Albania should think twice before allowing Mr. Papulias’s plane to land at Rinas Tomorrow Papulias will come to Tirana to keep his promise to visit Tirana once the conditions set by Greece have been met. In other words, Greece has had all its demands toward Albania met even before setting foot in Tirana. It follows, then, that Papulias’s visit will be more of a formal visit than a working visit. The Greek spies were released, Greek schools were opened everywhere... everything was done so that, in the end, Mr. Papulias could come and thank us on behalf of the Greek government. Or perhaps Papulias will come to ask us what our demands are, which the Greek side should meet? Nevertheless, it is very hard to believe that this will simply be a courtesy visit. It is equally hard to believe that Papulias will come to take note of Tirana’s demands. ...the Greek side may have thought up some demand concerning the members of the minority. In that case, only one possibility remains! The possibility remains that this time the Greeks will make demands of Tirana that go beyond their concern for the Greek minority in Albania. This time the Greeks, exercising restraint so as not to upset them, may even move on to territorial demands. The letter from U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Christopher, sent to the Greek Papulias, warns of such a thing. At least, that is how the Greek media and their spokespeople in Albania have reported the letter. Meanwhile, the indifference of Albanian officials toward what Christopher wrote to Mr. Papulias may free the latter from the shame he might feel in making such a demand. The fulfillment of all the demands has Nevertheless, it is very difficult to believe that this will be merely a courtesy visit. It is also difficult Tirana’s demands. It is certain that Papulias will bring new demands in his diplomatic briefcase. It is very difficult to imagine what these demands might be, since it is not known what wrongs the minority still has not committed in Albania. So it is hard to believe that, in such a short time, the Albanian politi- cians, regarding what Kristofër Z. Papulias is writing to him, could spare the latter the embarrassment he might feel in making such a demand. The fulfilment of all the demands has given the Greeks the green light to come to Tirana with new ones. But since making new commitments would be going too far, Tirana should think twice before allowing Mr. Papulias’s plane to land in Tirana. Arben POPOCI

Excessive tolerance toward communism, failure to fulfill some of the promises made before March 22, the authoritarian way of running the party while ignoring its various forms and structures, the glorification of certain individuals within the DP, etc., formed the main part of the criticism directed at the party leadership at its Extraordinary Conference. These things had long been pointed out to the DP by right-wing political forces, but at the time, being at the height of its euphoria, its responses consisted of labels such as “extremist,” “fascist,” “you are doing the Communists’ bidding,” and even “PS intelligence agents.” What was of interest, however, were the calls made at the conference to “move the center of gravity to the right,” that “the Right must be the DP’s permanent political orientation,” and even to form an alliance with right-wing forces, especially with the LDSH. What political line the DP follows and which way it turns the helm is its business, but it is worth pausing to consider the calls or wishes of some to establish cooperation or form an alliance with the LDSH and some other right-wing force. First, it must be examined whether a move by the DP toward the Right is a consistent line or, as one of the speakers at the conference put it, “a political card to be used as a lifeboat.” In this regard, the policy pursued by the DP so far makes one view pessimistically the prospect of its permanently shifting to the Right. Besides, given the DP’s aggressiveness, one is inclined to think that the calls to point the compass to the right are more of a tactical move: while ostensibly made to cooperate with the Right in an effort to avert the danger of the Communists returning to power, they aim to keep the DP in power with right-wing votes. One of the speakers at the conference also revealed this aim unintentionally, when, among other things, he addressed small property owners, who, he said, had no reason to join another political grouping (meaning the LDSH) when the DP, through the legislation it had passed, guaranteed their property—or by reminding them of the “competition” from large property owners. The aim of “stealing” the electorate from the Right could hardly be expressed more clearly, at a time when it would have been better to prevent, as much as possible, any loss of DP voters to the Left. In addition, it is necessary to clarify for those who find sophistries such as the above reassuring that the Land Law, as well as some other law, was not directed only against large property owners, but also penalizes medium and small ones, not to mention landowners whose plots have been usurped by illegal construction as a result of the indifference of their government. Above all, the right-wing camp is made up not only of former owners, but also of the persecuted, whose contribution to the March 22 elections cannot be erased, as well as those who aspired to a true democracy but were disappointed by the DP government. Not long ago, a DP figure, while scorning and even insulting right-wing parties, beat his chest and shouted: “We are the Right!” You can talk as much as you like about anti-communism, you can swear to all Albanians that you are right-wing, etc., but, given the experience of recent years, people want concrete actions. You will only deceive yourself if you think you have moved to the right simply by disavowing and denouncing people, or by removing the decorations of some who are politically dead. Thus, the ideas and views expressed about moving to the right, because they lacked a political basis and concrete substance, seemed to be beyond the bounds of wishful thinking. No one at the conference raised the need to modify the party program; no one called for a review of certain Leninist positions that were sinking the DP into the left-wing swamp. Beyond these points, for the possibility of the DP moving further to the right to be taken seriously, the electorate—and first and foremost the right-wing electorate—needs to be clear about this: Will the DP be able to publicly apologize to former owners for the violence used against them during the hunger strike two years ago? Will it have the courage to reject the Communist-style statement made about former persecuted people in the events of August last year? Will the DP annul the plundering of state property sold off behind the scenes through the infamous privatization boards? Will DP deputies call for the repeal of Law 7501 on Land, which has nothing in common with the Right, or will they continue to proclaim the “successes” of distributing land under this Communist law?

