I WILL REMAIN AMONG YOU, BECAUSE I FEEL STRONGER THAT WAY AND ONLY SO WILL I BE ABLE TO PRESERVE THE HUMAN DIMENSION — Address by the President of the Republic of Albania, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha — Honored clerics, Dear women members of parliament, Dear gentlemen members of parliament, Esteemed ambassadors, My dear compatriots, Albanian citizens wherever you may be, The office of President of the Republic, which the Albanian people entrust to me today through their representatives in Albania’s first democratic parliament, is a great honor and a duty that is both responsible and dignified. It is an honor because, after nearly a century of struggle and titanic efforts for freedom, democracy, human and national rights, our people today place me, through you and by their free will, at the head of the Albanian Democratic State. As for the duties of the President, in this newly democratic Albania they are undoubtedly extremely difficult. This is because today I am elected President of one of the poorest countries in the world, where in the not-too-distant past hundreds of elderly people and children died of hunger or related illnesses, and where even today many still suffer from this scourge; where countless children, poorly dressed, barefoot and hungry, set out for school; where hundreds and thousands of sick people have no medicine to treat their illnesses; where unemployment is at one of the highest levels imaginable; where hundreds and thousands of rural families do not have a handspan of land or any other means of livelihood; and where industry, with its outdated technology, is paralyzed every day. The country’s natural landscape, with its astonishing beauty, is marred by felled trees and bunkers, the latter an authentic symbol of the brutal, half-century-long dictatorship we endured. The truth is that in Albania time stopped—not for hours, weeks or years, but for half a century—and this carries a heavy cost. The law was never respected; indeed, recently it gave way to chaos, organized crime and anarchy. Ladies and gentlemen, During the half-century in Albania, because of the absence of freedom of conscience and under the immoral principle of class warfare, hundreds and thousands of Albanians gave their lives and their youth for free speech and free thought, while communism denied those who were not imprisoned or interned the individual’s fundamental freedoms: thought, property and God. It plunged the country into an isolation and confinement that weighed so heavily on our spirit, culture, economy and psychology. Ladies and gentlemen, I have given you this description not only to condemn the dictatorship we endured, but also to recall here that, under these circumstances, I do not believe anyone who fought for freedom and democracy would envy even a milligram of power. Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow citizens, honored friends, I accept the office of President with pleasure and optimism, because I, like all of you, am proud to be Albanian. Our mothers, together with their milk, instilled in us pride and love for our nation, its culture, its flag and its painful history. The grievous wounds I mentioned above, which are an exceedingly bitter legacy, were not inflicted on Albania by God, but by communism, which we buried once and for all in a festive, magnificent and democratic ceremony on the first day of this great spring. Ladies and gentlemen, Citizens of Albania, Dear compatriots, I accept the office of President today because I have great faith in you; I have boundless faith in humankind, in its creative genius, abilities and potential, talent and energy, ideals and aspirations. I believe and hope that those who defeated the savage dictatorship will know how to build democracy, to build a democratic Albania with a developed market economy, a free country of free citizens, where free thought, work and initiative will serve us as they have served other countries. On this occasion, I want to assure you that I will commit all my strength to restoring law and order, ensuring the rule of law, restarting production in our enterprises and reviving the economy. Honored clerics, I accept the office of President of the Republic because I have great faith in God. He has helped us and will help us on our long and difficult road toward democracy. Albania has three religions. They will always be respected and valued as three powerful divine springs that enrich our Albanian spirit. Ambassadors and diplomats accredited in Albania, As I take office as President, I wish once again to affirm my unshakable faith that our democratic neighboring countries, the democracies of Europe and the United States of America will help us on the road to democracy and progress. I want to assure you on this occasion that the greatest dream of every Albanian is Albania’s integration with Europe. To achieve this, we will build a just state and realize your human and national aspirations. I have unshakable faith that the Albanian question is just and can be fully resolved within the framework of the Helsinki Final Act and through the European Community. I am convinced that the day is not far off when Albanians will be recognized as having the right to self-determination and the other rights that belong to them. On the other hand, I wish to assure the minorities in Albania that they will enjoy all the individual and national rights and freedoms guaranteed to them by our Constitution and international acts. We will make every effort, and hope that other countries will take the same approach toward our minorities. Ladies and gentlemen, I accept the office of President of the Republic determined to carry out with you a great act of national reconciliation. Communism was a great divider of our nation. A few days ago, we buried its rule, but not its customs and habits. We will bury those only after replacing them with the high virtues we have inherited. While condemning heinous crime and dictatorship, we must build one another up and value one another. All of us have shared responsibility to varying degrees, at least for the 99 percent of the vote we gave it. In all of this, we were its active accomplices. Therefore, let the suffering and pain we have inflicted on one another, and our shared responsibility to build a civilized society like Spain, Portugal, bring us together. Nations with a great culture and spirit know how to forgive and express remorse for the sake of their culture, spirit, children and future. Ladies and gentlemen, In the difficult office of President, I will keep firmly in mind