The visit to our country by the U.S. Secretary of State, James Baker, has for days continued to be the central topic of our conversations. Its resonance has spread throughout the country, becoming everywhere a source of hope and optimism for the future, amid the severe economic crisis and the profound crisis of confidence. Everyone is thinking about how to make the welcome for the distinguished friend as magnificent as possible, and how to experience the emotions of this historic visit as fully and as closely as possible. The streets of the cities are filled with vehicles and people carrying American flags. But the impact of this visit has not been expressed only by the waving of flags. In several cities around the country, at the initiative and desire of the citizens themselves and with the support of the steering committees of the Democratic Party branches, public rallies have been organized. Thus, on Wednesday and Thursday, mass rallies and demonstrations took place, with the participation of thousands upon thousands of citizens and villagers in Korçë, Fier, Elbasan, Shkodër, Rrëshen, Burrel, Kavajë, Përmet, Pukë, Sarandë, and elsewhere. Members of the Democratic Party Steering Committee also took part, as did representatives of the U.S. mission in Tirana. These rallies have become major, conscious demonstrations of our people’s respect and affection for the great American people, and of our gratitude for the great support that President Bush, Mr. James Baker, and the entire U.S. Government have given to the cause of Kosovo and to our country’s admission to the CSCE. The slogans, calls, and proposals made by participants—that some of today’s American public figures be honored by having squares or the most important public places in their cities named after them—have been clear evidence of these feelings. These sentiments were also overflowing in telegrams and greetings sent to President George Bush, Mr. James Baker, and the Democratic Party Steering Committee.

— INTERVIEW WITH Dr. SALI BERISHA — Regarding Albania’s admission to the CSCE, Dr. Sali Berisha, chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, who was one of the members of the Albanian delegation, gave the newspaper Berlini this interview: — Dr. Berisha, today Albania was admitted as a member of the CSCE. What can you tell us about this event? — Today I have been deeply moved, because we have truly witnessed a historic day for Albania—the day our country was welcomed into the family of nations, from which it had been tragically separated by the isolationist policy of the dictator Enver Hoxha and the Bolshevik occupation that lasted half a century. Throughout my life I have remembered Fan Noli’s lines: “By the sea, unwashed; beside knowledge, untaught.” I hope that today marks the end of this period and the beginning of a new history for Albania, one that will restore to and enrich our nation with all the values and rights it deserves, on an equal footing with the other peoples of Europe. The rights and freedoms of the individual in Albania will acquire a new dimension and conception. From today, the protection of the rights of Albanians in Kosovo, in Çamëria, and wherever they live will also enter a new phase. They will be protected by a mother country, with the strong support of the international organizations and bodies to which it has acceded. Thus, 19 June will remain a marked day in the history of democracy in Albania. It is supported by 24 June. In other words, this month, June, has also fulfilled the dreams of the democrats of ’24. — During your stay in Berlin you also met Germany’s Chancellor, Helmut Kohl. We would like you to give us a brief description of this meeting. — I thanked Mr. Kohl for his great contribution, and that of the German government, to Albania’s admission to the CSCE—a matter of historic importance for democracy and the democratic forces in Albania. I also acquainted the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany with the new political developments in Albania, the important role the Democratic Party has played and continues to play in all these developments and in the country’s entire political life, as the party playing a leading role in the Albanian opposition, and with its struggle for the full and definitive establishment of democracy in Albania. In this conversation I stressed to Mr. Kohl that Albania is changing its system and, in this process, is experiencing great economic, psychological, and political difficulties created by the dead totalitarian socialist system. In this period, the Democratic Party and the democratic forces in Albania hope and believe that their struggle and efforts for democracy will not be in vain if the democracies help Albania, and that Germany will actively help Albanians along the technical, economic, and intellectual path toward integration into the European process. Chancellor Helmut Kohl expressed his sympathy for the Albanian people and Albania and showed great interest in political developments in Albania. He expressed his wish and support for the establishment of genuine democracy in our country, and the German government’s full readiness to help Albania and the Albanian people overcome the great difficulties they are experiencing. Finally, I invited Mr. Kohl to visit Albania at a time he would find suitable. Chancellor Helmut Kohl accepted the invitation with pleasure. — On this day of national enthusiasm over Mr. Baker’s arrival in Albania, we cannot help remembering a Spanish film shown many years ago, titled “Welcome, Mr. President.” In this film, the residents of a poor village hope that the American president will bring them everything they desire for their country. The story shows that many years passed after that visit before the Spanish peasant managed to have his own land, house, tractor, and car. This was also the time lost by our own peasant, who, instead of the advice and opportunities America offered at the time, was forced to follow the failed path of collectivization and communes. “Times are changing; a new life is gradually being born.” These lines by Schiller now take on their true meaning, because for the first time we belong to the time in which we live; we are being recognized as an existing European nation; we are becoming “friends,” as the National Renaissance figures wished. Mr. Baker’s visit, following those of Messrs. De Michelis and Genscher, is recognition of this fact, of this reality, created not by the initiative of one person but by the will and determination of a people as ancient as Europe. Welcome, Mr. Baker! The honored friend will first hear these words from the citizens. That is what protocol requires, because in truth those who invited Baker are not at the airport or in the reception halls, but in the streets of Tirana. The students, workers, intellectuals, villagers, soldiers, police officers, and the humblest people, for whom democracy and America are synonymous. The dictatorship took everything from them except their deepest rights—the right to dream. The American dream is no longer a package and a few dollars arriving from the West after an eighty-year-long journey. It is a new era beginning on the ruins of dictatorship. Mr. Baker! Welcome! We need assistance to show that we are an extraordinary nation. As proof, we give you our age-old besa!

