A FRIEND is a treasure for Albanians; it is a myth. From this existential depth, the minds of the learned and the hearts of the good, with heavenly innocence, the man weary of life makes it red; all, all the good people of this land, wherever they have been scattered by the winds, by ill fate, welcome His Holiness Pope John Paul II. We wish him joy and health, with the gladness that founded the myth of the friend and whose comparison is the sky rising at dawn. The exaltation and search for the purest and loftiest words on this occasion are neither courtesy nor diplomacy, nor the journalistic needs of one thing or another; rather, this is an occasion to express a theme that hurts as much as death itself. A friend is a treasure of our people. But the dictatorship has continually and criminally violated precisely this treasure, this jewel in the breast of the Albanian, inventing “friends” year after year and sowing the tragic misunderstanding of friends turning into enemies and enemies into friends. The rallies, the cheers, the whispers, the songs, the verses, the books, the concerts, the emotions “for our Yugoslav brothers,” then Soviet brothers, then Chinese comrades—alternating these phrases with the ridiculous figures of Marxist-Leninists and the same cult of whoever might seize freedom, because the blessing bestowed on him was false; everything unfolded on false premises—are by now as revolting as they are painful. And so, His Holiness, who will be a guest in Albania in the coming days, will bring salvation to this cult; he will be the great restorer of this great cult. But this is not only because the world and life on Earth have a Holy Father; it is also because of the unshakable historical truth that from the Holy See towards Albania, for 2,000 years, there have come only prayers and help, both heavenly and real, to withstand the assimilating storms that have passed and continue to pass over the Albanians, one of God's most ancient giants. At the foundations of the history of our people, there lies an entire inventory of documents and facts about the mutual ties with the Holy See, with Skënderbeu marking one of the peaks of this cooperation. The Holy See called our leader the “Athlete of Christ.” It is not at all difficult, if only one has honesty and knowledge, to bring to light and discover, to acknowledge wholeheartedly, that the servants of God Frang Bardhi, Pjetër Budi, Pjetër Bogdani, and Gjon Buzuku are among the greatest intellectual, spiritual, and scholarly threads woven into the foundations of our national culture. They are not merely a living library bearing witness to the strength and endurance of the Albanian spirit. They are martyrs who, thanks to their faith, were inspired and enlightened to serve, until their final drop of blood, both God and the nation. It is one of the most wonderful truths, something precious for the Catholic faith: its extraordinary contribution, that wonderful desire which has never been exhausted, which has never regarded the fate of the Albanians or God's domain as separate from their service to the Church. This is an occasion, with humility and only as a beautiful testament to the love and loyalty of Albanians, as well as their esteem for the Holy See, to recall that Marin Barleti is the author of one of the masterpieces about the lives of the Popes and the paths they took through history, praised as a compilation of the lives of Popes and Patrons. (Continued on page 3)

• A chief diplomat without a uniform resorts to blackmail like an infantry general • Anti-European and anti-Balkan concepts that prevent Greek diplomacy from entering Europe • Advice to some of our Strasbourg-based diplomats: Instead of their sophistic, vacuous theses about “two peoples who have never fought one another,” let them make known what Greek diplomacy says (let alone what it does) Practice and diplomatic ethics require a foreign minister to be more restrained than other members of the cabinet when expressing his country's real aspirations. When he speaks like a minister of war, either he is not up to the office he holds, or he shows that the entire cabinet he represents is in great haste to carry out a plan to the detriment of other countries. Apparently, Greek Foreign Minister Mihalis Papakonstantinu wants to convince the diplomats of Balkan and European countries that he meets both criteria. In an interview given a few days ago to the newspaper “Elefteros Tipos,” Konstantinu advanced the previously unheard claim that “Greece is the militarily most powerful Balkan country.” An official—especially a senior one in an important department such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—should know his country's actual military capacity. Comparing that capacity with those of other countries is especially not the business of diplomacy, whose task is precisely to avoid using force and pressure, both in public and at the negotiating table. We do not know what has happened in the Greek army in recent days to make Greece, as Konstantinu says, militarily stronger than Turkey or Serbia, Bulgaria or Romania. We have neither the time nor the patience to engage in such comparisons, but we say that those who claim this would indeed be correct to explain to their minister how things stand. The newspaper did not ask the minister which Balkan country was militarily the most powerful. The minister would like Greece to be, and expressed his wish as though it were a fact. Whether he can restrain himself enough to conceal his wishes is another matter; but since he heads Greek diplomacy, and not the community of Aleksandropoli, we would like to pause briefly over what his statements mean for peace. First, Konstantinu is applying military blackmail against neighboring countries, in order to make them afraid and submit to the Serbo-Greek coalition. It is quite something for a foreign minister to speak like an infantry general. • A chief diplomat without a uniform resorts to blackmail like an infantry general • Anti-European and anti-Balkan concepts that prevent Greek diplomacy from entering Europe • Advice to some of our Strasbourg-based diplomats: Instead of sophistic, vacuous theses about “two peoples who have never fought one another,” let them make known what Greek diplomacy says (let alone what it does) This reveals symptoms of the militarization of Greek diplomacy, a situation in which, it seems, it feels quite at home. For those with short memories, from the encyclopedia of facts we shall mention just this: three hours after Mr. Konstantinu, Çurçer, had left the Albanian-Greek talks in Sarandë, a Greek warship entered Albanian territorial waters without permission, violating Albanian sovereignty and territorial integrity; it committed an act of banditry by firing on an Albanian fishing boat, wounding three Albanian citizens and, to cap it all, hooking and seizing the Albanian vessel. Whether this was an indication of Greek diplomacy’s vigilance and promises, or of the priority it gives to violence, let the experts judge. Second, the head of Greek diplomacy is resorting to blackmail at a time when the United Nations Security Council, the European Community, and countless heads of state are giving the green light to international military pressure against Serbian aggression. The Greek foreign minister openly opposes European and international diplomacy, making KOSTA TOMORI. (Continued on page 4)

