The people who gave the Democratic Party their vote of confidence in the March 22 elections because they believed in its program, strength, honesty and courage now have a justified demand: in the local government elections, the DP should put forward as candidates the most capable, best and most honest people, who enjoy the confidence of the majority of the residents of the village or town. For if on March 22 the elections were polarized and many voters did not look at all at who the candidate was, but focused on whether he belonged to the Democratic Party, now, in this calmer period, especially when it comes to local government, people will pay close attention to who the candidate they are voting for is. The Democratic Party has every opportunity, in towns and villages alike, to put forward worthy candidates who deserve the people’s confidence. Why insist on the selection of candidates? Because the Communists—the Laborites, under their Socialist name—in their frenzied campaign against democracy, the DP and Albania, have, among other things, fired many poisoned arrows over the issue of appointing officials. There has not been an appointment over which they have not pursed their lips and unleashed their condemnations. And yet, in some cases they have been right, because they have exploited a mistake made in one district or another. Of course, even if no mistake had been made, they would still have launched an attack. We know this, but what matters is that democracy must never take actions about which the people could have legitimate objections. This is precisely the time for any mistakes that have been made to be corrected with dignity. In Albania, so poor and burdened by a mindset weighed down by the epidemic of mass emigration and a lack of faith in the future, the role of local government—that is, the leaders of communes and municipalities—is of great importance. The people elected need not be orators; first and foremost, they must be capable democrats, with education, culture, broad horizons, initiative and creativity to solve the many difficult problems we face and will continue to face. These are days of great responsibility for the fate of the country; there must be no contradiction between the democratic central government and local government. We must not follow the monist practices of evaluating officials according to when they joined the ranks of democracy, how many rallies they attended, or the fiery speeches they gave. Of course, democrats will want every candidate to be one of their own, but first and foremost he must necessarily be an educated and capable person. In other words, he must have proved himself in the sector where he has worked through competence, reliability, honesty and courage. He must be modest and kind to people, and think about and want to solve the people’s problems. Such a candidate wins people’s hearts and gets their votes. Candidates of this kind will also secure a new victory for democracy in Albania in these elections, so that reform is not obstructed, no step backward is taken, and the world—which welcomed the outcome of the March 22 elections as proof of the anti-Communist spirit of Albanians—is not disillusioned. The people are aware of the difficulties. But they also see the efforts of the first democratic government: it gave land to the peasants and is giving homes to city residents (because, in fact, the people paid for them over many years by building them and paying rent); it is recognizing the property rights of all citizens whose homes, plots and land were dictatorially seized by Communism; and, through its standing, it has already, since accepting the opposition’s participation in the coalition government, secured rapid assistance—(Continued on page 2)

