The Union of Independent Trade Unions of the Tirana district organized a peaceful rally on Monday morning in “Democracy” Square as a protest against parliament, the president and the government for failing to meet their economic demands. Trade unionists from enterprises in Tirana and other districts, students and other citizens took part. The rally was opened by Petrit Dajko, a member of the Trade Unions’ Governing Council. Gëzim Kalaja, chairman of the Governing Council of the BSP for the Tirana district, delivered the opening remarks. He emphasized that the Government of Stability had not honored its agreement with the trade unions concerning their economic demands. Consequently, the trade unionists have lost confidence in this government and are calling for state institutions to be purged of the red rulers. The situation worsened enormously also because prices were liberalized without workers’ wages being liberalized at the same time. After the opening remarks, Zybi Hoxha greeted the rally on behalf of the Association of Political Prisoners and expressed support for the trade unions in their struggle against communism. Then Egrem Kavaja, a member of the Governing Council of the BSP of Albania; Sami Karriqi, chairman of the Independent Trade Unions of the Tirana Monastery; Gazmend Nushi, representative of Industry for Tirana; Shyqyri Bibibashi, on behalf of the independent trade unions of higher-education instructors; representatives of students of UT Tirana ve larta; representatives of RTV; and representatives of the independent trade unions of Vlora, Puka, Berat, etc., also spoke at the rally. After emphasizing the necessity of fighting communism, they expressed support for the PD’s decision to withdraw from the Government of Stability, stated prof. dr. Sali Berisha’s position on this issue, and condemned Mr. Neritan Ceka’s statement. “RD” correspondent

CRIMINAL PLANS—POLITICAL CAPITAL AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PD AND ALBANIA The PD Presidium and the group of PD deputies, analyzing the grave situation that has arisen, find that its deterioration is the result of: The statements by Mr. Alia and Mr. Bufi made on television after the PD left the Government of National Stability. By describing the opposition as adventurers, the President displayed his Bolshevik political culture and the regard he has for pluralist society, and threatened the people and the entire country. Prime Minister Bufi, with his statement about there being bread for six days, at a time when very large quantities of wheat were in Bajzë, deceived the people and threatened them with famine. These statements, which the PD considers an act of mass psychological terrorism, caused a bread revolt to break out, mainly in the district of Krujë and in other districts of the country, amid fears of famine. It was characterized by theft, looting, arson and plunder, and, most seriously, the loss of innocent people’s lives. The communist officeholders staged this new drama with two main aims: First, to prove to the people, “See what chaos the PD created by leaving the government”; second, to drown out the uproar over the arrests for corruption of Mrs. Hoxha and Mr. Marko, whose trial would clearly prove to the people what the corrupt regime of the dictator E. Hoxha represented. The political trap set by President Alia also contributed to the worsening situation. On the one hand, on 7 December he called the chairman of the PD for consultations on overcoming the government crisis, while at the same time organizing and accepting the movement in front of him, a valuable ally in the democratic developments in our country. He and every ordinary member or leader of the PD have had, and will continue to have, the right to express their independent opinions freely. This has been and will remain an unchangeable law of the sensitive life of the PD. But on this occasion we want to tell Mr. N. Ceka that it is unacceptable for an opposition figure to make statements against the PD in the office of R. Alia, who is the chief architect of that strategy of violence and terror aimed at liquidating the PD and which cost the lives of dozens of members and supporters of this party. It is incomprehensible to us how the deputy chairman of the PD and chairman of the parliamentary group could not deign to call us together to inform us of his resignation, but instead communicated this act to us from President Alia’s office, during a political trap against the PD and its chairman. Mr. Ceka and every member and leader of the party may have disagreements with the party and its leaders, but at this moment, when the communist officeholders are playing with the nation’s fate, to abandon the position where the highest hopes and ideals of Albanians in Albania and throughout the world have placed you means opening the way to the demons of anti-democracy, undoing a suffering people who have emerged victorious, strong and unconquerable in their aspirations and ideals. A committed democrat never chooses such a course. Returning to private life at this moment is no merit. Anyone may make such a decision, but certainly not at a time like this; it should be postponed until later. We secondly, to drown out the uproar caused by the arrest for corruption of Ms. Hoxha and Mr. Marko, whose trial will clearly show Hoxha represented. The worsening of the situation was also contributed to by President Alia’s political trap: on December 7, on the one hand, he called the chairman of the same time organizing and allowing the reading to him of a statement filled with slander and deception about PD and its chairman. In this way, he clearly showed that he is not interested in resolving the grave crisis into which the country has sunk, but is interested in gaining political capital for himself at any cost. Although by this action he excluded from the consultations the country’s largest political party, the main political force of the opposition, PD tells Mr. Alia and the other communist power-holders that it is aware of your criminal plans, but warns you and informs international public opinion that if you set the knives of crime in motion, the Albanian people will not forgive you; history will assign you the place it has always reserved for criminals. Likewise, Mr. E. Mysliu’s statement on television, by a PD deputy but not a member of the party, was balanced and well-founded. In this complicated, surprising and damaging situation, Mr. N. Ceka’s statements are undoubtedly also startling. The leadership of PD and the group of PD deputies state the following regarding Mr. N. Ceka’s positions: Through his activities in Albania and throughout the world, Mr. N. Ceka has shown that to do so would mean opening the way to the demons of anti-democracy, disappointing a suffering people that has emerged victorious, giant-like and unconquerable in its aspirations and ideals. A committed democrat would never choose such a path. later. We think you have made the wrong choice. In your statements, Mr. Ceka, you claim that leaving the Government of Stability was unjustified, since the demands in the declaration of the National Council and the PD parliamentary group had been met. The truth is that those demands had not been met as required in the declaration following the elections by the National Council and PD deputies, either on December 3 or now, and we will examine them one by one. 1. You consider the issue of RTV resolved, but we remind you that the RTV strike continued until December 7 because the director remained the same—and you know this well, as do all the strikers—and RTV had not been changed. As PD, we have neither abandoned nor will we ever abandon those who fight for human rights and social justice. As for the blockages, and the arrests for corruption and financial scandal, we can say that all Albanians had called for them, regardless…

