"Our people, the very best among them, were not stained by genocide, nor did they hide from murders, nor did they exploit the crowds to incite destruction and create innocent "political" victims. On the contrary, they assumed political and state responsibility precisely to avoid destruction and the victims of the collapse of the communist dictatorship, at a time when Berisha & Co. made an alliance even with the criminals who came out of the cells into the streets, at the expense of the truly persecuted".

"PS has made its position clear, has made the proposal for the pre-election social pact, and has asked the president to guarantee the free votes of the people because only the people can decide who will come to power and no one else. Not the offices of the Presidency, not the offices of Berisha's prefects, and not the offices of Meksi's secretaries. The people are the sovereign of this country. And when the sovereign people speak, Berisha will have to remain silent". Page 3

Tirana: Meetings continue between PS leaders and party members and supporters of the party We are prepared to knock on every family’s door to seek the triumph of democracy in Albania" Gramoz Ruçi: "If an artificially created situation is produced here that would prompt Berisha to proclaim a state of emergency, that is, would prompt a constitutional coup, the people will know how to react like other peoples who have found themselves in such situations, and we will stand alongside the people" Page 3

From the Program of the Socialist Party of Albania Under conditions of political pluralism, the PSSH stands for a civic and democratic coexistence with every party and political force that is guided in its actions by national interests and the interests of democracy. We aim for this to become a general way of life for social strata, groups, and individuals. We respect political existence and participation in the leadership of society and the state, if based on democratic practices and on the present-day demands of social life. This constitutes the basis of consensus among political forces during political debate and competition for power. We see the forms of relations with other parties within a broad range from consensus or cooperation on a specific issue to collaboration, coalitions, and alliances. The PSSH is for dialogue and cooperation with all political forces on the basis of equality among parties, regardless of their size, membership, and electorate, of mutual respect and trust, not turning differences into obstacles but into stimuli for finding common understanding, and on the basis of not undermining one another in work. For the sake of the higher national interests we consider the "round table" of the parties a necessary form of work in order to achieve consensus and respect for the spirit of understanding, tolerance, and cooperation. We conduct a constructive political struggle. We see the contest among socialist political forces as competition among alternatives.

-Interview with the Dean of the Faculty of Music at the Academy of Fine Arts Bujar Skya Page 10

Yesterday, at the Palace of Brigades in Tirana, the PS vice presidents Namik Dokle and Ilir Meta met and held an open conversation with the delegation of the Austrian parliament, led by its chairman Mr. Ficher. The Austrian guests were interested in the role of the PS in Albanian political life and in the development of the situation in the country at the moment when it is moving toward the parliamentary elections of spring 1996. The Socialist Party is the main opposition party in Albania, said Namik Dokle. It won 27 percent of the seats in parliament in March 1992, while in July of the same year, in the local elections, with 43 percent of the votes it won 54 percent of the seats in local government. In the referendum of 6 November 1994, the PS opposed the draft Constitution proposed by Mr. Berisha because it saw in that draft tendencies toward authoritarian rule and the dominance of political power over judicial power. For this reason, the PS aligned itself with the other opposition parties and its alternative won 54 percent. The PS has been continuously supported and aims to win the majority in the coming elections. This is why the authorities are organizing anti-democratic attacks against the PS and the entire opposition, still keeping the PS Chairman Fatos Nano in prison, creating laws for the political exclusion of former politicians and new politicians activated in political life after the declaration of political pluralism, and aiming to change the electoral law to narrow the space of small left- or right-wing parties. For democracy it is that for us it is the use of police violence against opposition deputies and political activists. We firmly believe that this would last for a short time, but the most important thing of all is guaranteeing free elections in Albania. For this we value your support and that of the international observers. At the end of the meeting, Mr. Ficher valued the discussion and emphasized that we are committed to supporting in an impartial way the democratic developments in Albania and the involvement of all political forces in this important process. PS Press Spokesman

-Love at first sight?... Page 9