- Statement of the Democratic Party - The Democratic Party, as it has declared on other occasions during its short existence, believes that urgent measures must be taken by the People's Assembly and the Council of Ministers to reintegrate prisoners, internees, exiles and political persecuted people into normal life. This healthy segment of our people, which suffered so much through no fault of its own during the last half-century of the Enverian communist system, in prisons, labor camps and prolonged internment under inhuman conditions, is still in a miserable state, even though it has now been freed by the latest decisions. To heal this profound national wound, inherited from the monist rule of class warfare, the following is now essential: - 1. A declaration of innocence must immediately be decreed for all those executed, imprisoned, interned, sentenced and politically persecuted. - 2. They must be settled as soon as possible in the places they themselves consider most suitable. - 3. The time spent serving their sentences must be counted as years of employment, and those who wish to do so must have the right to retire at the age of 50. - 4. They must be given priority in employment, according to their specialization, profession and education, at home and abroad. - 5. The children of those executed who have not yet reached working age, and those of people disabled in labor camps and prisons, must be given a lifelong pension. - 6. They must receive financial compensation in proportion to the actual material damage inflicted on them, according to the years spent in prison and based on international standards officially recognized and accepted by all UN member states. - 7. Their possessions, confiscated and taken by force, must be returned to them. - 8. Their children must be given priority for higher education at home and abroad, which was denied to them for 45 consecutive years. - 9. The remains must immediately be returned to the families or relatives of those executed, deceased or «disappeared without a trace» in camps and prisons or at execution sites, who were buried in secret places, in individual graves or in collective graves without identification. - 10. All Albanians who fled and are abroad must be allowed to return freely to their Homeland. - 11. These tragedies are of an unimaginable scale and without precedent in the history of this country and abroad. - 12. All decorations, honorary titles and patriotic pensions lost because of their sentences must be restored to those who suffered. - 13. The Ministry of Justice must approve as soon as possible the establishment of the Association of Political Prisoners and provide it with financial means to have a headquarters and its own newspaper, like all the other associations. - 14. A monument dedicated to the victims of the infamous class war must be erected in a suitable place in Tirana. - 15. The Democratic Party once again emphasizes its previously stated position: without meeting these demands there is no, and will be no, national reconciliation; there is no, and will be no, true democracy. Democracy and crime cannot sleep together. The Democratic Party invites these much-suffering people, these torchbearers of true political dissent in the darkness of the brutal totalitarian system, to close ranks with their democratic brothers and, as always, to build with dignity, moderation and tolerance, and to stand at the forefront of the unceasing struggle for national unity and true democracy.

- Greeting by Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha - Mothers and sisters! I am greatly honored and happy to take part in your [event], and I am certain that, in the history of the democratic revolution Albania is experiencing, today will remain one of its most memorable days. The Albanian mother, woman, daughter and sister is today creating her own free and democratic organization in the name of a democratic Albania, of a dignified and bright future for her children and for generations to come. For everyone in the world, a mother is undoubtedly the most beloved being: she shapes you, gives you life and raises you with her flesh, her blood and her milk. She fills your heart with her affection and illuminates your mind with her spirit. Thus, even if you kissed your mother’s feet, you could never repay your debt to her. For us, though a mother is the most beloved and dearest being to all people, for us Albanians she is sacred and the primary foundation of our nation’s very existence. This is not only because she is also a child—that is, the future—but because, together with her genes and her milk, she gives and instills Albanian identity in her children. She has suffered as no other mother has; she is as compassionate as she is afflicted and brokenhearted. Her eternal message, which has always been one and the same, is: love your country and never abandon it. This message is founded on the true gene of the Albanian nation’s resistance; therefore, those ill-wishers and enemies who seek to destroy us envision the disappearance of our mother. But she is sacred and sanctified; she cannot be destroyed. That is why we are an immortal people. Long live the Albanian mother. Like women everywhere, the Albanian woman has been the foundation of the family. Although not in law, in practice she has been the queen of her own household. With unparalleled endurance, she has borne a harsh and difficult life, with unhealable and incomparable suffering and hardship. And yet, in a cruel twist of fate, men secured rights for themselves and left the duties to her. The pain of this reality and this great injustice is expressed in Çajupi’s verses: «The men sit beneath the tree and talk, shame on them, for they live off women». But that belongs to a bygone age, to the old days, which were somewhat worse. Albania was occupied once again; Albanian women, sisters and daughters took up arms and went to the mountains, fighting heroically like lions. Hundreds of them fell for freedom and democracy. Yet, after a liberation war, Albania entered a brutal dictatorship it had never known before. Without a doubt, the Albanian woman suffered most and bore the heaviest burden under this dictatorship. The weight of dictatorship was heavier than anywhere else on her shoulders and in her soul. She could not be educated or find employment, but no one can forget how she, unlike anyone else in Europe, was imprisoned, executed, interned and separated from her husband, children, friends and relatives in the name of the human principle of class warfare, as happened in no other European country. In many respects, her life under Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship calls to mind the life of a true servant. The totalitarian regime imposed 16–18 hours of work a day on Albanian women, including night shifts; it stripped her of every truth and, though she was the bearer of one of the most beautiful races, ultimately imposed the annihilation of the red guards, so to speak. Although the Albanian woman kept her democratic ideals and aspirations intact, with which she protected her children as well, I wish to take this opportunity to assure the ladies of society, the good mothers and daughters, and the men and women of this country that their suffering and sacrifices under the brutal regime were burning embers that kept alive the democratic feelings and spirit of our people and brought about the democratic processes we are experiencing today. Esteemed ladies! You have gathered here to create your own free and democratic organization. One of you said that you have suffered, but I would say that you are honored not only on the date of this meeting but also throughout the revolutionary movement and the democratic processes. Indeed, I wish to emphasize that one of the fundamental foundations of the democratic revolution unfolding in Albania has been the massive participation of Albanian women from the very first minutes of this revolution. They stood courageously and loyally alongside their brothers and husbands in all the demonstrations, strikes and rallies held over the last two years. History will record the merits of Albanian women. The establishment of the Democratic Women’s League marks another important stage today in our struggle and efforts to establish full democracy in Albania. I know that some of you rightly believe this should simply be a feminist movement. But that seems somewhat premature to me now. The two raised and open fingers forming a little V are a call to all the girls and women, men and elders of Albania to work persistently for the establishment of full democracy in Albania. Your League’s mission is great: the struggle for the true emancipation of Albanian women, the struggle for a fair solution to the women’s question, without which no social problem can be solved. Educating children in the spirit of Albanian identity and civic responsibility, and defending individual rights and freedoms, are highly desirable objectives of your movement. The DP will give your organization its full support, regarding it as a true ally in our common path and struggle to establish democracy in Albania. With thanks.

