In a television interview on July 8, the Minister of Education said that the International Monetary Fund had asked for 10,500 teachers to be dismissed as part of the reform. With evident distress, the minister said that this could not be accomplished in one year and that partial cuts would be made in September. This announcement makes you think that both the doubling of medicine prices and many other matters concerning the economy and everyday life apparently originate with the International Monetary Fund, an institution much talked about but seldom seen in person. So things have apparently gone so far that the ministers and inspectors of this institution are even deciding how many teachers Albania should have. The problem is complicated and profound, and requires extremely careful consideration. For now, we can say only this: the Monetary Fund has given us powerful support, without which we could not have loosened the noose around our neck, but this institution should stay within its proper role; how many schools and how many teachers we keep is our business. Let the Minister of Education be strong-hearted and implement the program that he considers good for our children and our teachers. We believe that this conflict between the Minister of Education and the Monetary Fund should be urgently examined and resolved by our Government in favor of the Ministry, bearing in mind also that our teachers are among the lowest-paid groups and have worked the hardest. In the upheavals that have passed and during the years of democracy, it was the teachers who did not abandon their sacred duty, who stood firm and taught in schools without doors or windows, even when snow was falling outside. In the history of the formation of the nation and its sacred defense, education has been laid as a foundation, and so on. Even today it has that same role, and whatever may happen to our state and society, we still owe them a great debt. Education reform is one of the fundamental issues of the nation and of progress. I agree with the President when he says that the third element in raising the economy is investment in people. Then we cannot leave this extremely important and highly delicate matter, concerning both the present and the future, to the arbitrary decisions of a few specialists in the field of finance, whoever they may be. Our people have always gone without food in order to educate their children. If today we must make further savings so that schools are not deprived of anything, we can once again give up a portion of our daily bread.

The son-in-law writes to Ramiz Alia in prison After reading this letter, the aggressiveness and insinuations of the newspapers “Zëri i Popullit,” “Koha Jonë” and “Kombi” are no longer a mystery. Even from prison, Ramiz Alia manages to direct them with remarkable ease, thanks to the political legacy he left outside his cell. His son-in-law and daughter, in this secret letter that they tried to send him through the lawyer, clearly explain these newspapers’ legal commitment on Ramiz Alia’s side. At the same time, this letter proves how stale the façade is of the dictatorship represented by some journalists or leaders of makeshift parties, who spend all day selling their independence and, in the evening, go and confess at R. Alia’s home so that they can sleep peacefully at night. This letter is from three months ago, and we obtained it back then. Publication was delayed in order to verify the scenario it describes. The scenario has now been fully verified. Idajet Beqiri has kept his word and published the article in support of Ramiz Alia by the criminal Koço Danaj, along with R. Alia’s defense. “Koha Jonë” published the article written by Aleksandër Frangaj in the early hours of the morning, which goes beyond even the directives given by “Comrade Ramiz’s” son-in-law. As for Hamdiu, well, Hamdiu has always been carrying out his noble duty in support of the “great leader”; he has been at it for three months. But the most disturbing fact is that today’s PS and “Zëri i Popullit,” together with its two satellites, are still under Ramiz Alia’s control. This is a great disappointment for the reformist forces within the PS, the PS, the Central Committee and “Kombi,” just as it is a very great political comedy about the reform of the Albanian communists. Dear father of Zana, We are all very well. As for the obstacles they have put in the way of our meeting, we will not comment. Despite the harsh isolation they have imposed, as you also say in your letter, “in mind and heart we are close to one another” (although Zana disagrees with the order; she would say that we are close first in heart, and then in mind as well). On Friday (April 22), television finally broadcast the Prosecutor’s Office announcement that the investigation had been completed and the case file had been submitted to the Court. On Thursday, Prof. Kleanthi had said that from now on he would leave his other work aside and deal intensively with our case, coming to see you very often. In this way, even in the worst case, if they do not let us meet, this month we will exchange letters regularly. Today, at 19:00, I will take the two typed drafts to Prof. Kleanthi, since he said he might come to see you on Sunday too. (If not, he will come on Monday.) I typed the drafts with the line spacing you wanted. Now that I have the indictment in front of me, it is clear that the drafts will be changed. From what I managed to catch on TV last night, it seemed to me that the indictment emphasized that “we are dealing with violations that are contrary to the laws of the time.” However many changes you need to make, I can type them up cleanly in one night and bring them to you the next day through the professor. (Prof. Kleanthi told us that at this stage you will use the material and everything necessary for the defense legally; so there will be no problem with the margins and handing it over, all through the professor.) This time I used poor-quality paper (Kavaja); tell me whether you think I should continue with this kind of paper, or use better paper. Also, if it suits you, we can use paper

