The autumn of 1992 is not an agricultural one. If this ordinary agricultural campaign in Albania is understood and treated on this scale, we will be able to spare the country many devastating consequences of apocalyptic proportions. But so far, the concern and attention with which it is being treated are far less than the attention accompanying the visit of a third-rate businessman, who often fills our television screens and interviews. Only the autumn of 1992 will face the end of aid next June. June is mentioned by chance. June is the month of wheat. But will we have enough wheat to keep Albania’s tables supplied with bread in abundance? - The autumn of 1992 is the blank page of democracy. Its dignity. Otherwise, it will turn from a lady into a beggar. This year’s autumn is a struggle to get the institution of work—the heart of a nation—back on its feet, which means material goods and spiritual well-being. Nothing good is ever achieved outside work and in one’s free time. We are a backward agrarian country. We do not produce enough bread, and our meat consumption is under 10 kg per person. These two indicators alone suffice to understand the limits facing our people, but they do not tell the whole story. In Albania, ambitious efforts were made to build an industry on an excessively broad, tragic scale. This was done in Tirana: more than 700 quintals of milk a day in the capital (350 grams per person), while agriculture gives you not even 50 grams of the famous “thëkze e arza.” This peasant, who did not even have enough to soften his cornbread, was supposed to create socialist abundance! Now these great forces have been freed from the communist absurdity. The peasant now enjoys a colonial position. This colossal national energy must be encouraged and harnessed by organizing it in the interests of democracy. The first priority in passing through the transition phase, with specific, immediate objectives, should be this: this autumn, wheat and other crops should cover no less than 60–70 percent of the land. These crops have a guaranteed yield compared with spring crops because of the particular natural factors of our country and the agriculture we inherited, whose negative effects have now increased for well-known reasons related to the period Albanian society is going through. Specifically, this decision is compelled by: - The near-disuse of all high-water drainage channels, when 70 percent of our land lies on slopes; covering it with vegetation to protect it from the severe erosion that affects us during winter is essential. - The continued destruction of the irrigation system, the most critical link, which determines ... - Planting must be carried out on an excessively broad, tragic scale. This silence should concern us, indeed alarm us. The point here is not to find someone to blame, but to provide the people with bread. Someone may say, as under monism: leave the peasants alone. No! Every state, and especially a democratic one, has the right to guide and assist the peasants. They are asking for its helping hand, particularly when machinery and transport are limping on both legs. You cannot plant 300,000–400,000 hectares by hand. It is therefore urgent for the government to step in with: - The mobilization of combine harvesters and all agricultural machinery, regardless of ownership. It is inexcusable for agricultural tractors to be working in municipal services and elsewhere. - The prioritization of spare parts and the necessary fuel, taking them away from all other sectors if need be. - The transport of seed to mountainous areas using state vehicles, including those of the army, and the removal of all interest on bank loans for its purchase. - The price of plowing the land (for autumn plowing, lower than for spring plowing—and in particular, remote areas, it should be free, with the state covering the cost). - The possibility of obtaining tractors immediately on loan or as assistance from neighboring countries for 10–20 days should be explored. - The entire fleet of excavators at its disposal should be made available for draining the lowland area ... We are a backward agrarian country. We have not secured our bread, and indicators are enough to understand how narrow our limits are, ambitious efforts were made to build an industry, [mineral fertilizers?]; almost 100 percent of the basic work was mechanized; the area of arable land was doubled; irrigated land rose from 12–13 percent to over 56 percent; a seed reserve with productive capacity comparable to that of many developed countries was secured, along with personnel possessing a highly qualified professional agricultural culture. But all these not inconsiderable achievements, the result of the toil and sweat of workers throughout the country, did not have the necessary effectiveness because agriculture was treated as a colonial territory on which all the other branches of the economy parasitized (especially the engineering industry, which provided it with assistance of very low quality and at a crushing cost); because crops were excessively politicized (grains always took precedence over all the other branches); and, above all, because of communist forms of work organization and the suppression of workers’ personal interests. our bread, and but they do not tell the whole story. - link, which determines the fate of spring crops—and in 1992 this resulted in the drying out of thousands of hectares of maize and other spring crops. - The division of land into large plots, which creates particular difficulties for mechanization, irrigation, and the transport of spring crops under the new ownership conditions. - The poor condition of agricultural machinery, which, if it bears the entire burden in spring, will put at risk leaving no less than 30–35 percent of the arable area fallow, etc. Naturally, in the absence of complete information, the accuracy of the assessment declines. But according to observations and the professional judgment of many specialists, by the end of October very little land had been ploughed, if any at all. By now, in the northern and northeastern region, at least 50 percent of the wheat should have been sown, while in the coastal region it should have begun on a broad and vigorous scale, representing initiatives and putting the AD Executive Committee NERITAN CEKA

Dear President-elect, [the beginning is garbled]. I also trust that you will convey my best wishes and warmest greetings on the occasion of your election as President of the United States of America. Your victory gave concrete expression to the American electorate’s desire for profound social and economic changes in your great country, and to its belief that your personal qualities and program can fully bring about these profound changes in American society and the economy. With its vote on November 3, the American people expressed their desire to see changes in their country. They also expressed their great confidence in your ability to lead. I believe that you will be able to ... ... our efforts toward cooperation. I believe and hope that the development of friendly and cooperative relations between the Republic of Albania and the United States will continue to grow and deepen with your arrival at the White House. Albanians see in the President of the United States the representative of a great democratic country. A strong America is a guarantee of the success and development of democracy and justice in Albania and in the world. It is my deep wish and conviction, Mr. President-elect, that we strengthen and deepen relations between our two countries in cooperation with the new administration in Washington. Sincerely yours, SALI BERISHA