One of the most prominent leaders of the PD, Doctor Gramoz Pashko, was greeted with applause at the press conference held on Monday with representatives of the Albanian and foreign press. Tall and ordinary-looking, Pashko appeared before the journalists immediately after returning from a working visit to England and Italy, this time as a politician. “I accepted without hesitation the PD’s order to ask the Government of Stability to step down,” he said as he began, “and I immediately submitted my resignation. Now the PD will begin to demonstrate and assert itself on the economic scene.” “Pashko clearly sets out the necessity of emerging from anonymity. He said that everyone should express their opinion openly, so that tomorrow the people and the party can judge impartially whether they were right or not. In his view, anonymity would arbitrarily be saddled with Pashko’s mistakes, the PD’s, or vice versa. Asked about Mr. Ceka’s statements, he replied that he is a democrat and an anti-communist. He promised to respond to the motives and content of the statements as soon as he had read them and spoken with Mr. Ceka. Asked why he had accepted the resignation, he replied: “I am a democrat. In a democracy, the will of the majority is obeyed without hesitation. If, in this case, I was right but could not persuade my colleagues, this shows that the arguments are not [convincing]; I would rather take the blame.” Regarding the recent attacks against him on the radio station “Voice of America,” Pashko denied that they could be interpreted as [unclear text concerning] the highest calculations of Albanians: “in Albania and everywhere in the world, means opening the way to the demons of anti-democracy, disappointing certainly not at a time like this; it should have been postponed until later. We think you have made the wrong choice.” At the press conference, many journalists, referring to Mr. Ceka’s statement, asked questions about the president or about the economic and political situation in Albania following the government crisis. Regarding the president, Mr. Pashko essentially said that he had expressed his opinion of the President of the Republic in Parliament, when the vote was held. Today the president is not remaining impartial and is taking one side, but he would do well to come out in support [of it]. But one does not take the stage through television interviews. One takes the stage with clear statements about an agreement. TIRANA KECRO (Continued on page 2)

I. It is December again. It is cold, and there are many shortages in the market. I. It is December again. It is cold, and there are many shortages in the market. The summer months failed to warm what had taken shape in winter. The students return to their buildings and turn their heads toward the square of great upheavals. Pluralism was legalized, the PDSH and many other opposition parties were formed, statues fell, myths were shattered, a free press was born, and people realized that they had not been living for 50 years. And yet, not everything went as it should. Today I remember those extraordinary days of the year more clearly. I remember the article by two of my friends in the first issue of RD, about the students’ four great days. It was the grandeur of a generation that hated dictatorship for life. Only the desire to be human could make thousands of young people feel no tiredness, get no sleep, and want to remain awake. Thousands of students escorted the bus carrying the representatives who had set out to ask the President for pluralism. And that night nobody wanted to go home before reaching the goal that would change the fate of all Albania. At that time Ramiz Alia declared that those who raised their fingers should have them cut off. Nothing was easy. Least of all the realization of a dream for which thousands of people had been imprisoned, killed, pursued... And this generation took upon itself what it had undertaken and ARMAND SHKULLAKU (Continued on page 4)

and not feel tired, not sleep, and want to stay awake. Thousands of students saw off the bus carrying the representatives who night no one wanted to go home before achieving what have them cut off. Nothing was easy. All the more so when it meant realizing a dream for which thousands of people were imprisoned, killed, and persecuted... And this generation took on 4)

AT RINAS AIRPORT Yesterday, students Azem Hajdari, Eduard Salami and Arben Imami returned to their homeland from the USA. Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, Shkëndër Kola, and others had gone to the airport to welcome them. «RD» correspondent. On Wednesday morning, December 7, 1991, in the hall of the … … PR organized a press conference with its former ministers in the Government of Stability of the country. Many members and supporters of this party, journalists from the capital’s press organizations, etc., were present. Also attending were the chairman of PR, Mr. Sabi Celo, and its deputy chairman, Zef Bushati. Deputies Alfred Karamuço and Fatos Bitincka explained in their statements the reasons for … … their transparent aims in drafting the program, and the entirely democratic stance of Prime Minister Ylli Bufi, President Ramiz Alia, and the ministers who attended the meeting concerning their unjustified dismissal from the Government. They emphasized that they had not drafted the program to enhance their own reputation, but their personal and political capital. (Continued on page 2)

FREEDOM DEMOCRACY DOWN WITH DICTATORSHIP FREEDOM FREEDOM DEMOCRACY DOWN WITH COMMUNISM FREEDOM DEMOCRACY

Menti Shk…[?] DEMOCRATIC PARTY DOWN WITH…

On the 12th, at 14:00, in “Democracy” Square, the Democratic Party is organizing a festive gathering to mark the first anniversary of its founding. GOVERNING COUNCIL ________ They wait for days and do not feel the cold. They shout