Press conference by the Albanian President, Mr. SALI BERISHA At last, Albania was represented for the first time at head-of-state level at the CSCE meeting in Helsinki. This was also of very great importance to us, emphasized the head of our delegation to this conference, President Sali Berisha. He gave a comprehensive overview of the successes and problems of Albanian democracy at this important forum, where, for the first time, 52 countries—now freed from the constraints of dictatorship—had gathered. In my speech at this meeting, the President emphasized, I presented Albania’s determination to build a state governed by the rule of law, in full respect of human rights. This is also the crux of the democratic process in our country. Albania is now doing many things, so to speak, for the first time. Thus, for the first time, an Albanian head of state—in this case, Mr. Berisha—presented our views on Kosovo. His speech emphasized that only full respect for the rights of the Kosovars would make it possible to resolve the Kosovo problem. This position expresses the determination of the new democratic Albanian state to genuinely defend national aspirations. Not mere propaganda, as the Communist state used to produce, but comprehensive political and diplomatic action. At his press conference, President Berisha provided the media with a transparent account of the meetings and discussions he had held with heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers. He pointed out that Europe and the United States would help Albania on its path toward democracy, easing our serious economic and financial problems, as well as the political concerns arising from the exploitation of the difficulties naturally facing the country and its finances. Although journalists asked many questions during the press conference about whether these promises would be realized, one thing is clear: Albania has received hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, which it has used and continues to use during these difficult days, when industry and agriculture have not yet been brought to their proper capacity. A new chapter, opened only after democracy was established in Albania, is the relationship formed between the United States and Albania. President Bush and Secretary of State Baker expressed their satisfaction with the friendly relations between the two countries, as well as their great appreciation for the achievement of democracy in Albania. They assured President Berisha that the United States would support Albania politically as well as economically and financially on its way toward building a free society. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Italian Foreign Minister Skoti, President of the European Community Zhan Delor, and Turkish Prime Minister Demirel gave assurances that assistance would continue and that support for the new Albanian state, which is reforming its entire society, would not be lacking. Of course, President Berisha emphasized, replying to a question from a “ZP” journalist about concrete projects, these will take some time to prepare. Another success of Albania’s participation in this conference was the assurances given by individual countries that they would support Albania in international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, etc. These are institutions that will be able to finance a wide range of projects in our country, especially in view of the broad scope of the reform’s implementation. Thus the European Common Market, as a powerful economic and political organization, will provide loans on the most favorable terms possible. This is another concrete achievement. It is difficult to sum up in a single report President Berisha’s intensive activity during his participation in the Helsinki meeting. The pace of working meetings was intense, and they were numerous and fruitful. During these days, the Albanian President, Mr. Berisha, also met and held separate talks with senior representatives of Austria and Finland, Portugal and Spain, Poland, etc. All these meetings mark, as can be seen, the end of isolation and the beginning of a new, free and democratic life. During the press conference, President Berisha was asked many questions that had no direct connection with the subject of the conference—namely, Albania’s participation in the Helsinki conference and its diplomatic and national achievements. He was asked questions more closely related to the current election campaign, showing a lack of restraint and, on the part of some journalists, a lack of respect for the subject being addressed at a press conference. Nevertheless, Mr. Berisha answered transparently questions about the distribution of land or the powers of local government, as well as other issues that were raised. We would like to conclude this report with President Berisha’s words on Kosovo: “As we are in connection [sic], the Republic of Kosovo is not ours according to the International Committee, but this does not mean that the International Committee is ignoring, failing to study or showing no concern for the human and national rights of Albanians in Yugoslavia. The fact that this Committee singled out that specific point and unanimously called for an end to repression and for dialogue between Albanians and Serbs, in the presence of a third party, seems to me to show a serious and more concerned position on the part of the European Committee.” Correspondent I. “RD” financially on its path had no direct connection with the subject of the press Nevertheless, Mr. Berisha transparently answered

— TO THE PRESIDIUM OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY — The independent democratic Association of Veterans of the War of the Albanian People fully supports and endorses the proposal by 30 members of the People’s Assembly to outlaw the Communist Party and the Communist Youth Organization. The Communist Party bears primary responsibility for all these destructive consequences that have brought our homeland and country to the extremely miserable state in which we find ourselves today. The Communist Party, by means of the (Continued on page 3)

DP meeting in Peshkopi. On July 10, 1992, the DP activists of the district of Dibër gathered in preparation for the July 26 elections. The meeting was attended by the DP chairman, Mr. Eduard Selami, and the chairman of the district DP branch, Mr. Safet Zhulali. After addressing the election situation and the tasks in detail, the meeting was also informed about a report by the State Audit, which showed that dozens and hundreds of kilograms of essential and staple goods such as oil, soap, sugar, flour, butter, etc., had been stolen and plundered by trade employees, some of whom were also brought to trial. Speaking at the meeting, the DP chairman emphasized that the DP faces a new and major challenge, which it will overcome successfully because it is well organized and committed to the vital issues affecting people. We must also understand the difficulties of the transition, because this is not a matter of changing governments, but of changing the system and, indeed, of a historical transformation. While acknowledging the difficulties, we cannot at the same time accept the malicious propaganda of “Zëri i popullit,” which portrays the situation as entirely hopeless and blows the trumpets of pessimism and despair. This amplifies the difficulties and obscures the road ahead. The commissars of “Zëri i popullit,” in the dark days of dictatorship and poverty, ke (Continued on page 3)

