“Turkey has always stood by the Albanians and will do everything possible to develop this friendship by every means” “WE MUST STRIVE TOGETHER FOR PEACE...” Mr. Godo meets President Ozal Mr. Godo welcomed President Ozal, expressing his conviction that the Albanian people regard the President and his delegation as very distinguished friends. Relations with Turkey are of paramount importance to our country. A neighboring state has the aim of keeping Turkey away from Balkan affairs and, if possible, excluding it from the region. This is an absurdity that does not deserve attention. Turkey is a Balkan state, and its active presence is essential to resolving all the problems of the peninsula. Turkey is generously helping our country, and the Albanian people will never forget this. Our relations can grow in every field; friendship must be developed by every means. We must strive together for peace. The President’s journey to several countries in the Balkans also serves this goal. In addition to state activities, relations between political parties must also develop, so as to strengthen the close ties between the two countries. While discussing... not only major matters, but also those that may seem minor. Speaking about the situation in the country, Mr. Godo said that his party was now striving to consolidate democracy in Albania, where communism was still present. In this effort, we believe certain changes should be made to bring the democratic forces together and get work underway. The use of investments should be directed toward this. President Ozal endorsed Mr. Godo’s remarks and spoke of the two countries’ longstanding friendship. Balkan countries also serves this goal. We, he said, must spare the world the region’s real problems and find ways to preserve peace and avert conflicts extending into Kosovo and Macedonia. The President said that in the 1980s Turkey had faced difficulties, but had overcome them by developing democracy. The President kindly suggested that pluralism should advance in Albania: each party can campaign for its own program, but on matters of national importance the parties should sit down and talk, finding the wisest solution. Mr. Godo said that, to strengthen the close ties between the two countries, relations between political parties should develop alongside state activities. Expressing a personal view, Mr. Godo said that he admired the strong Turkish people and that Mustafa Qemali was one of humanity’s great heroes. The President invited Mr. Godo to visit Turkey. Wishing him a successful journey to Croatia, Mr. Godo told the Turkish President that in Bosnia they were surely following his Balkan trip with attention and hope. The meeting was very cordial with the other members of the delegation as well. One said he was Albanian, another that he had an Albanian son-in-law, and they said they were happy about such bonds of blood and friendship.

At last, the Balkans are trying to prove to the world that they can also solve their own problems. Within ten days, the presidents of three states closest to the conflict met one another. Berisha hosted Zhelev and Ozal in Tirana. Meanwhile, Ozal concluded in Tirana his diplomatic initiative to give the all-Balkan conflict one final ultimatum. “The resolution of this conflict will come through understanding,” Berisha said at the end of his remarks on Ozal’s visit, thereby declaring Albania’s position. Our neighbor, newly emerged and still unknown to Europe, became the epicenter of all diplomatic compromises. If the conflict spreads to Kosovo and Macedonia, war will be unavoidable throughout the Balkans. Ozal’s position on Macedonia, more than an anti-Greek stance, seems to carry the nuances of a more complicated policy, one that does not allow tolerance of the most dangerous, as-yet-unexploded flashpoint of war in the Balkans. Assessments by foreign experts describe Ozal’s diplomatic initiative as a move to increase Turkey’s authority in the Balkans, while Ozal, in the US, threatened that if efforts to prevent conflict in the Balkans were not stepped up, Turkey would not allow its allies to use Turkish bases for attacks against northern Iraq. Prague, however, has been the epicenter of conflicts during Ozal’s diplomatic initiative. At the same time, he seems to have undertaken to seek Bosnia’s isolation, so that it will be easier to demonstrate Turkish potential afterward... In this context, Ozal’s visit to Albania is one of the most important points of this diplomatic initiative. Albania’s political stability, its geographical position, its direct links to the Balkan crisis, as well as its traditional ties with Turkey, create the necessary conditions for making Tirana the focus of his visit. In his meetings at every level in Albania, Ozal presented Turkey as a natural ally of Albania, not only in the context of the Balkan crisis, but also as a state seeking to help stabilize its economy. He stated that, following the victory of democracy, Turkey had stood by Albania with emergency aid, while now it would begin disbursing investments. Completing the legislation was the first task assigned for the two sides to carry out, while building a highway running through Istanbul, Sofia, Skopje, Tirana and on to Durres, as well as laying and extending the telecommunications optical cable, were concrete tasks they repeated alongside the agreements reached with the new Bulgarian president, Zhelev. Thus, infrastructure is the first concrete step in putting the policy of new alliances in the Balkans into practice. A second important issue remains the position of Albanians in Macedonia in the country’s political and economic life. Berisha considers Ozal’s idea of recognition fair and welcomed the good relations established between Albanians and Macedonians, greeting the Skopje conference, from which concrete results emerged regarding Albanian participation in Macedonia’s political life. Careful to frame his remarks, Berisha left no opening for friction with the Greek neighbors. He praised Greece’s new attempts to move closer to the neighboring republic, thereby placing Greece in a position of recognizing Macedonia conditionally. What can be read between the lines is clear regarding the policies of both countries. The US initiative and Christopher’s plan do not seem to be managing the regional initiative; Berisha thus wished to offer a concrete assessment of Ozal’s visit in the interests of peace in the region. For his part, Ozal considers the conflict politically dangerous. Albania has not yet recognized Macedonia, although the President declares that he is still, in principle, in agreement with doing so, subject to a clause on the rights of Albanians in the unrecognized neighboring state. The Albanians declared their support for its stability and see it as linked (continued on page 3)