Members of the “shadow cabinet” are also “implicated” The much-discussed issue of opening the files seems to be unfolding in a highly original way. Apart from a letter from my... it has begun within the PS leadership. The top leaders of this party have come forward with their own files at the helm. Highly reliable internal sources say it has emerged that there are quite a number of people with files in the PS leadership. Accusations against one another have only just begun and will shed light on many more files. In this list, the greatest number of people with files are in the PS’s district-level leading committees. To deal with the serious situation, it has been decided to convene an extraordinary conference soon to clarify everything about these files. The files had been kept by many Security Directorate and party committee officials, who recently photocopied them and sent the copies to the executive committee. “Republika” correspondent

Yesterday at midday, the return of Albanian refugees from Greece continued at the Kakavijë border crossing. This is the second day that the wave of returns has continued without interruption by bus. By yesterday evening, the number of returnees had reached 700. They are refugees mainly from neighborhoods near the “Ajus Sanargios” neighborhood, where the incident between Albanian and Greek youths took place. Unlike previous occasions, in this wave of returns neither valid documents nor being Orthodox have been taken into consideration. All those caught in Athens’s “Omonia” center and in the main neighborhoods of “Ajus Parashqevi,” “Ajus Fanurios,” “Paristeri,” and “Ajus Nikola,” once identified as Albanians, were included in the list of returnees without any discussion. Most of those returned were young people aged 18–35, and many of them had been mistreated. Refugees returned from the Greek islands have made particularly numerous claims of mistreatment. “Republika” correspondent

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To Mr. Servet Pëllumbi In the “Dita informacion” interview of March 9, you stated that I had supposedly said, “I regret being Albanian,” and that you agreed with me on this point. In passing, as someone who considers himself civilised, I returned your greeting, and I believe I said only this: “With that attitude last night at the German Embassy, I felt ashamed as an Albanian.” I could never say “I regret being Albanian,” any more than I could say “I would like to be an Eskimo.” The awareness that I am Albanian is one of the things that keeps me standing. I believe we have made an improper distortion of the words. In any case, next time, at embassy receptions where work takes us and we exchange a few words, I will be careful. I will say only “Good evening, professor” and “Good night, professor.” SABRI GODO

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At the press conference held yesterday in Prishtina, President Rugova reminded the international community that in Kosovo we are not dealing with an Albanian community or minority, but with a former federal unit. He called for the political will of two million Albanians for independence to be upheld, along with his peaceful resistance, which is preventing a wider conflict in the region. Further on, after stressing that Albania, its president, the democratic government and Albania’s political forces have the legitimate right to take an interest in the Albanians and to work towards better cooperation with Kosovo, he added that Albania has shown restraint and that Kosovo’s situation should be resolved by political means. The international community and all of us, More on page 4