The day before yesterday, in the morning, the commission for drafting the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Albania met in one of the halls of the Palace of Congresses, under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Aleksandër Meksi, who is also the chair of this commission. Although the material submitted by a working group covered the first part of the draft constitution, the meeting held a constructive and responsible discussion aimed at producing a high-quality constitution that would meet the specific characteristics of our country and the contemporary standards of a modern constitutional state. At the conclusion of the meeting, to review the work, the Commission appointed a working group to prepare the structure of the Draft Constitution, which it will present at the Commission’s next meeting. PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY

As I have travelled from one end of Albania to the other during the development of the democratic revolution, I have had the opportunity to meet hundreds of ordinary people who sacrificed everything for others and for the victory of democracy. I have seen these young men and women walking through cities and remote villages in difficult communist terrain. I have seen them stand up to the dictatorship, the batons, the smoke and the gunfire of automatic weapons and machine guns, like heroes defying death and mocking it. But just as the steadfastness of these vital Albanians, who took to the streets to overthrow the dictatorship, is real, so too is their conduct after the revolution’s victory. With their human and democratic courage and heroism, they quietly withdrew, asking for no reward, no public statement, no benefit from the democratic state for which they had spared nothing. To this day, they remain steadfast in their patience, in their hope, and in their full support for the democratic government. On this occasion, I would remind the PD branches in the districts to reassess these pillars of democracy, this foundation of the new democratic order. They should remember them by naming them and recognizing their contribution. I am always moved by their work, through which they lifted our nation one step higher on the road to progress. I am always touched by their willingness to be a cornerstone of Albania, without waiting for a day when they might ask for a reward. In this way, the Democratic Party in the districts recognizes its own worth and the revolution it led and continues to lead. MUJO BUÇPAPAJ

On 3.11.1992, by Order No. 13-1 of the Minister of Justice, the “Albanian Democratic Alliance” Party was registered in the register of political parties, after the documents submitted by its founding members were found to comply with the law “On Political Parties.” The Democratic Alliance has presented itself as a parliamentary party from the outset. It is currently established in the country’s main districts, with the aim of being a party of free and strong people who represent initiatives and put them into practice for their own well-being and that of the homeland. The founding members of the Democratic Alliance are mainly politicians and students involved in the democratic movement over these past two years, as well as distinguished intellectuals. For the AD Executive Committee NERITAN CEKA

People have been talking about the privatization of housing for some time. People rightly ask: Why is parliament dealing with other laws while leaving the housing law aside? Everyone has the right to think and express themselves as they wish, while I would say that this law is not overdue. Even if it is approved by the People’s Assembly, it cannot enter into force immediately, since there will be a major public reaction. And this is self-evident: How can housing be privatized when some have space beyond the prescribed limits, while others have nowhere to lay their heads? Before issuing a law on the privatization of housing, the state must first know to whom it will give (sell) the home. Well, the state has begun to act, seeking, on the basis of the law, to take back homes from those who have a city [sic]; for example, there is still no complete record of housing: how much floor space exceeds the prescribed limits. But there are no complete records of housing either: how much floor space exceeds the prescribed limits. This is not an easy matter, and who has excess space and who is living there? How many families have left these homes without ever returning, and who owns them, apart from powerless sons and those who have left? There is also the other issue of where other families who have fallen into various circumstances will live. For this reason, everyone must be involved in the process. Once the homes have been privatized, the other homes—where should the law begin to take effect? For this reason, the Tirana Municipality... The Municipality has no apartments available! Thus problems give rise to more problems, and it seems this privatization law is destined to wait a little longer. Parliament is not to blame; the blame lies with the obstructive administration. It is the problems mentioned above that have blocked the approval of the law. ZEF LLESHI

We are a backward agrarian country. We have not secured our bread, and meat consumption is under 10 kg per person.

OPEN LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, MR. SALI BERISHA LETTER TO THE EDITOR We wish you good health from the bottom of our hearts, as you carry the great burden you have taken upon yourself to lead our homeland toward happiness. We are proud of you, just as you, our President, are proud of your wonderful people, who have suffered but have never bowed down. We followed with great interest and concern the conversation you had with the President of Bosnia-Herzegovina. You, as President of all Albanians, showed the whole world the values of your people. You said to the children and sisters from Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Welcome, Albanian soil awaits you: ‘Bread, salt and heart.’” Inspired by this noble sentiment, which you expressed with the heart of the people you represent: Mihal Dardeli, Neighborhood No. 3, 4 Dëshmorët Street, No. 117, Tirana, offers a place in our home to a woman and her three children for as long as this land of freedom and hospitality remains free. With this letter, dear President, we appeal to all kind-hearted Albanians to follow our example. WITH ALBANIAN GENEROSITY WE SEND YOU OUR WARMEST GREETINGS MIHAL DARDELI A family of four is writing to you. We live in Neighborhood 15, at 1243 «Ali Demi» Street, Vlorë, in a one-room apartment with a kitchen. The parents are Lavdosh Hysomema, an economist, [age/details unclear] employed by the N. SH Oil Exploration Company in Vlorë, and Kristina Hysomema, 35, a secondary-school-trained economist working at the Vlorë Refrigeration Plant. The children are Juliani, 13, in grade 7, and Joana, 10, in grade 4. On the 20:00 news on 31.10.1992, we watched the meeting and the request made by the President of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the President and Prime Minister for assistance to be given to his country’s civilian population to help them get through the winter. We consider the request justified and its fulfilment an act of humanity. We are willing, voluntarily and with the means available to us, without any material assistance, to shelter a mother and a child in our home for an indefinite period. We ask your editorial office to make it possible for the request to be put into effect through the relevant authorities. LAVDOSH HYSOMEMA KRISTINA HYSOMEMA JULIAN HYSOMEMA JOANA HYSOMEMA

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