Today in Kosovo After a titanic struggle, today the Albanians of Kosovo, for the first time in their history, vote according to their own will for parliament and the president of the Republic. This is their undeniable right to institutionalize their legitimate democratic power, in the face of the violence of the Serbian occupier. Even on this great day for the Albanians, the Serbian threat, like the threat of a rabid beast, is present everywhere. Kosovo is going through a grave situation. For days it has been under a state of siege. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Kosovo has been heavily militarized by the Serbs. Contingents of soldiers withdrawn from Bosnia have been deployed here. After all the warnings, the Serbian occupier, calling the elections illegal and unconstitutional, is doing everything possible to stop them. So, will they be able to stand against the will of the freedom-loving Albanians? Today, in 29 electoral units (each municipality), whether the Serbian occupier likes it or not, more than 900,000 eligible citizens will vote. They will vote for 100 deputies to the first multiparty parliament in Kosovo. In these elections, the Democratic League of Kosovo has 2 [candidates] (in addition to these, among the 100 candidates for deputy of the Democratic League of Kosovo, 2 are of different nationalities), the Albanian People’s Party 2, the Albanian Party for Democratic Union 1, the Association for the Return of Displaced Albanians 13, the Kosovo Green Movement 1, the Kosovo Green Party 2, the Artisans’ Association 5, Balli Kombëtar 3, the Albanian People’s Movement 1, the Kosovo Democratic Youth Movement 1, as well as 15 independent candidates. Meanwhile, the sole candidate for president, put forward by the Democratic League of Kosovo and agreed upon with the other parties, is Dr. Ibrahim Rugova. Kosovar citizens working and temporarily residing abroad will also vote for the president of the Republic today. In order to respect the other peoples living in Kosovo as well, the elections will be combined, proportional, and for mayor. For these elections, the Albanians, as tolerant as ever, called on all the parties of Kosovo to take part, because the elections are directed against no one; their aim is to create democratic institutions in Kosovo. [The elections will be] public. They will be observed by representatives of various European state parliaments, the CSCE, and various press agencies. (Continued on page 4) …so freedom-loving? occupier wants it or not, more than 900,000 eligible voters new, League of Kosovo has put forward 100 candidates, the Albanian Democratic Party 60, the Kosovo Peasant Party 69, the Democratic Action Party of Kosovo 6, the Parliamentary Party of Kosovo 35, the Albanian Republican Party of Kosovo 6, the Liberal Party 31, the Albanian National Democratic Party 23, the Social Democratic Party of Kosovo 33, the Turkish People’s Party—

- The group of parliamentary observers and Albanian journalists is not granted entry visas for Kosovo. - 24 May 1992—a special day for Kosovo and Albanian journalism in general: the first multiparty elections in the Republic of the Kosovo people’s self-determination of 2 July 1991. Any Albanian, wherever they might be, who received the news that they were to go there, to Kosovo, would be swept up in waves of intense emotion. For everyone, feelings of pride would be exceptional: alongside their brothers on this tense day—Albanian stoicism and Serbian genocide! And so, our new parliament put together a group of its own observers who would assist on election day in Kosovo.. But for some time now, along with the leaves of the trees from the motherland, newspapers have also been barred from entering Kosovo. But now, what «cathars» could carry the journalists and parliamentarians across, when the border between Albanians is sealed off by a hermetic wall of selected biologically anti-Albanian Serbian species?! And a hermetic wall of biological species still vegetates like the atavi-zm of a corpse, right here in Tirana, neither flesh nor fish, nor RAKIP SULÇE (Continued on page 4)

Precisely when calls have turned to Europe, participation in active international life becomes difficult. The difficulty lies in the striking fact that it is not only bureaucracy and Albanian backstage maneuvering that hinder participation by forums and associations in international activities; foreign authorities also intervene behind the scenes. The beginning of this article is not intended to make a fuss, but to point out the absurdity of these actions. Briefly. In January of this year, the Albanian Republican Youth Forum received an invitation from the Steering Committee of one of the activities to be held in France over a relatively long period, with the Mediterranean Games as its ultimate purpose. The activity called for the participation of 25 young people aged 16–18, as well as a group of supervisors. All the lists were drawn up. Invitations had also been sent to the Youth Forum of the Democratic Party, the Youth Federation, and the Students’ Association. This is precisely where the first persecutory attitude toward Albanian youth begins. French embassy staff turn the participation of 100 Albanian young people (in an activity attended by thousands of young Europeans) into a new exodus. Consequently, by order of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Albanians deemed «dangerous» is reduced to 25. The second persecutory measure was the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ overturning of the activity’s Steering Committee decision. The Steering Committee decides that, under the current circumstances (the participation of the Students’ Association; the students are over 18), the age limit for Albanian activists should be 20. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides that no such age tolerance will be allowed. Thus, if the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy have the authority to violate visa rules, this time they also assume the organizers’ authority, determining the number and age of participants. To remain on good terms with the foreign authorities, FRPD, FRSH and the Students’ Association (the Youth Federation, although illegal as a continuation of BRPSH, having unlawfully elected governing groups whose past does not allow it to cooperate with the other 3 youth organizations) draw up a joint list of 30 participants and ELVIS HOXHA (Continued on page 2) French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The steering committee places the current conditions at the centre (participation of the Students’ Association; the students—

