The long-awaited emergence of the Albanian opposition was an event for all progressive Albanian forces, for the Albanians of Kosovo, the diaspora, and all democratic forces around the world that are friends of Albania. The support of personalities such as Kadare, Qosja, Rugova, Demaçi, Bukoshi, Pipa, Basha, Bejkeri, Kohl, Andreoti, Mejxher, Xhimi Karter, Demireli, European parliamentarians, American congressmen, and senior officials from all Western countries is now well known. These include, for example, Italy’s Minister of Transport, Mr Granini, the German Secretary of State, the American ambassador to Albania, and others, without in any way forgetting our distinguished intellectuals who took an active part in the democratic processes: the 182 intellectuals who signed that manifesto, and dozens and hundreds of others who support it and are signing it. Continuing this account of support, read page 4.

Political temperatures are rising rapidly during these difficult days of the last winter of totalitarianism in Albania. The election campaign, now in full swing, has two protagonists: the country’s two largest political forces, the DP and the SP. Although people are still unaccustomed to the game of political struggle and the rules of democracy, even those who will not vote for the opposition need not feel discouraged. The democratic order belongs to everyone. This creates the right conditions for genuine national reconciliation. Little by little, the DP is making people understand that, under democracy, for work that earned her 126 old lek from the cooperative. Is there a more beastly form of exploitation? Is there any bej, aga or Lujgj in the world who has sucked the life out of the peasant as our communists have? And now the professor dares to frighten our peasant with the prospect of possible future exploitation, when he has not uttered a single word about the way he was treated like an animal in the very recent past. How does the SP respond to this message? At every level of this party, alarm bells are ringing: the DP will bring fascism! There is absolutely no argument in this propaganda. It is said that the DP attacked Pashko, Ruli and Zogaj, just as Enver Hoxha once did. Everyone who believed this fable was surprised to see Pashko running as a parliamentary candidate in Vlora, Ruli in Gjirokastër, and Zogaj on the proportional-representation list. Meanwhile, it is not known which list Spiro Dede is on. It is said that the DP will give the land to beys and agas. Anyone who picks up the DP’s election platform, published in the newspaper, will not find this word anywhere. It is interesting that all the fuss is about 3.7 percent of the formerly cultivated land (see the Report to the First Congress of the PKSH, 1948), which today amounts to less than 2 percent. It is said that the DP will attack peasants and their interests because Burbota did the same thing in France in 1815. This historical parallel is drawn by a historian who deals in absurdities. The analogy is distorted. If there is anything resembling Burbota from almost 200 years ago in Albania today, it is the communists. In the time of the king, the French peasant was a serf of an aristocrat and, at the same time, of the sovereign. In the time of Enver Hoxha and Ramiz Alia, the Albanian farmer was a slave to the great dictator and to the little dictators who made up the triumvirate: council chairman – cooperative chairman – party secretary. The SP seeks to frighten the peasant with the bogeyman of an imaginary dictatorship. Who are the people doing this? To clarify, we will give an example. In Baldushk, a cooperative member had a daily quota of preparing and packaging a quantity of alfalfa seeds that would fetch approximately 90,000 old lek on the market. For this work today, the professor dares to frighten our peasant with possible future exploitation, while not having said a single word about his animal-like treatment in the very recent past. The SP offers a utopian economic program: grafting a market economy onto a centralized socialist economy. These two systems are mutually exclusive. Social protection for the poor in Sweden or Switzerland became possible only after decades of purely capitalist development, when individuals—and consequently the state—had become wealthy enough to make the social policies now implemented in those countries possible. Albania needs many years of capitalist development to reach that stage. With democratic governance, at least 10–12 years, according to the German Minister of Economy, Mr Ridel. Mr Nano insists that this can be achieved starting today. The SP presents its views and conducts its election campaign with extreme aggression. The manifesto “SP Will Win,” published in “ZP” at the opening of this campaign, is an example of anti-culture, with its insults, attacks and sniping being extremely irritating. The authors were so blinded by megalomania that they uttered absurdities. This aggression is so great that on Monday Mr Nano even dared to attack on television the 182 distinguished intellectuals who formulated the appeal “The Homeland Is Calling Us.” From this perspective as well, a negative election result would be a necessary and very beneficial treatment for the SP, a therapy for renewal. Perhaps they themselves would understand what their values are and where and why they are making mistakes. Perhaps they would reflect on the future, so that in 1996 they could enter the parliamentary elections as a genuine European left rather than its caricature. The are rapidly drawing to a close. The electoral campaign, now in full swing, has as its protagonists the country’s two largest political forces, the PD and the PS. struggle and the rules of democracy, they are generally finding their bearings correctly, without falling victim to propaganda facades. What messages are these two parties bringing to their electoral campaigns? The PD, as the country’s largest party, bears the historic responsibility for establishing, consolidating and developing democracy in Albania. Its profoundly democratic spirit can be felt in its conception of political struggle itself as a forum for the presentation of programs, unbiased debate, logical argument and a commitment to social peace, cooperation and national reconciliation. The PD insists on building a genuine market economy following the model of Western democracies. It adheres to the principle of establishing free economic relations among free people in a free country. The state’s role in economic life will be greatly reduced. It will act as an arbiter that scrupulously upholds the law—that is, the rules of the game played for the mutual benefit of the employer (private firms) and the employee (who is protected by the trade union). The PD considers property sacred. The affirmation of property is an affirmation of human dignity. A state is wealthy only when it is built on the strength of wealthy citizens; therefore, people’s prosperity remains a constant concern for the PD. Our people will carry out the colossal work they will invest in building modern Albania with the greatest satisfaction, because profit will be the lever of Archimedes. The incentive to change one’s way of life, to live better, to make one’s family happy is a fundamental motive for working with dedication. The PD has all its doors open. If the overwhelming majority of the PD have spoken in the clear language of democracy, saying that after March 22—

