ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD «Raull Uollenberg» The Information Center of the Democratic League of Kosovo announces that Dejvid L. Filips, chairman of the American Congress Foundation for Human Rights, sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Kosovo, dr. Ibrahim Rugova, informing him that this foundation is awarding dr. Sali Berisha and him the 1992 Annual Human Rights Award «Raull Uollenberg», which is being presented for the fourth time this year. The letter, dated 8 June, states, among other things: I am writing on behalf of the Council of the Congressional Foundation for Human Rights to inform you that the 1992 Annual Human Rights Award «Raull Uollenberg» Human Rights Award» (The 1992 Furth Annual «Raoul Uollenberg Human Award), which the Congressional Foundation for Human Rights grants to individuals for their courage and sacrifice on behalf of Human Rights and humanitarian causes, will be awarded to «Albanian democracy». The award will be presented to you and President Sali Berisha at a ceremony in New York in October or November 1992. Dr. Berisha was very pleased to hear this during the meeting we had last week in Skopje. Previously, this prestigious Award has been given to the president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havelit, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, and the Chinese Student Democracy Movement of Tiananmen Square, the letter concludes, signed by Dejvid L. Filips.

On Monday, President Sali Berisha met with the President of the United States, Xhorxh Bush. President Berisha arrived at the White House at 19:30 Albania time, accompanied by Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi and Minister of Trade and Foreign Relations Artan Hoxha. He held a cordial conversation with President Xhorxh Bush. Foreign Minister Xhems Bejker, the United States ambassador to Albania, William Rojerson, and other officials were present at the meeting. President Bush welcomed President Berisha and assured him that the United States supports democratic processes in Albania. He added that he had signed an economic aid agreement for Albania, which had been sent to Congress for approval. President Berisha expressed his gratitude to President Bush for the support the United States has given to democratic developments in Albania. President Berisha told President Bush that Albania had gone through a very difficult period under communist oppression and that the country’s current situation was difficult. Therefore, Albania needs immediate assistance during this transition to a free market. The two leaders also discussed the situation of Albanians in the former Yugoslavia. This is the first time a president of Albania has met with the American president. After the meeting with President Bush and other senior American officials, President Berisha said: - I think this meeting has been historic. It opens a new era in relations between Albania and the United States of America. We discussed at length the economic and political situation in Albania and the situation in the region. I can say that we found understanding on all the problems we discussed. The United States is fully committed to helping Albania and to resolving the problems in the region. «RD» correspondent.

Meetings by the Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party, Mr. AZEM HAJDARI, in the Shijak area On 11 and 12 June, the DP deputy chairman and head of the DP political sector, Mr. Azem Hajdari, held meetings in electoral district no. 13, the area he represents as a deputy in the People’s Assembly. He held meetings in a number of villages, as well as an important meeting with the heads of Shijak’s economic enterprises. At this meeting he called on them to fully commit themselves to getting their enterprises operating and to cooperate with their enterprise specialists in order to structure long- and short-term programs suited to the government’s economic reforms. At this meeting, as well as at the meeting he had with the mayor, Sallmone, Mr. Azem Hajdari stressed that the DP chose its own democratic government and would strongly support it for the program it had presented to parliament, and which— (Continued on page 2)

The PS leaders and its journalists, whether salaried or volunteers, never tire of throwing ... - It is judged by its deeds and — One is judged by deeds, not words. The PS wants to emerge from its congress with at least the phantom of a victory — With its scorched-earth scenario, which it carried out even in broad daylight, the PS devastated the country so badly that it is no exaggeration to say we are once again as we were on November 29, 1944. To the deep wounds bequeathed to us by the PP or PS have been added the inevitable difficulties of dismantling the old system and moving to a market economy. It was the PP or PS, the path pursued through blindness and stubbornness, that hurled us into the abyss. But, in keeping with that old Enverist habit, the socialists want to shift the blame onto others, first and foremost the PD and democracy in general. They have left our great house in ruins, with only four walls, and to rebuild it properly, as we all want, will certainly take time, support and substantial help from both inside and outside the country. How “sincere” the socialists are, as they pour gasoline on long-standing popular discontent, is also clear from their conduct in parliament. Those who until yesterday had their foot on the people’s throat now present themselves as their greatest well-wishers, as if they had never harmed them and could not sleep for concern over their troubles. The people gave the PD their vote so that it would correct some of the injustices of the Enverist dictatorship and uproot its sickly, futureless offshoots. Two among the many decisions of parliament and the new government serve this purpose: the increase in... (Continued on page 2)