We are certain that analysts, referring to historical facts, will examine the positions of the Albanian Communist Party (KPSH), the Albanian Labour Party (PSH), now the Albanian Party of Labour (PPSH), now the Albanian Socialist Party (PSSH), and Enver Hoxha on Kosovo and the Albanian question in general, from the period of the National Liberation War (A.N.Ç) to the present day. Nevertheless, since this article is not intended to analyze these positions—which time will judge to have been anti-national—I cannot refrain from mentioning one conclusion that emerges from a historical review of the entire period of monist rule, concerning the position taken by Enver Hoxha’s regime and its successor, Ramiz Alia, on the Kosovo question. The conclusion is that Enver Hoxha and the party he led inherited the question of Kosovo and its blood and sacrifices through the centuries, and handed it over to the Serbs in exchange for just one thing: that Enver Hoxha and his party retain their positions, privileges and brutal rule over the Albanian people. So let us leave the past to glorious retrospection, and let the future of Kosovo and all Albanians live with its own fear in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia, which has been at a crossroads for some time, is currently on the brink of civil war. The crisis, which is reaching its peak, is causing the collapse of the Democratic Party and of the entire democratic Albanian people, because three million compatriots—half of our nation—live in Yugoslavia. Today, more than ever, Kosovo is under military occupation by Serbia. The dictatorial Stalinist regime of Sllobodan Milosheviç, the only one of its kind in Europe, is seeking pretexts to carry out genocide against our compatriots. The massacres being prepared by Serbian chauvinist forces in Kosovo threaten the legal order and make the situation in Yugoslavia more precarious, as well as threatening peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe. In this way they openly oppose the democratic processes and institutions in Du-lishtë of the CSCE, which embrace the Kuran, the Bible and the Gospel within new concepts of a united Europe for peace, progress and democracy. In these new circumstances, the Democratic Party adheres to the view that the peoples of the Yugoslav Federation must decide the future of their state. But the Democratic Party openly declares that no solution to the fate of the Yugoslav Federation, consistent with the processes of European security, is possible without respecting the will of our three million compatriots living in Kosovo, all of whom must be free and politically able to determine their own future democratically in Yugoslavia. Under these conditions, the free citizens of Kosovo will claim their place. The Democratic Party and its compatriots are an organization in opposition to the BGSH and to the dictatorial, monist system of centralization of the former PPSH and its leader, E. Hoxha. In tribute to the martyrs who fell for democracy and to the victims of the 47-year period, a minute of silence was observed. Then the jurist Bardha Selenica read aloud the draft program and proposal of this organization. The creation of the LDCSH, she said, is a necessity demanded by the times; it is the crystallization of that nationwide popular movement for freedom and democracy, in which women became active and devoted participants. We will also stand alongside the struggle of our sisters in Kosovo and throughout Yugoslavia, who fight heroically and wisely against the violence and chauvinist oppression of the bloodthirsty Stalinist regime of the miloshevicëve. To be continued: (Continued on page 6) AZEM HAJDARI (Continued on page 6)

The chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, received yesterday morning at the Democratic Party headquarters a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of France, headed by the committee’s chairman, deputy Mi- (Continued on page 4) The chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, received yesterday morning at the Democratic Party headquarters a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of France, headed by the committee’s chairman, deputy Mi- (Continued on page 4)

Recently, incidents against public peace, public and private property, and even the lives of citizens have become more frequent. In Tirana, the number of serious crimes has increased by around 90 percent compared with the same period last year. Shkodra and Durrësi also have high figures, while a large district with many social problems, such as Elbasani, has seen an increase of 9 percent. These two indicators show that the disruption of public order has both objective and subjective causes. The rapid changes that have taken place in recent months in political power—such as the formation of the political police, the election campaign and the creation of a pluralist political system—have caused confusion in institutions and in the work of the public-order organizations. Still inexperienced, they found themselves under pressure and attacks from both the opposition and the ruling party, at times acting in the interests of specific political causes and remaining subject to the threats of both sides. The formation of a government of stability and the evolution of the political situation are creating a new climate for the work of the public-order bodies, which must move from formal depoliticization to complete freedom from party commitments, particularly in their work. In turn, the parties must help stabilize the morale of the public-order forces by raising public awareness through various activities and the press. The reorganization of government at the base of the state pyramid, particularly in the district executive committees, creates favorable conditions for strengthening the organizational work of the public-order forces. The paralysis of government has not only deprived police work of essential support, but has also involved the police in actions that are not its responsibility. The police have to intervene in every kind of dispute, in forced entries into homes, in the theft of cows from cooperatives, and so on. It is well known that these violations are the result of problems and hardships accumulated over 45 years, and they will be resolved alongside economic development. Nevertheless, the normalization of the work of the public-order forces depends to a large extent on the stabilization of government and the economy. On the other hand, restoring public peace is the fundamental condition for reviving the economy, beginning foreign investment, and ensuring the security of persons and property…

On Sunday, an extended meeting was held in one of the halls of the «A. Xhuvani» Palace of Culture to establish the «Democratic League of Women of Albania», a free, democratic and pluralist organization that will fight for democratic victories in Albania. Hundreds of women from the capital and other districts of the country took part in the meeting, including intellectuals and employees of research and scientific institutions, urban and rural enterprises, creative workers, artists, and others. The meeting was opened by Zana Malaj, who spoke on behalf of the initiatory commission about the work carried out so far in Tirana and the districts, as well as the organization’s aims. The organization is in opposition to the BGSH and to the dictatorial, monist system of centralization of the former PPSH and its leader, E. Hoxha. In tribute to the martyrs who fell for democracy and to the victims of the 47-year period, a minute of silence was observed. Then the jurist Bardha Selenica read aloud the draft program and proposal of this organization. The creation of the LDCSH, she said, is a necessity demanded by the times; it is the crystallization of that nationwide popular movement for freedom and democracy, in which women became active and devoted participants alongside their sons. In their struggle against the dictatorship and the 47-year oppression of the medieval Stalinist, Enverist system, for the establishment of democracy and human rights, for a better life and for bringing Albania into the ranks of Europe’s leading countries, Albanian women, who make up more than half the population, need an organization of their own that is genuinely free and democratic, one that will facilitate and democratize relations among them and enable them to take their place with dignity alongside the other countries of Europe. We will stand alongside the struggle of our sisters in Kosovo and throughout Yugoslavia, who fight heroically and wisely against the violence and chauvinist oppression of the bloodthirsty Stalinist regime of the miloshevicëve. Recalling the past, she said that through the paralysis of class warfare, the black dictatorship sowed fratricidal conflict and discrimination against Albanians; [the fragment continues] for the complete triumph of democracy, the emancipation and progress of our country, and its dignified integration alongside the other countries of Europe. We will stand alongside the struggle of our sisters in Kosovo and throughout Yugoslavia, who fight heroically and wisely against the violence and chauvinist oppression of the bloodthirsty Stalinist regime of the miloshevicëve. Recalling the past, she said that through the paralysis of class warfare, the black dictatorship sowed fratricidal conflict and discrimination against Albanians; [the fragment continues] for the complete triumph of democracy, the emancipation and progress of our country, and its dignified integration alongside the other countries of Europe. (Continued on page 6)