Laws and financial structure—the main obstacle to rapid cooperation — INTERVIEW WITH DOCTOR KORRADO DE RINALDIS SAPONARO, PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF BRINDISI, ITALY, GIVEN TO OUR EDITOR, PETRO DHIMITRI — — Mr. Saponaro, on Tuesday you were received by our Prime Minister Ylli Bufi. Can you tell us what you discussed? — With pleasure. I met him together with Dr. Vittorio Macchitella, who is secretary-general of Italy’s chambers of commerce, crafts and agriculture. The Italian ambassador to Albania, Torkuato Kardili, was also there. Your Prime Minister was very kind to receive us. He thanked us for coming to your country and for having found a broad field for cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Albania. — Dr. Saponaro, is it a question of our economists and lawyers specializing in Italy as managers, or of your specialists coming here? — No, your senior specialists will come to us; then, once they have been trained, Italian specialists can accompany them in the first steps of their work. First, an Albanian through us, as for— [part cut off/text difficult to read] — As Brindisi and Italy, donto, Trade. to direct thanks to the leaders of Brindisi for what that people did for the refugees, the sons of Albania who went there. For my part, on behalf of our Chamber of Commerce, I presented its emblem, which features the crest of this Chamber together with the columns of an old ancient Roman road called «Apia» and the port of Brindisi, which is only 60 km from Durrës, twice the distance of the road connecting Tirana with Durrës. With this gesture too, I wanted to show the interest Italian entrepreneurs, especially those from Brindisi, have in cooperating in practical ways so that a free-market economy can be established in your country. This will be a first step in Albania’s economic and social development, which, together with Southern Italy, will improve the imbalanced North-South relations. I also told the Prime Minister about our cooperation, as we signed (on Wednesday morning) a cooperation protocol with your Chamber of Commerce, which would protocol with your Chamber of Commerce, which will be valid for the supply of raw materials and semi-finished products, partly in Albania and partly in Italy, preparing their production in each case. — Specifically? — We spoke about staff training. As for the rest, we say there are difficulties because of the lack of legislation favoring enterprises and the creation of joint ventures. We have agreed that the Chamber of Commerce of Albania will provide Italian entrepreneurs with all the information about the services they need. At the same time, at the national level, we will equip your Chamber of Commerce with all the information it needs to carry out this new phase of its economic policy. An office for our entrepreneurs will open in Tirana to carry out the initiatives we undertake. Later, that office may also have Albanian specialists. We will also make available to Albania our trade office in Brussels, which represents us in the European Community. In addition, the Union of Chambers of Commerce ... also took a first step in their work. Italian specialists. The Albanian minister, through us, as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce | the reports given... I also told the Prime Minister about the cooperation we have, by signing (on Wednesday morning) with your Chamber of...

The chairman of the PRSH Initiating Commission, Mr. Sabri Godo, has invited the distinguished public figure of the Albanian emigration community in the USA, Mr. Ekrem Bardha, to visit our country. Yesterday, Mr. Ekrem Bardha informed us by fax that he gladly accepts the invitation and will arrive in Tirana on July 3. «Republika» correspondent

