Every Albanian today faces a question: what will his future be like? But immediately afterward, looking at each person’s face, we begin to wonder, with a legitimate doubt: what psychological state are we Albanians in now, right at the end of the Twentieth Century? Are we optimistic or pessimistic? In truth, we have done something great: we have overthrown the dictatorship. Three generations were right on the brink of their historical shame when, suddenly, we all rose up against the dictatorship. We were at this point because, had the dictatorship continued—not for long, but for another ten years—all three generations would have been covered in shame before history, because they would have remained forever as three generations that had not known how to justify themselves before history. But time helped us, and today at least we are leaving this period without shame. Yet, if at first we overthrew a dictatorship, and did something for that, afterward we must reflect: to be at peace, we must build a real state, if we are to believe that we have done everything we could. We also know that the dictatorship left us a scorched land. But how can a state be built on scorched land when, immediately after the dictatorship’s overthrow, no one thinks about how to build and ensure the lasting life of freedom, but only about how to secure their own position—with an office, a deceit, an insult, a boast, a lie, a rysflet, all while trampling...[continues on page 3]

MILAIM ZEKA, journalist in Sweden Since 1980 I have followed the development of events in Albania. Especially from 1983 onward, I was one of those who made every effort to ensure that freedom of speech was respected in this country. Because of what I wrote in Scandinavian newspapers, and especially after a meeting with Norway’s State Secretary, Knut Uellebek, as well as the publication of our conversation in the Norwegian newspaper «Dagbladet», where I called the Albanian dictatorship one of the most brutal, the Albanian secret police put me on its blacklist and I was not allowed to visit Albania for a full 7 years. (continued on page 2)

THE ARMY REFORM MUST BECOME REAL I know hundreds of military personnel who represent Albania’s democratic ideals, but are compelled to obey the orders of Major General Shehi – Major General Baki Shehi is the least reputable man in the army. He has an extremely dubious political career. In the previous legislature, he was a deputy for the Party of Labour. His official standing was built through party channels, not professionally. Professionally, the entire army considers him mediocre. He is also known as a strict enforcer of the principle of class struggle in the army. His reputation supports his political career. The only thing clearly known about him is that he was a division commissar during the dictatorship. It is also astonishing that a military officer of such high rank could be someone who led the Labinot counter-rally and was at the same time the person behind the deployment of tanks on the streets of Elbasan in December 1990. General Shehi, the most active commissar in suppressing the democratic movement, suddenly became head of personnel at the Ministry of Defense during the government of stability. It is no wonder he may have arrived there at Ramiz Alia’s wish. AZEM HAJDARI

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– Albania needs a new political initiative, one that represents the modern Albania of the future. – Time helped us, and we escaped dictatorship at least without shame. – Today we are living through a time of uncontrolled passions. What should we do? – Politics is losing the path of reason. Read on pages 1–3: «Let us return to human reason with political patience»

– Reactions in Europe in support of Aleksandër Frangaj. – According to the logic of today’s Albanian government, all European journalists should be imprisoned. – As we are informed from Lezha, signatures for a citizens’ petition in support of journalist Aleksandër Frangaj have begun to be collected in this district. The petition expresses the deep public indignation at the state’s repressive measures and says that the news about the movement of the tanks not only failed to cause panic, but raised the morale of the people in Lezha. (Read, pp. 1–2)

– What is Kostandin Mico-taqis’s visit to Serbia about? (Information received directly from the Athens News Agency.) – A comparison can be made with the news broadcast on Albanian television to see how much truth RTVSH tells. – K. Micotagis states: «A solution to the crisis in Bosnia is not impossible» (Read on page 7)

We wish Catholic Christian believers A BLESSED EASTER We wish Catholic Christian believers A BLESSED EASTER Read excerpts from the Gospel (according to Matthew) Page 2