-Modern technology, high-quality products- -New employment opportunities for workers receiving assistance or for available labor- -Privatization of food enterprises is the order of the day- -Modern technology, high-quality products- -New employment opportunities for workers receiving assistance or for available labor- -Privatization of food enterprises is the order of the day- Yesterday morning, President of the Republic Sali Berisha went to the Tirana Beer Factory to take part in the ceremony organized to mark the factory’s resumption of operations. After a long interruption, the factory resumed work at full capacity, producing around 100,000 bottles a day. This was the fruit of the work of the managers and staff of this factory. In greeting the President of the Republic, he congratulated all those who have thrown themselves into work in the countryside and in the city and who, through their efforts, halted that downward spiral of the Albanian economy, stopped the fall in production, and are marking a new phase in the development of the Albanian economy. This is the result of the momentum of freedom, Berisha emphasized; with the same enthusiasm with which they overthrew the dictatorship, people are now working to revive the economy. President Berisha then visited the Flour Factory. After reconstruction, it will have competitive technology, meeting unquestionable European standards. Around 150 tons of flour a day will be processed, to a high standard of quality. The reconstruction will also have value in two other respects. It will balance the price of flour, favoring domestic production, and create new employment opportunities for other available workers. Plans have also been made to build 20 more factories in the district. This great wave of construction and production in this field has freed our people from anxiety about bread, which, as President Berisha emphasized, is another major achievement of democracy’s first two years. President Berisha also strongly emphasized the need to privatize food enterprises. On this occasion, Minister of Agriculture and Food Hasan Halili declared the government’s readiness to provide Albanian farmers with the new wheat. He announced that the depots and warehouses are ready. “RD” correspondent

-Facts and names Massacres, bloodshed, the violation of mutilated corpses, mothers who do not know where to mourn their children, fathers who today demand justice for their sons’ blood and for their violated honor: these are the deeds of R. Alia, former First Secretary of the PPSH, during the time he remained in power. “Betrayal of the homeland”—that is what crossing the border was called in his time, and bullets did not hesitate to tear apart the bodies of those seeking a little hope beyond the barbed wire, far from the Communist hell. Not even 14- and 15-year-olds were spared; their pleas and tears whispered to the automatic rifle did not stop the bullets. And today parents are searching for their children’s shattered remains, which, when found, were still entangled in the barbed wire with which their corpses had been dragged along the roads. In the summer of 1989, two young men, Dod Fran Gjergjaj and Gjon Mark Preka, were massacred while attempting to cross the border at Velipojë. Their parents would learn of the tragedy only when the boys’ bodies, with skulls split open and bones broken by bullets, bound with barbed wire, had been carried all the way through Shkodër and handed over to people holding sticks in their hands, while others held rifles. Even in death, the two young men from Korçë felt the weight of the dictatorship upon their corpses. 22 September 1990. At the Çatiste border post in Gjirokastër, two more young men were massacred: Agron Jace, 25, and Bujar Ajdini, 28, both from Patos. A relative of Agron, an eyewitness to the incident, recounts how Agron fell under a hail of automatic-rifle fire, while the wounded Bujar was left among the barbed wire. Although wounded and unable to move, although he asked for help, he became the second victim of the automatic-rifle bursts. Their naked bodies were then thrown one on top of the other into a pit. “Those were the orders.” Agron Jaqe’s relative was arrested and later sentenced. All these facts, as well as the name of the border-post corporal, are in his file at the prosecutor’s office. The parents of the two young men, J. Jaqe and P. Ajdini, have been demanding justice for their sons’ blood for a long time. The person who must answer for these crimes and all the other killings will soon be in the dock. No one is seeking revenge, but blood cannot be turned into water; therefore R. Alia must, and will, answer before justice for what the dictatorship inflicted on this country and these people. But those who were Alia’s implementing hand must also answer—those who elected him President and who still stand by him today because they are bound to him. EDI PALOKA Summer 1989: two young men, Doj Fran Gjerkaj and Gjon Mark Preka, are brutally massacred while attempting to cross the border at Velipoje. Their parents would learn of their fate only when the boys’ bodies—with their skulls split open, bones shattered by bullets, and barbed wire wrapped around them—after being dragged through all of Shkodra, were sent to their village to be shown to the townspeople. Is there anything more macabre than showing a mother the mangled body of her son? But that was not all: their corpses would disappear, and when their parents asked to learn at least where they were buried (in a letter addressed to R.Alia in March 1990), the Sigurimi replied: “The bones cannot be buried. The sacred laws cannot be broken. Whoever betrays [the country] gets what they deserve.” These were the laws devised and enforced by R.Alia, the man who “paved the way for democracy in Albania” (according to Socialist Party propaganda). In August ’90, two young men from Korçë would be killed on Mount Ersekë for “attempted escape.” They were shot at close range, as ordered, because terror was meant to hold back the inevitable collapse of the dictatorship. Their burial in Korçë would turn into a demonstration against the regime, which set its instruments of violence in motion, striking barbed wire with which they were surrounded; they were dragged through the streets. its instruments of violence in motion, striking at full capacity with around 100,000 bottles produced per factory’s managers and collective.

The Minister of Defense, Safet Zhulali, received the German military attaché for relations and military affairs, Colonel Ejskel, on the occasion of the presentation of his credentials and the start of his work in our country. After welcoming him and wishing him success in his work in Albania, the Minister of Defense praised Germany’s ties and cooperation with Albania, as well as the assistance it has given our country, and expressed the desire to strengthen them. Colonel Ejskel said that, with the establishment of relations in the military field and the appointment of a German military attaché in Albania, the German Government had taken a step forward in strengthening relations between the two countries. By gaining a concrete understanding of the situation, he said, they would not only expand relations in the field of defense, but would also help us with the aim of integrating Albania into Western organizations.

Instead of a prologue As soon as the descent from Kamza Hill ends on the national road to Fushë-Krujë, a turnoff to the right leads to Zall Herr. What catches your eye from afar are the carefully cultivated fields and the healthy growing wheat, reflecting the sweat and hard work of the farmers in these parts. But a passing traveler can learn a great deal by talking to the residents of the villages in this area. At Myftar Xhepe’s house, it is hard to tell whether you are in a village or a city. The television, refrigerator, sponge sofas and many other modern appliances prompt visitors to ask: How? Have we acquired all this in two years? And Myftari also shows you the tractor in his yard, bought with a loan from the state. Naturally, the facts above refer to an isolated case; we learned a little more about the commune: A conversation with Ramazan Hoxha, Deputy Head of the Commune “Mr. Ramazan, briefly, what are some of the achievements of these two years in your commune?” “Seeing the farmers’ difficult economic situation, we set about distributing the land, which we accomplished very quickly. Everyone received a share of their own property, and those with less land received the surplus. The change was apparent in the very first year. Living standards improved somewhat. In the second year, Zall Herr underwent a radical change. That is a fact.” “What do these changes consist of?” “All those who received land work it twice over and grow wheat, corn and vegetables. The state did us a great favor by repairing the damaged canal that brings water from the Tërkuza River, so 80 percent of the land is irrigated.” “What is the farmer’s economic situation like?” “You know that before, even if you had money, only someone with a good political biography could get a television, and a color television was out of the question. Today a good number of families have not only a color television but also a computer.” “How do farming families secure the money they need to live?” “They sell their produce, such as wheat, corn and vegetables. Around 20 families have trucks or cars. Likewise, in these two years, around 35 tractors have been bought in the commune of Zall Herr alone.” “Can this number of tractors handle the cultivation of the land?” “Of course, other equipment is also needed. We have many requests from people wanting to buy wheeled tractors.” “So, there are no problems at all in your commune?!” “Of course there are. Some farmers have not been fully provided with land, in the villages of Priske e Vogel, Herraj, Kallmet, etc., and the state has provided them with financial assistance.” “Have you considered what will happen to these farmers, bearing in mind that assistance is assistance—” Continued on page 2

Yesterday morning, at around 11, the Political-Social and Cultural Organization “Omonia” of the Greek minority in Albania held a press conference in the conference hall of the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. The chairman of this organization, Mr. Sotir Qirjazati, informed the conference audience in his remarks about the problems currently concerning the Greek minority in Albania. Mr. Qirjazati expressed his confidence that these would be resolved by the President and the Democratic Government through dialogue and a spirit of mutual understanding. He once again publicly condemned and denounced the criminal act in April in Peshkepia e Siperme. At the same time, he denounced attempts to implicate the Greek minority indirectly in this incident and, in this context, informed those present about the request made in a telegram to President Berisha for the release from detention of five leading officials of “Omonia.” Mr. Qirjazati, while expressing