Vladimir Lulo appeared in the pages of «ZP» when the «Enver’s Volunteers» task force was crisscrossing Albania with a passionate article about the dictator. He appeared on TV in the summer of 1991 at the «volunteers’» meeting in the Sports Palace, where he shouted himself hoarse alongside Milloshi. He published attacks in various newspapers against ZP’s voice. He did not leave the anti-intellectual Enverist chorus. When «ZP» became «socialist» and stopped publishing his articles about Enver, he broke away from it because some of its journalists questioned his intellect! What he asserts in one newspaper, he denies in another. Democracy gave people the opportunity to reveal their character. After pleading in «RD», Mr. Lulo finally appeared on 30 June (after seeking time) in the pages of «ZP» with an article that was ethically weak and anti-national. His insinuations and insinuations against the army, and his opposition to its depoliticization, are without scruple. He wants its «dependence» to pass from «PD» to «PS». Described as a careerist, and bitter over not getting a little job as an academy lecturer, or obtaining an academic title with Enver quotations, when he saw that the reform had not given him any chair, the self-proclaimed «big head» attacked the reform and the army leadership, and went so far as to nearly call for rebellion. Our patriotic military personnel understand the times and think about tomorrow. Those going into the reserve today will receive twice as much income as their comrades who were discharged a year ago. They understand that the aid the world gives to the people must be shared with (Continued on page 2)

Every rumor spread among the people by PP (S) has a specific political purpose. Either it wants to regain prestige, which it has already lost among the people, or it wants to denigrate the Democratic Party among the people, presenting it falsely as a party that encourages favoritism, [unclear], marriages between families, etc. One absurd and vile slander spread by communist propaganda against PD concerns my son’s emigration to Germany for specialist training and education. There is no queue for bread or food, workplace, or government department where this case is not discussed. Fatos Nano’s communists have distorted the truth to the point of claiming that my son is the brother of the Minister of Economy and Emigration, Mr. Dashamir Shehi. Those who put it into circulation (Continued on page 3)

PD is not the destroyer; it is the «Albanian Christ», sacrificing itself for Albania’s rebirth — Prepared on the basis of the material «Short-term strategy and measures for implementing Albania’s economic reform program (second six-month period of 1992)», presented to Parliament on 6.7.1992 by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Genc Ruli — For so long, we have all been enamored of the magic words «democracy» and «market economy», but not all of us have become conscious of what putting them into practice really means. We aspire to them, yet in our minds we still have many attitudes from the past. From that past when nothing could be done without an «order from above». We still carry images from the past when it comes to the notions of «party», «state» and «government». In this reality of ours, so difficult as a consequence of half a century of distortion, naturally, defining their dimensions is also difficult. This is best seen in the public’s response to the laws and decisions that the democratic government has prepared as part of the economic reform on the road towards a fully fledged market economy. The shortcomings in some laws or decisions may perhaps also be a result of this reality, so fraught with tension. Let us not forget: we are in a transition phase. The necessary improvements belong to the future. The future, bearing in mind Europe, towards which we want to go, is inviting. But can we move towards it without understanding the present? Without understanding that today we are just as we would be after a devastating war, and that, naturally, reconstruction cannot begin immediately with the abundance, prosperity and happiness dreamed of or promised? And while deprivation and misery dominate our days, we want to remember that this is still a time for sacrifice and dedication. And our «to be or not to be» today is this: should we continue, or should we not continue what we have only just begun? This, first of all, is in our hands, and then in the hands of our democratic government and, of course, in the trust we place in it. (Continued on page 3)

To be raised abroad | The Communist-Socialists—gravediggers

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