Three years have passed since the day when, after 50 years of dictatorship, the first and largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, managed to take political power in Albania. This date represents an important event in the pluralist life of the country. It is an expression of the maturity of our people, who, by democratic means and methods, under the calls of “Freedom – Democracy,” had entered the course of genuine democratic development and a market economy, in order to make up for lost time and take their rightful place among the civilized peoples of Europe. For March 22, the ruling party has beaten deafening drums, presenting it as the day of democracy’s final victory, as if in March 1992 we emerged from darkness into the light, and as if all this had one political force as its architects: the Democratic Party, which thereby seeks a monopoly on democracy. But it is propaganda speculation to identify democracy with a particular political force, because this contradicts the concepts of pluralism. Democracy is a process that unfolds over time, just as it is a system of values, a way of political governance, and a way of thinking. Our people have aspired to democracy and taken steps toward it not only during these three or four years, but throughout this century; the communist dictatorship was a painful interruption of their aspirations. Today no one can deny that the signing of the Helsinki Final Act or the Charter of Paris, the permission to practice religion, Albania’s opening to the world, the permi- (Continued on page 2)

The closer the elections get, the more nervous the policy of the DP command becomes. They feel certain they will lose. They feel the people’s disappointment. The closer the elections get, the more nervous the policy of the Democratic Party’s command becomes. They feel certain they will lose. They feel the people’s disappointment. They feel the anger of the true democrats within their party, who aspired to a state governed by justice and not to political chieftainism. They know that the mistakes, incompetence, and corruption in their governance cannot be covered up with television make-up. In its feverish efforts to recover its losses, Berisha’s political command is reviving the idea of fighting communism, waving the old scarecrows of collective farms, cooperatives, former brigade leaders, former chairmen, and so on. Everyone is convinced that the totalitarian system of the dictatorship of the proletariat can no longer return to Albania, because the democratic tendencies in the development of political forces in Albania are irreversible. The people’s will to support them is indisputable. The DP leadership itself is convinced of this, but does not know what to do. It wanted to strike at, discredit, or divide the SP by imprisoning its chairman, Fatos Nano, and failed completely. It wanted to strike at and minimize the other opposition parties with thuggish threats and ministers’ manipulations, but did not succeed. It wanted to impose its will on the people with the draft constitution signed by Mr. Berisha and violence. It wanted to strike at the independence of the judicial system through parliament, but did not carry it through. It had nothing left but to sacrifice the chairman of the Democratic Party in an undemocratic vote. Overwhelmed by their imminent defeat, the DP leaders are intensifying every day their aggressive policy of destabilizing and inflaming the situation in the country. Mr. Berisha himself, ignoring the presidential role of unity, is directing an anti-reform process through unilateral party actions and leading Albanian society toward dangerous tensions. We declare: — The unscrupulous attacks against opposition political forces, whether left-wing or right-wing, and the incitement of a divisive psychosis among Albanians; — The psychological terror inflicted on anyone who thinks or proposes something different from the DP political command, whether inside or outside it; — The usurpation of Parliament’s legitimate rights by the Presidency and other bodies; — The feverish attempts to bring the independence of judicial bodies under the yoke, in order to carry out the “hunt for opponents”; — The extreme politicization of depoliticized law-enforcement bodies such as the army, police, and SHIK. All of this is being done for specific purposes by Berisha’s political command, in order to “hold on to power for a long time.” But they forget that in a democracy, power is the exclusive preserve of the people’s free vote. The people alone have the right to determine which political forces will govern and for how long. In respect of this high democratic principle, the Socialist Party will not cease its efforts to implement its program in order to ensure that: — Democracy never turns back, but continues to develop progressively; — Albanian political life is characterized by stability, understanding, and progress; — Albania soon has a Constitution for all Albanians, not one serving politicians’ ambitions; — Reform toward a market economy continues along the path already begun, fighting by all legitimate means incompetence, inefficiency, corruption, and abuses in privatization; — On the basis of a social market economy, the economic exclusion of the many sections of the population, such as the unemployed, pensioners, and homeless, is addressed step by step until resolved; — Albania continues its integration into Euro-Atlantic structures with dignity, pursuing a visionary foreign policy that prioritizes Europe. We call on all members and supporters of the SP, as well as other political forces, not to fall prey to the sinister traps of Berisha’s political command. All those who aspire to true democracy have a moral obligation to build and defend it. Tirana, March 20, 1995 [The text begins mid-word]…rban the Chairman of the Democratic Party, with an undemocratic vo- te. Dominated by the prospect of imminent defeat, the leaders of the DP are intensifying their aggressive policy of destabilization and escalation of tensions in the country every day. Mr. Berisha himself, ignoring the presidential role of fostering and is leading Albanian society toward dangerous tensions. The Socialist Party and its parliamentary group have condemned, and will continue to condemn in advance, this strategy of tension and threats, relying on the people’s demand for a democracy without tensions—a true democracy. We have denounced, and will continue to denounce, the efforts of Berisha’s political headquarters, which, having lost the contest between alternatives and refusing to respect the democratic rule of alternation in power through the people’s free vote, is trying to turn the political struggle into a struggle by the state against its own citizens and agai-

