Dear Mr. President, I do not know how I can thank you for the wonderful visit I made to your country. It was a special pleasure to meet wonderful people and see friendly faces all along the way. I wish to express my respect both for you and for the work you are doing in your country, in free Albania. With heartfelt thanks for everything, I want to tell you that I left Albania very impressed by the love of freedom that exists there. Coming from a country where freedom is often taken for granted, it is difficult to fully understand what it means to emerge from the Iron Curtain of totalitarianism and isolation. But as I spoke with your Prime Minister, as well as with Mr. Demaçi, who had spent a very long time in prison, I felt deeply how much your country has suffered. But that time has come to an end once and for all, thanks to you and all those who firmly believe in democracy and freedom. With great respect, please accept my warmest wishes. GEORGE BUSH

Yesterday in the People’s Assembly ON NOVEMBER 28 — BACK WITH THEIR FAMILIES Yesterday in the People’s Assembly The “Amnesty” law proposed by 25 Democratic Party MPs is approved ON NOVEMBER 28 — BACK WITH THEIR FAMILIES NDREKE GJINI This November 28, Albanians will be ushered into a new dimension of freedom. The Amnesty Law, approved last night by the Albanian Parliament, means that hundreds of Albanian families will have their fathers, brothers or sisters back home—people who were tried and sentenced without a lawyer, and tried and sentenced under the Penal Code of the communist regime. This act is irrefutable evidence of Albania’s and the Albanian people’s determination to further advance their freedom and democracy, consolidate the rule of law, and separate once and for all from the bitter legacy of the communist dictatorship. Last night the People’s Assembly reviewed and approved the Amnesty Law on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Homeland. The law was proposed by 25 DP MPs and was brought forward because the bill had been discussed not only by the members of this committee who drafted it, but also in the presence of Justice Minister Kudret Cela, President of the Court of Cassation Zef Brozi, Deputy Minister of Public Order Haxhi Mezini, and various specialists in jurisprudence. MP Ali Spahia then took the floor to defend the bill on behalf of the 25 DP MPs who had proposed it. MPs P. Milo, P. Teta, S. Gjinushi, M. Çeliku, T. Dosti, P. Majko, N. Dokle and others then discussed the bill and expressed their support for it in principle. Speaking on behalf of the independent MPs, MP Teta expressed support for the bill in principle and requested that “this” amnesty primarily include political opponents as well as “the five minorities”—proposals that did not receive Parliament’s support. [The text is unclear here.] The Greek minority also sought to be included in this amnesty and agreed in principle with the bill; speaking about its humanitarian and political aspects, it requested that other criminal offences also be included, alluding to the minimization of the sentences of former senior communist leaders. MP Baleta called this act a pardon rather than an amnesty. Dokle, speaking on behalf of the PS parliamentary group, argued that this was not an amnesty but political score-settling. He insisted that F. Nano also be included in the amnesty. After the discussion, the bill proposed by 25 DP MPs, with the amendments and proposals of the Laws Committee, was voted on and approved in principle by 100 votes in favour, 3 abstentions and one vote against. The Assembly then proceeded to vote on the bill article by article, in accordance with the amendments and proposals made by the Laws Committee. Article 4 of the bill was discussed and debated at length, with three different proposals from MPs put to a vote. In the end, a majority decided that the article would read as follows: “Criminal proceedings shall be discontinued in all investigative cases, in all cases not examined by the courts, and in all reports held by these bodies and by the Public Order offices concerning criminal offences committed up to 24.11.1994, for which the Penal Code prescribes a sentence of up to one year’s imprisonment or any less severe punishment.” At the end of the plenary session, the bill as a whole received no votes against, 84 votes in favour and one abstention. This law enters into force on 27.11.1994. Yesterday the Albanian Parliament approved the “Amnesty” law initiated by DP MPs. In connection with this, the newspaper asked MP Rushen Golemi for her opinion. She said: “This amnesty, approved today by the Albanian Parliament, best demonstrates the consolidation of the new democratic state. Even losing one day of freedom is a lot for a person who values freedom. So, after spending some time in prison, that time has helped them correct themselves. Ultimately, it is the people who forgive these people. No person who still has a positive, sound side...” and to separate once and for all from the bitter communist-dictatorial past. Last night, the People’s Assembly considered was proposed by 25 Democratic Party deputies and introduced to Parliament for discussion and approval under an expedited procedure. At the beginning of yesterday’s plenary session to consider and approve this draft law, the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Pjeter Arbnori, gave the floor to the chairman of the Committee on Laws, MP Halit Shamata, to present the committee’s observations. He stated: “At its meeting of 23.11.1994, the Committee on Laws considered the draft law ‘On Amnesty’ of the Homeland from the Nazi-fascist occupiers, and by consensus and vote accepted the following observations and proposals. ‘In Article 1, paragraph 1, delete the words “before 1 November 1990” and replace them with the words “before the entry into force of Law No. 7382, dated 1 October 1990”. Paragraph 3 of this article is reformulated as follows: “All persons sentenced to deprivation of liberty who were under 18 years of age when they committed the criminal offense shall be amnestied.” Article 2 is reformulated as follows: “The following are not eligible for this amnesty: persons convicted of intentional criminal offenses resulting in death; persons convicted of sexual relations by force (Article 97 of the Criminal Code), sexual relations with minors (Article 98 of the Criminal Code), robbery of state property or another person’s property (Articles 65 and 102 of the Criminal Code), and kidnapping (Article 94 A of the Criminal Code). The committee meeting also debated such aspects of the draft law ‘On Amnesty’ as the classification of criminal offenses, age, crimes committed through negligence, and proposals by individual deputies that those convicted of crimes against the state should benefit from this amnesty. Issues relating to present-day Albanian politics were also raised in the spirit of this draft. The committee concluded that it had carried out its task in accordance with its mandate and that some of the problems discussed at the Parliament meeting and public funds. Mr. Shamata pointed out,