The Faculty of Economics is a «large nursery» of «seasoned» communists and sympathizers who have enjoyed every kind of privilege, especially foreign study placements (twice or even three times). And if this nursery is not burned down, it will «burn» all the good work that might be started there by the faculty’s democratic lecturers and other employees. The «small nurseries» within this «large nursery» are especially the «Business Administration» department (included here are the two chairs of Industrial Economics and Organization, which have nothing to do with business, which belongs more to the chair of Trade). It is understood that the meeting manipulations demanded this «radical» change for a communist purge, as they feel the ground burning beneath their feet. To this day they still «make the law» at this faculty, and together with them the whole «nursery» of their «Administration» (old and young) gathers. And this kind of thing is accompanied, first of all, by the Dean, who is a member of the PPSH Steering Committee; they were dictators, weren’t they, whose leader was (?), Nano. At the union meeting, discussing the Faculty of Economics, they said: «we have or have not divided true democracy». This is because of the dictatorial communist-workshop regime. He exercises his dictatorship through several smaller dictators. These «groups» of dictators were represented by some heads of dean’s offices, party organization bureaus (mainly party secretaries in departments and faculties), the UT Party Committee (secretaries and members), and rectorate officials. These, then, were the people who made the law, who brought disaster upon you. Unfortunately, to this day these people continue to make the law. They recommend and decide whom to accept as a lecturer (mainly party-communists, or the children of former officials and of the faculty’s own lecturers, and, most recently, former members of the one-party government, lecturers from the former Party School, officials from various institutions, sympathizers and members of the PPSH); they recommend and decide who will study abroad (former party-organization secretaries, members and sympathizers of the PPSH, «by mistake» even some non-party members), which PPSH members were recently sent for study placements even to the USA (a great paradox: those who have spewed so much venom against that country can penetrate the USA). In fact, one of them cut short her study placement in Greece so she could go and lecture imperialism in its heartland, through the study placement she undertook in the USA). It is not for nothing that they say the communists will fight communis-

The great Albanian thinker of the National Renaissance, Faik Konica, is not merely a practitioner of archaeological science and Albanian literature, or a subtle student of Albania’s history. With his quite extraordinary culture and erudition, he tried to offer valuable advice to Albanian statesmen during difficult periods of their work, always with courage and candour. He stood for a genuine national renaissance, material and moral, for his people, historically afflicted by hardship. For Faik Konica, a people does not become strong merely to exist from one day to the next, but through all-round development and progress. The spirit of progress is decisive for the future of a people. In the journal «Albania», he had declared loudly: «Since the Turk entered Albania, our characters have become much weaker.» In truth, this fact had been felt earlier, since the time of other occupations. Today, every Albanian citizen who cares about his country has the right to be part of… whose?… The mind makes for language and all-round demands. a people. In and with the suffering in a loud voice: cares about his country has the right to give a part to… whom?… Recall these articles in the column on character today, after a half-century-long monist rule», and one can answer without hesitation. They have been badly crippled. It is true that no nation exists without ancient national traditions, but can a nation exist without strong characters? How can anyone live without the will to work, courage, mutual social affection, candour and honesty? The greatest harm suffered by this nation and this people during the post-liberation period is precisely the sickness of character. What was the role of the dictatorship’s state apparatus in this unprecedented upheaval? Immediately after Fan Noli came to power and announced his programme, Faik Konica wrote the article «A New House with Old Timber». With joy, writes our Renaissance writer, I had seen [them] in Vienna, and set off thinking about the place where I would stay temporarily. With no money for a hotel, I decided to rent a house for a few days. I lay down and slept, but on the very first night I could not sleep and tossed about in bed. In the morning, with a headache and feeling dazed, I asked the landlady. «It can’t be possible, madam, for a new house to have bedbugs.» «Listen, sir,» she replied, «here in Vienna, when we build a new house, we don’t let the old timber go to waste; the bedbugs come in through it, burrow into our bodies and drink our blood.» (Continued on page 2) …[fragment of unclear meaning]. blood.» After analysing the programme of Noli’s government and approving it, Konica calls for the old apparatus to be replaced with a new one, stripped of every Oriental influence and staffed by people determined to lead their country towards new shores. It should be borne in mind that the claim that the National Renaissance completed its mission with the declaration of independence is profoundly mistaken. The most active participants in the Renaissance believed that the Albanian people, facing dangerous enemies, needed not only economic or cultural development for the country, but especially a sound education that would lead them to an unprecedented unity. They had reached this judgement through a broad culture acquired with particular perseverance. We should note that the first-century Roman historian Tacitus wrote the book “On the customs and settlement of Germania”, in which he repeatedly pointed out to the corrupt Romans, whose actions were corrupting others, that the Germans, although economically far behind the Romans, were much more steadfast in their internal organisation because they were spiritually pure, sincere, generous and brave, guileless and honest. And ultimately, the Roman historian noted, it is moral virtues that determine…