Fan Noli, the first republican democrat in Albania, was the most respected and influential Albanian of his time. A symbol of unity and brotherhood for Albanians, whether Christian or Muslim, democrat or socialist, rich or poor. He was a many-sided man, whose talents and interests raised him to a prominent position in the Albanian world, a distinguished prelate who has been called the apostle of the Albanian National Renaissance and independence: statesman, diplomat, musician, orator, journalist, historian, writer; priest, archbishop. Noli felt at ease in all these roles. The breadth and high quality of his achievements brought him international recognition in diplomatic, literary and religious circles. Noli’s life and work testified to the ideals and principles of America, which he kept alive. This distinguished figure embodied, in word and deed, the spirit of Christianity, the spirit of the heritage of his Albanian people, and the spirit of the fathers of the Albanians of his homeland. His first acquaintance with the arts of world literature came while working with a touring theater in Athens, Istanbul and Alexandria (Egypt), where he served as prompter and translator. In 1905 Fan Noli arrived in America and settled in New York, in the tru- [continues beyond the frame] From the New England Conservatory of Music for important compositions, and seven years later he received an advanced degree in the history of the Near East and Russia from Boston University. DIPLOMATIC CAREER Noli’s oratorical skills were well known to his admirers and inspired fear in his opponents. On April 28, 1912, he helped establish the Pan-Albanian Federation «Vatra», which became one of the most influential voices of Albanian national identity. He traveled extensively throughout Western Europe, speaking on behalf of [continues beyond the frame] Albania with his friends in France, England, Austria. Even at the League of Nations, Noli gained international recognition among the world’s diplomats when Albania’s admission to the Geneva Assembly was secured in August 1920. Newspapers began writing about him as a gifted defender of his homeland’s cause. But even after he withdrew from political life in 1924, his interest in his homeland remained alive, and his advice was continually sought by agents in America and around the world. His abilities caught the attention of the leaders of his time, including President Udrow Wilson, who was an active supporter of the Albanian cause. EDUCATION Upon arriving in the United States (1906), Noli immediately enrolled in evening schools to improve his command of English, since he already spoke Albanian, Greek, Turkish, and French fluently. He graduated from Harvard College (1912) with a high academic degree. At the age of 58, he received a degree in music. income from lawful sources. What makes a source lawful is not the will of one person or another, but the law itself, which is absent in this particular case. Let us continue. The government itself, in a decision whose ink has not yet dried, has decreed the spare-parts trading enterprise. The question then arises: where did the PSSH Central Committee get the right to import vehicles and sell them? It is known that, for now, the means of circulation and payment here a concession: it allows sales by ... As for the church, in 1938 he performed the Mass in Albanian and the Hymn, and organized the choir in all his families, thereby supporting the French Revolution», published in 1948, was highly praised by distinguished people such as the composer Jan Sibelius, Tomas Man, and Zhorzh Bernard Shou. He was honored at the White House in 1964, during the Shakespeare celebrations, and was asked by the BBC in London to record some of his thoughts, which he had titled «Shakespeare and I». JOURNALIST — CHRONICLER — HISTORIAN On 15 February 1909 he became the first publisher of the newspaper «Dielli», which is still printed in Boston and which, in his hands ... (continued on page 4)

Noli loved reading and enjoyed exploring new forms of Albanian words while translating great masterpieces of world literature by Shakespeare, Stendhal, Cervantes; Ibsen, Balzac, Omar Khayyam, Longfellow, and others. Albanian immigrants in Boston could be seen reciting Noli’s famous and moving poem «Give for the Cause», as well as «The Raven». Through these works Noli aimed to take his «boys», as he affectionately called them, and turn them into an educated and disciplined legion of Albanian patriots, to whom he spoke about their rights as a unique people with a single identity, capable of determining their own destiny. Music was an essential part of his life. He was a regular attendee at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and during his studies at the New England Conservatory he composed a Byzantine overture, an Albanian rhapsody, and several tone poems and sonnets that he staged. For the church, in 1938 he composed the Albanian Mass and Hymnal and organized choirs in all his parishes, thereby contributing to the music of the Orthodox Church. His book «Beethoven and Re- [text continues beyond the frame]

At a meeting in Tirana some time ago, when those present raised the issue of the museum «E. Hoxha»’s «business» activities (alias Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour), the director (who also held other, more senior positions) confidently declared that there were no abuses in these activities and that they generated considerable income. The director was kind enough to state the main point: that these activities are entirely illegal. Perhaps, because of his profession, he did not know this «small» detail; perhaps he does know, but thinks it is his right to decide what is legal and what is illegal. The fact is that the museum, vigilantly guarded by soldiers, is engaged in selling food and industrial goods, even cars imported from abroad. Since «appetite comes with eating», some time ago it also opened a separate shop in the center of the capital. In both the museum outlet and the shop, goods are sold for dollars. I will not delve into the «sin» of analyzing where these dollars come from, circulating and being extinguished through buying and selling; let the state inspectors deal with that. I denounce this activity as illegal, even though it is carried out by people who claim to be «champions» of the rule of law. The sale of goods in our country has so far been allowed to state enterprises, private entities, joint ventures and foreign persons. There are specific legal regulations for all these entities. Political parties are excluded from such a regulation; under the laws, they administer income from lawful sources. It is the law itself, not the will of one person or another, that makes a source lawful—and in this case the relevant law is missing. Let us go further. The government itself, by a decision whose ink has not yet dried, has ruled that new and used imported vehicles will be sold by the spare-parts trading enterprise. The question then arises: on what basis did the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour acquire the right to import and sell vehicles? It is known that here, for the time being, the means of circulation and payment is the lek. Only in certain cases, by special government decisions, has sales in foreign currency been permitted (as in the case of Albturizmi and Albkofi). The government has made a concession, allowing sales by ARTAN MYRTO (continued on page 4)