SPEECH BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DP PARLIAMENTARY GROUP, MR. ALI SPAHIA Mr. Speaker! Honourable Members of Parliament! It is a great honour and a joy for me to speak today before this esteemed Parliament on an issue of extraordinary importance to the humanitarian dimension of every society. Those who have been behind prison bars, their families, and society as a whole know well what it means to be deprived of freedom. A great poet, John Doune, said more than 300 years ago: “When a clod is washed into the ocean, Europe becomes smaller...” So never ask for whom the bells toll; they toll for you! Honourable Members, when a large part of society suffers more than others... The group of Democratic Party MPs that took the legislative initiative and brought this bill before you was guided by the idea that great changes have taken place in Albania over the past two or three years. Democracy has developed to a very high level, order and the rule of law have been established, and such changes have taken place in economic, social and political life that a degree of economic and political stability has been achieved which enables society, with everyone’s understanding, to turn its attention to humanitarian issues as well—to those matters that lie at the foundation of human nature. That is why, when drafting the bill, we tried to make the amnesty as broad as possible, so that as many people as possible could benefit. Many of these prisoners had not even been advised that they should have a defence lawyer in their trial. Today, thanks to democracy, all of us in Albania have established and enjoy these rights and freedoms, like every citizen of the civilised democratic world. Honourable Members! Let us grant freedom within the law to these people on the margins, too, whom bad fortune and the failings of a backward society threw behind prison bars. We are building a democratic society in Albania. Let us make room for them at this great table too and give these people the opportunity to integrate into our society. I invite the honourable Members to vote in favour of the amnesty bill. It is society as a whole that killed him. Many MPs from the DP group and their families, unfortunately, had learned this long ago. Albanians have learned it from the bitter history of this half-century and, generally, of the independent... [The source text is garbled here.] A great country, John Doune... I urge bill. Allow me to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of the parliamentary group, all the MPs who gave their consent in the Laws Committee and those who support the amnesty bill tonight. Thank you!

