To Mr. Adem Demaçi We, the members of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Albania, have followed and continue to follow, with deep concern, the extremely grave situation of our blood brothers in Kosovo, who are experiencing an ever more total absence of freedom, savage violence, genocide and ethnic cleansing by Milosheviç’s fascist clique. In this tragic situation, for several days now there has also been the hunger strike that you and other esteemed intellectuals have been continuing in protest against the closure of the “Rilindja” publishing house. Dedicated to freedom of speech and thought, and to the Albanian language and literature, you, Mr. Demaçi, and the other intellectuals have confined yourselves in order to tell public opinion the great truth: how sacred freedom and free thought are to Albanians; how strong their love for their own lands is; and how resolute and heroic your resistance is, even unto self-sacrifice, in the face of the savage violence of the dictator Milosheviç. Albania, joining in your struggle, Mr. Demaçi, and that of the other intellectuals—so lofty and manly, yet also so moving—condemn and denounce once again Serbia’s criminal policy toward the Albanians of Kosovo, and demand an end to the unprecedented disgraceful acts of Serbian chauvinists at the close of this century. We appeal to all democratic organizations and distinguished figures of the democratic world to raise their voices in defense of the free lives of your comrades and your just demands, against Serbia’s criminal policy toward Albanians in Kosovo and other areas of the former Yugoslavia, and against the denial of their rights to language, education, culture and knowledge, to books, song and the Albanian word. Before your dignified and heroic stance, the Milosheviçes are small and powerless; they have been exposed [?], and history will not delay in imposing on them their final, deserved punishment. PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA As reported from Prishtina yesterday, Mr. Adem Demaçi and the other writers of “Rilindja” ended their strike.

Speech by Mr. Sali Berisha at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Korçë First of all, I would like to greet all the families and relatives of the martyrs of the homeland and all those who gave their lives for national freedom, all those who gave their lives for the freedom and rights of the individual. Many of you are young, perhaps in secondary school, and I agree with you that life is the most beautiful thing, the noblest thing, the dearest thing to a person. But we must never forget that, together, at certain moments, when you die for great causes, when you die for your homeland, when you die for freedom, you become immortal; you attain immortality. Therefore, I invite all of you, children and parents of Albania, to come to the martyrs’ graves, because although today they lie everywhere in Albania, in the earth where they are, in the cold earth, each of them also has a warm resting place in the heart of every Albanian who loves Albania and loves freedom. They also have another place on the nation’s flag. Their names are written there, each and every one of them. That is why we must also honor greatly peoples who have suffered and hold their symbols inviolable. Peoples who have suffered hold their symbols inviolable. Peoples who have suffered honor their symbols greatly, and we Albanians will honor more than anyone else the sons and daughters of Albania who fell for the freedom of the nation, who fell for the freedom of the individual. Therefore, once again, I urge you to honor them ever more. You children, pupils, young people, should come and tend the flowers, so that there are always flowers on their graves, because this is a great school for us: here we touch history, here we find the strength to look toward the future, here we find our strength and confidence. They were brave. Let us not forget that their sacrifices are incomparable. Many fell in battle, others from illness, others in prison, others from [?], but they all fell convinced that Albania would be free; they all fell with the moral conviction that Albania would be free. Thus, today and every day, we will honor them ever more. It is rare to find another nation in Europe with more martyrs than living people. This is also the fundamental factor behind the nation’s existence throughout all ages. Eternal honor to all those who gave their lives for the freedom of Albanian lands, for freedom of speech and free thought. Thank you.

