THE DP’S ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN OPENS There will be no turning back on 26 July — Speech by Mr Eduart Selami at yesterday’s rally in the capital — Dear brothers and sisters! Honored participants! Today we are opening the electoral campaign for Tirana, which made its own special contribution to the victory of democracy on 22 March this year. These elections are a continuation of 22 March, intended to complete the political victory over communism. These elections will be another step toward democracy, another step toward the historic hopes for a blessed Albania, and another important political step toward Europe. We are convinced that there will be no turning back on 26 July, and we are convinced that Tirana, which has been at the forefront of democracy, will once again say no to communism disguised as socialism, and once again say no to corruption. At these first steps of democracy, it needs the support and backing of the whole population; it needs political stability as a condition for economic progress. On our long and difficult national road, within this century alone we have tried three times to establish democracy: in 1924, in 1944, and in the 1990s. The fact that we failed in the first two cases is a historic and national lesson for us all not to wish to repeat them. Looking at the previous elections and the present moment, we must not cloud our perspective. To those who today sound the trumpets of lamentation and pessimism, we wish to recall that during the harshest period of the dictatorship they sounded those trumpets cynically and gleefully, whereas today Albania is not under dictatorship, but taking its first steps toward freedom. This road, which has only just begun, is the road of hope and progress; it is the right road. Very soon, with patience and honest work, we will see and enjoy the results democracy brings—the results that the rest of the world has been experiencing for years and centuries. We are convinced that on 26 July Tirana and Albania will once again say Yes to democracy and progress. Long live you! Long live democracy.

— Talks with President George Bush — Helsinki. — At the luncheon and dinner hosted by Finnish President Kolvisto in honor of the head of the participating delegation, President Berisha met and spoke with US President George Bush and Secretary of State James Baker. He received assurances from President Bush and Secretary Baker that they are making efforts and will help Albania in the future. President Berisha met with the President of the Commission of the European Community, Jacques Delors, to whom he explained the need for swift financial assistance to support the reform. Delors expressed his and the European Community’s commitment to helping Albania during the reform. He informed the president that he was making efforts to secure additional aid for Albania. President Berisha met with Germany’s Chancellor, Kohl, with whom he discussed the expansion of economic contacts and, in particular, financial assistance. Chancellor Kohl expressed his full support for the reforms and economic policy being pursued by the Albanian government. President Berisha held a long and cordial meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Catherine Lalumière. After being briefed on the government’s efforts to implement the reforms and on Albania’s views on resolving the region’s acute problems, Lalumière expressed her support to President Berisha. Ms Lalumière paid special attention to the problem of the Albanians in the former Yugoslavia and confirmed to the president her personal commitment to this issue. That same day, the president met with Spain’s Prime Minister, González. The Spanish prime minister expressed his wish to help Albania, especially in agriculture, where they have extensive experience, as well as in tourism. He said he would consider sending emergency humanitarian aid. President Berisha also met with the President of France, Mr François Mitterrand; British Prime Minister John Major and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, who will soon come to Tirana; Greek Prime Minister Mr Mitsotakis; Portuguese Prime Minister Mr Cavaco; President Valeza; President Havel; Turkish Prime Minister Mr Süleyman Demirel; the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Netherlands; the head of the Italian delegation, Foreign Minister Mr Scotti; and the head of the Swiss delegation.

— Helsinki 2: — “Full readiness to help Albania” — “Kosovo and the Albanian question emerge as a distinct problem” — Yesterday at midday, the Albanian delegation led by the President of the Republic, Mr Sali Berisha, returned to the homeland after taking part in the proceedings of the Helsinki Conference. This is the first time Albania has participated in such a high-level meeting. The Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Mr Pjetër Arbnori, and the Prime Minister, Mr Aleksandër Meksi, were at Rinas Airport to welcome them. After the customary ceremony, President Berisha met and greeted the other senior figures of the People’s Assembly and the Government, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Tirana who were present at the welcome.

