Today at 8:30 a.m., a high-level meeting of the Group of 24 (G-24) will be held at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. For our country, this is an event of particular importance, since a meeting of this level is being held here for the first time, and the presence of representatives of G-24 member countries will acquaint them with the most urgent problems of our economy. The request to hold this meeting in Tirana was made by the Prime Minister, Aleksandër Meksi, and the Minister of Finance, Genc Ruli, in May of this year, when they were in Brussels. “Our goal in organizing this meeting in Tirana,” said the Minister of Finance, Genc Ruli, “was to bring together various donors and introduce them to, and familiarize them with, the economic situation in Albania. This is essential,” he said, “because some of those who provide aid to Albania, and continue to do so, have never been here.” Alongside the provision of food aid and raw materials, the European Commission and the Albanian Government will put forward several priority requests to the G-24 to support the country’s economic development. Broadly speaking, these requests will focus on the following areas: First, the G-24 will be asked to provide assistance to the agricultural sector on the basis of a stra- (continued on page 4)

Only 5 days separate us from 26 July. That is very little, just 120 hours in all. But if we all completely shake off the lethargy that gripped us after the celebrated victories of 22 March, if we work with the commitment, renewed effort and effectiveness of the campaign that we rightly and decisively won, we can accomplish a great deal in the 120 hours we have left. The activity of some branches and sections, marked by an unjustifiable and inexplicable lack of attention to the rear, as though we were not on the eve of an election campaign, is indefensible. Faced with the forces of the PS, which is trying to wrest ground and support from our electorate by using every weapon, method, form and means of deceiving and manipulating people—particularly in the countryside—our section leaders and activists often either do nothing because they do not know how to respond, or respond weakly, even when they have many arguments at their disposal and the situation is in the hands of the socialists. They are proving powerless and incapable of countering their heated propaganda and pressure, which not infrequently also violate the law. For example, is it justifiable that some villages in Kavajë, through which the Peqin-Kavajë canal passes, should remain “without irrigation” because of its blockage, when it is well known that this situation is indeed longstanding, but also solvable? From the incomplete information we have so far, it appears that in some sections or branches the PS has been helped by putting forward against its candidates people of little ability and reputation, who are seeking a party for themselves and are motivated by personal ties and complicated dealings. At the PD’s most recent event, instructions were given and it was made a priority to pay close attention to candidate lists, so that they would be filled with people respected and loved by the people, rather than chosen according to factional ties, family connections or nepotism. Their victory is ...

The PD has a single goal: to establish a market economy in Albania. The PS has two goals: the first is the PD’s; the second, which follows the first, is to build socialism. But socialism is halfway along the road, so naturally a third goal will emerge—the one left orphaned now that the PK has died: building a communist society! CHOOSE AND TAKE!