— A BORDER WITHOUT BAYONETS — The United States and Canada are separated by a border 6,400 km long. Along this entire border there are no armed soldiers, no military airports, and no anti-aircraft guns. Every 70 km or so there is a customs station and an immigration office. Anywhere between these stations, a person can cross without encountering armed men; the only armed personnel are the customs guards, who carry just one revolver each. Crossing from the United States into Canada is very easy. A traveler meets no armed guards and is not asked many questions at the customs station. Usually the traveler’s word that they are not carrying smuggled goods is enough to be allowed through. Americans who know this simple border and cross it often are known to the customs officers. From a distance, the guard calls them by name and asks whether they have any goods to declare. The traveler smiles, nods, and passes without stopping. On the border between the two countries, extending into both Canada and America, lies an area of 880 hectares called the “International Peace Garden.” In this area, the border between the two countries has no concrete posts or barbed wire, but a 50-metre-wide strip of lawn that runs through the woods. This has become the largest garden in the world. There, on a stone base, stands a metal plaque bearing this inscription: “God sustains me. The two nations dedicate This garden And pledge That as long as there are people in this world, We will not use weapons Against one another.” Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) has been called “the saintly leader of democracy.” He was the third president of the United States. He wanted to give every person the opportunity to become a good citizen and master of their own destiny, (Continued on page 2)

From the very beginning of its existence, the Democratic Party attached special importance to foreign relations. In this important field for the country’s future, the legacy was exceedingly heavy: throughout the world, the Party of Labour was associated with capitalist and revisionist enemies, which obstructed the development of normal relations with foreign countries. On the other hand, for every problem the country faced, the answer was sought abroad. The fantastical picture in this regard was shaped by the cult of the state and the absence of anything else. A relentless propaganda campaign promoted scenarios of foreign plots to overthrow the people’s government with the help of Albanians, and alleged attempts by citizens acting in an appropriate and coordinated manner to overthrow the people’s government, as well as other hostile state activities. Standing up to this factor brought serious consequences, and Albania’s position did not change. All political constraints and foreign-policy efforts aimed to prevent the country from having the opportunity to pursue an independent foreign policy in every respect. The Democratic Party sought to make headway in this difficult terrain as well. Its delegations took initiatives and established contacts with a number of European countries, as well as with the United States of America. Their interlocutors were clearly informed about our political and economic problems and about the efforts to democratize life in the country in every respect. It must be emphasized that the Democratic Party’s prestige and credibility on the international stage increased considerably in the first months of its existence, not only in its contacts with the bureaucratized Albanian officials, but also in relations with various parties and organizations, which were among the first to seek trade and other ties with the Democratic Party rather than with the other democratic opposition parties. This is why European governments, as well as the Democratic Party’s delegations in Brussels and elsewhere, ... (Continued on page 2)

Chancellor Helmut Kohl received Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, chairman of the Democratic Party, for a special meeting in one of the halls of the Reichstag. At this meeting, which took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha warmly thanked Chancellor Kohl for the great contribution that he and the German government had made to Albania’s admission to the CSCE, an event marking a historic victory for democracy and the democratic forces in Albania. He also acquainted Chancellor Kohl with the new political developments in Albania, the important role the Democratic Party has played and continues to play in the country’s political life, and its struggle for the full and definitive establishment of democracy in our country. Chancellor Kohl expressed his wish and support for the establishment of genuine democracy in our country and the German government’s full readiness to help Albania and the Albanian people overcome the difficulties they are experiencing in every field. At the end, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha invited Chancellor Kohl to visit Albania at a time he would find suitable. Chancellor Helmut Kohl gladly accepted the invitation. For his part, Chancellor Helmut Kohl showed great interest in political developments in Albania. He expressed his sympathy for the Albanian people and Albania, his wish and support for the establishment of democracy in Albania, and the German government’s full readiness to help Albania and the Albanian people overcome the difficulties they are experiencing in every field. At the end, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha invited Chancellor Kohl to visit Albania at a time he would find suitable. Chancellor Helmut Kohl gladly accepted the invitation.

