The question is legitimate: Why is joining a political party being sought? Can’t one contribute to democracy in other ways and forms? It is entirely natural that one can. The ways and forms of contributing to democracy are endless. As the experience of countries with a well-established democratic culture also shows, in this case the outcome will be many times more productive than in the case of unprincipled disagreements. Let us consider briefly what we, intellectuals in parties, should contribute, and what intellectuals outside parties should contribute, so that, without losing any pluralism, the final unification will be of higher quality. One often notices a tendency for the intellectual who belongs to a party to take a higher seat at the dialogue table than intellectuals who do not belong to a party, to look down on them and assume the role of preacher, adviser and issuer of directives. This is a serious shortcoming that must be fought at every level where it is encountered. The chairs at the dialogue table should be placed at the same level and next to one another. A party badge is not what determines who has the right to moralize while others listen in silence and blindly carry out directives. That right comes only from the strength of convincing arguments in democratic dialogue, as well as from the prevailing view of the majority. “Regarding the claim that there are supposedly no genuine intellectuals of the appropriate standing in the DP: this unscrupulous slander must be answered immediately and forcefully. It is true that we lack those who hold scientific titles and degrees for subjects concerning the experience of socialism versus capitalism, the ‘philosophical and far-sighted thought of the PPSH and Enver Hoxha,’ the benefits of collectivization, and all the many other absurdities. But it must be shown that the DP includes genuine intellectuals, the laureates of life’s awards; they possess the kind of thought that others managed to understand and express only after spending many, many years in prison. Their women, titles and honors were insulted by the Enverist dictatorship. Their advanced thinking and the reputation they enjoyed were brutally violated. It was precisely the DP that became a warm home for these genuine intellectuals, who had suffered and been denied recognition by the dictatorship. Therefore, we must firmly denounce such propaganda: trumpeting this kind of claim only adds to the irresponsibility and further exposes those who spread it. How can a doctor of sciences in the field of Marxist-Leninist thought be compared with the architects of today’s pluralism, which those very doctors and their patrons considered a sin and punished? With the same aim, the PS and ... above all its paid ‘cardless’ supporters blow the trumpets of slander, trying to portray the DP as representing only the interests of former self-declared members and political persecuted persons. Unfortunately, this propaganda has also influenced some intellectuals. The force of argument must be used to show that the DP defends everyone’s interests and that within it one can one another. A party card is not a license that entitles you to pontificate while others listen in silence and blindly carry out your directives, is it? You are entitled to that only by the strength of convincing arguments in democratic dialogue and by the favorable opinion of the majority. One shortcoming that I think must be corrected quickly is the failure to answer, with facts and appropriate arguments, the propaganda of the Stalinist-socialists, which has in many cases caused some intellectuals to hesitate, in the way I will describe below. The malicious, ultra-communist propaganda, disguised in socialist garb, which aims to turn intellectuals away from the DP, slanders «by arguing— he must fight it in his own mind and everywhere, and uproot it. Finally, if the intellectual is overcome by fear of suffering the consequences I mentioned above, then he must be brave and determined enough to correct himself and others when they are wrong; and, if that produces no result, nothing prevents him from leaving the party, and there are no consequences if he does. In conclusion, I want to say that the intellectual who belongs to a party should make room for the one who does not, and this should be mutual. In our fragile democracy there should be no players and spectators, no pedantic teachers and obedient pupils. SHABAN BERISHA Chairman of the DP section of Tropojë