Tirana: FRESSH activities The Albanian Eurosocialists once again welcomed their Danish friends. In one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses, the FRESSH leadership organized a meeting with the delegation of the Social Democratic Youth of Denmark, which included Mr. Lassen Budz, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Social Democratic Party of Denmark. At the beginning of the meeting, FRESSH Chairman Pandeli Majko emphasized that fruitful cooperation had developed between our two forums, bringing not only a message of friendship but also European support for Albanian youth. The visitors had come at a time of qualitative change, he continued, which they knew about and had been following closely. “We are on the threshold of a new Europe, in which there is room for all of us,” began Danish delegation member Hans Staunsager. In such a Europe, he continued, young people must be united and must fight for a democratic Europe without poverty, where the democratic ideal should be the stronghold of the future. “We need one another. We have followed Fatos Nano’s imprisonment closely,” he said, “and only two weeks after his arrest we called on the Albanian government to release him. Democracy cannot be consolidated at a time when opposition leaders are being imprisoned.” After him, the Party’s International Secretary, Erik Boel, emphasized the idea of cooperation between the Albanian and Danish youth forums, calling it an essential condition for building a solid democracy in Europe. He expressed confidence that such contacts would expand even further in the future. MicheI Frederikson, another member of the youth delegation, then echoed his colleague’s idea and stressed the circumstances in which democracy was being built in Europe. “At this moment, we are experiencing the reconstruction of Europe,” he said. “We all want a modern Europe, and no one would want a Europe in which the leaders of the political opposition are imprisoned, as in the case of Fatos Nano.” The speech by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Social Democratic Party, Mr. Lassen Budz, was also greeted with applause. At the beginning of his speech, he expressed his pleasure at being among hundreds of young Albanian men and women, members of the Eurosocialist Forum. “1989 was a great European revolution that changed the world, but unfortunately it is still accompanied by crises and ethnic conflicts. All this can be fought in only one way,” he continued: “by standing united and helping one another.” Highlighting Albania’s role and contribution, he stressed that Albania has its place in the new Europe. “Thank you; I love you all,” he said, ending his speech amid sustained applause in the hall. Afterward, they answered many questions from those present.

Interview with MP Bashkim Zeneli, Deputy Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee — What information did Mr. Spahia provide at the next meeting of Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee regarding the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe? In London, Mr. Ali Spahia informed us about the meeting he had, as a member of the Albanian parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, with Council of Europe, which this time met

of Europe held recently in London? On Tuesday there was a regular meeting of Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee. Alongside the other issues we discussed, Mr. Ali Spahija gave information about the meeting he attended, Council of Europe, with Council of Europe, which met in London. According to Mr. Spahija’s report, there are no obstacles to Albania’s admission to the Council of (Continued on page 4)

On the occasion of the day that brought the Meksi cabinets to power — Nothing but victories, no failures — Another press conference by a minister of Mr. Meksi’s Third Cabinet: Interior Minister Agron Musaraj appeared before journalists to carry out, at the President of the Republic Mr. Berisha’s behest, the instructions given at the extraordinary conference to loudly publicize the successes and achievements of the Democratic Party Government. The minister himself declared this to be the purpose of the press conference, saying: “I am reporting on the implementation of the Meksi Government’s program for stabilizing law and order and public peace in the country.” Staying true to his chosen words, the minister said he would give a brief account of history, recalling the files and the forgotten system of reform. According to him, the program—or chart—of crimes for the years 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 is as follows, respectively: 12 thousand, 10,500, 9,200, 7,423. Mr. Musaraj attributed these statistical figures, which reflect the clear decline in crime in Albania, to the democracy of the Albanians and the Albanian people’s high democratic and civic culture. According to the administrative reform and the ministers’ vote, the initiatives and discipline, professionalism and ability of people had been the basis, as opposed to accepting effective employees

