INTERVIEW WITH THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, MR. FATOS BITINCKA, GIVEN TO MR. GANI LEKA, SECRETARY OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE NEWSPAPER «REPUBLIKA», REGARDING THE ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER «ZËRI I RINISË», DATED 18.9.1991. — Minister, in the newspaper «Zëri i Rinisë», on 18.9.1991, we read Neshat Tozaj’s article «A minister’s transparency in dealings with personnel». First, we would like to know your reaction to the article. — I think it appropriate to clarify that the entire article focuses on the transfer of a man who has worked in Foreign Trade for 22 years, a man who sees an offer to work in other enterprises as a demotion and an insult, who considers himself irreplaceable and permanent, when there are many capable people at the grassroots who could perform the duties better than he can. — To be more transparent, it would have been better if Ms. Neshat had met with me, or my colleagues, about the problems for which the Transhqipi director seeks an explanation, so that, after receiving the necessary explanations, he could write as he saw fit. But apparently he cannot break away from the methods used by the State Security, inventing things to justify the purpose he has set for himself. — In the preface, or note at the top of the article, Mr. Neshat says: «Since I am unaffiliated, I am more interested in unlawful facts that harm the interests of the people and Albania than in party alliances». Specifically, the article says that the Ministry of Transport insists on buying 5 buses worth 765 thousand dollars, while Transhqipi proposes another, more economically advantageous option. What can you tell us about this? — Work on using the Turkish loans made available to this ministry (to purchase urban and interurban buses) was carried out by the department and Transhqipi staff long before I took up this position (during the time of my predecessors), and the relevant approvals were obtained. In (Continued on page 2)

We have been informed that these days the documentation for criminal prosecution was officially submitted against Mr. SULO GRADECΙ, majordomo of the Hoxha family, for abuses involving the people’s financial resources. We expect that his depositions will shed light on the extreme misappropriations by the «illustrious» leaders of the Party of Labour of Albania, today the Socialist Party. today the Socialist Party. «Republika» correspondent

—THE «PLURALIST» COMMITTEE OF LUSHNJË EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS WITH MONIST ACTIONS It is well known that our committees are monist as long as they are headed by former secretaries of the PP. But what happened at the last meeting of the temporary executive committee went beyond all expectations. In a single day, the leading figures of the PR in Lushnjë were struck down with a great axe. The transfer of the branch chairman is being prepared in complete secrecy; he learns of it entirely by chance, five minutes before the meeting. What a surprise: even the old-time monists used this style—striking by surprise. Some have been subjected to … from this family of actions. long as they are led by former PP secretaries. But what happened at the upcoming meeting, when the deputies are to come to the joint parliament, is that the Albanians split from the Cham deputies. The right to freedom and self-determination is recognized for all peoples by all the Charters of the United Nations, from Casablanca to the present day, and there is no reason to deny it to the Albanians, the only people in Europe divided in half. The Democratic Party, which entered the political arena as an expression of the people’s will, is a great champion of freedom. It grew in the squares where rallies were held, in demonstrations and on city streets, shedding blood as well. Neither tanks nor machine-gun fire could make the workers of these delegations retreat; they made me see the day of renewal with my own eyes. They leave the Sigurimi and enter the SHIK; they leave the ministries and party apparatus to enter the same circles of influence, so that they can continue to dominate them. If these shifts take place under the guise of renewal, they may even display open arrogance. They will not remove those two salaried employees from Television, even though 100,000 people gathered in Tirana’s square are demanding it. They defy the people. Just as they defy the whole world with the «red star» and the emblem with ears of wheat. These and other facts, known to everyone, young and old, clearly show that the communist leaders have understood nothing. Communism entered the path of humanity 75 years ago, but humanity, in its unstoppable march toward freedom (Continued on page 4-4)