Mr. Berisha held a meeting with representatives of the Government, Parliament and parliamentary parties concerning the latest developments in the region and in the country. He briefed those invited on the content of his talks with the co-chairs of the Peace Conference, Lord Owen and Cyrus Vance, with Croatian Foreign Minister Skraballo, and with the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegoviç. The emphasis was on the escalation of the military and political conflict in the former Yugoslavia, the comprehensive efforts of the Albanian state to prevent the conflict from spreading to Kosovo and Macedonia, and support for President Rugova in his efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully. Regarding the federal elections announced in the so-called Yugoslavia, the President stressed that the political climate needed to ensure that they were conducted freely and fairly was absent, and that there was a risk they could be used to legalize dictatorship. The party representatives expressed their appreciation for the President’s position and shared their views on further measures and positions to be adopted, as well as on the steps Albanian diplomacy and political forces should take to prevent conflict and resolve the Albanian question in Yugoslavia. Also on the agenda were unblocking local government and issues concerning the Albanian press. Regarding local government, the President stressed that the Government should make efforts to get it functioning, applying the law rigorously and without political prejudice. He called on the political parties to make it clear to elected officials that they are to govern by applying the law and setting aside party affiliation. At the meeting, concerns were voiced about the pronounced centralization of local government, which had become an obstacle. In this regard, the President stressed that when the local elections were held, the municipal and commune model did not exist in Albania; therefore, these models must be developed on the basis of the law and by drawing on the experience of other countries with democratic traditions. Regarding issues concerning the press, President Berisha asked the party leaders present to influence newspapers to avoid lack of ethics, accusations and information not confirmed by a second source, and to pay greater attention to objective information. On all these issues, the President called for dialogue and agreement among the parties to resolve the problems that arise. (ATSH)

Clinton’s victory was not surprising; indeed, if Clinton had not won, the opinion-polling industry would have faced serious consequences. Clinton’s strongest point, which we had the opportunity to hear during the election campaign, was his focus on America’s domestic problems and the American economy. The election campaign organized by his staff was the ideal campaign, and Americans voted for a change in the White House after 12 years. As far as Albania–USA relations are concerned, there will be no change. Bill Clinton’s election should be welcomed. Given the position the USA holds in the world as a genuine symbol of democracy, I think Clinton’s election will further help strengthen this democratic tradition ... For countries such as America, the election of one of the three candidates presented makes no great difference in terms of major political changes. A reorientation of America’s domestic policy, announced by Clinton during the election campaign, would in no way affect US foreign-policy interests or its role in international politics. President Clinton will not

serious, because they are not connected merely to the new president, but are deep-rooted relations between our two peoples. We have always had very good meetings and contacts with both the Republicans and the Democrats. We had the opportunity to reaffirm these relations once again during my visit to the USA.

In Tirana, an agreement was signed between the Government of Switzerland, represented by Mr. Feliks Hugel, and the Ministry of Health and Environmental Protection. The agreement concerns the restructuring of the Institute of Pediatric Studies and its auxiliary annexes. The initial value of this operation is around 1 million Swiss francs, and the fund will be increased later. This assistance is part of the ongoing aid that the Swiss Government is providing to our country through its representative from the Disaster Relief Corps, Mr. Ricard Maranta. On the Albanian side, the agreement was signed by the Minister of Health and Environmental Protection, Mr. Tritan Shehu. (ATSH)

Bill Clinton won the American presidency on Tuesday, the world’s greatest political prize, a prize he had eagerly coveted ever since meeting his idol, John Kennedy, when he was young. Within a few hours, Bill Clinton went from Governor of Arkansas to President-elect Bill Clinton. Clinton watched his dream come true at the governor’s mansion in Georgia, in the center of this old Southern city, and the first call he received was from President George Bush, who said that the country must now get behind our new president. Clinton received a call from Vice President Dan Quayle, who said at a Republican rally that Clinton deserved support for his strong campaign. If he leads the country as well as he ran his campaign, everything will go well, Quayle said. He told his supporters that Clinton should be supported by all Americans. Clinton himself, joking with his well-wishers, said that he had chosen as his vice president the senator from Tennessee, Al Gore. (ATSH)

In place of the lead article, «ZP» published a sketch on October 25, showing a hand with two fingers raised, with what appear to be black gloves on their tips. The title of this piece of rubbish is: «Democratic ideals must not be allowed to be corrupted by some blackshirted arsonists». As soon as you read the word blackshirts, it seems as though neofascist occupying bands are rampaging in Albania too, because, according to the Dictionary of Contemporary Albanian, BLACKSHIRT means: 1. Italian fascist, a member of the special troops of Italian fascists who wore black shirts; collaborator with Italian fascism. I do not believe the SP is referring to the soldiers of Operation «Pelican», because not only do they not wear black shirts, and are not occupiers, but they are helping Albania in one of its most difficult periods. The question is: whom are they referring to? In the Dictionary of Philosophy, by Fiqrete Shehu and Mr. Servet Pëllumbi, fascism is described as: «a form of the open terrorist dictatorship of the imperialist bourgeoisie, whose aim is to suppress the revolutionary movement of the proletariat as a revolutionary movement, to eliminate the broad working masses from it, to eliminate the broad working masses from them, to eliminate the broad working masses from them, to wage war against democratic achievements, to conquer foreign countries by war, under the conditions of fascist ideology... In the field of ideology, fascism propagates idealism, bourgeois philosophy and morality concerning humanity, aggression and terror, the division of people into inferior and superior races, and the superiority of animal instincts in human beings...». So where do you see the blackshirts, gentlemen socialists? Could it be that you now imagine your red «shirts», as a symbol of communism, to be black because you are nostalgic for the dictatorship? Because your mother party was the proclaimed state of the dictatorship of the proletariat. It abolished private property; it would have you sentenced and killed on a phone call from above; it allowed no other party or grouping, because it wanted power for itself; it glorified private property, the means of production and their placement under centralized state control, the promotion of nationalism and racism, the glorification of war, etc. These first arose in Italy in 1922.» So that we are not left with only our scholars’ definition of the word fascism, let us also give the definition from «Webster New World Dictionary (College Edition)», where we read: Fascism: 1. The doctrines and methods of the fascist movement. 2. A system of government characterized by the harsh dictatorship of one party; the forcible liquidation of the opposition (unions, especially those on the left, parties, minority groups, etc.); the abolition of private ownership of war, etc. It first arose in Italy in 1922». war until it filled the country with bunkers. The Democratic Parliament and the entire Albanian people rose up against all of this. So where do you see fascism and arson, gentlemen? In the removal of immunity from MPs, people, and the other person from the SP? That removal took place in Parliament, through debate and a vote, at the justified request of the competent bodies that Parliament itself has entrusted with administering justice. It is true that fascism arose in Italy in 1922, but the dictatorship of the proletariat arose earlier in Russia and from there also took root in Albania. It seems that these dictatorships resemble one another in their organizational structure, as all dictatorships do. Do you still want to live with them, and call such actions as the functioning of Parliament, pluralism, the removal of immunity through a vote, the stabilization of the country’s situation, and various initiatives to have everything directed not by the perennial rulers but by specialists in each sector, and many things like these, a dictatorship, because you are not accustomed to democracy? But never mind: although you are concerned, although you display black shirts when the market is free, when visas for travelling abroad are no longer a monopoly of communist leaders and their entourage, when people are waiting for their properties to be returned, when privatization is proceeding quickly in some places and more slowly in others, but is proceeding all the same, when today people can speak as they please and no one eavesdrops on them, when the fear of being spied on seems never to have existed, you cannot turn democracy back into dictatorship. That time has passed. If, instead of a cartoon in place of the lead article, you were to publish other threatening services filled with alarmist claims about blackshirted arsonists, only those members of your party who are conservatives, as well as those who belonged to the new PKSH, which was outlawed, would listen to you. But they can never be identified with a people that experienced both the blackshirts and the redshirts firsthand and is now allergic to every kind of dictatorship, because it is beginning to taste freedom, with both the benefits and the difficulties of democracy.» PETRO DHIMITRI

Eduard Selami Chairman of the DP of Albania

may depart from America’s tradition of serving as an inspiration for new democratic processes in today’s world. We believe Clinton’s election to the office of President of the USA will have a positive effect on the new climate in Albanian-American relations, because Albania–USA ties have a long tradition rooted in the Albanian people’s long-standing respect for America. We Albanians hope the new White House team will have a greater influence in resolving the Yugoslav crisis. It is incumbent on the USA, with the new president at its head, to give fresh impetus to all international negotiations aimed at eliminating the crisis in the Balkans and, in particular, resolving the Albanian question. We hope that America will now create the opportunity to move forward with a preventive policy to extinguish the conflict hotspots burning in many regions of the world. Prepared by: DYLEJMAN KARAJ