On 19 July, as part of the election campaign, the chairman of the PDSH, Mr. Eduard Selami, met with residents of the town of Peqin. The meeting was opened by the chairman of the district branch of the PD, Mr. Ali Gripshi. He described the situation of the PD in Peqin on 22 March and the people of Peqin’s desire to vote on 26 July, ... Despite the great difficulties you have faced as a small administrative town that was destroyed at the end of the war, I thank you for the support you gave democracy on 31 March and 22 March, and I also congratulate you on Peqin’s recognition as a separate district, a status you have awaited and desired. The situation we are living through today is one of transition and separation from the past. We began the road to democracy when everything was destroyed. In its program and its alternative, this difficult situation. But that is not enough. We also need a level of local government. You must entrust your concerns about employment, hardship, supplies, and so on to the best people. They will, through their work and through the political program they repre- On 19 July, as part of the many events held during the campaign, the chairman of the PD, Peqin. You can see the changes taking place. There is room for improvement, but what matters is that these changes have begun. What matters is that we have embarked on a new path of justice, one that others have tried before. International organizations and institutions, Europe and the USA, have declared their support for the justice of our path and assured us of their backing. Despite the short time and the difficulties in several areas, signs of improvement are visible. Conditions in the countryside are moving towards a new reality: the distribution of most of the land and the liberalization of prices for some agricultural products have made farmers keen to work their land. They feel like owners, and this is important for achieving success. I expressed my conviction that the district of Peqin will vote for democracy, for the PD, on 26 July. Let 26 July be the day democracy triumphs in local government. The chairman of the PD branch in Elbasan, Mr. Uran Kostreci, also addressed the rally. Correspondent of “RD” [The article text begins cut off at the upper edge of the image.] ... and strength from our electorate, using, as they know how, all the weapons, tools, forms and methods of deceiving and manipulating people, especially in the countryside, the leaders and activists of our sections often either stood by and watched or responded weakly, even though they have many arguments with which to defend themselves against the communist-socialist commissars. In a period of four months, we have achieved a great deal, if we take into account the fact that the PS left us a huge mess: an economy in ruins and paralyzed, with debts of 600 million dollars, in complete chaos and destabilization, with food warehouses emptied by thefts in broad daylight and right before the eyes of the law-enforcement forces, and with the electricity, drinking-water and irrigation networks riddled with faults, so that it will take us time and substantial funds to restore them to the level we seek. The PS is proving clever and is managing to deceive quite a few people, making us guilty and responsible for things it did or should have done itself, having had a full 47 years at its disposal, while obscuring or denying the achievements we have made step by step in just four months. Our sections in Mirditë, Mallakastër, in some villages of Kavajë and Lushnjë, in some neighborhoods of Tirana, etc., are ... ... [unreadable remainder] ... Kavajë and Lushnjë, in some neighborhoods of Tirana, etc.

- Meeting between President Sali Berisha and the European Community delegation led by Commission Vice-President Mr. Andriessen - 200 million dollars in food aid At the meeting held yesterday, President Berisha said: I would like to express my profound gratitude to Mr. Delor, to you, and to all the states, organizations and institutions of the European Community and Europe as a whole for the extremely valuable assistance you have given Albania during this difficult and very important period in its history. I want to emphasize that without this assistance democracy could not have won here. Your arrival in our country for the second time clearly demonstrates the attention the European Community has paid, and continues to pay, to Albania. We are also very grateful for your contribution to organizing the G-24 meeting, which is an exceptional event of great importance in the history of democratic Albania. This is because: First, for the most isolated country in Europe, Albania, the arrival in Tirana of representatives from 24 of the world’s most developed countries for a meeting is significant, even if it were not for ... Second, for all Eastern countries, and especially for Albania, the Group of 24 is a powerful support on their difficult path towards moving from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. The meeting of this group in Tirana to discuss Albania’s problems is very encouraging for us, because we have in fact inherited a heavier legacy from the communist state than everyone else. On the other hand, I want to assure you that we have no intention of relying on your generosity and that of the G-24; on the contrary, we are trying to make use of all our opportunities and energies. Before the 22 March elections, people really were not working and were waiting only for aid. We immediately began explaining that only our own free labor, together with assistance from abroad, could get us out of the difficult situation we are in. To this end, we took the following measures: - we distributed the land to the farmers, and this had very positive effects. Th- It goes without saying that, for the most isolated country in Europe, namely Albania, the arrival for a meeting of this kind—even if it were not about Albania—is not only a great honor for Albania but also a major step for our country in overcoming the consequences of isolation, since it is known that through this, the deepest isolation was achieved in ... The Group of 24, which is of particular importance in the world and in Albania’s interests in international relations ... We began our explanation by saying that only our own hard work, together with assistance from abroad, can To this end, we took the following measures: - We distributed the land to the peasants, and this had very positive effects. Thus, whereas in the autumn the previous farmers left around 40 percent of the land unsown, the peasants planted these fields in the spr- (continued on page 4) ... Tho[r]ja ... dis e Hysi ... ri ... [text cut off and illegible at the left edge].