The first thing that catches your eye on German soil, after you have stepped off the plane, is the green color tracing the landscape, which is dominated by low-rise buildings. Bonn, built like ancient Rome on seven hills, appears and disappears amid green areas, with buildings in the Baroque and Neoclassical styles. Only the Bundestag building, with its 30-plus glass-clad floors, rises above these green landscapes, as a symbol of its mastery over the order. Most of the 5,000 employees who help the German parliament set the machinery of state in motion and oversee it work here. The Bundestag’s meeting hall itself is a converted old depot, where it is not unusual for a bird to perch above the heads of the members of parliament and look down toward the speaker’s platform. Plenary sessions to discuss and pass laws are usually held there twice a week, but the legislation has already gone through the entire procedure via committees and parliamentary groups. A visitor from the League can see that only a few MPs take part in the discussions, while the galleries are half full, filled also with visitors. In fact, the other MPs are busy too—in committees and parliamentary groups, monitoring government activity, and at international meetings and visits. When a vote is due, bells installed throughout the parliamentary buildings alert the MPs, including those in the plenary hall, and that is when everyone’s attention turns to the galleries, as the floor of the hall fills up. Invited by the German Bundestag on a familiarization visit, we had the opportunity to follow part of the discussion from the gallery of honor, as the MPs debated a law on financial protection for businesses and conditions in the new Länder, now known as the eastern part of the republic. The days of our stay, filled with meetings, were crowned by an important memorable event: our own Albania Day in Bonn. Everywhere we were received with great warmth, not only as representatives of the opposition parliamentary group, but also as representatives of a country that had taken a major and sure step toward democracy. Everywhere people were very well informed about the situation in Albania and considered the opposition’s participation in government to be the basis on which relations between Germany and Europe could develop freely. They made this clear at our very first meeting, with Mr. Lengl, State Secretary for Economic Cooperation, who told us frankly that his government was ready to help Albania in every way. We said that aid for the Albanian people would best be provided in several ways. First, the new government should be supported politically through visits by political figures, and Albania’s entry into the CSCE should be supported. Second, economic and cultural ties with our country, which were interrupted after the events of 2 July as a result of the then Albanian government’s wholly unrealistic position, should be restored. Third, we should be given graduated assistance, beginning with humanitarian aid and continuing with loans and economic cooperation. In addition, we expressed the view that specialists should be exchanged so they could work on economic planning and the management of a market economy. As humanitarian assistance, we would like not only food and medicines, but also raw materials for factories, machinery, factory equipment, and teaching materials for our schools. This is because our people cannot live on alms; they need work and confidence in their own ability to work. Mr. Lengl told us that his ministry had made 3,000 tons of wheat available some time ago, but had not yet received formal approval from the Albanian government, which the following day organized the familiar ... through the embassy. Germany is also preparing other government aid and assistance from various associations, he said, but even more important is the economic and political support Germany is providing for the preparation of the fastest and most productive cooperation possible. This view was given concrete form that same day at our meeting with the State Secretary for the Economy, Dr. Riedl, who expressed ... his visit to Albania. His knowledge of (Continued on page 2)

Many people would call Baker’s visit to our country “historic,” thereby expressing the great joy felt by a small, long-suffering people at a visit from one of the leading figures of the world’s most powerful state. But as a person trained in the exact sciences, accustomed to analytical reasoning that seeks the true meaning of facts, I am inclined to look at Baker’s visit not so much as a great statesman’s visit to a small people at a time when they are being ignored, but rather for the true meaning of this visit. Mr. Baker’s decision, as a statesman with so much to do, to visit our country precisely this week—just days after the pluralist government of stability was formed—contains within it a message of broad significance. As often happens in the diplomacy of great politicians, the words spoken openly are more restrained than the implications and true meaning of a diplomatic move. We must know how to read the unspoken message contained in his visit. Here, in my opinion, is the full substance of the implications of the message connected with his visit. (Continued on page 2)