Police officers disarmed, money seized On Monday, around midday, at Shkopet, the vehicle of the Mirdita Bank branch was stopped. It was coming from Burrel with a sum of money collected from the Mat branch. As is customary in other such cases, the vehicle was accompanied by police officers. It is said that a group of bandits, armed and equipped with vehicles, stopped the Mirdita vehicle, disarmed the two police escorts, emptied their magazines of bullets and returned their weapons to them (that is, without ammunition). In this way, the bandits are said to have taken around 100 million lekë, while the police officers set off to report the incident and its progress. That is what happened in Shkopet on Monday, while on Tuesday Minister Musaraj did not forget to emphasize the growing successes of his department at his press conference. [Text continues from the previous article:] The Ministry of Public Order, where 80 percent of them are young. In any case, among the successes Mr. Musaraj also found room to mention improvements in coordination with the prosecution and courts in the fight against crime, greater technical support for the police forces, and increased effectiveness of the criminal investigation police. Immediately after this presentation, it seems that the image was spoiled by some journalists’ questions, which drew attention to blatant incidents of violence, crime, and theft in central locations in the capital, and even in highly guarded buildings such as the Presidency of the Republic. Also, on the occasion of March 22, the day that brought Mr. Meksi’s government officials to office, one cannot help but wish them—judging from the presentation above—to keep going along the path they have begun. Correspondent, “Zëri i popullit”

For the first time since 1908, the Mashkullora Festival was not celebrated on March 18—the anti-imperial battle fought by the hero Cerciz Topulli. The state did not get involved, nor did any institution connected with history and traditions; the education sector did not remember it, even though schoolchildren’s pilgrimages have not stopped for a single year. You can see what happened to those who did remember and wanted to celebrate the festival. As initiators, a group of Mashkullora residents opposed this and worked for the day to also be a gathering of generations, bringing together as many people as they could; they wanted the morning to be full of activities and the afternoon to end with a festive dinner. But that morning, at midnight, they were summoned to the police station for questioning. That is how things go, because the village elders’ council had supposedly complained!? They explained themselves, and the police authorities also provided security with police officers. [unclear] They are left to… But the bad thing is over here. “What are these rallies?” some people in the village objected. “You want a vote of confidence? We’ll ruin your dinner; we’re in power.” Pëlgjesla, which as a rule should be distinguished by moderation and a cool head, acted like a politically sick person. [unclear] People who had come from all over Albania gathered; the picture was edited?… (unclear text)

On Tuesday, near Delvina in the Janina area, Greek police arrested seven people believed to be members of the terrorist group “Mavi,” founded back in 1942. They are Mario Kutula, 26 (a Greek minority member in Albania [unclear: 1942]); Fotis Belaris, 23 (a member of the minority); Anastasulus Jorgos, 34; Karavellas Apostolos, 36; Papas Jorgas, 30; Kristo Jorgos, 30; and Papas Harallambos, 21, all residents of Athens. According to initial information, this group was terrorizing Greek and Albanian villages in order to worsen relations between Albania and Greece. According to Greek television, traces of this group were discovered by the Albanian police in 1972. So far, those arrested have not admitted to being members of the MAVI group, but preliminary searches of their homes uncovered 15 unlicensed weapons and other terrorist equipment. Commenting on the incident, Albanian Foreign Minister Serreqi, who is in Paris, said: “I don’t think it will affect relations between the two countries. There are also people in Albania who do not want relations with Greece.” Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Mr. Papandreou said preliminarily: “In Greece and outside it there are people who do not want it. This group seriously provoked Greek-Albanian relations. Surely there is a powerful hand behind this group. We will get to the bottom of this very soon.” (Continued on page 4)

Freight-train queues again Some time ago, supplying vehicles of various kinds with fuel became a problem. Drivers were lined up in long queues and could barely get their work done. Now the queues of freight trains have begun. At various points, things are not working, and people cannot escape the queues. Extensions in several districts are not working Many districts, such as Durrës, Shkodra, Vlora, Elbasan, Berat, Korça, Gjirokastra and Kavaja, have their own telephone prefixes, and people can connect and talk by phone [unclear: about interruptions and a number, e.g. 0?…]. So you are forced to make the central connection yourself. These problems have also occurred repeatedly with the connection to Korça. [Unclear text] and in several cases with some operators in Gjirokastra and another district. And besides [partly unclear], it is not [text cut off] Correspondent, 1—“Zëri i Popullit”

Important investments are being made at the seaport of Durrës. In addition to carrying out an investment to handle the cargo volume, with an initial allocation from the state budget, a further fund of 10 million lek (old lek) will be used to supply the terminals and ferries, as well as to complete the road system and the port entrance. At the seaport by the Dajlan Bridge, the French firm BSECOM, as it says, in cooperation with the FAR program and with an investment of two million dollars, will undertake the study of the ferry terminal. THANAS DINO [Beginning clipped]…tments, a fund of 10 million lek (old lek) allocated from the state budget entrance- ...