Are we being helped, or are we receiving alms? According to the great dictionary of the Albanian language, to be helped means—understood as—something done for the benefit of someone who strives, who fights. In our specific case, therefore, it means moral, economic and perhaps military support, to sustain a people’s struggle for a sacred cause. But there is also a similar word that is humiliating for a proud nation like ours: “alms,” meaning money, food and various goods given out of pity to a poor person or an unemployed person stripped of many moral values, above all the effort to recover. We will want aid from Europe again this year, aid that will continue until June. If, with the new corrections, we do not recover even a little, the aid will take on the character of alms. Someone will answer for this national humiliation. And those someones are us. Let us not play the opposition’s game Over the past two years, new social phenomena have emerged in Albania: political struggle and free trade, while the socialist production structures, with all their infrastructure, have been suffocated up to this point. The political struggle has begun and will continue. The government must confront it (the political struggle) and the country’s recovery, with all the difficulties of the transition. The opposition, meanwhile, has it easier. It wages only political struggle, which means that with “covering” fire and opposition it undermines the consolidation of the new democratic order. The government must put economic direction first, revive the world of production on a new basis—that of private property and its function in protecting itself—and wage the political struggle. But our opposition, with long experience and more problems of a conservative nature in its ranks, tries to defend itself by drawing its rival and all its energies into political struggle, creating incident after incident so that it becomes confused and has no time to focus on the economy, consuming its time ineffectively, so that at the end of the legislative period it comes away empty-handed or submits to an alliance with it. In this game, many MPs and ministers often fall; they often seem to think they have ended the day in triumph when they deliver a speech like the chief prosecutor’s, an irresponsible speech. However much reason we may think we can find in political struggle, we must understand that it always benefits the opposition if we do not put something on the stage every day—the stage the people have set before us, which we must fill during these four years and by which they will judge us at the end of our term. We have taken steps forward; this cannot be denied, but on the economic ground there is stagnation and movement in a vacuum. It is a crime against democracy to give the most precious thing—time—to the socialist representatives. Having learned nothing, 1–6 of the mandate for capitalization. This line is… Four harvests… little, very little. In the future—democracy and yourselves, gentlemen ministers. You are responsible for what the nation will demand of you. You should be deeply troubled by the next elections [?]

Political struggle and all the trading and activity are sustained by aid from Europe; foreign trade is sustained by the blood and toil of thousands of refugees, turned into convertible currency. And domestic trade falls almost 100 percent on the shoulders of the… If aid were interrupted for even a moment, parliament and the state would be left stranded, while trade would collapse little by little and production would be gathered up. The traders (most of whom gather the lek that…). The Government of Stability, at the given moment, is considered valuable, and the foreign-currency invoices were converted abroad into goods; with those goods they make several times more lek than they had. Repeatedly, they accumulated foreign currency and exchanged it officially, and today, by trading under an economic dictatorship, in a long-standing corrupt practice, they… The flow of monetary values moves outside the economy’s market, outside production structures, contributing to the void. The country becomes…

in an amemik, like a tree without sap heading toward withering. This economic collapse is made even worse by the harsh social effects of the unrestricted liberalization of all essential goods, first of all, or so-called imported goods, when it is known that in our country there is no competitive entity serving the production sectors, as a result of the super-centralized socialist economy. This whole picture is even justified by its re-examination by foreign advisers. But do they know this particular feature of Albania, that one factory, given our dimensions, can meet the needs of the whole country? If they knew, I believe they would not advise declaring a war in which the winner has been predetermined, since there is no one left to fight. This market economy without antagonists, especially over these last 3–4 months, when even the state has been unable to intervene except for bread, has seen the wildest forms of immoral profiteering. Everyone has rushed in, each from their own monopolistic position, to strip as much as possible from the other—a characteristic of 18th- and 19th-century capitalism. Capitalism that is several stages removed from the democratic capitalism we want to build, and which is characterized by socialist regulators and shock absorbers that even the most idealistic socialists in all the countries would envy. Necessity or amateurism [?] Honestly, we do not understand this!

—For the government, in this situation, there are three urgent matters. First: Please, all of you—those who have no other economic resource apart from their own labor: either impose a ceiling, or urgently create opportunities to encourage and bring into play competitive entities (commercial or productive) for essential first-necessity goods, and stop food from being taken out of the country by passing special laws for extraordinary situations. The country needs food, not just refrigerators and rags. It is more than utopian, it is ridiculous, to try to stop the negative outflow of food products by allowing prices to rise—since 1 kg of meat must sell for 1,000 lek, and 150 lek… people who… abroad must be stopped. Let us not be ashamed to make corrections. The opposite would show ability. Second: Before the New Year, people want to know how the country’s economy is progressing, with accurate information for all sectors. So far, we have no statistics. Why? We ask that trends be shown to us, what they will be, and that the measures planned to ensure the continuation of reform be explained. Enough of communist mysteries, which still play their threatening role in our state apparatus! Third: We have great confidence in you, but if Europe and beyond continue to supply us only with food products, we must turn more to our own productive sectors, the enduring resources of our people and our land, certainly without closing the door to foreign capital, which has so far been overvalued and whose position is still at odds with the saying of that clever bride: “If he listens to me in the evening, lucky me; if he looks at me in the morning, woe is me.” There is no doubt that decency requires us to show gratitude for the help we receive, but, after all, it is the owner who pulls the donkey out of the mud. We Albanians must be more careful because we are a kingly race and are easily deceived, as the great Noli used to say.

