TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA, RAMIZ ALIA; TO THE PRESIDIUM OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY; TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA, RAMIZ ALIA TO THE PRESIDIUM OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA For two months, the Albanian Republican Party has been calling on the entire Albanian people to unanimously support the Republic of Kosovo, proclaimed by the Assembly of Kaçanik on July 7, 1990. In the Petition proclaimed for this purpose and published in the newspaper «Republika» on July 11, 1991, it is stated that the Albanian Republican Party firmly demands that: the Government of Albania recognize the Republic of Kosovo; the right to self-determination be recognized for the Albanians living in Montenegro, Macedonia and southern Serbia; and the Serbian occupying forces withdraw immediately from the Republic of Kosovo. To date, this petition has been signed by more than half of Albania’s voters, as well as by a large number of the Albanian diaspora in the USA. The signatures, together with the names and addresses of those who signed the petition in Albania, have been deposited at the headquarters of the Republican Party, both in the districts and centrally. In recent days, the Assembly of Kosovo took another historic step: expressing the feelings and aspirations of the Albanians of Kosovo, it proclaimed the Republic of Kosovo an independent and sovereign state. The popular referendum organized in Kosovo on this decision concluded with complete success. Under these circumstances, the Republican Party, firmly supporting the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, and also expressing the feelings and views of the citizens of the Republic of Albania who signed the RP petition, calls for appropriate measures to be taken to implement the points of this petition, which expresses the will of our public opinion, beginning with our government’s official recognition of Please inform us of your decision. For the Governing Council of the Albanian Republican Party CHAIRMAN SABRI GODO

On October 5, 1991, at the PRSH Central Headquarters, Messrs. Sabri Godo, Party chairman, Vangjush Gambeta, deputy chairman, and Çerçiz Mingomataj, head of the foreign affairs section, met with Mr. Emanuel La Roche, Doctor of Philosophy and member of the editorial board of General Anzeiger-Switzerland. Mr. La Roche was interested in the Republican Party, the current extremely difficult economic situation, and the political prospects. After the positions of the opposition parties, especially the PR, PD and PSD, in the current situation had been clearly explained to him, it was emphasized that nothing is being done so far regarding the State Security, which continues to grow stronger. The opposition parties are also dissatisfied with the government’s very poor performance, which has led [them] to force us to leave it. The people have begun to lose faith in the renewal and improvement of the situation, which is creating new social and political tensions. The people are feeling the burden of the new crisis, and they will not forgive us for it. The Republican Party is doing everything it can, through its activities, to accelerate the processes of de- Mingomataj, head of the foreign affairs sector, member of the editorial board of General Anzeiger-Zwicer. Mr. La Roche expressed interest in the Republican Party, its views, its program, and ways of getting the country out of the situation it is in. explained to him, it was emphasized that so far nothing is being done regarding the State Security service, dissatisfied with the government’s extremely weak performance, and if it does not demonstrate the expected activity... The people have begun to lose faith in renewal and in an political tensions. The people are feeling the new bureaucracy, and they will not forgive its activity to speed up the processes of democratization in our country. Correspondent of «Republika» — How many floors will the hotel have? — 18 floors, 260 rooms with around site covers 20,000 square metres. The commercial centre alone will occupy around 11,000 square metres. With three underground floors— in an they will not forgive our country. — How many floors will the hotel have? — 18 floors, 260 rooms with around occupy around 11,000 square metres. With three underground floors— — At first I studied Oriental studies in Prishtinë, but later I also studied trade and finance in Germany, England, France and the USA. — Someone else, please, about the hotel? — enjoy Western culture. — At the «Dajti» hotel, they serve

