Distancing oneself from those responsible for the Albanian tragedy: a necessity, a civic responsibility . Today the meeting of the Democratic Party’s governing staff, its National Council, is being held. According to sources from within the party, fervent measures have been taken this time as well to thwart the effort by a group of MPs, who are also members of this council, to attack the party’s inner leadership and hold it responsible for the tragedy the country has been experiencing for several months. To serve this purpose, since last night a strict cordon of armed plainclothes officers has been set up around the Palace of Congresses, where the meeting will be held. They will not conceal their presence; on the contrary, they will be there to demonstrate force in the face of any eventuality. As a result of this tense situation, which is strongly felt in this ... turn, but will soon be resolved by the people who will be at his side. Following this incident, which will be followed by the rebel speaker being dragged out of the hall and immediately arrested by the armed men outside, the situation will return to normal, with a break urgently imposed by the meeting’s leaders helping to bring this about. The source in question says that President Berisha will not remain in the meeting throughout, but will follow its proceedings step by step, until the moment when his arrival in the hall and his firm intervention against the people considered the leaders of the revolt—thought possibly to include Mr. Shehi, if he is not absent—will finally tip the balance of forces in his favour, that is, in Mr. Berisha’s favour. From that point, the analysis will become much more ... critical, specifying personal responsibilities all the way up to Mr. Berisha. Then a vote of confidence will be sought for the entire leadership. As a result, only Mr. Shehu and perhaps someone else will be eliminated, and a broad statement will be drafted on the Democratic Party’s responsibilities and commitment to getting the country out of the situation. It will reiterate support for the Government of National Reconciliation and speak in glowing terms of the support that democratic Europe is giving Albania, including through the dispatch of military forces. The wording in this statement about the idea of convening an Extraordinary Party Conference will spark debate, in line with the proposal made in the request already published by the Durrës branch of the DP. The statement will ultimately also say that holding this conference is necessary and urgent, without setting a date, so that the party, both at the centre and at the grassroots, can recover by then. Interestingly, the source in question presents all this as a “scenario”; as such, it may not unfold as set out before this article and faithfully presented above. As an alternative in the event that this plan fails, a statement by Mr. Berisha is expected at the beginning of the meeting, in which he says that he is giving up every position in the Democratic Party. But, as this source says, it is not yet possible to confirm this scenario. armed plainclothes officers, who eventuality. As a result of this tense situation, strongly felt on the premises of the party’s headquarters, which is being renovated, many members of this council will not be present at its proceedings, citing travel difficulties, illness or a family misfortune as excuses. The most dramatic aspect of this tense analysis, according to the source in question, will be the fact that most council members will come to the meeting armed. The meeting’s leaders, the party’s current leaders, will arrange the proceedings so that those singled out as likely to speak against them will be able to take the floor only long after Mr. Shehu’s report and Mr. Berisha’s speech. In other words, the floor will be given to those who support the president’s group. An incident will be provoked in the middle of the meeting, according to the source inside the Democratic Party headquarters. The president will sharply challenge a rebel speaker, reminding him that he is acting as an enemy, as he has done for a long time, ever since entering into democratic relations, and for this purpose will also produce before the hall a document proving that the speaker is a “longstanding enemy poet of Albania.” Reservations about this scenario also remain because of the possible sensational presentation in the hall of several compromising documents concerning the speaker. At that moment he will ...

At the invitation of Albania’s Minister of Defence, Shaqir Vukaj, Italy’s Minister of Defence, Beniamino Andreata, arrived in Tirana yesterday afternoon. Mr. Andreata held his first meeting with his Albanian counterpart, Minister Shaqir Vukaj. Members of both delegations and the Italian ambassador in Tirana, Paolo Foresti, as well as senior military officers from both countries, took part in the meeting. The meeting at the Ministry of Defence, which was held without the presence of journalists, was followed yesterday by two further meetings between Mr. Andreata and Prime Minister Bashkim Fino and President Berisha. At the end of the meetings, Ministers Vukaj and Andreata held a press conference. “Zëri i Popullit” correspondent

Resolution on Albania by the European Parliament The European Parliament, taking into account its previous resolutions on the situation in Albania, as well as the commitment of European countries to mediate a solution to the Albanian crisis, and calling for the implementation and observance of the law: 1. Strongly condemns the continuing violence by armed groups in Albania against peaceful citizens in the country and calls on them all to surrender their weapons and respect law and order, 2. Welcomes and supports the joint efforts of all democratic political forces in Albania to restore public order and ensure respect for order and the rule of law in the country, 3. Is of the opinion that an active EU policy towards events in Albania is essential in order to provide the necessary humanitarian aid, establish security in the country, and prevent conflicts and their spread to neighbouring countries in the region, 4. Welcomes the UN decisions, following initiatives by several countries, to send a multinational protective force to distribute aid in Albania, and calls on them, in particular all member countries of this organisation, to contribute to its success and share the burden of accepting temporary refugees fleeing their country, 5. Strongly criticises the Council for its inability to decide on joint action under Article I.3 of the EU Treaty within the framework of the European Union, and calls on it to reconsider this decision, 6. Expresses its deep sorrow for the victims of the tragic accident in the Adriatic and reiterates its call for an investigation into the accident to be conducted by the Italian authorities in close cooperation with the Albanian authorities, 7. Hopes that the conditions for the democratic and economic reconstruction of Albania will soon be created, and calls on a commission, the Council and all other international institutions to make the necessary contribution to this process, giving priority to close cooperation with the non-governmental organisations already active in this field, 8. Supports the efforts of the Albanian Government of Reconciliation to establish stability in the country and prepare Albania for free and fair elections; meanwhile, it urges the Council EU Treaty to prepare and organise democratic elections in Albania, which must be free of fraudulent practices and manipulators, taking into account the need not only to be present on election day, but also to closely monitor the election campaign, 9. Urges the Council and the Commission to pay particular attention to and support a free and independent press in Albania, which will guarantee the participation of all democratic forces in the country, with particular regard to national television and radio, 10. Calls on the Council and the Commission to urgently define and implement, within the context of the EU’s regional commitment in Southeastern Europe, a specific long-term plan for Albania, paying particular attention to the PHARE programme for democracy, with the aim of consolidating democratic institutions, an independent legal system, and support for the development of civil society, 11. Suggests that the EU provide technical assistance to the Albanian authorities to help prepare electoral documentation, which is reported to have been damaged in many areas of the country, 12. Welcomes the Albanian prime minister’s statement that the secret police, SHIK, which had persistently harassed those who criticised the state, has been disbanded, and calls on the Albanian authorities to continue along the path of depoliticising the police, 13. Reiterates its request for a full investigation into the existing pyramid schemes in cooperation with international financial institutions, as has been done in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in the Balkan region, with a view to preventing, as far as possible, the destabilising consequences that such systems spread in these regions, 14. Urges the Albanian government and the president to take the necessary steps immediately to remove the obstacles to democratic politicians’ participation in the reconstruction of democracy in Albania, 15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the OSCE, and the Albanian Parliament and Government.

INVESTMENT FUND [?] Pages 2–3