the interests of all citizens of Albania, beginning with the little ones who get up every day and set off for work [text unclear], and the young women and men who brought about these days, and extending to the men and women, the elderly and aged who spared neither their children nor their own lives in the struggle for freedom and human dignity. I will show special care for all our people who have suffered; their sacrifices and hardships are the human price of the freedom we enjoy today. In my capacity as Commander-in-Chief, I will work to transform the Army, the law-enforcement forces and SHIK into institutions that safeguard and develop democracy; I will strive for Albania to become a member of NATO. Finally, I want to inform you that the first President elected by this democratic Parliament will maintain a civic profile. Albania does indeed have a presidential palace, but as one of the poorest countries in the world, it cannot have a President living in a palace. I will remain among you, because I feel stronger that way and because only so will I be able to preserve the human dimension as the fundamental dimension of the new Albanian politics. Long live Albania! of struggle and titanic efforts for freedom, democracy and you, Democratic State. The duties of the President, in a democratic Albania, and children died of hunger or illnesses related to it, and where gentlemen, my fellow citizens, honored friends, I accept with plea— reviving the economy. Honored clerics, The office of President of the Repub— Por— ... of Europe, path to democracy and progress. I would like to take this opportunity to assure you with Europe. To this end, we will build a just state and ensure the free movement of people, goods and ideas. Through its policies, Albania will strive to ensure that differing interests do not lead to conflicts, but are resolved through understanding and agreement, in accordance with democratic norms and traditions. In the future, I will make efforts to encourage as many foreign citizens, businesspeople and statesmen as possible to visit Albania. Joint economic ventures and foreign investments will be guaranteed by liberal and democratic legislation. To our compatriots in their own lands in Yugoslavia, and wherever you may be, I want to assure you that the Albanian State will work persistently to secure the realization of the rights—

On Thursday afternoon in our first Democratic Parliament, at 4:30 p.m., just as everyone was anxiously following the results of the vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ the Democratic Party’s candidate for President, Mr. Sali Berisha, applause broke out. The number 96 had been reached—‘For.’ A show of hands, an outburst of joy, so much so that Mr. Pjetër Arbnori, with his Olympic joy, was compelled to say: Let us wait for the voting commission’s official announcement. But it was only a formal announcement, because the members of parliament and the guests had calculated the result very well. Sali Berisha was elected President of the Republic of Albania, the first anti-communist president in these 50 years, in this half-century during which the red dogma occupied our homes and hearts. And not only was he the first anti-communist president; more importantly, he was among the first intellectuals to rise against violence and a co-founder of the Democratic Party, the first party to oppose communism, the first to bring political pluralism to Albania. One cannot forget the people’s reaction to the meeting held by the former leader of the Party of Labour, Comrade Ramiz Alia, with intellectuals, where, among other things, he mocked the great Kadare as well as the well-known heart-disease doctor, Sali Berisha. From that day, this distinguished democrat entered the arena of Albanian democracy like a liberating giant, like an eagle seeking to breathe the free air of the mountains of Gjakovë and of Tirana, the capital of Albania, which groaned under the chains of communism. ‘It was not at all easy in those moments to stand up at rallies and speak out against communism…’ But the article continues in dense text about Sali Berisha’s election, Ramiz Alia and political developments. At the end: ‘(Continued on page 2)’

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA TIRANA Dr. Prof. Mr. Sali Berisha Dear Mr. President, The Albanian Republican Party sends you its most sincere congratulations and best wishes on your appointment to the highest and most honorable office, that of the first President of the Albanian democratic state. We Albanian Republicans fraternally greet you on assuming this high office, for which we have often been a source of inspiration in the fierce political struggle for the victory of democracy against those who sought to perpetuate communism in Albania. It is your duty, Mr. President, to lead the effort to build a republican state with a genuine and stable democracy, despite all the difficulties accompanying this transition process. We Republicans wish you, dear Mr. President, every success in your work and in making your contribution to the formulation and definition of a serious domestic and foreign policy that responds to the interests of the people and the nation. ALBANIAN REPUBLICAN PARTY Dear Mr. President, Please accept my warmest greetings on your historic election as President of Albania. You have taken on the leadership of your country at a very opportune time. Your election is an important testament to Albania’s reform and symbolizes the decisive progress the Albanian people have made toward political pluralism, respect for human rights and a free-market economy, through which they can secure their prosperity and well-being. You led your Party and your people to a victory for all Albanian citizens, toward Albania’s first fully non-communist government in almost fifty years. I know that you will use your achievements to exert a constructive influence during this difficult period in the history of the Balkans. The American people wish you great progress and continued success in building on these achievements. I look forward to working with you to support reform programs in Albania, develop our democratic institutions and contribute to building a new world based on shared fundamental values. Sincerely, GEORGE BUSH On the occasion of your election as President of Albania, I am pleased to extend my warmest congratulations. Your election marks the beginning of a new era. France will always strive to stand by your side. I wish every good thing for the Albanian people. PRESIDENT OF FRANCE FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND