The Democratic Party of Albania is following with great concern and strongly condemns the wave of terror, persecution and pursuit that Macedonian police forces have launched against the innocent Albanian population. The pursuit and imprisonment of innocent Albanians, as well as the accusations against them, are a flagrant violation of the human and national rights of Albanians; they are also a dangerous act aimed at destabilizing Macedonia. It is a deliberate and malicious action against one of the most stabilizing factors in its Republic and a continuation of Milošević’s policy in the region. The Democratic Party emphasizes that using as a pretext the persecution and arrest of innocent people—by means of a trap organized by the secret services of the former Yugoslav army in the autumn of 1991, in cooperation with elements of other services in Albania and Macedonia—means either wanting to hold witch trials against Albanians, or mocking oneself and, knowingly or unknowingly, playing Milošević’s game. For this, one bears great responsibility before one’s own country and the entire Balkan region. Under these circumstances, the Democratic Party of Albania calls on the Parliament and Government of Macedonia to immediately stop the wave of violence and terror against Albanians, and calls on the Albanian Government to make every appropriate effort with the Macedonian government and international institutions to stop this wave of terror against our innocent brothers. The Democratic Party calls on Albanians not to fall victim to base manipulations aimed at inciting them against Macedonia’s stability. As they have until now, Albanians must be a factor for stability and peace in the region. This is in their interest, in the interest of their children, and in the interest of the entire region. Destabilization serves only Milošević. The Democratic Party calls on Albanians to be steadfast and draw the appropriate lessons, and not to follow adventurers or elements who, acting on behalf of third parties, sometimes create phantoms such as Ilirida, at other times produce five theses in three days, thereby serving confusion rather than resolving problems, and at still other times cooperate with the secret services to organize traps and implicate innocent people. Albanians in Macedonia need knowledgeable, honest, patriotic and virtuous people with a clear vision, who are determined to rigorously uphold the universal values and principles of democracy, human and national freedoms and rights. They have hundreds and thousands of such people among them. EDUARD SELAMI

The 3rd Conference of the Pukë district branch of the DP was held — Attending were Mr. Eduard Selami, chairman of the DPA, and Mr. Rexhep Uka, Ylli Vejsiu, etc. On Friday, 12 November, at 10 a.m., the 3rd conference of the DP district branch was held in one of the halls of the cultural palace in the city of Pukë. The many people present, who had filled the hall where the conference was to take place, burst into applause when the chairman of the DPA, Mr. Eduard Selami, and the other people accompanying him took their seats on the presidium. The conference was declared open by Mr. Marash Ibraj, a member of the branch’s executive council and deputy for the Pukë district, who gave the floor to Mr. Gjergj Sokoli, chairman of the district DP branch, who read the report prepared by the working group. In the district of Pukë, Mr. Sokoli said, among other things, almost all the land has been distributed to the population, and there were no social conflicts during its distribution. A marked improvement in living standards can be seen throughout the district; farmers have received the land due to them and are now reaping its fruits. Measures have been taken to ... ... … all the measures, and food and other supplies have been delivered to remote areas that are cut off by winter. In the district of Puka, several foreign firms have arrived and are working, and talks are being held with several foreign firms to bring them in as well. The political-administrative reform has been carried out, although not completely. The DP’s new political-administrative reform has not viewed reform simply as a process in which citizens and people are placed in suitable positions, but has found suitable and capable people who will advance the reform already begun. The position toward this reform is full support for the program of the DP and the government. As a result of increased political activity in the district of Puka, 86 private firms have begun operating, employing … people. The economic situation … has changed considerably, but … many problems remain, continuing … school. Puka is a wealthy district … for these population groups in this place, and for this purpose the union has drafted … and distributed … typical … others, … Lezhë, Laç, etc. For this … as teachers and … their stabilization… From …? municipality, which has around … of them have … from … divided … … addressed the conference, and answers began to be given to the many questions posed by the audience. The first question, from a guest at the conference, asked Mr. Selami: «Is the DP’s corrupt spirit perhaps growing?» He replied: «No, on the contrary, it is the DP that is suffocating corruption.» At that moment the hall burst into prolonged applause. To the question: «Given that new elections have taken place in some Eastern countries, will there be such elections in Albania?» Mr. Selami said: «No, elections will take place only in ’96, and we are preparing now so that the DP will win them.» To the question «Are the DP ministers resigning?», Mr. Selami replied: «No, in a democracy everyone is equal; we don’t have 200 parties.» To the question: «What do you think about the AD’s visit to Belgrade?» Mr. Selami replied: «Only their first one was fatal for … them.» To the question: «Why is Mr. Ruli resigning at a time when the country needs capable specialists?» Mr. Selami replied: «This is normal in a democracy, and Mr. Ruli will continue to contribute in the future for the good of democracy and Albania.» The PDSH Presidium’s delegate for the district of Puka, Mr. Ylli Vejsiu, said in his speech: «Today I am also experiencing a sense of the good efforts I received from the … active members regarding your branch’s political line in relation to the reform of the central DP. As for the rural population of your district, which has little land and has been displaced, and also the former political persecuted, we affirm once again that the DP’s position toward these groups has not changed; rather, it remains one of the hottest points in its program and in the legislation we are building every day. They deserve care and moral and material rehabilitation. Expressing my conviction that the most honest and committed democrats in your district will be included at the head of your branch, I wish you success in the election process and in the future activity of the new presidium that will emerge from this conference,» Mr. Ylli Vejsiu said at the end of his speech. Then the PDSH chairman, Mr. Eduard Selami, addressed the conference. After that, in accordance with conference procedure, they proceeded to elect the new governing council, the delegates to the Second National Assembly, and the new branch chairman. Following the vote, Mr. Gjergji Sokoli was re-elected chairman of the DP branch for the Puka district. DASHNOR KALOCI PDSH Press Office

I would like to thank you for your successes, specifically for increasing the number of members to 36 percent, and for your confidence that you will increase membership in the Pukë district even further. Pukë supported the DP at a very important time for Albania, giving it two deputies, with experience in support and assurance on your part in the future; I am convinced this will not be lacking. There have been successes in the work of the democratic government. But in a democracy there is always something to do, something to improve. What I want to emphasize is the constructive nature of suggestions, the constructive spirit of making things better rather than leaving them to one another. The DP’s great achievement is the sign of its maturity and seriousness: it thinks about the things that have not yet been done; they will be improved and accomplished by it. The extreme left has become democracy’s accuser, the bringer and sower of national misfortune. This successor to the communist dictatorship, having transferred many things from the PP, has never distanced itself from it or from the dictator, but has continued to call him father, while all the accusers of democracy follow suit. As early as March ’92, left-wing extremists accused the democratic government of the 600 million dollars in debt they had incurred. With the money they appropriated and stole, the Mafia of the communist leadership roamed Europe to obstruct democracy. They accuse us of isolating Albania, when today it is more open than ever. They accuse us of leaving the people without bread, when prices have been liberalized. They accuse us of blocking local government, while calling for people to leave it. They accuse us of blocking production, when they left us scorched earth and the notorious 80 percent, and when today, according to foreign institutions’ data, Albania ranks first in Eastern Europe for the growth rate of production. They accuse us of violating human rights, when they were the ones who voted against the law in question in parliament. «ZP» is a master of the 51-year campaign of lies and deception, the architect of the genocide inflicted on this people, which has caused Albania such great harm. I wish you success in enhancing your authority and reputation through the esteem of the DP, of yourselves, and of all Albania, for the common good. For example, those who better understood the intensive, constructive concept of the freedom that had been created did not remain on the sidewalks, weeping; they did not sit waiting in the café for the front organization, according to the old communist model, to come in the morning. With small farmers’ centers and investments for the future, as well as short-term investments, this group of people in general, who in a sense rediscovered how to make use of the freedom created by the new democratic order, set examples of strong people who first collectively understood it as a process of creation, (Continued on page 4) At the meeting of this Conference, where the year’s work was reviewed and the new governing bodies elected. In a democratic vote, with 168 votes in favor and 8 against, student Mëhill Genci of the Faculty of Medicine was elected the new chairman of the Albanian Student Union. P. Legisi of Geology-Mineralogy was elected secretary. The Executive Commission and the National Council were also elected. RD correspondent … and understood it as a process of creation, democratic…

On 11 November, His Holiness Pope John Paul II received at a special audience the delegation attending the 27th Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Albanian delegation, headed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Mr. Hasan Halili, also took part in this audience. That same day, Mr. Halili was received for a meeting and held talks with the President of the Lazio Region. At the meeting, Mr. Halili set out areas of cooperation between Italian entrepreneurs and Albanian farmers. Opportunities for broader cooperation were also discussed within the framework of twinning the Lazio Region with Albania in agriculture, the food industry, marketing agricultural products, agritourism, and training Albanian farmers, an initiative on which the Lazio Region is in talks with the Albanian Embassy in Rome. The President of the Lazio Region thanked Mr. Halili for his visit and agreed that such a twinning arrangement would bring mutual benefits in the aforementioned fields. (ATA)

After 22 March, Albanians found themselves in the bright light of democracy. This freedom was no longer «absurd», as Camus says, nor was it profaned. It now existed in our spirit not merely as a sign but also as a concept, not merely as a social formulation but also as an individual right. What has been observed during this period is a wholly tangible phenomenon: people’s different trajectories, according to their predisposition to make use of freedom and their intelligence and ability. of the freedom that had been created did not remai...

On Friday afternoon, the annual conference of the Independent Student Union held its proceedings at the «Studenti» cinema club. Eleven of the 15 members of the former executive committee, whose mandate had already expired, called for and insisted on holding this conference, where the year’s work was reviewed and new governing bodies were Union. The secretary elected was P. Legjisi of Geology-Mineralogy; the Commi...

Immediately after democracy was established in Albania, the Rotary Club of Tirana was also formed, something we have written about before in our press. According to its statutes, every Rotarian has a duty to help others. Although it is a very young club, with a history of just one year, it has achieved a great deal in providing various forms of aid—food, clothing, medicines and school supplies—throughout Albania. Ties have been established between the cities of Lezhë and Ancona, and between Çyrovodë and Sekifalia, etc. All these are evidence of the humanitarian ideas of the Rotarians, who continue to help our club and, without doubt, our country in various forms and ways. Alongside this substantial assistance, these days our children will receive another great gift from the Rotarians: vaccination against viral Hepatitis «B» (jaundice). How did this project come about? Some physician members of the Rotary Club of Tirana themselves proposed administering the jaundice vaccine to the children of our country. This proposal rightly won the approval of all the club’s other members. The Hepatitis «B» vaccine is very expensive and has not been administered on a mass scale in any country in the world. This proposal was carefully studied by all the clubs in Italy’s District 2090 and by Rotary clubs internationally. A major positive role in this regard was played by coordinator Giovanni Gara, the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Albanian and Italian, and the respective ambassadors E. Dule and Paolo Foresti. Why was this vaccine proposed? In our country, hepatitis accounts for about 50 percent of all viral diseases, with Hepatitis «B» being the most prevalent. The vaccine is very expensive, costing around 160 Fr per dose. Initially, children aged 0–3 will be vaccinated, starting in January, with around 200,000 doses per year. About 1 million dollars has initially been allocated for this project; 2/3 of the amount is covered by all the Rotarians of the Italian districts, two Portuguese districts, one Turkish district and one Greek district. The remaining 1/3 is covered by the International Rotary Foundation. To ensure that our country is able to carry out such a vaccination, a delegation from Rotary International visited our country a month ago, consisting of Prof. A. Combisku (Romanian), Prof. Davilla (Italian—Naples), Prof. Taliaferi (Termali) and Dr. G. Gara. They met with many of the country’s health officials, held discussions and visited several vaccination centers in Tirana and in the countryside. After they had convinced themselves of the measures that h- (Continued on page 4)

… all the measures, and food and other supplies have been delivered to remote areas that are cut off by winter. In the district of Puka, several foreign firms have arrived and are working, and talks are being held with several foreign firms to bring them in as well.

DEMOCRACY DID NOT LEAVE YOU OUT IN THE COLD..! In Law No. 7703, dated 11.05.1993, «On Social Security in the Republic of Albania», in the sec- (Continued on page 2)

The joint Press Conference of the two Foreign Ministers, Mr. Papullas and Serreqi, will be held on Monday at 12⁰⁰ at the International Press Center in the Palace of Congresses.

… in … democratic … of the Albanian Woman, … on the need for separa… Democratic … the association … (Continued on page 6)