There is always time for a kind word. As long as goodness truly lives and really exists. But especially now, more than ever, it is time to say a kind word too. Now, when we can rightly say that people have come to long to hear a kind word. But most importantly: now that we have achieved undeniable successes, such as the achievement in the democratic elections of 22 March and the victory of democracy. Now, alongside the general good atmosphere, we should also acknowledge this with a kind word. This is a political achievement that overturned an incapable and unjust communist regime and, in its place, is establishing a new democratic regime of freedom and human prosperity. But Albania has great values which, even in difficult circumstances, have resisted and survived. Albania—our homeland—has the great values of its nature, of its land and underground riches. They have always deserved kind words; indeed, they have not only deserved them, but have drawn kind words, poetic words, from afar. A kind word for the land and its people brings joy to people and lifts them up. Today we have great need to rejoice and be uplifted. Today we do not need to be unable to distinguish what is good. Today, before foreigners, before others and before ourselves, we must not say only words that speak of evil, poverty and impossibility. Albania and its people now need a true image, and we must shape it. Albania has great values in its people, in the world of these people. We should not compare human values with the undignified actions of a group of people, nor with those who have been left behind in a particular period, nor even with the regime itself that exercised power and force over a people. The great values of the people’s spirit are those that withstand many great trials. They welcome and rejoice in kind words. We all need kind words now, especially. They warm us and help us. But let us not create a misunderstanding. Let us not once again speak kind words where they are undeserved, as we did with our praise of the former communist regime. Let us not start saying today that «Under the leadership of this or that Party, of this or that leader, — for example — we enjoy every good thing». Let us be realistic. Let us recognize, use and cherish the kind word.

The period unfolding after 22 March, which marked the final fall of communism and switched on the green lights of democracy, is, among other things, also a time of conjectures—for the nation and for Albanians wherever they live, they, according to the old method, are preparing their pseudo-documents in the dark basements of the press, thereby becoming... with a thousand troubles on our backs. Precisely now, when we have managed to awaken from the evil stupor and want to build a better and fairer life for ourselves and others, to be led astray is extremely difficult,

As is known, following the elections of 22 March, the formation of parliament and the election of the President of the Republic, one of the most delicate and important tasks was the selection and appointment of the new Government. A few days ago, the President of the Republic, Mr. SALI BERISHA, presented Albania’s new government: 1 — ALEKSANDËR MEKSI — Prime Minister. 2 — REXHEP UKA — Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Agriculture and Food. 3 — BASHKIM KOPLIKU — Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Public Order. 4 — VULLNET ADEMI — Secretary General. 5 — GENC RULI — Minister of Finance and Economy. 6 — ALFRED SERREQI — Minister of Foreign Affairs. 7 — KUDRET ÇELA — Minister of Justice. 8 — ABDYL XHAJA — Minister of Industry, Mineral Resources and Energy. 9 — ARTAN HOXHA — Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation. 10 — SAFET ZHULALI — Minister of Defence. 11 — FATOS BITINCKA — Minister of Transport and ... Health and Environmental Protection. 14 — DHIMITER ANAGNOSTI — Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. 15 — OSMAN SHEHU — Minister of Tourism. 16 — DASHAMIR SHEHI — Minister of Labour, Emigration, Social Support and Political Persecutees. 17 — MAKSIM KONOMI — Chairman of the Committee for Science and Technology. 18 — BLERIM ÇELA — Chairman of the Control Commission. We wish the First Democratic Government of Albania success in fulfilling its noble mission for the good of the People and the Homeland!

