Our leading article: . If you take a look at the general atmosphere of life in our country, the first thing you notice—and the second thing you notice, among three things in all—is tension. People everywhere are nervous or sad, or [unclear]... Nervous people feel that very many people who want to work or make progress in their duties encounter, at every step, the absurdity of [unclear] who have come to power or entered the state apparatus, [unclear] with their incompetence, unprecedentedly, with bureaucracy and backwardness, spreading only ab- ...sion, insults, and unlimited threats in the Party press itself, which is entirely in power, namely the PD. Most people who read these newspapers open them with the fear of someone expecting a few flashes to put their eyes out. Albanian television broadcasts trials day and night, and when there is no court hearing taking place, a story of a trial, punishment, and terror is inevitably found. The Democratic Party in power issues statements just like the Open Letter of the Central Committee of the PPSH, calling for militants to close ranks around the Party against those who do not belong to this grouping. ...the state of our country has been greatly affected by political events: the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serbian leadership’s attempt to transfer it to our borders. Albanian leadership’s policy is in no way capable of telling the war to stay away, but quite the opposite. The political force that triumphed over the fall of communism in Albania, namely the PD, has split and is fading away. Its program has been struck down and eliminated by those who usurped the Party. Nobody knows who Dosti is, who Tota is, or who may be more knowledgeable than them; nobody knows what fate the president will have among them. Under these conditions, the tension weighing on our people is much heavier. In these circumstances, people must be very attentive; people must be more level-headed than ever, more friendly with one another than ever. After all, let no one forget that his brother is, above all, his brother and not a member of the socialists; that his neighbor is his neighbor and not a member of the democrats; that an elderly person is a venerable elder and not a representative of Balli. In these circumstances, everyone should do what they can so that, in their own lives and in the lives of those close to them, the tension being created above all by today’s leadership policy does not increase, but is eased. [Text cut off at the beginning] ...people who have come to ...power or entered the ... state apparatus, ... with their incompetence ... unprecedented, with bureau...cracy and backward...ness, spew only ab...surdities. The sad ... feel that very many peo...ple who had been charged ... with great hopes and ... beautiful ideas for changes ... in their lives immediately ... as soon as what ... was called democracy won, but ... they are not seeing the start ... of the fulfillment of any of ... their hopes. The fear...ful are those who ... from hunger among their children ... and household members, ... high prices and ... accusations made by the Albanian leader...ship every day ... against the anti-reformers. Meanwhile, many of those ... who have received a ... small piece of power... but feel that ... they do not deserve it and cannot ... justify it; and ... precisely for this reason ... spread only ferocity. ... the common feature of all ... is tension. Ten... Committee of the PPSH, calling for the do not belong to this grouping. Every minister, when appearing in public, talks about saboteurs, talks about one group of people who are good and another group who are not good, talks about removing people from their jobs. The government attacks workers, striking miners and oil workers, calling them agents of Millosheviç. The President, very furious, holds a press conference and declares that anyone who asks for new elections will be shown the teeth. The government speaks like the presidency, the presidency speaks like the Party, the Party like the state. Albania, television like the court, the court like the Party, the Party like the state. Albania has no state, only a Party; a Party stretching from the Party all the way to the state. Tension in the country has been stirred up and greatly increased by the Albanian leadership itself. Meanwhile, tension at the top[?] ... [text cut off] ... Albanian...

We are all following the events in Iraq closely, through the media and the reactions of various forces around the world. In the name of our state, only the number one official of the state, the President, Mr. Berisha, made a statement. His categorical declaration fully supported the action of the military forces of the US and the United Nations against Iraq. Certainly, this is a position with which perhaps the majority in our country would agree. But let us analyze the other side behind this declaration: By agreeing with an attack on a member state of the Islamic Conference, as Iraq is, at No. 27 on the list, is our state, as the newest member of the Islamic Conference, perhaps violating its obligations arising from this membership? We say this because the Charter of the Islamic Conference, in point 1, subsection a, states: «Under this Charter, solidarity among the member states is ensured». Meanwhile, point 2 of this Charter states that the member states under this Charter coordinate their action for «the protection of holy places». Without mentioning other points of the Charter, we can say that, in general, it calls for coordination, security, equality, and alliances among the member states of the Conference. Our country, which was accepted as a member of the Conference with the president’s own signature there, is it perhaps rebelling against the principles of the Conference Charter? Because the President’s statement two days ago was not in alliance with Iraq, but against it. The Conference has the same principles it had on the day we were accepted as members. Likewise, Prime Minister Meksi signed in France for the non-use and non-proliferation of chemical weapons, which the member states of the Islamic Conference refused to vote for because of the declared war against Israel. So once again, another rebellion against the members of the Conference of which our state is a member. The question is this: Are these jokes on the part of our state, or is this a serious rebellion against the principles of the organization to which it belongs? In either case it is dangerous, especially for our weak state and in the delicate circumstances of the present. It is also an occasion to talk with those people who are unclear about the consequences of joining the Islamic Conference. THE OBSERVER

1. Ruhi Sheqi, director before Kino. 2. Qamil Peshqeshi, before Ruhi. 3. Nesti Saraçi, before Qamil. 4. Simon Çika, the first one before Qamil, before Agron. Agron is his son, Agron Çika. Agron Çika was among the first in the pu... revolutionary control group at the Va...t mine, the first storekeeper of the Democratic Party, the first member of the PD Presidium to come from the working class, the first «kovac» to present the need to remove intellectuals from the PD, now among the first directors in the State Audit Office and surely tomorrow—the first director of the Reception House for the leader of the first democratic state.

We will publish passages and impressions from the letter Rexhep Qosja wrote to Sali Berisha