I have come to convey to the Democratic Party the greetings and support of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and of its chairman, Chancellor HELMUT KOHL- Interview with Mr Klaus Byler, a Christian Democratic Union deputy in

Interview with Mr Klaus Byler, a Christian Democratic Union deputy in the German parliament, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and of the Western European Union. “RD”: Mr Byler, what changes have you noticed in Albania since your last visit? Byler: I first visited Albania as an international observer during the elections of 31 March. Secondly, I came in September at the invitation of the Democratic Party, and now I have come again in March, once more as the Party’s guest. Now, on this third visit, again invited by the DP, I have come a few weeks before your country’s parliamentary elections, and what I have noticed with satisfaction is the political change, not only in the cities, which was already clear to me a year ago, but also in the villages. I had the opportunity to travel to areas of the coun- (Continued on page 4)

For your information: Comrade Nano A short while ago, our newspaper published an article entitled “Adil + Farudin + Fatos = Iliria Holding.” Delving into the labyrinths of the company “Iliria Holding,” the article states that Fatos Nano, chairman of the Socialist Party, in his former role as secretary of the Council of Ministers and later as prime minister on two occasions, provided the company’s president, Hajdin Sejdia, with a set of authorizations, one of which appointed him economic, commercial and financial adviser and gave him free rein to enter into negotiations with other foreign companies for the storage and processing of oil, etc. Also by authorization from Comrade Fatos Nano, Hajdin Sejdia received three villas from the Directorate of Reception at very low rates. It should be noted that Comrade Fatos did these things when he was a communist and had not yet received his Socialist Party membership card. Meanwhile, Iliria Holding signed a contract with the State Bank for Foreign Relations, signed by Comrade Shkëlqim Cani (a member of the Socialist Party leadership and a parliamentary candidate for that party), to establish a joint Albanian-Swiss bank whose activities would encompass all types of domestic and foreign banking, financial, advisory and commercial business. The chairman and deputy chairman of the government (Fatos Nano and Shkëlqim Cani) took an encouraging stance toward “Iliria Holding,” even though they had been informed of the issues concerning the company’s credibility. Thus, on 3. 9. 1991; 12: 3: 1991 and 3: 5: 1991, Shkëlqim Cani was informed in writing by the Council of Ministers’ apparatus about the issues concerning the company’s credibility, but did not (Continued on page 2)

On Monday, at 15:30, around 30,000 residents of the towns of Patos and Fier gathered for an enthusiastic rally organized by the PD branch in Fier and the Patos sub-branch. The vice-chairman of the PD, Prof, Dr, Sali Berisha, the member of the governing committee and the PD candidate for parliament in this area, Mitro Cela, and others also took part. On the podium, he was greeted by a storm of applause and a mighty chorus of calls: «Our votes are for you», «Freedom-Democracy», etc. The day when Albania will finally part with communism, the day of March 22, when people will vote for a truly democratic Albania, for the noble ideals of our nation, is very near, Mr. Berisha stressed at the beginning of his speech. We believe that the oil workers of Fier and Patos, who were barbarously exploited by the red dictatorship, will vote for them, for a better life. M- (Continued on page 2)

– 400 tons of food and medicine aid from France are swallowed up by the red relative’s whirlpool in Vlora. – A minor oversight in the documentation exposes a major abuse – (READ ON PAGE 2)