On Friday, in the hall of the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the First National Assembly of the Albanian Democratic Party began its proceedings. The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Eduart Selami, secretary of the Steering Commission of the DP, who, after giving a brief overview of the situation, wished the assembly success in its work. The proceedings then moved, according to the program, to the report, delivered by the chairman of the Steering Commission of the Democratic Party, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha. — After 10 congresses of the PPSH, Mr. Berisha stressed, among other things, which, with the noise and grand spectacle of deceptive words, made the situation in the country worse and worse, today, for the first time, a party assembly is convening on Albanian soil to serve the struggle for democracy, progress, unity, national reconciliation, the unification of Albanians, and the unification of Albanians with Europe and the civilized world. After Mr. Sali Berisha’s report was read, the proceedings moved to questions and discussion, in which the contributions of the guests had an important place. The entrance into the hall of the chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, was also greeted with applause; he was frequently applauded during his speech. Then Xhulian Emerin, a former English missionary in Albania, also addressed the Assembly. After that, all the guests came up to the podium in turn. Yesterday, the chairman of the ARP, Mr. Sabri Godo, also addressed the assembly with these words:

This Assembly is a great achievement of the Democratic Party. It is also the first free assembly or congress of a political party in Albania in the past 50 years. Representatives of the parties of Kosovo and other Albanian regions also spoke here, and therefore your assembly has national significance. Thirdly, the presence and speeches of these delegations make me see with open eyes the coming day when representatives of the Albanians from Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and southeastern Serbia will come to the joint Albanian parliament, together with the Çam representatives. The right to freedom and this Albanian… this Albanian… this Albanian… this Albanian… this Albanian… this Albanian… this Albanian… together with the Çam representatives. The Students. These will remain forever in the people’s memory. We Republicans stand alongside the Democratic Party, which was the first to break through the paths to freedom. Yesterday, the respected Tom Berisha asked the communists to disappear as a party. Mr. Tom, like all of us, knows well that they will not heed this reasonable request. They are now worming their way into the life of the people, inventing novelties. They leave State Security and enter SHIK; they leave the ministry and the party apparatus to enter business, so that they can control it again. But while making these shifts under the guise of renewal, they may also claim progress and have cast it aside, just as it has pushed aside its oldest regressive currents throughout its history. If the communist leaders in Albania do not want to see either what is happening within the country or what has happened in the world, we need only recall what happened just earlier in the USSR itself, where they outlawed their mother party. In conditions where the communists do not want, or are unable, to understand, the primary task of the genuine opposition parties is to unite their forces to defeat them. If we look around and calmly analyze the political reality, we must conclude that no single party, however strong it may feel, could easily accomplish this urgent task alone. Therefore, I propose that the parties—not only the two other parties—stand together on issues concerning the nation’s vital interests. We can and must stand together to uproot communism from key positions. Let us stand together to establish order and carry out the reforms, to bring the country out (Continued on page 4-4)

On 26.9.1991, at the headquarters of the Republican Party, Mr. Sabri Godo met with Mr. Zhan Luis de la Vesier, an AFP correspondent in Rome. The conversation focused on the Republican Party’s position regarding the Albanians of Kosovo. Mr. Godo told Mr. Zhan Luis de la Vesier that we were pleased to see the opposing stance France had taken toward Milosheviç regarding the issue of the Albanians of Kosovo. Milosheviç had expected support for his actions, but this could not happen, because France remains a symbol of the freedom of peoples. It cannot support Serbian aggression. This time the Albanians cannot remain outside the events taking place in Kosovo. If a massacre takes place, we will stand by our brothers. The Republican Party is very moderate, but on matters concerning our fate we are very… determined. Today we received 2 faxes from Albanian emigrants in the USA. Yesterday, thousands of Albanians there held a peaceful demonstration in Washington, supported by senators Doll and others. War today, Mr. Godo stressed, is madness. The Serbs cannot wage war on their own, without help. It seems that certain forces are helping them, disregarding Europe and the European Parliament. We must be clear and unequivocal on this issue. Our ties with France are very old and strong. According to…

