INTERVIEW WITH MR. SABRI GODO, CHAIRMAN OF THE PRSH, GIVEN TO ISABELA ISLAMI, CORRESPONDENT FOR «VOICE OF AMERICA», ON THE EVE OF 1992 — — Mr. Godo, today we are witnessing one of the greatest changes in the history of this century: the structural transformation of the USSR and the resignation of its last leader, M. Gorbachev. What impact have his policies of glasnost and perestroika had on Albania? — There is no doubt that perestroika and the changes brought about by Mr. Gorbachev in the USSR had a direct impact on Albania. Regarding the creation of the Community of Independent Russian States, personally, at first I saw it as a kind of game—excuse me—because it seemed that a sort of pan-Slavism was being created, something our country has suffered from. But with the participation of the other republics of the former USSR in this Commonwealth, it seems to me that things there took a good direction and that democracy in the true sense of the word will develop there. Nevertheless, the economic and political situation there is unstable and is a cause for concern not only for Europe, but, I think, for the whole world. — After almost half a century of rule, communist ideology has left deep traces in the life of Albania. What progress has been made in Albania with regard to beginning the process of eradicating communism and building democratic institutions in everyday life, although ... [text continues in the visible columns] ... Finally, we have intensified our efforts to ensure that an alliance of that kind is reached, so that the communists are defeated in the March 1 elections. The question is whether the recently renewed reforms will remain in force, whether the communist dictatorship will continue, or whether the people and democracy in Albania will win. This must be decided on March 1. the people will no longer be deceived, especially the peasantry, by the tricks of the communists, who are capable of staging things even at the last minute. Democracy will win. A new parliament will be formed, one in which the people have confidence, and a government emerging from that parliament. Another important condition is that President R. Alia be removed and replaced with a president whom the people want and trust. We are aware that we will face great difficulties even after the elections. But we are also convinced that the people will regain their confidence and resolve; they will return to work. Because for now, in our life, everyone has their arms crossed. Almost nobody is working. Besides this, we are convinced that with the new elections and the victory of democracy, the free world will be open to us and will help us. And we, as a noble people, will repay this help by joining the ranks of ... — ... March 31. — We believe that, given our country’s particular political situation, a proportional electoral system would be fairer. Although we recognize some shortcomings in this system, we still say that it is better suited to our situation. As for our platform, I will say that we have a clear and sound program. We must return to work and create conditions that connect people with their work. This can only be done by fairly rewarding labor. We must move resolutely and swiftly toward privatizing the economy, the only way out of the dark tunnel in which our economy finds itself today, and we have expressed clear ideas and views on all the other issues in the social and legal fields. We need new legislation, reviewed on the basis of the laws in force in all the world’s developed countries. We need to do many more things, and we have brought all of them together in our program, which may be considered a short-term program, but which also opens up broader prospects for the future. We will spend a New Year partly without electricity and partly without food. But this will also be the last New Year we spend in such miserable conditions. Life finds its wisest and most prudent solution here: let us work the land first; as for dividing it, we will see what to do... What fault is it of the peasant? He offers you the path, relying on his own historical experience, on the understanding of the land, work and life held by representatives of the people; is their understanding of this problem not the true unification of the nation? What place is there here for the «rule of law» (with its coercive laws), which has also caused confusion here and rushes headlong to divide the land as quickly as possible, that is, to impose this at all costs? ... [The original text contains garbled and overlapping passages.] ... New Year we spend in such miserable conditions. Democracy will open the way to life for us. On this occasion, I would also like to offer a heartfelt greeting to our brothers of the same language and blood in Yugoslavia, who are living under the Serbian threat, and to tell them my personal opinion, under my own personal responsibility: this time the Albanian people will not abandon Kosovo as they did in the past under Enver Hoxha’s government. We will stand by them; we seek recognition of Kosovo as a Republic by the whole world and the realization of the independence initiative of Mr. Gensher in Germany, and we wish them the same outcome. — ... democracy? — Democracy in Albania took its first major step in the year now ending. Opposition political parties were created, and we won the right to a free press and free speech. But the social structures that should support democracy remained in communist hands. Parliament, the government and the President of the Republic, the state apparatus, the forces responsible for public order and the judiciary have operated only in form; in essence, they are simply communist. This factor, together with the accumulated fifty years of Enverist rule, brought about the country’s complete isolation. We agree with the view that we are the poorest country in the world. We agree that we are living through the most difficult period in our history. This country could have been more completely ruined, and now it cannot be at peace. This will primarily depend on opening the way for the genuine democratic opposition, an effort that is now being made ... — Mr. Godo, Albania is on the eve of an election campaign. Which electoral system, majoritarian or proportional, does the PR prefer, and with what political platform and strategy?