ALL THAT GOING TO NANO’S PRESS CONFERENCES IS A WASTE OF TIME! People are right when they say of Nano: he leads you to the fountain but gives you no water! To put it as briefly and plainly as possible, we could simply say that Fatos Nano, with all the power he had in his hands, led this people to the fountain and gave them no water. Now that Nano and the so-called socialists have nothing in their hands, they use the freedom of speech that democracy gave them against democracy! Since then Nano has started speaking at such great length without saying anything that even the editors of “Zëri i popullit” have grown impatient with him. They, and quite a few readers, get headaches when something by Nano is published. As for the other newspapers, they are now convinced that there is no point in going to Nano’s press conferences: you ask him one thing and he answers something else. He manages to use a few words in such a way that the whole interview seems to consist of sentences! There is no answer made up of just one word! Who is the subject, where is the predicate, and what does it govern—you’ll get the hang of it once you learn this. You know that Parliament passed the law banning the Communist Party. Nano spoke at length, but did not mention the word communist at all. He never openly took a stand against communism. Even the members of Parliament who were in the hall, after hearing Nano’s speech on TV, still could not understand it: 1 ... [illegible passage] ... Take it from the PPSH that ... As for the coming elections, Nano is constantly playing “kungulleshkash,” not with pumpkins but with words. Although he is against “revanchism,” he falls into a revanchist’s game: he wants to win back what he lost on 22 March. This is strange, since he surely knows that in his game of playing with words, one must not play politics the way he does, just as in gambling one must not try to win back what one has lost, because... you lose everything. For this reason alone, not only what he has lost... he has lost, but anyone else who would benefit—and six deputies for something else? What if you lose the equivalent of six deputies too? And you should remember that the list will no longer be a single list. No matter how short the words, the long word will no longer be a ... They say Fatos Nano will write his words after the elections, if the Democratic Party wins decisively again. Otherwise, if the Socialist Party ... then in those municipalities where it (afterwards) manages to achieve political balance, you will hear again the gentle Iljareta (perhaps) will win for the PS, the villagers will hear again the gentle Iljareta (perhaps) ... (Not Fan Noli, but Fatos Nano.) And the people are left waiting to drink water from Nano’s fountain! FARUK MYRTJA

Won’t you tell us the truth, Comrade F. Z.? “Dispel my doubts, poet President”—the “ZP” of 15.7.92 addresses the president, calling him “socialist theoretician F. Z.” He has the right to have doubts. The issue is the convictions from which these doubts arise. As for Comrade F. Z.’s convictions, we have no doubts. The truth is plain: they are purely communist-socialist. Let us say a few things below about Comrade F. Z.’s “doubts.” 1. We are convinced that when the President spoke in an interview about the army’s theme, he neither had in mind nor undertook to give a strictly “theoretical-scientific and ideological” postulate about the term “ARMY.” It seems that after the press conference, Comrade F. Z. immediately rushed to leaf through the Albanian terminology dictionary (M-L), and from there extracted the term used for the army. See what he quotes in his article. It is odd that he “forgets” that Albania is no longer the “beacon of M-L in Europe,” but an integral part of a Europe that is to be united... It is “forgotten” once again that the PD did not emerge under the sunset of “original elections and untraveled roads”; the reform of the army is being carried out according to standards and norms, and in the presence of European and foreign advisers. In truth, it is being transformed from an armed and repressive wing of the Party-State era of the PP into a normative institution of a modern state governed by law in the era of democracy. “Could this be what is being prepared?” the “theoretician” in question asks the president with “doubt.” This is a question that no one can answer more plainly than F. Z. and his circle... Comrade F. Z. has also made open calls for secrecy, or something of that sort, in the article in question. Then Comrade F. Z.’s “doubt” turns to his concern about why “descendants of former traitors and quisling collaborators” are being appointed to lead the agencies. First, we would like to know where you got the definition of “traitors and quislings”—from the truth, a dictionary, or “Enver’s Memoirs...”? Second, your claim, Comrade F. Z., is nothing less than class warfare, which is what you accuse us of... And finally, would you have any “doubts” if those same people were still kept in the aforementioned agencies: former communists, former members of the Bloc, former officials, and the “descendants” of all these “former” people? 2. As for the term “SUSPICIOUSNESS,” Comrade F. Z., you need not have struggled with a precise Albanian translation. We believe you knew that it does not exist at all in the language, and so, for “convenience,” you used a little term from the theoretical baggage of M-L (enriched by Comrade E. Hoxha) ... (continued on page 2)