Academician Gazmend Zajmi, chairman of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts, died suddenly at the age of 58 while staying in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. Academician Gazmend Zajmi was born in Krumë, Albania, in 1937. For a time, he was rector of the University of Prishtina and a professor at the university’s Faculty of Law, where he also served as secretary of the Executive Council of the Assembly of Kosovo. An academician of European reputation, Gazmend Zajmi was the author of many books and scholarly works, most of which were devoted to the Kosovo issue and the Albanian question. He was one of the co-authors of the well-known Appeal of 215 Kosovo intellectuals in 1990, calling for the protection and further advancement of Kosovo’s consciousness. Academician Zajmi was among the Albanian intellectuals who worked hard to bring about the independence of Kosovo, the Republic of Kosovo. He authored the Constitutional Declaration on the independence of Kosovo of 2 July 1990, proclaimed by members of the Kosovo Assembly; co-authored the drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, proclaimed on 7 September 1990; and also contributed to the referendum on Kosovo’s independence, held in September 1991. Academician Gazmend Zajmi, an intellectual of broad culture, also contributed in his life’s work as a composer of popular music. With the death of and Arts and corresponding member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Kosovo and Albanians in general have lost a diligent and productive scholar of outstanding human, national and intellectual virtues. On the occasion of academician Gazmend Zajmi’s death, the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Zajmi family are receiving numerous telegrams of condolence. Among them are telegrams from the highest leaders of the Republic of Kosovo, the University of Prishtina, scientific and cultural institutions, and others.

February marked a painful tally of Serbian violence in Mitrovicë. The statisticians tell it this way: 24 Albanians were brutally tortured, 14 families were searched, while Serbian police were observed intervening in 30 homes. Children, too, have not escaped this organised, systematic violence; five of them were mistreated during the month. ATSH

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To Mr. Servet Pëllumbi

The right-wing parties and associations of the Bulqizë district, which agree with the programme presented by the Albanian Right-Wing League, considered it necessary to issue a joint statement on 7 March 1995, setting out the 14 points of the Albanian Right-Wing League programme, drawn up in Tirana a month ago. The 14 points of the LDSH programme are its fundamental basis; they say no to the return of communism, which drove the country into unprecedented misery. The coordination of efforts for an ethnic Albania and the harmonisation of views on not recognising the decisions of the Congress of Përmet, as well as holding a nationwide referendum before the constitution is approved to choose the form of government—a parliamentary republic or a constitutional monarchy—made it possible for us to unite with the Albanian Right-Wing League. The right-wing parties in Bulqizë agreed to hold regular meetings to analyse in concrete terms the situation in the Bulqizë district and the work carried out. Democratic Union Party, Bulqizë Legality Movement Party, Bulqizë Republican Party, Bulqizë Association of Former Political Prisoners, Bulqizë

“I have discovered the disease from which Albania is suffering. My latest studies show that this country’s troubles are caused by an epidemic of ‘Mencuria’. The bramble has taken over that place where everyone thinks they are clever. Our race has been wrongly accused of being stable. Traditionally, Albania has been brought to ruin by those who have got it into their heads that they are clever. Nevertheless, I too have found the solution. All these people must be called upon to consult their minds: what they have been, what they are, and what they will be. The sclerosis that has taken hold of the population is another danger to the country’s fate. Not only have are clever forgotten, but ordinary people too have forgotten what the people were like who are suddenly becoming clever, intelligent, competent, authoritative, saviours, and so on. The Man Without Chickens won’t hold a press conference about the thefts committed against him... He will come and meet two wet hens and return to his own country. After the meeting, he will go to Varro Epir. Several files have been discovered in the shadows. Files are usually kept in the dark. Recently they have begun appearing in the shadows too. Don’t hope in vain that they will also come out into the sunlight. The files have begun leaking from the left. The files are returning to their original owners. Today is the last day of our captivity. Starting tomorrow, we will be free according to the most advanced European standards. This is a step backwards compared with the past, when we were the only truly authentic country. When will that time return? The left does not need to win for that time to return. It is enough for the left to become right-wing, and everything will happen according to Comrade Enver’s words, ho, who at the Third Congress said that we had set the limits of capitalism everywhere.” KRONIKANI