—Speech by Mr. Sali Berisha before the veterans of Korçë— I congratulate you on the bravery and courage you showed in the struggle for national freedom, in the struggle for freedom and human rights. Without doubt, through the great sacrifices you made, and through your bravery and courage, you have been and remain a decisive factor in the existence of the Albanian nation and of Albania. It was your bravery, your courage, and that of hundreds and thousands of Albanians throughout history, that made Albania free and independent today. Therefore, for us, for every Albanian, you are and will remain dear and respected; you are and will remain honored. Your high virtues, the sublime decisions you made to fight the occupiers, to fight for freedom and human rights, to fight for freedom of speech, are and will remain a great inspiration to Albanians of every age and every generation. It is extremely important that everyone understand today that our symbols are sacred. I was at the Martyrs’ Cemetery a short while ago. There was a group of children and young people there. I told them that they should come here often. We must tend the flowers on these graves, and never forget that although life truly is the most beautiful thing, in certain circumstances and in the face of human need, one gives one’s life for one’s country, one’s nation, one’s honor, and freedom. So it is very necessary to engrave this idea firmly in our minds. Our mothers taught us this idea. We fought on the basis of this idea. We must defend it and proclaim it today and always. This does not mean that we glorify wars or nationalism. On the contrary, we are the most restrained people in the region. But naturally, we also have the strongest warrior traditions in the region. We are among those who know how to fight hardest for freedom. No one has sacrificed more than the Albanians. And if necessary, I am certain we will sacrifice again, because we are on our own lands. Many people fought during the National Liberation War. But not everyone remained true to the ideals for which they fought. In any case, that is democracy: its door is open to anyone who wants change, anyone who wants to contribute. We never trample on anyone’s work while acknowledging it. We respect it, but what matters is that everyone respect their ideals, recognize and remember the ideals for which they fought. I fully agree that not only veterans’ organizations, but also the martyrs of democracy, must have an honored place, because just as you took up arms yesterday against the occupier, these people too accepted the sublime sentence of sacrificing themselves for freedom of speech, so that they could speak openly and forthrightly, as has been our centuries-old tradition. These people are undoubtedly martyrs of free speech and democracy, its veterans. I consider this a special day, when, in my capacity as head of state, I have on one side the chairman of the veterans’ association and on the other the chairman of the association of the politically persecuted. Both are united by freedom, by its ideal; this ideal calls on all of us to honor them always. You made a request modestly. I have asked, and will continue to ask, the government to fully respect the status of the veteran and the status of the persecuted. This undoubtedly does honor to all Albania, to the whole society. The government has made a decision in this regard in recent days. If it is incomplete, it will be completed. Be certain that democracy will place you on the pedestal you deserve.

Speech by the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, at the Palace of