Saturday, April 23, 1994 Dear father of Zana,

The Greek Embassy protests over June 27 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Arjan Starova spoke with Mr. Tullupas, First Secretary of the Greek Embassy in Tirana. The latter officially conveyed to him a message from the Greek government concerning the Albanian Parliament’s decision to include June 27 in the calendar as the day of the genocide against the Cham population by Greek chauvinists. The message said that the Greek government did not welcome this decision of the Albanian Parliament, that it disregarded and even distorted historical facts, that it did not serve the desire for good relations between Albania and Greece, and that it ran counter to the Greek people’s assistance to the Albanian people. In his response, Mr. Starova emphasized to Mr. Tullupas that the Albanian Parliament, like every other parliament, is sovereign in its activities and that, by deciding to commemorate Greek chauvinists,” it is honoring and commemorating the history of the Albanian nation. Mr. Starova told the Greek diplomat that the Greek government’s message constituted interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Albania. As regards the historical truth underlying the decision of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Starova told Mr. Tullupas that the Albanian side has ample information to substantiate it. He pointed out that the Greek side is not at all convincing when it says that the Chams were all collaborators with the Germans [?], and continues over a portion of text cut off at the bottom of the page. collaborators with fascism during the period 1940–1944, and that they left Greece of their own free will. Historical documents prove that, beginning in June 1944 and continuing beyond that year, the rebel forces of Napoleon Zervas forcibly expelled the Albanians of Çamëria en masse through terror and violence. Furthermore, Mr. Starova continued, it is unacceptable to label tens of thousands of people—including women, elderly people and children—as collaborators, when Greek documents themselves refute this.

On July 7, at around 9:00 p.m., while on duty, the border patrol of the Peshkëpi border post, in the Gjirokastër district, was taken by surprise about 800 meters inside Albanian territory by two armed persons at a distance of around 70 meters. The border patrol returned fire. After this, the persons left in the direction of Greek territory. An examination of the scene by our team of experts found spots of blood leading toward pyramid 24 inside the Greek border. A meeting between the Albanian and Greek sides is expected to clarify the incident further.

PR representatives meet with official Malasi On 8.07.1994, a delegation from PR, including PR Deputy Chairman Mr. Fatmir Mediu, Secretary-General Mr. Çerçiz Mingomataj, and Mr. Arben Brace, held a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Tomorr Malasi. At the meeting, they requested that the Republican bill on the return of ownership of agricultural land be placed on the agenda and discussed as soon as possible. For his part, Mr. Malasi emphasized that the bill was also under review by the Laws Committee and would be discussed by the presidium so that it could be advanced as soon as possible, despite Parliament’s packed schedule. Correspondent of “Republika”

Zija Çela Caesar existed in the East, and everyone agreed: he had to be killed! And he was killed. It cannot be said that in every country of the East a Brutus was found to carry this act through to the end with dignity. (In Albania, this role was played especially by the students.) One thing, of course, is certain: dozens of girls were still without Caesar... What is the drama? The task facing the political forces and societies of this country is to rise to the level of the democratic ideals and pluralist systems established afterward. The first duty and obligation is spiritual cleansing, a catharsis that purges the past. That is why I have been and remain in favor of opening the files, convinced that, despite all the noise being made, the message and effects will be positive. In my opinion, the time has come for the law to be passed. The law must make the opening of the files compulsory for all those who were key figures in all three branches of power: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. Given the symbolism of the office, as a gesture of good faith, I would exempt only the President. (Naturally, in the future, every presidential candidate should declare this in advance to his or her party.) But there is also another law: the one that should be a moral law. I think public figures, in the broad sense of the word, should be subject to this law. Among them, writers, artists, and journalists as well. The opening of the files, not without reason, makes many people hesitate. It is like the water in a bathtub: if it is too hot, it scalds; if it is too cold, it gives you the shivers. Nevertheless, this “bath” needs to be taken, because everyone will feel relieved. It could begin, for example, with a group of writers who take the initiative voluntarily. It would be good for this group to include writers and artists who are members of parliament as well, thereby also putting Parliament to the test (continued on page 3).

Aurel Plasari Communist, former communist, or “socialist” writers, as some called themselves in order to justify their lackey-like and parvenu collaboration with E. Hoxha’s dictatorship, continue insistently to recall the collaboration with the military dictatorship during the Second World War of distinguished writers such as H. Hamzun, Marineti, D’Anuncio, Paund, etc., right up to the case of our own Koloki. Indeed, a little revisionist brat, as he showed the world just how far the madness of Albanians can go when defending some manuscript specialist from the secret police or some political-police reviewer, has even managed to malign Dostoevsky himself as a “spy”! While “they are” “black devils,” our own people wrap themselves in the halo of angelic purity, because they are supposedly the heirs of a Mayakovsky, Neruda, Éluard, Alberti, etc.—names that have suddenly become very dear to their press! The world would have nothing left to do but shake its head and laugh at this shamelessness, because, to tell the truth, it has already shed light on and continues to shed light on such phenomena. It is clear to the world that dictators were not only as black as they were made out to be, but that angels were not as white as they claim to be. By now it is (continued on page 3).