WHAT DO THE RUMORS SAY, AND WHAT DO THE FACTS SHOW? Is the world helping us? Not infrequently, now, ahead of the local elections, this question gives rise to discussions that often turn into political debates. Not infrequently, now, ahead of the local elections, this question gives rise to discussions that often turn into political debates. It is well known who is interested in stirring up problems that do not exist. Those who seek to bring such issues to light, those who would be pleased to see our people divided and Albania more isolated and impoverished, are the socialists. But why? The reason is very simple: having no factor in their favor to use during the election campaign, they are trying to take advantage of the difficult situation and the lack of economic and democratic awareness among some people in order to create distrust and dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party government. To achieve this aim, they keep some facts quiet and distort others. But facts, they say, are stubborn. So let us speak in the language of facts about this issue. Is the world helping us? It is now known that Europe and the world began helping Albania only when the organizing forces, especially the DP, took the country’s difficult situation into account and agreed to participate in the Government of Stability. As is known, this aid increased significantly after the victory of 22 March. As for food aid, we list the following: — June 1991: Turkey grants aid worth 7.7 million dollars, consisting of the following food items: flour, sugar, oil, margarine and soap. The entire amount was delivered. — July 1991: five aid packages worth 1.4 million dollars are granted by SIBIA. They included wheat, butter, powdered milk, vegetable oil, canned meat, beans, etc. Of this aid, only a small amount of the above-mentioned goods has yet to be delivered. — August 1991: 19 million dollars’ worth of aid in wheat is granted. — September 1991: aid worth 1.5 million dollars is granted, as a substantial contribution. — June 1992: aid is granted as follows: Turkey, 2.5 million dollars in sugar, oil, soap and detergents. Most of it was delivered in recent days, and delivery of the remainder is continuing; USA, 10.3 million dollars; EC, 2.5 million dollars. Preparations for shipping and delivery of this aid have also begun. Food aid has also been granted by other countries, including Austria, France, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Romania and Libya. The above figures reflect only aid handled by the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Cooperation; they do not include aid provided by various charitable organizations, which is handled by those organizations themselves. Substantial assistance has also been granted to Albania for the various sectors of the new economy. Here are some of these grants: — The EC grants 15 million ECU for the agricultural program, 30 million ECU for the industrial program, 7.5 million ECU in humanitarian aid, and 10.2 million ECU for various sectors such as transport, tourism, the financial sector and privatization. — Italy grants 10 billion lire in aid for education. It has also granted two loans of 30 billion lire each for goods and 30 billion lire for various equipment; to date, 15.8 billion lire for goods and 15.8 billion lire for equipment have been disbursed. The remainder is expected to be delivered. — The USA grants 18 million dollars for the agricultural fertilizer program. — Germany grants 38.7 million DM in technical assistance for agricultural machinery, livestock farming, chrome processing, etc., as well as 40 million DM in financial aid. — The World Bank grants 45 million dollars, together with the Netherlands and Switzerland. Humanitarian goods aid granted by Greece may also be mentioned, as may Germany’s aid of 100 trucks, ambulances and tankers, and Italy’s 1.2 billion lire for ambulances. From the above information, as well as other information not included here, it appears that aid has continued to arrive in the usual way during 1992; although only the first six months are being counted, about four times more aid and loans have been granted than in 1991. The meeting to be held in Tirana on 24–25 May 1992 will also play a very important role in the loans to be granted to Albania in the future. At this meeting, the situation in Albania and ways of helping it will be considered. So, is the world helping us? What remains now is for us to tell the truth about this aid, rather than become victims of those who incite us at the doors of the Albanian embassies, instead of attending to our work and our own door. — Italy grants 10 billion lire in aid for education. It has also granted two loans of 30 billion lire each for goods and 30 billion lire for various equipment. Of the first loan, 15.8 billion lire for goods and 15.8 billion lire for equipment have been disbursed so far; of the second, 15.4 billion. The remainder is expected to be delivered. Other development funding: 30 billion lire for 1992, 40 billion for 1993, and 50 billion lire for 1994. In recent days, another 15 million dollars was granted. Also, around 20 million dollars in additional aid was granted in recent days. — The USA grants 18 million dollars for the fertilizer program for agriculture. — Germany grants 38.7 million DM in technical assistance for agricultural machinery, livestock farming, industry, chrome processing, etc., as well as 40 million DM in financial aid. — The World Bank grants 45 million dollars, together with the Netherlands and Switzerland. Humanitarian goods aid granted by Greece may also be mentioned, as may Germany’s aid of 100 trucks, ambulances and tankers, and Italy’s 1.2 billion lire for ambulances. The above figures and other information not included here show that aid has continued to arrive in the usual way during 1992; although only the first six months are being counted, about four times more aid and loans have been granted than in 1991. The meeting to be held in Tirana on 24–25 May 1992 will also play a very important role in the loans to be granted to Albania in the future. At this meeting, the situation in Albania and ways of helping it will be considered. So, is the world helping us? What remains now is for us to tell the truth about this aid, rather than become victims of those who incite us at the doors of the Albanian embassies, instead of attending to our work and our own door.

