WAITING FOR A POLICE BATON TO GO ON SALE... She was crying, holding a shoe in her hand. When she got up from the chair by the ditch between «Labinoti» Street and the field beside it, she had lost a shoe. After putting up for several minutes with the jeers of a group of policemen who were nearby, she set off barefoot towards «Studenti» City. No one was curious. Everyone had something extraordinary about their clothes or appearance. Because everyone had taken to the streets that December Sunday for something extraordinary. Everyone seemed to have forgotten to tease girls, except V. T., the Petroleum student from Gjirokastra, who approached the girl with a police baton in his hand. In the ensuing scuffle, when death really struck over their heads, he had found a chance to snatch a policeman’s baton. And now he was cheerfully wandering among the student crowds returning in a rebellious mood to the dormitories. “Hey, girl, don’t be upset about the shoe,” he called to her. “The day will come when I sell this baton I took from the police and buy you shoes. You have no idea how much a baton like this can sell for. They say the Americans pay 5 dollars for a piece of brick from the Berlin Wall—and surely a piece of an Albanian police baton is worth that much. Don’t be upset. In a few years I’ll be a millionaire.” For the first time, the girl laughed as she continued walking barefoot along the streets of «Studenti» City. V. T. too, baton in hand, kept promising her that one day he would sell it and make a lot of money. Then they parted as suddenly as they had come together, and V. T. continued waving the baton over the crowds like a flag. The following day and the day after, when the students gathered at rallies, V. T. wandered among them with his baton, always cheerful. He has now been out of university for a year and, while waiting to find work, has made several trips down south on foot. As for the barefoot girl who lost her shoes on 9 December 1990, he has no idea how to find her. He has not seen her name on any association or party list, and has never heard it on the radio. If one day he comes to Tirana with some baton in his hand and says he snatched it from a policeman on 9 December, no one will believe him. V. T. was so mischievous that no one ever took him seriously. But in any case, one day he might come with any old baton and say it was the one from 9 December. Even if those who have taken their places on the platform of this event cannot believe him, an anonymous student girl might believe him—the girl who, after being beaten by the police that day and left barefoot without shoes, laughed for the first time because of him when he came up to her and promised that one day, later on, he would sell the baton and buy her shoes. Others who remember it will believe them too. Those who have taken their places on the platform do not (Continued on page 2) ... BECAUSE IT FELL TO THE GOVERNMENT TO START FROM ZERO...

The 40,000 members of the minority living in southern Albania have their own schools and press, and are represented in parliament. Nevertheless, this is not enough for the representatives of Greek interests (the Human Rights Party). MP Thoma Miço is demanding “more, otherwise we will declare autonomy.” Miço does not clarify what he means by this “more.”

In one of its recent issues, the Greek newspaper «Eleftero Vima», in an article entitled «The Turks will send troops to Albania», calls for a “change in policy” in Greece’s foreign relations with Albania and asks the Greek Government and state to: “Offer sincere support” (Greek sincerity—editor’s note) to “the new political force emerging in Albania.” It is quite clear that this refers to the «Democratic Alliance» party. Also, given: The identical positions expressed by the leaders of the «Democratic Alliance», Imami and Ceka, and by MP Thoma Miço (Greek) in the Albanian parliament, as well as the Greek press’s intensive promotion of the same positions, the Greek flirtation and Greek alliance with the (Albanian) «Democratic Alliance» party are quite clear. This alliance is also proclaimed by the vo- (Continued on page 4)

On the evening of 7 December, a wall running through the streets of Sarajevo was shown on Belgrade Television. The wall divides the area inhabited by Serbs from the area inhabited by the rest of the population. I wonder if it will manage to be built and last as long as the Berlin Wall? «Republic» correspondent

President Berisha’s meeting with journalists (ATSH) Albania’s membership in the Islamic Conference and the establishment of relations with Saudi Arabia are of historic significance, explained President Berisha at his meeting with journalists, referring to the visit of the Albanian delegation to the Islamic Conference meeting. Commenting on the political consequences of this act, President Berisha pointed out that Albanian diplomacy now has a new space for cooperation and interaction, extending across all continents. “This is the crowning achievement of the historical ties we have had with this country,” he said. On the other hand, by joining this Conference, Albania, as a European country, takes on a great mission: bringing peoples closer together rather than driving them apart, opening up rather than closing down. Albanian policy must certainly project the experience of Albanian life and the harmony among religions in Albania in its orientations. As for the economic consequences, they are much more positive, since Albania now has the support of the Islamic Development Bank, which is equivalent to the World Bank in economic practice. Europe, in its policy, is not guided by jealousy and ambition, but by democratic principles, which Albania has reflected in its legislation. It has joined the Conference (Continued on page 2)