We are pleased that groups of well-wishers, social institutions, local and foreign journalists, opposition-party MPs, delegations from cities across Albania, and even diplomatic representatives and MPs from the KSB, through their sincere and concerned interest in our condition, have strengthened our resolve by supporting our just demands. We are grateful to everyone who showed concern for us, and to the people of Tirana who gather around the sports hall where we have barricaded ourselves, even to the point of self-sacrifice, showing their full solidarity with us. Despite all this respect and human kindness surrounding us, as I have explained—and this is the truth—for us hunger strikers it is a great encouragement, spiritual sustenance to persevere to the end, although we cannot ignore the harsh reality of the conditions in this hall where we are barricaded. It is the seventh day of the strike, and, as is known, its participants are that social stratum which bore the burden even under the most brutal proletarian dictatorship: people emerging from prisons and inhuman camps, poor, homeless, without bread, hungry and ill. These are the people gathered here. Physically, they are utterly exhausted, but morally they are so strong that I can say even death is overcome by this exemplary morale, while the presi... dent, who has the power to convene parliament immediately, does not act. We know that President Alia, who is the living embodiment of this nation’s death and remains silent in the face of our protest, desires a tragic end. I can say that he has sentenced us to death and signed that sentence with his silence. President Alia is mistaken: we are surviving Enver’s Hell, and he should take note—we will triumph over death. We will not surrender, even though the laws of communist bloodshed reaped our fathers, our brothers and sisters, the finest intellectuals and the most devoted democrats of this nation so mercilessly. We will live to witness the complete end of the deceitful, accursed Marxist-Leninist ideology, just as we witnessed the end of the young leader, toppled from his pedestal, and the lungs of Tirana opened to breathe the clean air of the Democratic Spring. I think the president and those dark forces who hesitate to declare us innocent do not understand that our innocence is in their own interest. Our hearts are wounded and grieving, as is the heart of the entire Albanian people, shut away in a prison—or, as one might also say, in a vast concentration camp—from Vermosh to Vurg, enslaved, eating even grass, seething within; and yet, strangely, the President and his associates hesitate to see and understand, so that we might quell the wave that is almost overflowing. But you must all know that even if we sacrifice ourselves, victory will be ours, the victory of democracy. I believe none of us wants this tragic end. No one who is a democrat, who cares for Albania, who has the strength to build a happy life, who is humane. We, barricaded in the hunger strike, feel this great responsibility for the nation’s fate and hope that this responsibility will keep hope alive in us, as we are freed day by day from the hunger strike that has brought us to the point of self-sacrifice. Honor is with us, and shame with those who want to deny us the three most urgent points of the demands we submitted to the President, Parliament and Government of Stability. On this occasion I want to thank everyone who took part in my father’s funeral—he died without seeing me, since I am barricaded with my comrades in the hunger strike—as well as all the hunger strikers, who were always deeply supportive of my father. VLADIMIR KOSTURI Chairman of the strike committee Tirana, 27.9.1991

TO THE NATIONAL STABILITY GOVERNMENT, THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. YLLI BUFI We, the opposition of the Tepelenë district, during your leadership of the country, have worked to reduce the various and intense tensions for the sake of national social peace. After the general strike, which included our district too, the birth of the Government of Stability also gave rise to a glimmer of hope and trust in the all-encompassing wasteland left by the past. We notice that these delicate beginnings are fading every day under spiritual stress and are threatening us. Deeply indignant, we are being mistreated, because your Government’s indifferent or silent stance toward the current concerns of our district is drying up our souls. As the opposition of this district, which is as patriotic as it is poor, we note that we were forgotten in the past and, through tragic inertia, are forgotten today as well. Therefore, we address you: 1. No investment of any kind is being provided by you for our district’s economic and social development or for opening up employment opportunities to improve prosperity. 2. The supply of food, medical and industrial goods is below all the limits of other areas. 3. Humanitarian and food aid has been scarce and almost negligible, while figures for considerable quantities are reported on television. 4. Tensions over housing are extremely high, as it is known that 1/3 of the population of the two towns are waiting for even a glimmer of hope from you. 5. The restructuring and renewal of the state apparatus, at the center and locally, is being obstructed by bureaucrats and monists, starting with the Council (Continued on page 2-2)