A few months ago we learned that Professor Alfred Uçi, while serving as Chairman of the Committee for Culture and the Arts, had requested retirement. The request was approved and, at last, the professor was free to devote himself to the science of aesthetics. We thought he wanted to devote himself to the aesthetics that, in his view, could revolutionize the whole body of aesthetics he himself had drawn up, in the service of copying di-? hë?rtuar vetë, in the service of copying di-? ... At first, we all believed that Alfred Uçi had begun work as a highly paid scientific associate, with a large monthly salary. Well, only under monism, where favoritism, camaraderie and a lack of shame visibly flourish, can such things happen. Apparently Albanian science is so desperately in need of staff that it must...? ... even though they presented socialist realism incorrectly? ... are starting from scratch to make «corrections»? O people, how many have exploited your sweat, and how many others continue to torment you. Instead of bringing fresh blood into the Academy—people with a contemporary outlook—it appoints a professor who, rather than anything else, confused Albanian readers with his aesthetics. How can such things happen? Because the entire peak of the scientific pyramid consists of those same people who (the rest of the Labour Party, which they expect members of the Socialist Party to replace) are untouchable in these positions and continue to lead ...? and boast. Of course, they can make a thousand excuses; they can say that a scientist never retires, and so on, because this suits a certain caste to which they themselves belong. But the people cannot accept such games at their expense. These are shameful and offensive, whatever the justification. A. D.

THE GERMAN OFFICER’S AMAZEMENT «November 1943. There, in the field where an Italian unit had been stationed a few months earlier, a German unit dug in. It was the second day of the occupation. You can imagine how we felt about these new occupiers, who burned Borova as soon as they came to Albania. I was grazing the livestock all around the German barracks when, on the second day, an officer came toward me with a soldier. I was facing an occupying German for the first time. Even today I don’t know what I felt that day. But I wasn’t afraid, despite the imposing presence of that officer, who was in his forties. I drew hard on my cigarette, leaning my back against a plum tree. I didn’t get up even when the officer stopped just one step in front of me. The soldier stood behind him with a submachine gun in his hand. I understood nothing of what the officer said to me. The soldier made me get up—? I was wearing baggy trousers and an old Italian military jacket. The officer searched my pockets. Perhaps he suspected I had a weapon. In the right pocket of my jacket I had a pouch with a handful of gold napoleons. The officer took the pouch, put it in his pocket and left with the soldier. I cursed him every which way. I didn’t see the officer come out of the barracks again all day. I mourned my gold that day. But the next day, just as I had taken my place in the pasture, I saw the German officer coming toward me. From a distance, smiling, he called out: “Capitalist, capitalist!” He took the gold napoleons out of the pouch and counted them for me one by one. Fifty coins, exactly what I had had. “Capitalist, capitalist!” he shouted, laughing. I gestured that I wasn’t one, while he pointed at the napoleons and the sheep. The officer looked at me in amazement, perhaps because he himself did not have a single gram of gold in his pocket. I. H. told me this story several times. He was not a rich peasant. More or less, the whole village lived at that level. I. H. did not usually tell it as an ordinary incident, but, being a wise man, he emphasized two things: the officer’s astonishment at his gold, and the German officer’s honesty, even though he was an occupier. THE SECOND TESTIMONY A few years ago the government began to ... officially collect gold from citizens through the foreign-currency shop. The PP had not had its fill of what it had taken and forcibly confiscated from merchants, small producers, etc. ... When poverty had reached its peak, the PP, with its mind on gold reserves? ..., legalized its surrender, exchanging it for lek. Under these circumstances hundreds of citizens, pressed by economic hardship, decided to exchange their gold for lek at the bank. Bajram Muharrem Demneri also bears witness to this. He says that he handed over to the bank more than 150 gold coins, including ducats, French and Turkish liras, etc. He recalls that many people came to the bank that day for the same reason. They brought jewelry, ornaments and gold rings. The bank employees themselves expressed surprise at the large quantity of gold people apparently had. One of the bank employees remarked that half? ... in Albania? ... All? ... Bajram brought his in during those first days, when people were still overcoming? ... their long-inherited fear of the gold monopoly. But in the following days, how much ... GANI LEKA (continued on page 4)

Albania with his friends in France, England, Austria.