INTERVIEW WITH MR. HAJDIN SEDJIA, PRESIDENT OF «ILIRIA HOLDING», BY PETRO DHIMITRI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF «REPUBLIKA» — INTERVIEW WITH MR. HAJDIN SEDJIA, PRESIDENT OF THE «ILIRIA HOLDING» COMPANY, BY PETRO DHIMITRI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE NEWSPAPER «REPUBLIKA» — If you don’t mind, today, on the day work begins on the multi-storey hotel, could you tell us how you got the idea to build this project in Tirana? — I started from the thought that Albania needs hotels. With the establishment of pluralism, which creates opportunities to expand relations with the outside world, the country must have hotels. I also have the development of tourism in mind. — Did you have difficulties realizing the idea that came to you? — Plenty, especially because of the old bureaucracy. The answers kept being put off: Not today, not tomorrow, not that way, not this way. Just the usual talk. — Did you get discouraged by them? — Very much. — Then why didn’t you give up? — I kept thinking about this country, which is in need, and I had no reason to leave because of a few bureaucrats, even though a great deal has been spent so far on the economic side. — Are you happy today? — Very, and not so much for myself, since I am extremely tired, but solely for Albania, because I am Albanian and the door is opening for other investors to come to the country too. — How many floors will the hotel have? — 18 floors, 260 rooms with about 530 beds. It will be 65 metres high. The entire site is 20,000 square metres. The whole ground-level area will also include a garage with parking for around 1,000 cars. The hotel will have swimming pools, many restaurants, and a casino. It will be five-star, super-luxury, and built to the highest standards in Europe. The investment amounts to 135 million dollars. — Is it a particular type of hotel, or?... — Sheraton has its own model, but the one we are building will, in terms of structure, be more advanced than those already in existence. — Who handled this technical process? — The ideas for making improvements were mine, but the architectural firm in Bari, with Dario Moreli and several of their Albanian colleagues, handled putting them into concrete form. — How long do you think it will take to build it? — 18 months, though perhaps a little less. — Even that seems fast to us. — Not to us. If we had the building materials here, we would build the hotel in one year. — Mr. Hajdin, could you tell us about your studies? — At first I studied Oriental studies in Prishtina, and later commerce and finance in Germany, England, France and the USA. — Could someone else, please, ask something about the hotel? — With its construction, our people too will be able to enjoy cul-veri, perhaps?... — No, this hotel will also accept payment in Albanian lek. — A little earlier you said you are Albanian. May I ask which region you come from? — From the small village of Grabinic, in the municipality of Klina in Kosovo. From 1976 I began going abroad, because I finished my studies in Prishtina that year. I would go abroad for 4–5 months a year because I wanted to learn foreign languages. I speak 11 languages. — Apart from this hotel, what do you plan to build in Albania? — For a year now, we have had plans ready for a hotel in Durrës with 304 beds, two tourist villages in Golem and Divjakë with 2,000 beds each, another such village in Borsh with 2,000 beds, and one in Ksamil with 4,000 beds, as well as a port for ships in Sarandë. We have a contract with «Iliria-rinia» for a discotheque, restaurants, game rooms, kiosks, etc. — Will you carry out these investments with your own capital alone? — No. They will be built in cooperation with other partners who trust me and come to invest together with me in Albania. For the Tirana hotel, I am working with the Italian Xhordano group. — As an Albanian and as a journalist, I congratulate you on what you are doing for Albania and wish you nothing but success.

We have learned from the Bureaucrats who have abused the people’s property that Mr. Hekuran Isai has also been arrested. In this way, after Mr. Manush Myftiu, he is the second red leader to be arrested. We do not mean that they did not deserve to be arrested long ago, because they committed abuses; however, according to the published list, neither of them is at the top of it. In first place is Mrs. Nexhmije Hoxha, then Mr. President, and so on. The question then arises: how is it that those who appropriated and abused the most are left free, while the lesser figures are arrested, compared with the principal leaders of the Party and state? We say there is an explanation: these two former red leaders both say that, in the end, they opposed Mr. Ramiz Alia, who, having spent his entire life alongside the dictator Enver Hoxha, could not help learning from his practices of injustice. Even if only for revenge. Therefore, Mr. Ramiz’s opponents are also the first who will have to answer, at a time when the people are waiting for Mrs. Nexhmije along with the others. It is known that she and Ramiz Alia were in charge during the former dictator’s serious illness. It was precisely during that period that many abuses and misappropriations were discovered. REMZI BANI