Press conference of the President of the Republic There are three pillars that guarantee that the high rate of economic growth will continue in the future: continued rapid privatization, the creation of an export-oriented regime, for which real conditions exist, and investment in people. There are three pillars that guarantee that the high rate of economic growth will continue in the future: continued rapid privatization, the creation of an export-oriented regime, for which real conditions exist, and investment in people—this was essentially President Berisha’s answer to the first question, about the real basis for economic growth as the principal objective, during the press conference held on Friday. The President went on to state his position on almost all current issues in Albanian politics, answering journalists’ questions. Regarding questions about problems with neighboring countries, he noted a willingness to improve relations with Greece after a period of cooling. As for the dialogue offered by the Albanian side to Serbia, the President said he would welcome a positive response. The rights of Albanians in Macedonia are a fundamental condition for the stability of that republic, President Berisha emphasized, adding that Albania supports a stable Macedonia. Referring to the new Constitution, the Prime Minister, in a reply to PR, predicted that it would be presented much sooner than expected. President Berisha said that the Constitution, as a first stage of this document, would also be approved quickly by the Assembly, while expressing the idea that the Constitution would be presented to the Constituent Assembly. Regarding the press, the President expressed his full support and also offered evidence of the creation of an atmosphere of freedom of expression that would positively contribute to revitalizing the press in general, and newspapers in particular. For this, writers and journalists should hold direct negotiations with the Government. President Berisha also commented on the issue of the files, opposition attacks, Greece’s role in economic development, the preservation of economic development, Jaline, the Balkan crisis, etc. Photo: A. Omeri (ATSH)

Heavy rains cause damage in Kukës The torrential rains of recent days in the Bushtricë area of the Kukës district caused the Bushtricë stream to overflow its banks. Its waters, carrying rocks and tree trunks, destroyed the home of the citizen Fejzulla Gahri, resulting in the deaths of three people, two of them children, while three other children were injured. The injured were immediately taken to the town hospital, where, despite the medical staff’s efforts, two of them died.

Bardhyl Matrabhiu The communists committed all their crimes in the name of children, in the name of “the future.” They forced people to spy on their friends and relatives. “There’s nothing I can do,” they consoled themselves, “I have children.” And the poor wretch did not think that, by leaving someone else’s children orphaned, he was ruining the lives of his own children. The result was well known. Children did not speak in front of their parents, and parents did not dare speak in front of their children, because the latter were given their first lessons in espionage already in kindergarten. Bread rationing, food weighed out by the gram, are the smallest crimes the communists committed against children. And there was no reason in the world for them to play the role so beautifully when they came to represent Enver Hoxha. Children were even “allowed” to make some “criticism” of the regime at party congresses, for example, that there were no shoes for little ones, something that was absolutely...

On Thursday and Friday, the madwoman N was not seen in any of Tirana’s main squares or streets. Taking advantage of this, various banned professional associations speculated to the point of claiming that the poor woman had gone to important conferences on the protection of human rights, or to other meetings at very high levels. Other interested parties declared that she had disappeared from the capital for good, leading intellectuals of ALBANIA to believe that she had been spying on them. It was also said that these intellectuals, after the terror they had suffered, would be rewarded with modern-day academic ranks and titles. The awarding of these ranks would be handled by an expert in instruments—who lacks the instruments. On Saturday evening, the madwoman N put an end to all the speculation that had circulated during her two days away. At 6:00 p.m. she entered Tirana via Rruga e Kombit and, accompanied by a hundred or so people, stopped in front of the Greek embassy and delivered the following speech: — In the name of the independent newspaper “Koha Jonë,” I went to Vorio-Epir to investigate the incident on the Vorio-Epir–Greece border. On behalf of the Vorio-Epirote government, I apologized to the Greek government for this incident. It is important to tell you that it was caused by Albanian members of the minority in Vorio-Epir. Why should Albanian members of the minority stop the Greek army! They entered Vorio-Epir, their own land. What business do Albanian members of the minority have entering Vorio-Epir? What business do they have with Greece? The Greek government had no hand in this incident. If it had, the Greek army would not have been wounded in the legs and fingers. The independent newspaper “Koha Jonë” will soon inform you about the Greek soldier’s health. It will also inform you about the health of the Greek people in general. Because of this incident, there is blood on the Albanian side, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Vorio-Epir, the outstanding Anastasios Jannulatos, is devastated. THE CHRONICLER

DRITA KOSTURI tells... Page 3 USA ’94 Page 4 The Republican draft law on land and the opinion of the coastal residents Page 2 Peace—not impossible, but difficult Page 4

Notice from the Ministry of Public Order Representatives of the PR meet with Mr. Malasi The Republican draft law is requested to be introduced in Parliament There are moral laws for public figures Angels are not so white MA, July 7, around 21:00