The Socialist Press and its supporters have… about the country, while a political dictatorship is coming to Albania; on the horizon its phantom is appearing, here are the traces—here is… What are you saying? As if we were in Africa or Latin America, where dictatorships were overthrown after… And who is speaking?! They forget that the… have received more… Ultimately, they have been… for 50 years of communism, more than any other people under any dictatorship. Dictatorships do not drag on; they are distinguished by… Dr. HYSEN COBANI (Continued on page 9)

On November 11, 1992, President Berisha met with the CSCE representative in Skopje, Ambassador Frowik, to discuss several issues concerning stability in the Balkan region. Ambassador Frowik expressed concern about developments in the former Yugoslavia. In his view, politics and diplomacy are unable to cope with the worsening situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He emphasized that more energetic intervention by the international community is needed. He was also concerned about the situation in Macedonia and Kosovo. President Berisha, commending Mr. Frowik’s efforts for peace in the region and for resolving the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, pointed out that Albania and the Albanians will always be an important factor for stability and peace in the Balkans. He supported Mr. Rugova’s position and that of the Albanian political forces in resolving the problem through dialogue and peaceful means. We call on Albanians everywhere to avoid provocations organized by the Serbs with the aim of setting off a conflict in Macedonia or Kosovo. President Berisha insisted that the international community take more energetic measures against Serbia. The new elections in Serbia will be neither free nor fair, and therefore participation in them is unacceptable; indeed, they could legitimize Milošević’s dictatorship. As for the movement of troops in Serbia, it has no intention of threatening the troops on the border of the reform in Serbia, which Albania has denounced since it began. Albania, Mr. Berisha emphasized, is ready for open international cooperation and to take the necessary measures to limit and prevent conflict.

—President Berisha attended the ceremony commemorating the British servicemen who fell in the line of duty in our country during the Second World War. The ceremony commemorating the British servicemen who fell in the line of duty in our country during the Second World War was held on the hill behind the University of Tirana. The President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, attended the ceremony, along with other senior figures from our country and senior British military officers, etc. The President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, as the honored guest at the ceremony, unveiled the plaque commemorating those who fell. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Berisha said: “This modest ceremony is a great moment. With this ceremony, the servicemen recall historical steadfastness. They express their gratitude to the allies who, by helping, fought…” (Continued on p. 3)

—Declared Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Demirel.— On November 10, 1992, as our embassy in Turkey reports, during a telephone conversation at 20:00, Turkey’s state television channel number 1 (TRT) broadcast part of Mr. Demirel’s speech at a meeting of the Justice Path Party, held in the country, whose chairman is also the Turkish Prime Minister. Addressing the possibility of Serbian aggression in Kosovo, Mr. Demirel said: “We are in constant consultation with my friend Berisha. I want the entire Turkish public to know that, without any doubt, in the event of the outbreak of Serbian aggression in Kosovo, international intervention in the region will be unavoidable.”

FROM THE VISIT OF THE DELEGATION OF THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ORDER TO TURKEY As part of cooperation relations between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Kopliku, in his capacity as Minister of Public Order, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Order Bashkim Kopliku. On November 9, Mr. Kopliku was received (Continued on page 3)

—The second conference of the DP in Kucovë— The second conference of the branch of the DP for this district was held in the city of Kuçovë. The conference was attended by the secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Albania, Mr. Tomor Dosti, and Mr. Afrim Hajdari, who was responsible for organizing the DP, as well as representatives of other political forces and the independent trade union. The conference analyzed the branch’s work over the one-year period. The report presented highlighted the positive achievements made in Kuçovë, especially before March 22, by this branch. The shortcomings and weaknesses that characterized… were strongly criticized. (Continued on page 3)

Skopje, Macedonia: 4 victims, 14 injured, 87 arrested PROTEST addressed to the Macedonian government The Albanian Helsinki Committee was pleased by the… of the holding of the Helsinki Citizens’ Conference in Ohrid, on the theme “For Peace and Integration in the Balkans,” but the acts of concern and dismay among those present, who had come from various countries around the world, were caused by the criminal acts committed by the Macedonian police against young Albanians in Skopje on 6.11.92. A 14-year-old young person cannot be considered a public-goods smuggler, a pretext for a mass… that resulted in 4 dead, 14 seriously injured with blunt instruments, and 87 arrested. This criminal act is not evidence of the desired dialogue and peace, but evidence of provocation that corresponds to the Serbian platform—not to peace in Macedonia and Albania. The Albanian Helsinki Committee draws attention to the fact that in the past, too, the Macedonian police and border forces have committed similar criminal acts against Albanians from Albania who crossed the border into Macedonia, as well as against Albanians living in Macedonia. Our committee strongly condemns these criminal acts, which take people’s lives and violate the right to life as a fundamental human right. The Albanian Helsinki Committee considers these acts an open provocation that not only worsens relations between Albanians in Macedonia and Macedonians, but also between Macedonia and the two respective states.

PROTEST addressed to the Serbian government The Albanian Helsinki Committee expresses its strong condemnation of the Serbian government’s latest measure of Serbian ethnocide and genocide against the Albanians of Kosovo: the expulsion of 1,000 writers, journalists and Albanian-language cultural workers from the “Rilindja” publishing house in Pristina. The Albanian publishing house “Rilindja,” which published continuously for 47 years, has finally been placed under the Serbian dictatorship. This measure is a continuation of the ethnic cleansing of Albanian culture and the mass media, which began with radio and television, with the closure of the daily newspaper in Albanian, “Rilindja,” with the closure of Albanian-language schools and the university, and has now culminated in the closure of the Albanian-language publishing house “Rilindja.” The Albanian Helsinki Committee considers all these acts of ethnocide part of Serbian state terrorism and hegemony against the 2 million Albanians of Kosovo. This provocative and at the same time warmongering act is evidence of Milošević’s Nero-like picture, whose final act of revenge is to set the whole Balkans ablaze. Chairman JUSUF VRIONI