Will we endure the endless pain of the disease or the temporary pain of the operation? As a country, during this period we are like a sick person faced with a dilemma: endure forever the pain of an old illness, or agree to an operation and be rid of it once and for all. Naturally, the operation itself will bring pain, but it will be temporary. These include carrying the reform through successfully to the end, social assistance, the liberalization of prices... We are neither the first nor the only ones to face this dilemma and to have to accept this operation, with its prospect of certain success, as our sole saving alternative. Those who underwent it before us have not regretted it. So what should we do? Should we follow their path with confidence and patience, or remain forever in the swamp where the communist-socialists left us, tortured by the unbearable pain of our old illness? The young generations of today and tomorrow will not forgive us if we remain decades further behind Europe, if we continue to travel along original, untrodden paths, if we prove to be frightened children in the face of a necessary operation. We have no right to listen any longer to those who rushed in, put the disease inside us, and caused the illness that has tormented us spiritually and physically for 50 years. Just as they did for 50 years, they want to deceive us again. But, contrary to what they proclaim, we have no other path than the one successfully followed by many others before us. It has become clear that the SP is fighting with all its strength to turn us back from the road we have embarked upon. Whom does this serve? Certainly not the people or the country. It serves only Fatos Nano and his associates, who want to regain power and the privileges they lost at any cost—even by staging another tragedy. Xh. M.

On 9 July, an electoral meeting of the DP branch in the district of Vlorë was held. Mr Eduard Selami, chairman of the DP, was present. Mr Tani was briefed on the procedure for selecting candidates for the councils of the communes, municipality and district, as well as for their chairpersons. The basis was the proposals made at expanded meetings of DP sections in villages and neighborhoods, reviewed at the district level and at meetings of the city’s commune branches. The activists expressed satisfaction with the democratic nature of the candidate-selection process. The candidates’ moral integrity and the respect shown to those proposed stood out. Their educational level and commitment to their work were also generally taken into account. The two candidates for mayor, selected by consensus, included the respected intellectual and branch chairman, Mr Na e si, as well as a candidate with ties to different social groups and a good reputation among the people. Participants discussed his qualities, including his extensive knowledge of the population and the district’s territory, as well as the professional background of his team. Deputy Ibrahim Vasarri then spoke about propaganda issues. He explained the electoral situation and drew attention to the fact that the DP is a party that does more and carries a heavy burden. He stressed that we must explain to the electorate what the reform can achieve and what it has achieved, and that seriousness is required in the organizational matters of the campaign and its essential preparations. Our propaganda must respond democratically to the opposition’s fierce and unrestrained propaganda attack. This can be done with one or more newspapers, but also through frequent contact with the electorate and by clarifying pseudo-issues such as North–South divisions, administrative divisions and the speculation surrounding them. The meeting also discussed the chairman of the Vlorë branch, Mr Afrim Jupi, and it was decided that he should be suspended from his post as chairman until the matter was fully clarified, since Mr Afrim had challenged accusations made by the State Control Commission. The chairman of the DP, Mr Eduard Selami, also spoke at the meeting. He focused on explaining the country’s political and economic situation. “The electoral campaign,” Mr Selami stressed, “is an important campaign for democracy. At its center will be the pressing issues: will democracy continue or not? Will we continue along the path of economic reforms, and can they provide a way forward? The local-election campaign will also be organized around the major concrete problems people face. DP candidates must meet with the electorate, learn about their concerns and convince them that they will be people who help them and solve their problems.” Those present asked a number of questions and sought explanations about law-and-order problems, the issue of the former communist nomenklatura, attempts at mass emigration, etc. He reiterated that fully restoring law and order is a decisive factor for the fate of democracy and reform. He underlined that the issue of the former nomenklatura should not be treated simply as a matter of economic abuse, but as a political issue. The nomenklatura must answer for the political genocide committed against the Albanian people for 47 years, not merely for accusations of economic abuse. Emphasizing the difficulties of the transition, the DP chairman pointed out that every possibility for success exists and that the government must make its greatest efforts to stabilize the major economic problems. There are those who demand more from the government and the DP; although time is short, we can and must do more. DP members and supporters, as well as its government officials and deputies, must feel the weight of the responsibility and the difficult historic task they have undertaken, and work with dedication. Thanking the meeting for its good work in organizing and preparing the local-election campaign, Mr Selami called on the community to participate in the 26 July elections as part of the process of achieving full democracy. LORENÇ LIGORI

1992