We must understand and accept that, during this time of transition, our democracy is exposed to cold currents coming from many directions: Those who lost political power are ready to go without food and grow stronger as democracy weakens. Their fifth column consists of the functionaries of that system, a veritable sclerosis of our nation. Their removal is vital for democracy and serves human welfare and humanitarianism. At this time, I also see a current danger to democracy in some of those who do more than others to bring about its victory. Since the level of emancipation of our civic thinking is not high, the danger of treating democratic processes subjectively is considerable. There are also significant shortcomings in the weak links between the central DP leadership bodies and those in the districts. The composition of the National Council also plays a part (excluding the district DP chairmen here). Nevertheless, this polarization will be minimized if those elected make frequent contact with the periphery. Suffice it to say that at the recent meetings of the Berat DP steering committee, none of those elected to the central leadership bodies attended to exchange views for mutual benefit. The latter means that views about a district reach the center through the DP chair-secretary, who, in any case, does not eliminate subjective opinion. In democracy, no one is too late. This saying expresses values vital to the existence and development of democracy. Anyone who has done something for democracy and comes to understand that they must return to their workplace thereby shows consideration for their democratic work. A democrat’s true satisfaction should lie in doing something to create Since the level of development of our civic thinking is not high, the risk of approaching democratic processes subjectively is considerable. The weak links between the central PD leadership bodies and those in the districts have been a significant shortcoming. The natural fact that many of those elected to the PD’s central bodies came from the capital actually goes beyond this, resulting in undemocratic polarization. Suffice it to say that of the 19 people elected to the PD leadership, 16 live in the capital. More or less, this tendency cannot be avoided by subjective thinking. In a vital to democracy’s existence and development. For someone who has done something for democracy and understands the reality, the need to return to their place of work presents a difficulty in having done something to create an environment in which a decent and capable person can develop, regardless of party affiliation, and in having the ability to open the way for the capable. At the national level, this will bring more material and spiritual benefits to the capable and fewer to the less capable. This is not... (Continued on page 2)

The PS leaders and its journalists, ngrogtare or volunteers, never tire of throwing balloons and fireworks to convince the country and the world that their party is not the 50-year-old PP, that it has distanced itself from Enver, his theory, practice and tradition, and that it is worthy of the Socialist International. Let us begin the analysis with its parliamentary group. Alongside several intellectuals of reputation, it also gave parliamentary mandates to some people who seem to have long belonged on the defendants’ bench or in prison cells, for old and new offenses. Apparently, this undeserved support is a debt owed to them, so that they can serve the party until they completely expose themselves or make the ultimate sacrifice. March 22 gave us power during one of the most grave, difficult and critical periods.

On June 12, 10 more ambulances from Germany arrived in Durrës. They are a gift from the German Government to improve the transportation of the sick in Albania. This shipment completes the fleet of 120 vehicles that Germany sent in December 1991. The German Ambassador, Dr. Claus Vollers, handed the ambulances over to the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Nuri

The scene we watched on television, in brief: Deputy Skënder Shkupi, on behalf of the parliamentary committee on information media, reads out the qualifications of the members of the governing council of RTV. When it is the turn of the candidate proposed by the PS for this council, Mr. Shkupi says very graciously: “I will not read this gentleman’s qualifications, because the PS has not submitted them. If anyone from the PS has them, they can provide us with them now.” The chairman of the PS parliamentary group, Comrade N. Dokle, apparently decided to save the deputies’ time, and was content with a laconic phrase: — There is no need to read out our people’s qualifications. The people know them. Perhaps there were quite a few television viewers who did not like Chairman Dokle’s aggressiveness. But, in all fairness, it must be admitted that he was right in this statement. The candidates proposed by the socialists really are known to the people, and there is no way they could not be, because: 1. Kujtim Ymeri. A whole life steeped in the Marxist-Leninist teachings of Comrade Enver, as publisher of his “works” at the infamous Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies, directed by Nexhmija, F. Nano and F. Kumbaro, and other godfathers of the same ilk. For his unshakable loyalty to them, after being shaped and indoctrinated there, he was sent to the Qarçani government’s press office to zealously and competently publicize its well-known deeds. 2. Sefedin Çela. A comrade and close friend of Kujtim, trained as a cadre in the same nest of Mother Hen Nexhmije. 3. Albert Minga. Director of films about gangs and saboteurs who are “criminals” solely because they are anti-Communist; at the same time, he was a PS parliamentary candidate in the recent elections. The people know him very well too. Better than anyone, the people of his own district, Vlorë, who, because they knew him, did not give him their vote for deputy. They are our colleagues, and we would not wish to deal with them, but our former colleague, the star whom the Albanian communists suddenly discovered precisely when their own star had finally set, Mr. N. Dokle, compelled us to do so. With his customary arrogance, Mr. Dokle, a former member of the Political Bureau, takes his place on the podium in the true tradition of the labor party. In that parliamentary display of arrogance (the only state), he did not read out their qualifications, as was done for everyone else. For the sake of transparency, we have a duty to complete this publicly aired maneuver with information and evidence; therefore, we have written about it briefly in this article.