Speech by the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, at the Sports Palace in Korçë Mr. Sali Berisha, at the Sports Palace in Korçë Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Korçë! Today has been a joyful day for me because I am among friends. I come to you with pleasure, keeping alive in my mind the enthusiasm, dedication and selflessness with which you, the citizens of Korçë, welcomed the first days of Albania’s democratic processes. But I also emphasize that it is a pleasure for me to come to Korçë, the city of patriotism, of the great Renaissance figures, of the martyrs of Orman Çifligu and of the first Albanian-language school, which the great apostle of the Renaissance, Naim Frasheri, praised in these lines: “Blessed are you, my Korçë, flower.” It is an honor to come to Korçë, the city of the brave Mihal Grameno, Vasil Tromara and Themistokli Germenji, and of the distinguished men Sotir Peci, Pandeli Cale and Thoma Turtulli. It is a special pleasure to come to Korçë, which welcomed Fan Noli with open arms and whose blessing he brought from the land of democracy, along with its great message in the words: “We need a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” He did this at a time when the storm bringing communist darkness had begun to blow over Europe. It is an honor to come here to Korçë, which made such a great contribution and gave so many martyrs to the National Liberation War, to Korçë of the “National Fighter.” Eternal honor and honor to the brave men of your city and region who fell for the honor and freedom of Albania. It is also an honor for me to come to Korçë, the city of Gjergj, Sevastij and Parashqevi Qiriazi, who devoted their lives to bringing enlightenment and education to Albania as it emerged from five hundred years of darkness. It is a special pleasure to come to the city of the distinguished painter Vangjush Mio and Vangjush Tushi, who was imprisoned and martyred. Great respect for all the enlightened artists of Korçë, who through their work became immortal in Albanian culture. I am pleased to come to Korçë, the city of ordinary workers, of wise and highly skilled craftsmen, honest and courageous merchants, and wise, hardworking peasants, who together paved the roads of emigration and created the wealth of the Albanian colonies in America. In the past, these colonies contributed so much to achieving independence and building Albania, and they continue to help today. I am very glad to hear that the valuable tradition of work and private enterprise, which your villagers and townspeople had preserved under the yoke of bondage, has taken effect and that economic life in the Korçë district is doing better. The industrious people of Korçë, who today engage in their own creative work, make Korçë—as it was in the time of Naim Frashëri—unique and unsurpassed [?]. It is also a particular pleasure to come to Korçë, a model of football and friendship, and of tolerance between the Muslim and Orthodox faiths, which characterizes the citizens of Korçë and Albanians [?]. Ladies and gentlemen of Korçë, I come to you today after a little more than a year of democracy. I think that you, and all Albanians, are impatiently waiting to see ever greater achievements, and this is entirely fair and reasonable; it also depends greatly on my confidence [?]. But I think that, after one year of governance by a new government, which you elected by free vote, despite the undeniable mistakes and shortcomings that have been identified and must be corrected, Albania and the Albanians have achieved more than ever before in their history, politically, economically and socially. The new government, which emerged from the elections of 22 March, took charge of the country after 50 years of communist tyranny, after two years of massive destruction, after the theft of hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. The dictatorship turned beautiful Albania into a land of grotesque distortions. In many respects we began from zero, and worse still, from chaos and anarchy; the country’s economy was in complete collapse. Crime and insecurity were increasing; 80% of Albanian industry [?]; industrial technology had been dead for years; the sense of responsibility for work had been severely damaged. These difficulties become even greater when one considers that all those young men and women whom you elected by your free vote, in addition to this extremely bitter legacy, also had to confront a lack of experience in government and a lack of tradition in developing the rule of law and a market economy. Thus, a year ago, the greatest objectives for the new forces that came to power were to build the rule of law and a market economy, open Albania and integrate it into Europe. In other words, to bring about the true rebirth of Albania and the Albanian nation. In one year of life in freedom, we succeeded in opening Albania definitively to the world and the world to Albania. During this year Albania established close cooperation with the European Community, from which it has received strong support on the basis of the agreements signed with it; with the Council of Europe, where it received observer status; with NATO, where it was recently accepted as an associate member of the North Atlantic Assembly; with the IMF, with which a series of agreements have been signed; with EFTA and the G-24; and with the United States, which gave Albania substantial political and economic assistance. In our foreign policy, Balkan policy and relations with our neighbors in the region have had and will continue to have a very important place. In this policy we have not been guided by the creation of special alliances, but by establishing understanding and friendship with all our neighbors. We have also decided to leave misunderstandings to history and create an atmosphere of understanding, friendship, peace [?] and stability in the region. In this respect, our relations with Italy have been and remain very good. This country has helped and continues to help Albania greatly during this difficult period. Relations between Albania and Turkey occupy a special place. They are developing in a spirit of complete understanding and friendship. A large and strong Albanian community lives in Turkey, represented throughout the structures of the Turkish state. It loves Albania greatly and is a strong bridge between us. Relations with Greece, our oldest neighbor, are moving toward progressive improvement. The Greek people and government have helped our country greatly, and for this we are very grateful. I think they must under no circumstances be identified with those Greek chauvinist circles that want to fan the flames of hostility and misunderstanding between our two countries. I would also say that, despite differences in official views concerning the crisis in the Balkans, our relations will develop and progress. We have, and want to have, very good relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which must respect all the national and human rights and freedoms that Albanians in this republic are entitled to under international documents. Our relations with Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia are very good. We have made, and will continue to make, efforts to improve them with Montenegro as well. The high-level visits exchanged with all these countries during this period gave a strong impetus to these relations. In the future, too, we want to strengthen our ties with our neighbors, because we are and will remain committed to developing friendship, cooperation and understanding with them. This policy stems from the vital interests of Albania and the Albanians, and from our determination to build a democratic society and an Albania integrated into the region and Europe. Friendly relations have also been established with many European countries outside the Community, such as Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Hungary and Poland; with friendly Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and many others. Japan, South Korea and Malaysia have recently shown interest in our country, and we are grateful for the assistance these countries have offered and continue to offer Albania. Our international relations have intensified greatly during these recent months. In this regard, the visits in April by His Holiness Pope John Paul II and by NATO Secretary General Manfred Werner deserve mention as historic. For us, a particularly significant event was undoubtedly associate membership in the North Atlantic Council, which is a great recognition of the value of Albania’s integration policy, a value that no one’s attacks and slanders can diminish. Likewise, cooperation, relations and assistance between the European Community, the Council of Europe, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have grown considerably in recent months. Recognizing the courage, boldness and determination of the Albanians, the government and the Albanian state to follow the path of reform and build a democratic society in Albania, and recognizing [?] Albania as a factor of peace and stability in the region. These organizations and institutions have shown themselves increasingly ready to help Albania. They have increased, and continue to steadily increase, assistance to our country in the form of grants, loans and cooperation programs. Our foreign policy has, and will continue to have, as its principal objective the just resolution of the national question. We are determined to make every effort to establish peace and stability in the Balkans. Today, I can say that Albanians are among the main factors of stability in the southern Balkans. Although they number [?] million and are divided among five states, they are courageously fighting and striving for human and national freedoms and rights, and are not seeking to change borders by force. They are everywhere recognized by democratic political forces, and although more than half of them are experiencing brutal oppression and the denial of their fundamental rights and freedoms, they are determined to use (Continued on page 2)

Photo: ATSH

[Fragments of the press on the opposite page, partially illegible at the left edge.]