SPEECH BY MR. PJETER ARBNORI AT THE FIRST SESSION OF PARLIAMENT I do not regard the great honor of opening the proceedings of the First Democratic Parliament of the postwar period as something bestowed upon me, but as belonging to all the democrats who have suffered in prisons, internment and exile, to all those mentioned above, to all the martyrs of the darkest era our Fatherland has endured. In the name of our mothers and sisters, who lived in sorrow, in the name of our children, raised in hardship, I thank the first demonstrators; I thank the students who ignited the spark of democracy. 22 March was a triple celebration: spring arrived, democracy arrived, and after a long drought a gentle, blessed rain fell, reviving the vegetation in the fields and mountains and washing away the colors and the communist plague. After half a century of being forgotten by the world, we turned our eyes to God, and God looked upon us with His light. After the great victory of democracy, nothing terrible happened, nor will it happen! Our people showed themselves to be mature and measured, and passed this turning point with admirable calm. This was everyone’s victory, including that of those who remember that there is honor and dignity in work, and that they lacked nothing but freedom. Our Parliament bears the responsibility of building a state governed by law in place of illiberalism, a state in which the dimensions of human freedom accord with the Helsinki and Paris Charters. Parliament must be guided by tolerance, against feelings of revenge, against revanchism. Enough mothers have worn black until now; we must work so that other mothers do not have to wear garments of mourning. It is a great fortune that the First Democratic Parliament is diverse; it is an even greater fortune that there is an opposition in Parliament. It would be a national misfortune if the victorious party took all the votes and was left without opponents. Then it would be its own opponent. The opposition must serve as a mirror for the majority party. The clearer the mirror, the more faithful the reflection. This benefits both sides. In this way the opposition, too, can make a concrete contribution to ensuring that Parliament follows the right path for the good of the nation, in keeping with the tradition of the great Western democracies, which have shown that freedom and progress are an inseparable pair. I wish the new Parliament success in creating a modern state governed by law, according to today’s standards, as a condition for establishing order and calm, opening the way to economic and social progress and union with Europe, and resolving the national question in the spirit of Helsinki and Paris. Thank you.

2 April happened in Shkodër. There, unbearably, in the life of this people. 2 April happened in Shkodër. There, unbearably, in the life of this people, where the DP won decisively. But it could have happened anywhere, anywhere the dictatorship held sway. The ballot box had a secret voting booth, but as soon as you came out of it you would feel the limbs of the machinery of violence. On 2 April 1992, after casting their vote for the DP, citizens came out to celebrate, just as they had done on 23 March 1991! But a year earlier, gatherings were forbidden! It was not like ancient Rome! In Rome it had become customary—it is impossible to remember since when, Plutarch writes—that if an accused citizen did not appear in court, then ordinary people would go to his house and wake him before dawn with trumpets, so that he would go to court himself...! That is what happened in ancient Rome, but not now, in civilized times. Back then, the people had the right to assemble and the authorities (centuries ago!) tolerated these gatherings! Whereas today, on 2 April 1991, in Shkodër and everywhere in Albania... the sound of Roman trumpets was accompanied by rifle shots! By means of voting and gatherings in front of the PPSH Committee, the people called for the culprit, Communism, to leave the stage of public life... of this people. Those four and dozens of wounded became irreversible witnesses to democracy’s knock at the door. They proved with their lives that the vote cast against communism was still not enough, still... The permanent departure of the shadows of power and of monuments protected by an unlawful law, the acceptance of pluralism, the right to free speech without human rights being free, the need for yet more human lives to be given, proved that it was still April... A year later, one April later, the democratic spring cannot help remembering the first flowers of the spring gone by. If only we had them, if only they had not been cut down as they were, stealthily, if only... If only those four could come out too, to celebrate 23 March 1992 at daybreak. Let them not stand out as martyrs of Shkodër’s 2 April; let them be among the other anonymous people, so long as they were there... Democracy is a fruit that belongs to everyone. It does not demand sacrifices such as that of the young men of Shkodër, the flower of the city. Their martyrdom compelled the dictatorship. We dare not say: they are alive, they cast their votes, even on 22 March...! We cannot do that... We cannot forget their lives! 2 April 1991 was immortalized by their lives. So that it would not be forgotten. So that it would remind us. F. M. Through their votes called for the removal from the stage of Albania’s blood-soaked life of Communism, the guilty party’s home. Democracy had opened its democratic trial. Arben Broci, Bujar Besanakut, Naim Kryeziu, Besnik Ceka were the irrevocable witnesses that communism had become