History, they say, is the teacher of peoples. Albanian history is as unfortunate as it can be; its cruel lot is to have only weak and disobedient pupils, stubborn and mule-headed, who not only do not want to learn and have no desire to learn, but, what is worse, have a contrary streak in their foreheads and demand, by any means, to be the teachers while history is the pupil. FATOS ARAPI Member of the Forum of Independent Albanian Intellectuals History, they say, is the teacher of peoples. Albanian history is as unfortunate as it can be; its cruel lot is to have only weak and disobedient pupils, stubborn and mule-headed, who not only do not want to learn and have no desire to learn, but, what is worse, have a contrary streak in their foreheads and demand, by any means, to be the teachers while history is the pupil, so that History does only what their profane whims dictate, and in the way they dictate. The tragedy of Albanian History. Planted where four roads meet, it opens its arms... «We meet Hajri Myftar[in], a member of the commission for distributing the cooperative’s assets. He tells us that the assets have been divided proportionally according to the number of people. The division was carried out calmly and amicably. A commission with one representative from each of the village’s 102 clans helped with this (Dukat). But the land issue remains unresolved. This year we will farm it as it is, but we do not accept the division until the traditional boundaries are recognized...» R.D. no. 87, Saturday, December 7, ’91. the decision of the government officials, who once again come down from above to impose their authority, their force, on the 102 wise representatives of the people of Dukat? What kind of state is this, what kind of government, what kind of law, when the people tell you: — Wait, man (statesman?!), don’t rush; we will work the land because we are farmers and live off it, but wait before dividing it; let us think about it first... How can our statesmen fail to understand that the peasants’ position embodies centuries of shared life, an enormous Albanian experience that cannot allow them to be separated or subjugated? They refuse once again to accept a game imposed from outside and instead seek a fairer solution, thereby genuinely and without demagoguery respecting Justice. Because the land can indeed be divided, but that division—God forbid!—could itself be the tragic division of those 102 clans, the tragic division of the nation itself. It is the land, isn’t it?! The now heterogeneous Laçi obeys only the locals... Only their two private shops have not been touched... A young man from the Vathaj family, well known in Laç, saves the clinic; Noc Zinaj, paid by the teachers, saves the secondary school. The staff of «Trekëndëshi» heroically protects and saves this club...» «Sindikalisti», 18.12.91 We are seeing and experiencing scenes beyond biblical. And we are getting used to them. We are used to it now: 40 dead in Fushë-Arrëz and in Laç, over a morsel of bread, over a rag to cover the nakedness of their bodies in the bitter winter of 1991. These things happen yesterday, today, as if nothing had happened— (Continued on page 2)

The decision of the government officials, who once again come down from above to impose their authority, their force, on the 102 wise representatives of the people of Dukat?

INTERVIEW WITH THE DISTINGUISHED ITALIAN JOURNALIST GRACIANO MOTTA, GIVEN TO MR. SHTEPEND SALLAKU, MEMBER OF THE PSH STEERING COMMITTEE Graciano Motta is an Italian journalist, well known even beyond Italy’s borders. Although 62 years old, he is very energetic, working alone on the daily services he provides to the public throughout the country. Motta has worked for all the Italian press outlets, and has also made regular publications from one country to another. Recently, journalist Motta has shown a special interest in Albania. On ANSA radio, for the first time the journalist began from Radio Vatican. The thousands of others he has are about his own contacts, which won the journalist «Doctor» and «Archive» before journalists, and his profession. This conversation was held with Mr. Motta. — Could you please tell us the reason for your visit to Albania? The aid you are giving, and the dissatisfaction surrounding it, (Continued on page 4)

