism and the formulation of remarks have now become the norm in relations with Albania. Berisha’s disappointing visit to Washington, instead of the spectacular results he had dreamed of, is turning into a punishment. Western democracies see in Berisha’s power the face of totalitarianism and naturally cannot agree with his actions. The construction in Albania of a Western-type democracy is the aspiration and final objective of Albanian socialists. They are very clear about this coordinate. Berisha is wasting his time trying to point us eastward when the East itself is trying to win the highest values of Western civilization.

Anti-constitutional positions toward the opposition seriously threaten democracy Servet Pëllumbi responds to Sali Berisha We tell Berisha: come out of the darkness and the dark offices that disturb your soul, and you will truly see the programmatic alternatives of the PS, alternatives that have become very attractive to the fellow citizens of the state you govern. Page 3

The spirit of song - sketches from the Folklore Festival of Berat Writer and publisher Xhuzep De Sati protests against Albania’s anti-democratic and anti-European laws Xixarr, dream and letter - "Ton" by Tindi Bejta Three Nobel laureate luminaries of Ireland When lightning strikes from below - creative writing by Qamil Buxheli Pages 7-8-9-10