Born on October 13, 1927, Turgut Ozal is regarded as one of the most successful politicians of modern Turkey. Initially elected prime minister in 1983, Turgut Ozal achieved notable success in strengthening Turkey's position in relation to regional and international issues. The recent visit Turgut Ozal made to Albania once again demonstrated the strong and sincere ties that exist between the two peoples. President of the Republic Sali Berisha also left for Turkey the day before yesterday to take part in the ceremonies marking the death of Mr. Turgut Ozal. On this occasion, the editorial staff of the newspaper “Republika,” also on behalf of its readers, expresses its condolences to the brotherly Turkish people, the family, and the personnel of the Turkish embassy accredited in Tirana. Turgut Ozal, president of Turkey, died on Saturday at the age of 66 as a result of a sudden drop in blood pressure caused by cardiac insufficiency, Anatoli Akhans reported.

Mad N, somewhat annoyed by the indifference of the law and state administrations toward her, launches into a speech full of harsh criticism of the opposition parties, the party in power, officials, and all the citizens passing along the road on their way to work. Her speech was couched in a code that only SHIK employees could decipher. We reproduce her speech faithfully: “Ladies and gentlemen, gathered here at your own wish because of unemployment, we face the danger of growing fat. Get to work and replace your complaints with work. Mikele Placido became a great artist because he worked. Our talented artists and actors have done as much as they could and have succeeded, and the American actor was made of gold. The National Conference of the Social Democratic Party achieved its aim before the work was interrupted. Everything I said above may seem like small matters, but if we deciphered them we would reach the conclusion that Fatos Nano will seek political tightening in China, perhaps my friend says in Cuba too. Fidel Castro has only one threat against him, and instead of seeking a deputy, a person who grew a beard for four years in holy protest against communism made a career. A beard is a perfectly good substitute for democratic activity. Stalin was against beards, Lenin what, while Marx himself was a beard. Ladies and gentlemen, the long arm of the Italian tangentopoli has reached Tirana too. The Ministry of Public Order will take measures to ensure that the steel of isolation is suitable for Lejeni të tunës e parashtrëmpëter. The functions of the tangentopoli measures. All this and more that my soul has told me to do, you must keep in a historic record, one that is not falsified like the one from Pezë or the founding of the Party. The fight against drug dealers in Albania is at the same time a fight against their buyers. Ladies and gentlemen frightened by your ugliness, which of you will find out where Mr. Fashko is paid and how much? Know this well: the Albanian Football Federation continues to break the record for despair and expenses, where këmë reth dëshët shuar and Roberë Papës’s orchestra, to speak figuratively on television without focusing on anything except the hospital of gomove, a fact that shows all humanity and filled all the katëshat with hope! You see, what I was asked today was that the artistic level of the programmes should rise. I greet you, and next time I will answer your questions, since I don’t have time to talk about my faith.” THE CHRONICLER

Today sees the start of publication of “Gazeta Shqiptare,” the Albanian edition of “LA GAZZETTA DEL MEZZOGIORNO.” The newspaper is printed in Bari and will have 10 pages; initially, in black and white, they will be in Albanian, and there will also be an Italian-language edition. Soon, the number of pages in Albanian will expand to four. “GAZETA SHQIPTARE” will be published six times a week and will contain reports on Albanian current affairs, the history and problems of Albanian emigrants in Italy, major international events, news, sport, culture, and Italian entertainment. Numerous sections are planned, among them a daily space devoted entirely to messages from Albanians to their relatives in Italy and vice versa, and “You and the newspaper,” an advice and beauty column reserved for housewives, but also for men who are interested. “GAZETA SHQIPTARE,” which will be distributed in Italy as well as in the main Albanian cities, aims to create a real bridge between the two countries, for a daily exchange of information, culture, and understanding.

It seems funny, but you must not laugh. Because, besides those who have slept for thousands of years without waking, now most people are sleeping “shap.” It seems funny, but you must not laugh. These are some [words unclear] about India or a year in America [text unclear] on a page of the newspaper that, from the holy “Sien Elit” Gungar, tourism for [text unclear], set off for Italy on Tuesday in March! But it broke away from the glands (they say, with a laboratory) of the German [text unclear] ... ... (The text in the article’s columns is mostly unreadable because of the resolution and distortion; legible sections mention Cleopatra, Nero, Naples, Campania, Madonna, Pisa, Turgun Ozal, and San Marino.)

Since the Ministry of Construction, with its own engineering and technical staff and the minister himself, Mr. Manushi, at its head, is drafting the laws on property, buildings, apartments—in other words, all the regulations governing transfers and exchanges arising from the change of system—the lawmaking ministry, namely the Ministry of Justice, should try to stop this other ministry, or at least open an inquiry into it. The laws are no longer of any use.