- The «Studenti» City in search of a status - Who is seeking to speculate on poverty? - There is no authority in the city of eight thousand inhabitants - If a plate breaks, it’s… President Berisha’s fault (?!!!) The extremely difficult transition the country is going through cannot help but be felt in a city of seven or eight thousand inhabitants, namely the «Studenti» City. Despite its longstanding designation as a «city», everyone knows that 25–30 dormitory buildings and other facilities, a cultural centre, canteens (only four for more than seven thousand people), and so on, all spread over ten hectares, cannot give it the status of an ordinary city, much less that of a university city. What should the status of the «Studenti» City be? What needs to be invested to attain that status? First of all, there is no authority in this city. Imagine an ordinary city of seven or eight thousand inhabitants without any authority present. To attain the status of a university city, one must first think about «installing» an authority. And it must be installed at precisely the most difficult time, amid great poverty. It is precisely this poverty that people are trying to exploit today. Even after 22 March, there are the same buildings and the same outdated, antiquated canteens (on average, 1,500–2,000 people have to eat in each one). Politicisation and political collapses are not absent here either. Why doesn’t the democracy fix the facilities of the «Studenti» City? Why doesn’t it build new canteens, comfortable buildings and other facilities? And these «small» improvements are supposed to be made by the democracy as if with Aladdin’s lamp. Political spectacles—from visits by MPs to the students «who brought us democracy», and chatterboxes making a certain show of themselves among the students, to the opposition’s sensational stunts as it plays «constructive»—go as far as creating a destabilising atmosphere. They go so far as… (According to the chattering loudspeakers «ZP» and «24 orë») - Civilians of the 326th in a «special» unit near the university students. - At the head of the forces of order (in any case, a contingent of six police officers), one policeman(!) Can’t the Ministry of Public Order find an officer? …There, even if a plate breaks, it’s President Berisha’s fault (?!!!) (according to the chattering loudspeakers ZP and «24 orë»). Despite the great difficulties, the same food allowance as in recent years has been maintained for the students, and has even been increased; let us not forget that almost no enterprise is working or producing. The canteens need extensive renovation, and the state has no money to invest. But other «investments» can be made. First, the students themselves must come to an agreement, among other things about (unfortunately) culture(?). Plates are no longer broken, since they are now plastic. And the university students no longer break them or steal them! It is shameful to say, but thefts of clothes and personal belongings do occur in the dormitory buildings. And they steal from one another. (It really is shameful to admit.) Second, enterprises should invest (commercial enterprises, municipal services, the city’s own facilities). Existing authorities in this city. Despite the persistence of Pandi Kasapi, director of the Student Training Trading Enterprise, he has not been able to obtain other plates, only plastic ones, because the state has no other plates. Despite his persistence, this director (newly in charge of the enterprise) has not secured new canteens, so essential for students, ideally with a bed [sic]. You can easily tell all the young drafters, «That’s just how it is, and then you say that you democrats don’t do for us what you promised». …publicly, but what needs to be done—

PRSH ASPIRES TO THE UNIFICATION OF THE NATION THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS AND WITHIN EUROPEAN STRUCTURES, WITH A REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO AS AN INDEPENDENT AND SOVEREIGN STATE, AND AT THE SAME TIME SEEKS RECOGNITION OF THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION FOR ALBANIANS LIVING IN MONTENEGRO, MACEDONIA AND SOUTHEASTERN SERBIA