In an article in recent days, the newspaper RD discusses the Republican Party’s position on the land law. The author objectively makes observations about the change in our present demands compared with the programme. We must answer honesty with honesty. It is true that in our initial programme of 10 January 1991, and at the national consultation in July of that same year, we put forward recognition of land ownership within the boundaries that existed before collectivization. At that time, we thought this would be a major step towards recognition of property rights. At the First Congress, and especially at the National Council on 1 December, we concluded that our position on the land law had to be clarified fully. Better to say that we must accept unequivocally what cannot be disputed: property must go to its lawful owner. As a party, we have not yet presented a new draft law on land. We have only set the criteria on which the law should be based. We have said: Everyone should return to their property, and this would apply to about 85 percent of the peasants. We have said that whoever has entered someone else’s property today should take the land into use; the issue of the large latifundists should be discussed in parliament. The law and its bylaws will elaborate this concept. For our part, we will undertake to help through a second national consultation. (Continued on page 4)

BAJRAM MATRAHIU anyone, but on the other hand, there is also the psychological unease and confusion that comes from surprise; it is naive, all the more so because, during the 45 years, this people’s international political life had never known such extreme and harsh movements. For years, in some of the political clashes among Albanians, their knowledge of striking events in international politics was very limited: the break with Yugoslavia, the Conference of 81 Parties, rapprochement and ties. In this person’s psychology, it is natural that such swift actions, carried out over the course of nearly a year—CSCE, the Vatican, America, the Black Sea initiative, NATO, the Islamic Conference, etc.—should fail to elicit the proper response and that their unifying essence should go unrecognized. But if these concerns and surprises were natural, it would not be such a serious concern. The real problem is that the parliamentary opposition, with malicious intent, gives official standing to these opinions of people or political groups who, although the party in power gave them part of the land, think they received less than they were entitled to, or received nothing at all. This is one of the reasons criticism gets confused with denigration, and opposition with non-compliance. In general, the Albanian opposition bases its own successes on its efforts to gain credibility, but even more on the other side’s losses and concessions. All these people and political groups are trying at any cost to provoke new elections, hoping they can win what they lost or what the PD did not give them on 22 March. This malicious intent and effort to sabotage and paralyse Albanian foreign policy was also evident in their positions on the recent actions of Albanian diplomacy in the Middle East. The previous attacks, such as publishing the false report about the direction of aid from the EC, or the statement about Berisha, about the “bombing of Belgrade,” and spreading rumours that the Independence Day telegrams had been addressed to Ramiz and not Sali, were only minor skirmishes compared with the major blow they attempted to deal to the national cause and foreign policy. (Continued on page 2) ... on the 9th ... InsKrie- ... of some ... of a ... with ... care. ... Other ... Ti- ... for ... these ...

Interview with Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi: “UNFORTUNATELY, IT FELL TO THE GOVERNMENT TO START FROM ZERO...”

EUROPE

freedom of thought

On Sunday and Monday last, the madwoman N. of Tirana was seen on none of the main streets, not even on the former “Stalin” Boulevard, where she is almost never absent. Except early on, beside the Minister of Internal Affairs: Anastas Angjeli, Minister of Education for Greek schools; Maqo Lakrori, Minister of Order; Lutfi Dautllari, Minister of Agriculture; Gramoz Josif Pashko, Minister of Justice; Paskal Milo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for relations with Greece; Ajdin Sejdia, Minister of Relations with ties abroad; Mojkom Zego, Minister without Portfolio for archaeology, art, poetry, politics, and the directions of the secretaries of the PPSH; Arben Imami, Minister of Theatres and Variety Shows. The madwoman N. paused for a moment in announcing the new government, looking at the paper in her hands. Then she began rummaging through her handbag, trying to find the next list of the government; she rummaged and rummaged, when only a little earlier she had announced just two ministers. Nervously, the madwoman N. looked now at the crowd gathered in front of her, now into her bag, where, from nervousness, the bunch of leeks had come apart and could very easily be counted: there were eleven green ones, and strangely, very large leeks. At last the woman stopped searching in the bag, where the eleven green leeks, very long and stretched out, were plainly visible. As she grew nervous and lost patience, people began leaving the gathering, when someone said that a police car had just passed nearby. Someone in the crowd said to the person beside him, “The new government… how many ministers was it supposed to have, eleven?” “And eleven…? Eleven, eleven… what a bunch…” “The government has also been approved by Xhelil Gjoni,” she added parenthetically, and I don’t understand why his approval was needed. As she read the names of the new government officials, which she called at one moment the government of labour and at another the government of stability, that bunch of green, strangely long leeks emerged from the black bag. “Long live the new government!” the madwoman N. shouted. “Long live… Gramoz Ruçi, Minister of Tourism; Beshkim Lilo Zanell, supposed to have, eleven?” “Tomorrow… the government… I’m reading stability… Long live… Imami… The government… Albania… Albania…” Apparently the madwoman N. of the capital was announcing that tomorrow she would deliver an important speech; and indeed, on Wednesday—but not in the morning and not at the usual podium of the “Arbëria” Hotel—at 11:00, in front of the “Tirana” Hotel, she announced the new government.