On 3 April, Italian Foreign Minister Mr. De Mikelis arrived in Tirana. From there, the Italian Foreign Minister went to the city of Durrës and was received at one of the premises of the Executive Committee, where he held a meeting with the chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania, Mr. Sali Berisha. The talks were also attended by Democratic Party MPs Aleksandër Meksi, Azem Hajdari, Bashkim Kopliku and Genc Ruli. The Italian ambassador to Albania, Torquato Cardilli, was also present. After the meeting, Mr. Berisha and De Mikelis held a press conference in the presence of Albanian journalists and the Italian journalists accompanying Minister De Mikelis in Albania. Taking the floor, Mr. Berisha said: This is the first and most important meeting that the Albanian opposition has held since the elections of 22 March. Expressing his pleasure at this meeting with Mr. De Mikelis, Berisha stressed that we will explore every possibility for intensive cooperation between our two countries; at the same time, he also expressed his thanks ... Regarding Albania’s relations with America and the European countries, Mr. Berisha said: I think you should understand the Albanians: after half a century of isolation, the United States has been in the minds of Albanians a symbol of freedom, just as America has been for all the countries of Europe since the Second World War. Relations with Europe cannot fail to be close after the victory of democracy, and Albanians cannot fail to want to unite with Europe when every Albanian’s dream is to unite with Europe. One of the most realistic possibilities for this is also a connection with Italy, our neighbor. I would like to add, Mr. De Mikelis told the journalists, that there is no need to invent things that do not exist. Italy is not jealous of the fact that other European countries or the United States of America are closer to the Albanians. We believe that all democratic countries should stand by Albania; naturally, ties with Italy are more advantageous because of the geographical and historical proximity of the two countries. After a visit to the troops of Operation «Pelikan», Italian Foreign Minister De Mikelis left our country. ZAMIRA KOLECI The meeting with the PD delegation and our friend Berisha, de Mikelis declared, was very important, warm and useful. On behalf of the Italian government, he then expressed his satisfaction with the election results, both in terms of transparency and the fairness with which they were conducted, which are a sign of the democratic maturity achieved in Albania. Our great satisfaction will It is important that the Albanian opposition has developed since the elections of 22 March. Expressing his satisfaction with countries. He also expressed his thanks to the Italian minister for the great assistance that his government and Italy have given our country during this difficult period. I have great hope, Mr Berisha concluded, that these ties will grow stronger in the future as well, and that Albania will always see Italy as a great opportunity for integration into Europe.