The law on the privatization of homes All legal provisions approved by our People’s Assembly and the Council of Ministers of the national stability government should be characterized by the great goal of national stabilization. But does the approval of this bill stabilize anything? I think that with such a law, if it is approved as proposed, the government will sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Who are the tenants of state-owned homes in towns and populated centers, and what improvements in their circumstances would be achieved if the provisions of this draft law were implemented? If the members of the Council of Ministers do not know, or do not want to know, this, we must remind them that these tenants are generally and primarily former peasants whom Enver Hoxha’s monist, autocratic, dictatorial and autarkic regime, over the course of half a century, proletarianized by forcibly taking away their right to own their means of production (land, livestock, work animals, olive groves and fruit-tree plantations), and through these engineered actions created the «new cooperative order». And now the stability government wants to enact laws under which we would be forced to pay some kind of compensation for the space we occupy, beyond 4,000 or 5,600 lek; or, if we have no financial means—and I believe that will be the case for the majority—what will happen? Or will policemen, as in past regimes, be sent to confiscate the few belongings we have managed to acquire through sacrifice, without any compensation, so that now, in old age, we can live a very modest life? It is worth mentioning here that all state-owned homes, just like all the property of enterprises, are state property. But where did the socialist state get the money to build them? Let us not forget that we used to boast that we were the only country in the world without taxes and duties(!) This may be enough to fool the minds of the naïve, but thank God there are few such people. The economist knows for certain and is fully convinced that national income is the fruit of the people’s labor and sweat, while its distribution is in the hands of those in power. In our country, during monist rule, the distribution of national income maintained the proportion of 20–25 percent for so-called work for oneself and 75–80 percent for work for society (read: state accumulation). It is precisely the value of the unpaid labor of the worker, the peasant and the civil servant that is the sole source of financing for everything created in our country, including the funds used to finance the fairy-tale lives of Party and state leaders. Thus, in this indisputable sense, the people have paid for and bought once already all the objects included in national property, including the so-called state-owned homes. Secondly, the government should bear in mind that, by expropriating the entire peasantry, as well as artisans and other private owners in the towns (I am not referring here to the category of latifundists), the monist government has exploited ... [text continues outside the frame] MASK NUSHAJ (Continued on page 2)

— Interview with the chairman of the Radio and Television workers’ union, Mr. Alfred Kanini. — We have come to confirm once again whether it is true that Fatime Gërbi, the lawyer at your institution, was dismissed by order of the RT director-general, Mr. Fatmir Kumbaro. — Yes, this is true. — What is the official reason given? — In an official letter dated 2.10.1991, Fatmir Kumbaro ordered the dismissal of Fatime Gërbi, giving three reasons: incompetence at work, breach of work discipline, and disinformation of public opinion intended to undermine the standing of the director and the normal functioning of the institution. — What is your opinion of this decision? — The decision taken is legally unjust, which demonstrates Fatmir Kumbaro’s own incompetence as a director. But more importantly, this decision reflects a fascist and dictatorial attitude. Its direct aim is to attack our union and our strike demands, which Fatime Gërbi, as a lawyer, officially declared to be justified. On this occasion, I declare that another point has now been added to our strike: the reinstatement of Fatime Gërbi, because this dismissal is the result of her disagreement with Fatmir Kumbaro’s anti-democratic actions, including his being imposed on Television to undermine democracy. Fatmir Kumbaro is also taking revenge for Fatime Gërbi’s denunciation in the newspaper «Republika» of Virgjil Kule’s business dealings at RT’s expense. She has made courageous and justified criticisms in the press of Mr. Kumbaro’s actions as well, and has exposed other incompetent RT managers.

A reminder to the government In May 1989, another village was added to the Fier district: — Darëzeza e Re. 250 families from Darëzeza e Gramshit were settled on the sandy lands of the village of Povelc, near the seashore, because of the construction of the Banjes hydroelectric dam. Naturally, the villagers were not pleased to have gained sandy land and lost their vineyards and some of the best field land in the Gramsh district, but “when paradise is promised, people gladly leave the past behind.” Adil Çancani, Foto Çami and Besnik Bekteshi themselves said emphatically: “May you enjoy your future tourist village,” and, to dispel every shadow of doubt from the villagers’ thoughtful faces, they added: “Since the gas extraction facilities are in the hands of the state, you will use gas for cooking and heating. May you always have gas and joy.” To satisfy the curiosity of today’s government officials and future tourists, we stress that this LUFTI DERVISHI (Continued on page 2)

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