MR. PRESIDENT, GORBACHEV HAS RESIGNED Some time ago, after the coup d’état in the Soviet Union, Gorbachev, this colossus of democracy, found himself at the bottom of the pyramid; the whole world rose to its feet to restore what the Russian communists had unjustly tried to overthrow. Faced with the dark forces, they thought it best to withdraw temporarily, perhaps to gather strength for the future. Nevertheless, a day came when the victorious democrat Gorbachev decided to relinquish voluntarily the post he had held honorably for so many years. He understood well that he could never go against the wishes of the Soviet peoples. And their wish was for the old Soviet Union to be dissolved and rebuilt in a new form. Let us not forget that the Russians owe their choice first and foremost to Hrusov, and most recently to Gorbachev. His name is so highly regarded everywhere in the East and West. George Bush himself and other distinguished leaders in Western countries spoke respectfully of Gorbachev, placing him on the altar of democracy. They were the first to raise their voices and do everything they could to have him returned to his post as president, at a time when certain forces in Albania applauded and nearly repeated this coup d’état. Strangely, when Gorbachev decided to resign of his own accord (because he felt that his task had now been accomplished), the democratic world almost unanimously approved. For nearly two years, democratic forces in Albania have been fighting for true democracy to triumph, that democracy so dear to Albanians and so unattainable for almost half a century. Generations have been bound together at the foundation of this democracy for which we have been striving for years. Hundreds and thousands of prisoners left their youth (and, indeed, their bones) in Enver’s Hitlerian prisons. Hundreds of thousands more lived through the bleakest period of their lives, persecuted and oppressed in the village camps where they had no rights at all. The so-called class struggle that Enver, you, Mr. President, and the other members of the red Politburo waged wounded the heart of an entire people, turned friends and comrades against one another, and separated brother from brother. This caused an invisible wall of hatred to rise in everyone’s hearts, a torrent of whose bitterness would one day spill over and sweep everything away. You, Mr. President, could no longer stop that river of bitterness, so you chose to bless it. They say, «The hand that cannot be cut off is kissed.» Your duplicity, when democracy was taking its first steps on unstable ground, cannot be forgotten. On the one hand, you raised your voice for freedom of speech and thought; on the other, you cursed those who sought the first parties and associations, calling them unknown in the socialist state. On the one hand, you called for free elections, while on the other you left the opposition in the lurch precisely on the eve of the March 31 elections. [The remainder of the supplied article is garbled and incomplete: «Formave dhe mj- jëniet, p.puḷḷi, a nuk / këtë problematikë të për- / rrjeshëm këtu është edhe hetjet të mbështetje- / që për më e keqen të jetë»]

As if the tragic exodus from Himara were not enough, more «logs» must be added to that wound. For over a month there has been no vehicle to transport bread from the bakery to the shop. The same vehicle that carries a dead person one day carries bread for the people the next?! The water supply in the Himara neighborhood has not been working for more than a year because an electric pump is missing. As for land distribution, we say that the law cannot be applied in our circumstances. The town was overpopulated by the one-party regime in order to drive out the population. How will those people live, when it is known that land is scarce and belongs to the people of Himara? But our troubles are endless. The army has taken over many buildings there. Now the command is selling them, not giving them to the families from whom they were taken, but to its friends and acquaintances. After making the sales, they ask the town’s pluralist committee to legalize them; rightly, the committee opposes this practice, which causes division and quarrels. And then the socialists talk about unity! The list of grievances is growing. Dhërmiu and Qeparoi have been left without flour supplies because the bakery is not operating. Just so you know, we should say that all the economic facilities in Himara are run by one-party regime members. The district of Vlora, as before, continues to look at the area through a stepmother’s eyes; therefore, Himara awaits the victory of democracy as desperately as it awaits water, so as to regain all the rights that monism unilaterally denied it for half a century.

For a year we waited for foreign investors to pour their capital into Albania, but in vain. Only a few companies came, most of them insignificant trading firms. In other words, no serious and honest company settled in our land. How can this be explained? There are many reasons for their reluctance. It is all connected with the anti-national policy of the communists in power. Indeed, one of the major reasons is the president himself. Many months ago, Mr. R.K., a powerful American investor with capital of 500 million dollars, came to Albania with good intentions. He was also received by a deputy minister in a genuinely democratic spirit at a special meeting. The deputy minister did everything possible to persuade this investor. GANI LEKA (Continued on page 3)