The period unfolding after 22 March, the day that marked the final fall of communism and switched on the green lights of democracy, is, among other things, also a time of all kinds of conjectures about Albania’s future. after 22 March, the day that time of all kinds of conjectures about Albania’s future. Most Albanians, wherever they live, hope that things will change for the better; they live with the conviction that at last we will know how to demonstrate our culture, our deeply humane and democratic spirit, our civic emancipation and our irresistible desire for progress, which will place us alongside other civilized peoples. But the hopes of ordinary, decent people who love the nation, the homeland, the family, work and life, and who love their children and their future, anger certain forces that precisely do not want this national liberation, this great spiritual and cultural rebirth, this great progressive and beneficial leap, which every honest Albanian rejoices in. Such forces are trying to sow doubt, create insecurity, spread various rumors devised according to highly elaborate strategies in order to confuse public opinion, irritate people’s nerves, worn down by the long night of dictatorship, and cause general depression, bewilderment, disorientation, anarchy and impatience. Especially those calling themselves socialists, now that a nationwide referendum has removed them from power, whether in a camouflaged way through the writings of «ZP», through conversations in clubs and with a range of different people, or through the rumors they concoct, exploiting various hardships, some mistake or the dissatisfaction of particular individuals, are trying to create the impression that the newly formed government will not last long either, that it will be only a short-lived government until new elections, and that autumn, together with falling leaves and the first snow, will also bring a new president of the republic. To make this malicious aim against the nation and Albanians wherever they live credible, they, following the old method, fabricate their pseudo-documents in the dark basements of the press; they say that the Democratic Party is incapable of governing the country, that it has no capable people, that it is an anti-intellectual party supported by people from the street (they have no qualms about calling the majority of the Albanian population lumpen), that prominent intellectuals have abandoned it, etc.; that if it wants to govern, it will have to oppose those who brought it to power (once again, they mean that section of the population which took part in rallies and which they irresponsibly call lumpen); that the DP is divided, that its prominent intellectuals will form a separate party, and so on and so forth. They go so far as to suggest that only the socialists, who were so capable of isolating and destroying Albania, are capable of leading this country; that the people were deceived, but will soon understand and, in the next early elections, give the socialists their vote of confidence. This is more or less the malicious, anti-national synopsis of these destructive forces, which cannot free their diseased reasoning from the malicious formula that socialism will disappear in Albania only when this country has been turned into a barren Sahara. This is the synopsis of those people who consider themselves humane, European-style (Enverian) democrats, of those who swear in speeches and newspapers that their hearts ache for the little people, that they are heartbroken because right-wing rule by the rich is being established in this country, and so on and so forth. It is not difficult to imagine how malicious and anti-national this synopsis of these forces is. First of all, as a country, we have just emerged from the long communist night, exhausted, impoverished to the point of utter misery, spiritually depleted, and others, [unclear] is extremely difficult, indeed fatal. Then many people would reach the fatalists’ extreme conclusion that this people is cursed by God, that nothing will ever go right for them, and that we should leave for foreign lands wherever we can, at least so as not to add further to our children’s misfortune. The fear that the new government and the new President might be able to do something for Albania terrifies these forces, so they say: come on, let us confuse the people before it is too late, otherwise we are lost forever. Such is the dictate of their blind, anti-national logic. Secondly, by prejudging the new president and government before it has even begun its work, these forces are trying to sow chaos, depression and impatience, which are already showing signs of taking hold. At all costs, the people who voted for democracy must not see a prospect, must not see a future. Fog is what wolves need, and these forces are trying to create that fog while making a show of dressing themselves in the garments of human values. But can these forces accomplish their obscure aims? Logic tells you no. Our people, who have suffered greatly, know how to distinguish good from evil, white from black. They know that neither the government nor the president descended from the sky with a magical, mysterious wand to solve all their problems in a single night, so that Albania might wake up the next morning as Switzerland or Sweden. They know they must support the government to which they entrusted their lives and their children’s future, but they must also help it if it makes mistakes, advise it and give it renewed strength. Thus, with hope for my good future,

The theft of non-ferrous metals began months ago. It was in Pogradec that the theft of lead, aluminium and copper, made into ingots, was uncovered and apprehended. Not scrap, but ready-made bars. The Greek driver Georgis Hasiosis stated: «I have also taken such ingots from Albania twice before, with a 12-ton Pire on each trip». A car with licence plate 2BEL596 was also intercepted carrying 740 kg of copper wire to be taken to Greece and exchanged for cognac and coffee. In Ersekë, the financial police also seized 320 kg of copper bound for Greece. The new democratic government must stop this wealth from being stolen away to Greece without documents.

More than 400 head of cattle have been impounded by the financial police of Kavajë and Rrogozhinë while being transported out of the district without veterinary documents. This is pursuant to a decision of the Council of Ministers. It was no coincidence that all those fined were from border villages in Librazhd, Korçë, Gjirokastër, etc. The fines imposed amount to 200 thousand lekë. Where, then, are these animals headed? To Greece or to Ma-[?] The total amount of fines and confiscations for this quarter throughout Albania is higher than that for the whole of last year. We recall that last year the amount reached 7.6 million lekë (new lekë). (All these facts were obtained from the spokesperson of the Financial Police Directorate of the Republic, Mr. ARTAN SEVRANI)

— Albania facing Europe, the USA and the Middle East — President Berisha should declare all of Albania a «free zone». — Lezha does not deserve to be a sub-prefecture of Shkodër. It knows how to govern itself. — Micro-regime: The rabid dog and the two mongrels. — Interview with Mr. GRAMOZ PASHKO.

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