Amendments to several laws approved Yesterday morning, the People’s Assembly continued its work in plenary session. First, the deputies discussed, made observations on, and approved the draft law “On certain amendments to the law on personal income tax.” Under this law, personal income derived from honoraria, forward contracts and games of chance is exempt from personal income tax. Then, by a majority vote, the draft law on the revaluation and redistribution in kind of the property of former agricultural cooperatives was discussed and approved. Under it, social and cultural facilities belonging to former agricultural cooperatives that still physically exist and were built and used for education, culture, health care, sports, and offices of former cooperatives or former people’s councils are transferred, with compensation, to the property of the commune or municipality, to be used for public needs by the municipality or commune itself, or rented out for the same purposes. Compensation must be paid within three years. Where these facilities have been occupied illegally, they must be vacated within one month, on the basis of a decision by the relevant council. In cases where a facility has been adapted as a dwelling and the household has no other home, this period is extended to six months. Where former political exiles who have been granted housing-release status have been accommodated in these facilities, they are to be vacated once the state has fulfilled the obligations arising from the status of this category of citizens. Also during this and used for the needs of education, culture, healthcare, are transferred more quickly into the ownership of the municipality or city, to be used for public purposes by the municipality or city itself, as well as to be leased for its needs and purposes. Compensation must be paid within three years. When these buildings council. If a building has been adapted as a residence and the citizen living there months. If former political prisoners who have obtained the relevant status are housed in these buildings, the dwelling is vacated once the state has fulfilled its Also during this session, the candidacy of the next Democratic Party deputy, Tonin Ujka, was approved in place of deputy Dylber Vrioni, who, as is known, has been assigned another duty incompatible with the mandate of a deputy. On this occasion, Mr. Ujka took the oath as a deputy. He was born in 1946 and currently works as an actor at the “Migjeni” Theatre in Shkodra. The deputies then discussed and approved by a majority vote the draft law “On Some Amendments to the Law on Customs Tariffs,” which states that export taxes are abolished for certain types of goods, such as leather, tobacco, unprocessed timber, medicinal plants, live lambs for meat production, as well as fish, molluscs and crustaceans of all kinds. At the end of the session, deputy Gijka expressed his indignation over the incident during the football match between our team and the team from Macedonia, where Macedonian fans insulted our national sentiments. ATSH

-Selman Marku, a member of the Reç Municipal Council and representative of the Socialist Party, seeks membership in the Democratic Party- At Mr. Eduart Selami’s meeting with the residents of the village of Zall-Rec, among those who took part in the discussion was the literature teacher at the Reç high school and member of the municipal council of this municipality, representing the Socialist Party, Mr. Selman Marku. “In people’s minds,” Selmani says, “I am known as a socialist. In fact, I used to believe in socialist ideas, but that is no longer the case. I have applied to join the Democratic Party. My wish will be fulfilled soon. I want to be honest. Here, among men, I want to recall something from 16 years ago. I was young. Back then, becoming a member of the Party of Labour was a great honour. With this desire, I applied to join the Party of Labour. But I was not accepted, and that turned out to be a great stroke of luck, because it was only later that I began to understand what the Party of Labour really was. Later, the Socialist Party welcomed me, and today I represent it on the Reç municipal council. Why do I want to become a member of the Democratic Party? The answer is simple: from what I see and hear, I disagree with the Socialist Party’s political practice. Everything is judged not by words but by deeds, and I do not like the Socialist Party’s deeds here in Reç. With every passing day I become convinced that the only and best path for Albania and Reç is the path of democracy followed by the Democratic Party, and that is why I want to become a member of it.” Selman Marku is leaving the Socialist Party even though it had offered him a “chair.” Today, many in the Socialist Party have clung to their chairs and sold every feeling and shred of dignity. Therefore, Mr. Marku should be congratulated, not simply because he has joined the Democratic Party, but because the moment he understood the purpose the Socialist Party is pursuing today, he left without hesitation, despite the chair that might have tempted him. MENTOR SHEHU

[Text around the sketch is illegible] Ruke [?] 94 The Caricature Corner