ZP calls on citizens and peasants to rise up against the government to defend the privileges of the red mafia - The draft law on ownership of plots and buildings does not harm the interests of the poor and middle classes at all; instead, it violates the lawful rights of owners in favor of the state and the former PP privileged class - A referendum on the right to private property—an unconstitutional idea, unheard of in any civilized country We quote below, verbatim, the comments in ZP dated 18.2.1993, which accompanied publication of the draft law on the return and compensation of land and buildings seized by the communist dictatorship: “The DP government has shown its true face—the draft law... protects a minority and is directed against the majority of the people.” The more accurate alternative would be: “On the issue of former properties (!) there should be a referendum. Merchants! They are trying to take your properties (!) away from you! Citizens! The homes that would be given to you could become someone else’s property! Peasants! This is the first step toward taking your land!” It is now clear that the Enverists, gathered under the banner of the PS, miss no opportunity to exploit events to sabotage the government’s work, thus taking on the character of a destructive opposition. To achieve their final goal—a parliamentary crisis and early elections—they cynically manipulate the inevitable pain of economic reform and the expulsion of our emigrants from Greece; they provoke strikes with absurd demands and incite rebellions, even going so far as to complain (O God!) to international forums about violations of rights. (continued on page 2)

His monument was on display for only two years. The same amount of time it took to sculpt and build it. Just as many years as it took to make it and bring it down to dust. According to government data, compensation has been made. Two years is little time to be eternal and a long time to be forgotten. And we all know that his monument stood for only two years. The bronze monument. No blood was shed when it was toppled. Almost everyone now remembers only this: that no blood was shed. Perhaps because statues have no blood, nor do the people who dragged them into the square. Someone says the order was given for blood to be shed, but there is no such thing. Others say that the opponent, above all, shed no blood, and people hastened to boast about it. They all forgot the betrayed blood of the struggle against fascism, forgot the blood of the revolution of the first deputies, the aspirations of the communist parliament; they forgot the wretched masses from the broken-up prisons, the great ones dragged along the border under the name of occupied freedom. Everyone is lost in Enver Hoxha’s blood. And they are occupied with the monument. With that monument that recalls how dark it was, and that looks more like the others, like a scene. All Albania had not shed blood to bring that monument down, but what about its overthrow? Albania had forgotten that monument in its blood. If his wooden work fell, ... his monument with a bronze plaque that held it fast. Someone had prepared its overthrow. The opponents did not try this. There was heroism there, and there must be a list of heroes. Now two years have passed without the monument, just as two years passed with it. And the compensated heroes of the bust’s overthrow are the third ones. For the scene, as we all know, was also unknown. And what of the others, those who were not executed, those hanged, tortured, humiliated—what became of them? Those who were not there watching the bloodless scene of the overthrow, the scene with all its participants. scene with all its participants. The monument, and who brought it down. Who benefits from forgetting whom here; who needs credit for bloodless scenes and grief for the burial of a history drenched in blood? From the way Albanians remember these questions now, two years later, when even the transitional heroes of the time of the bust’s overthrow, eh? Should we begin to forget? It has now been two years since the bust was toppled. And we all know that the monument stood in the square for only two years. Was the dictatorship compensated? Judging by the way Albanians are answering this question, was all of it unknown? Who benefits from forgetting whom? All those who deserve credit for bloodless scenes and grieve over overthrow, eh? Should we start forgetting now that THEY have begun remembering it nostalgically? And what of the others, those who were not executed, those hanged, tortured, humiliated—what became of them? The monument, and who brought it down?

On Saturday morning, mad N, after fearfully eyeing the traffic police and a beggar asking for alms, delivered this speech in front of the “Evropa” café: “Oh God, the one the car ran over?! Why did it run him over? They said he was obstructing reform. A reform that even Dritëro Agolli’s son in the Little Soviet Union does not approve of. Dritëro is one and the same against Jelcin and Berisha. He thinks Niko Nikolla is the future leader of a state made up of Aromanians, Slavs, Greeks. Please, as few Albanians as possible in Albania. In the end, let the people remain in search of a new homeland. Oh God, those coming to Tirana are being directed straight to sell themselves for Greek visas. The Tirana Municipality is unnecessary because there is the Greek embassy. The strangest thing of all: political parties have 4–5 lines on the national question in their programs. Last night Hysni Miloshi, Sofo Lazri, Leka Shkurti, Llazar Siliqi and the writer-president, the great fighter against dictatorship Tasim Gokutaj, were drinking raki and wine together. Anonymous letters are current. Who knows the aliases of the Sigurimi agents who turned into democrats on the orders of Zyllytar Ramizi and Lahedin Bardhi? Gentlemen operatives who have gone on leave, you call for democracy—hand over your collaborators, or parliament will ... you! Whoever uncovers the list of those who got ... for business from the PPSH will receive an “Oscar” prize. Pall Miska is getting rich through a Turkish businessman. For this reason he will be called Abdurrahim Miska from now on. Among the thousand members of the red nomenklatura, not a single genius emerged except Haxhi Lleshi’s son. Enver Hoxha has requested a meeting with Butros Gali about Pimo Kondi’s ... at the bey’s place in Sauk. The Hoxha family is starving, because gold cannot be eaten. An official has been appointed driver for the Albanian mission in New York. The Democratic Party is lucky to have Maks Hushi. Turn the bunkers into mini-discotheques! Liliana Hoxha should submit her list of friends for publication. Kino Buxholli reduced the Albanian people to poverty. Abaz Brati won’t leave his post in the prime minister’s office because he is the subject of ... about the Middle Ages. Blerim Cela is to blame for the current situation because he is limiting the number of ... and putting money into the state treasury. Genc Ruli thinks Athens and Paris are the most promising capitals.”