The day before yesterday, the PD National Council met, its first meeting since the elections of 22 March. The opening address was delivered by the chairman of the Democratic Party, Dr. Sali Berisha. The victory of 22 March, he said, was the realization of the ideals and aspirations of all democrats to break away from communism. Our people deserve such a victory and demonstrated their democratic maturity, as few other peoples in Eastern Europe have done. The victory had its own characteristics, which determined its success both domestically and internationally. There is a belief among the people that the PD can stabilize public order and create the conditions for business and investment. We have accepted little at the very foundation, but this does not mean that there are only obligations toward the people. Building a democratic state brings actions and initiatives down to the individual. The old system taught people to wait for things from above and ask: What will you do for us? (?). We do not have planned development, although this does not mean that the government is relieved of these responsibilities. Its work takes other forms in a market economy. Then Mr. Eduard Selami, deputy chairman of the PD, took the floor. People’s hopes must be fulfilled. This is not the fate of the PD but the fate of all Albania, he said. The successes proved that the National Council’s decisions had been right. He emphasized the special role of Dr. Prof. Sali Berisha in this victory. Mr. Eduard Selami then raised the issue of proposals for the office of president (together with the selection of his powers), the presidium of the People’s Assembly, the prime minister, and the leadership of the PD parliamentary group. Mr. Azem Hajdari clarified the necessity of increasing the president’s powers within the framework of a parliamentary republic, given that the PD has the right to exercise the power entrusted to it by the people through their vote. The PD promises to build an honest government, Mr. Hajdari emphasized. The meeting then proceeded to concrete proposals and approval of candidates. At the end, Mr. Arben Demeti announced that an extraordinary PD conference would soon be convened to elect the new chairman of the PD and address several other issues. Corr. 1 «RD»

Radio Croatia reports that the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia has been proclaimed. The Assembly for the politico-territorial autonomy of Albanians in Macedonia, based in Tetovo, proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida. The territory of the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida includes the municipalities of Kumanova, part of Skopje, Tetovo, Gostivar, Kërçova, Dibra, Struga, and the settlements with Albanian populations in other municipalities which, in terms of their economic and geographic characteristics, according to the criteria of the Hague Document, are entitled to and should be included in the territory of this republic. This is stated in the reasoning of the Assembly for Territorial and Political Autonomy, signed by the Assembly’s chairman, Xhulis Fejzullahu. In accordance with this act, the Assembly also proposed amending the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. Article 3 of the Constitution of Macedonia should be supplemented with a new paragraph, which would stipulate that the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida is within the Republic of Macedonia. Meanwhile, in Part Two, point 4 of the Constitution of Macedonia, it is proposed to incorporate a provision guaranteeing the autonomy of the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida in economic and financial governance, the organization of banks, spatial planning, and the use of natural resources and cultural and other assets within the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Ilirida. At the end of the proposal to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, it is stated that if the assembly of this Republic does not approve the proposal to amend the Constitution of Macedonia and does not define and guarantee the demands for the politico-territorial autonomy of Albanians in Macedonia, we will be compelled to advance our political determination in accordance with the natural, ethnic and historical right of the Albanian people to self-determination.

Work is being sought for the government in the United States of America. Interested parties should submit their application and details to the address: Davit Herold, 5345 Forney Road, Dallas, Texas 75227 U.S.A.

May God, may God look upon us with His light. After the great victories people proved mature and restrained, everyone’s victory, including those who think they have lost. They will soon understand that there is sunshine for everyone, that they will be freer in a democracy than under their own regime, provided they submit to the law and do not demand privileges. It is no coincidence that the Albanian nation has survived for centuries. Its great spirit has known how to withstand successive trials with patience and self-sacrifice, and to emerge renewed. Let us prove to the world that we are a nation deserving of support after a long paralysis; Europe and the civilized world will see how quickly we will cast away our crutches and walk in step with them. Our people are not beggars, they

On the occasion of the Day of the Great Bayram, I am pleased to extend my heartfelt wishes to all Muslims of Albania and the diaspora, wherever they may be: «May you celebrate the Feast of the Great Bayram for many years to come, and may it always bring you joy»! For the first time since the end of the communist dictatorship, which was religion’s fiercest enemy, Muslim believers are celebrating their holy days in freedom and democracy. The Democratic Party has also placed at the foundation of its policy the revival and preservation of the traditions of religious communities that have been trampled upon. It guarantees that it will support religion, morality and the law without reservation—these are fundamental elements for reconciliation and national unity. With humility and devotion to the Lord of the Universe, I believe that together we will undertake the many tasks that await us, for the all-round development and progress of our Homeland, and to make our people prosperous and happy like the rest of the civilized world. Prof. Dr. SALLI BERISHA Chairman of the Democratic Party