- Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi received Momir Bulatoviç, President of Montenegro - Prime Minister Meksi reiterated that Albania’s position had been to distinguish Montenegro from Serbia with regard to the embargo, which Albania would respect regardless of this position. “The railway connection between the two countries was welcomed with great hope several years ago,” Meksi said, “and now it is expected to create new links in trade activity, because there is a tradition of trade between the merchants of Shkodër and their Montenegrin neighbors.” (According to ATSH)

- The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Pjetër Arbnori, received the President of Montenegro, Momir Bulatoviç - Albania, Mr. Arbnori said, has declared that it does not support changing borders. In this context, we also appreciate Montenegro’s positive position in addressing the crisis in the Region. In this climate of general change, it is not wise to go against the tide; we must discuss our problems as neighbors and agree on how to resolve them. We must also discuss the problems of Albanians living in Montenegro and Yugoslavia, and respect for their rights and demands. Any improvement in their situation would also improve bilateral relations. (According to ATSH)

Ladies and gentlemen, We have gathered today on the occasion of the presentation of Mr. Pjetër Arbnori’s novel “Mugujt e errësirës” and to hear the informed assessment of the author’s fellow writers and friends. - Speech by Mr. Sali Berisha on the occasion of the presentation of Pjetër Arbnori’s novel “Mugujt e errësirës” - Ladies and gentlemen, We have gathered today on the occasion of the presentation of Mr. Pjetër Arbnori’s novel “Mugujt e errësirës” and to hear the informed assessment of the author’s fellow writers and friends. So I intend to say a few words here only about the author, although I am quite sure that he does not want praise, because suffering, pain, sacrifice and selfless perseverance have made praise lose its meaning for him and his fellow sufferers. But a nation is distinguished not only by the great people it produces, but above all by the people it honors. That is why today we honor Pjetër Arbnori and take pride in him. In truth, by honoring you and your fellow sufferers—young and old, of different convictions and ages, those who are alive and those who are no longer with us—the Albanian nation honors itself. This is because you, together with all the Albanians who fought and fell against the invaders of every era, through your sacrifices, torture, suffering and deprivation, through your steadfastness, the example of Albanians, the word freedom and [text interrupted] but you complained that you had written many of them in code, some of which you no longer remember. I think they can be published just as they are, and you should not think that they are silent. Critics may perhaps regard them as codes of freedom, and you know well that artists speak in images that can be understood in thousands of languages. Even the simplest reader will understand the great message in the coded pages of your books and decipher Pjetër Arbnori’s superhuman efforts on behalf of free expression. Ladies and gentlemen, Today I have the great pleasure of being among writers and artists—in other words, among people who have devoted their lives to art and who, with tireless passion, wander the endless paths of the forest of the “same,” as a distinguished philosopher called it. That is why it is also quite difficult for me to speak about a boundless subject such as art. Art and power are two different things; at first glance they are unrelated, but that is not so. There is a very complex, multifaceted relationship between them, and [text interrupted] for me. “I do not distinguish between art, thought and life,” a great Japanese painter would say. The artist’s fidelity to the truth as he perceives it, his insistence on being himself, so to speak, constitutes the condition of his existence as an artist. Artists’ vision of the truth forms the strong lines of culture and of national life as a whole. When true artists criticize, they do so out of their sensitivity and because, in matters of major social justice, they have been and remain the most specialized and sensitive beings. Art plays an important role in the life of nations and eras. Through their magical creations, artists infuse and evoke all those beneficial forces that have enabled humanity to emerge from living in darkness for a long time. This is also the great secret of effective art. Works of art, in the deepest sense of the word, are a powerful message to all their contemporaries. They contain within themselves particles or fragments of their spirit. For us, such works are those of Bogdani and Budi, of De Rada and [text interrupted] For our nation, for the era in which we live—an era that will initially face great difficulties—the role of art is vital. To a considerable extent, our future depends on the place we give art and the role it will play in Albania. This is because art has the noble mission of nourishing the roots of a nation’s culture and is therefore a determining factor in its existence and continuity, given that culture, as the most essential element of a nation’s spirit, also determines its survival. Recognizing and appreciating art’s role in this way gives us the right to look to our future with great hope. In particular, we will be more confident in the harmonious development of our moral and material values; we will be able to understand ever more deeply the great cultural values we have inherited, values of which we and the generations to come must be proud. Let us not forget that the harsh dictatorship we experienced did not merely isolate us from the civilized world; it did everything it could to sever us from the roots of our spiritual heritage as well. It feared its great values and therefore decided to bring about, as much as [text interrupted] Albanian people, honoring you and your fellow travelers, young and old, the faithful without beginning or end of the forest of [pisjakët?], [bin-ka?] called him a distinguished philosopher. Therefore, an endless things; at first glance they are not connected, but that is not so. Between them there is a very complex, multifaceted and irreconcilable relationship. Power needs art, but not in order to praise it; on the contrary, to show it how rich and diverse human existence is, and not to try to narrow its space. But there is another aspect to the relationship between power and art: the former [unclear] the spirit and can also corrupt it, creating privileges that can even overwhelm you; the latter enriches the spirit, but undoubtedly also enriches it. The artist is, so to speak, an independent particle in his eternal state with power; he seeks to reflect and defend his vision of reality, which may often fail to accord with the general current, and in that case art cannot be popular, but it aims elsewhere, at something greater; it aims at the truth. Always beyond the labyrinths of power, interests and money, it seeks to remain faithful to truth and beauty. True art is not advertising or propaganda. It is not, and cannot be, a weapon, and has nothing in common with polemics and ideologies, nor with the engineering of the soul. The human soul was created by someone else: God created it. For the artist, his personal relationship with truth is decisive. In his novels, music, painting or songs, the artist must present his vision of the truth, but only his own vision and not somebody else’s. This is the best way to serve his country and nation. “I use the canvas and colors to say what is essential, and some things have been done and some have not been done, but what has not been done, we will do; all of this we will do great significance for resistance; it was a courageous political course for the moment through which democracy, the PD and Albania are passing today, because this is a period of transition and consolidation of democratic values. Precisely for this something of particular importance. It is an appreciation of democracy and an obligation for the PD and all PD officials, for the government and all the structures that represent the PD today. In this regard, it democracy together, and began it less than three years ago in circumstances as difficult as these. During this period, some things have been done and some have not, of this we will do together.” Ladies and Gentlemen, We are at the beginning of an era, and therefore Note: The headline is the editorial staff’s.