Smokthina — a place of numerous rocky crags and farmland, but also of hardworking people, strong enough to endure a difficult struggle for survival. Veçkë, Ramicë, Verbas, Matogjin, Bashaj, Vermik, Mesaplik and Ballaban — forgotten villages of this region in the area of the River of Vlorë, which for several months have been left without an interurban bus service. Leaving Drashovicë behind, we enter the area of the river. Here Shushica has a narrow valley, continually battered by the Tartari and Lungara mountain ranges where they meet at the Kuç pass. We arrive in Kotë, the area’s hub, where the new wind of democracy embraces itself through changes in the clothing and efforts being made. There are changes in attitudes, while facing an unyielding government; these also contain... In the ... of the town-village of Ko- As soon as we enter Velçë, with its famous caves, Buzëmbarë does not stop several families from greeting us with two fingers raised and the words: “Freedom — Democracy...” We reach Ramicë, the village built on rock, before nightfall. It is the village of the 36 martyrs of the National Liberation War and has a large memorial in its center. All around, the rocks are ... while the scrub and terrapins have now become one with the darkness. Amid discussions about democracy and the village’s concerns, former old communist Muço Lame, ... as the principal ...; the low prices paid for collecting produce were the most ... and do not encourage or provide security for the farmer. Also, the club ... because of the politics of the “enemy” democrats and socialists, the migration from the fields of Ballaban. The ... of Parikë and ... here in the mountains of stone. Nevertheless, they... — “Thank goodness we’ve escaped the endless meetings of the leadership,” says Uncle Muço’s son, Shkëlqimi, the former cooperative accountant. — “Thank goodness we’ve also escaped the days of Enver,” adds Uncle Muço. He respects the PD and says that those who set democracy in motion first will be honored by the whole nation. FREEDOM AND BLASPHEMY Deeper in the mountains lies Matogjin, the village of seventeen slabs of rock. There, on the bank, we meet the teacher Shpend Curraj. He was conducting a physical education lesson with his students: a 200-meter running race over a huge strip of rocks. The head of the PD in the village, the young doctor Naim Cobal, tells us that village life today is difficult. Although he has 50 goats, his wife does not even have 75 lek to buy medicine. — Our area, says Namiku, is a mountainous area and needs to be subsidized by the state, like the Northeastern regions. It would also be essential to establish an intermediary link between village and town to put an end to speculation in the distribution and prices of fertilizer, seeds, etc. The lack of newspapers and TV (the repeater is broken) has made democracy progress here with difficulty and blasphemy; an intellectual manages to campaign for the PS, while a little farther up the mountain a village child gnaws on a piece of cold cornbread... Nevertheless, the farmer now feels more secure: he has freedom and property. “THE VICTORY OF DEMOCRACY — FAITH AND SECURITY...” Bashaj, deep in its own valley, at the foot of Mount Tartari, is a village... (Continued on page 3)

— One is judged by deeds, not words. The PS wants to emerge from its congress with at least the phantom of a victory —

Since the level of development of our civic thinking is not high, the risk of approaching democratic processes subjectively is considerable.

quickly! Quantity of... its... and ... and narrow- has... So, in PS. ...eased ...gave... Si- ...and un- ...an- ...mumm ...emo- ...roma) ...we ...all ...LLL