From Mr. Eduard Selami’s speech in Zerqan and Luzni communes Honored participants, dear brothers and sisters. I wish to thank you for this meeting, the final one following the 12 September elections for the mayor of Zerqan commune. This victory belongs not only to your commune; it is also a symbolic vote for democracy in Albania. For this very reason, I wish to thank you deeply once again, on behalf of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Government and President Sali Berisha, for the support you gave the Democratic Party and Albania at this very important historical moment for the country. I naturally thank all those who voted for the DP, but especially those who had not voted for the DP before and gave it their vote this time. This is the way forward, and this vote truly shows that, as the days go by, people are becoming aware that democracy and the DP serve everyone’s interests and help secure everyone’s future. With increasing conviction in the values of democracy, you show that we know one another, that we recognize the ideals and values of the DP. This is the reason and the fact that, in this election, a large number of these people also voted for the DP. All this confirms the values of our program, which is a program that is both pro-Albanian and contemporary, progressive and modern, as well as rooted in tradition. This victory is not only an affirmation of these program values, but also a major obligation for the DP, the Democratic Government, the deputies and all officials of central and local government, and all the structures that represent the DP today. This is a shared obligation, because we began the path of democracy together, less than three years ago, under conditions even more difficult than these. During this period, some things have been accomplished and others have not, but everything that remains undone will be done by us together. Your vote this time was a symbolic vote of great importance and steadfastness; it was a courageous political course for this moment, which democracy, the DP and Albania are now going through, because this is a period of turning point and consolidation of democratic values. For this very reason, the vote you gave us—as I say once again—is of particular importance. It is an affirmation of democracy and an obligation for the DP and all DP officials, for the (Continued on page 4)

On Wednesday, 16 September, DP Chairman Mr. Eduard Selami, together with a group of deputies and government members—including the deputy and Minister of Health, Mr. Tritan Shehu; the Minister of Communications, Mr. Fatos Bitincka; Dibër deputy Ms. Nata-Shehu; and DP National Council member Mr. Engjëll Hysenbegas—held meetings in the districts of Bulqizë and Dibër, in the communes of Zerqan and Luzni, on the occasion of the victory of DP candidates as commune mayors in the elections held in these two communes on 12 September.

On Saturday, 18.09.1993, the chairman of the DPA, Mr. Eduard Selami, will hold a press conference at the Palace of Congresses.