Reception at the Presidency President Berisha received official representatives of the group of German businessmen, accompanied by the German Ambassador to Albania, Mr. Felers. President Berisha said that relations between our two friendly peoples and countries are very good and that economic cooperation is progressing well. “We greatly value,” he said, “the prospects for expanding economic cooperation, particularly in the field of investment, which Albania needs.” The German businessmen said that their visit to Albania and meetings with Albanian businesspeople had been very useful for establishing ongoing contacts between German and Albanian investors and advancing projects that are already under way.

President Berisha received French senators Zharo and Bernar yesterday, and discussed with them the progress and results of the reforms in Albania. Albania’s relations with France and their prospects, as well as issues of concern to our region, were also topics of the discussion. PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY

Yesterday, the leader of the Albanian Popular League Party, Hasan Hasani, and its Secretary-General, Sokrat Temo, held talks and reached agreement on many points with the Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, Mr. Tritan Shehu, and the DP Deputy Chairman, Tomorr Dosti, at a meeting arranged for them at the PDSH headquarters. According to its leaders, the LPSH party, as a right-wing party, categorically rejects the possibility of cooperation with the PSSH, which it considers, in the current conditions in Albania, to represent communism. The LPSH wants the PDSH to retain its leadership role in Albanian political life together with other centrist and right-wing forces. At the meeting with Mr. Shehu, a representative of this party put forward several ideas consistent with the PLPSH programme, concerning property, privatisation, the valuation of national wealth, etc. Representatives of both parties were in agreement on the major issue of the Constitution and its approval through the institution of direct democracy—the referendum. The LPSH representatives supported Mr. Shehu’s idea of organising a round table with non-parliamentary parties to discuss the Constitution and praised Mr. Shehu’s proposal regarding the participation of non-parliamentary parties in the commission for drafting the new constitutional text. The meeting was considered effective and to have paved the way for further meetings in the future. PDSH SPOKESPERSON SOKOL BALLA

THE SPEECH OF MR. TOMORR DOSTI Honorable Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of Parliament, Humanity is felt and greatly appreciated by someone who may have been treated inhumanely, and anyone who has been imprisoned knows very well what it means to be freed from shackles and chains when this comes about through the proper intervention of society, as an act of humaneness and an opportunity to repent and rise again within society. It is appreciated all the more by someone who may have been convicted or received an undeserved sentence during the period of Enverism, when the rights of the individual, their dignity and personality were trampled upon with ease. Yes, gentlemen, during that period when class struggle was institutionalized and crime was legalized. I do not wish to speak here about those who were convicted for political reasons, but about those poor people who were supposedly sentenced under the paragraph concerning social-political dangerousness. (Please, gentlemen, from whichever side you come, take the file of the late Fetah Hodo, who paid with his life.) Oh, how many such articles and paragraphs the infamous “Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies” produced. I have in mind the case of former members of the Bloc, officials or officeholders who were also perpetrators of crimes, and I have demanded that they not be included in this amnesty. They were sentenced to far less than I think their guilt deserved; the statements about abuse of office or other abuses may easily seem laughable, and they show not the slightest remorse, but instead entrench themselves behind the laws of the time. Could a person of dignity accept those things? Never! Honorable Members of Parliament, do not misunderstand me: I am not seeking revenge. How painfully this terrible word sounds to me and to my fellow sufferers. A resounding no to this instinct—and may that day never come. Justice alone, and nothing more. Honorable Members of Parliament, Please bear with me, gentlemen, and put yourselves for a moment in the place of those who were imprisoned, shot, buried alive, who died under torture because they wanted freedom and justice. mothers who, in the Tepelenë camp and elsewhere, watched a tiny newborn cry for a drop of milk while the breasts of the poor mother had dried up. Put yourselves in the place of those mothers who saw their sons killed at the border and dragged along the ground for trying to cross the barbed-wire fences. who listened in anguish to the cries of Zydi Mancaku, Isuf Melçani, Mark Zefi and Abdullahi, who were beaten to death with clubs. And so many others like them. I have said far less than could be said. I am not exaggerating, and I am convinced that what I have said is right. I have just one request before you vote: demand justice of yourselves, and justice alone.

Yesterday the Albanian Parliament approved the law “On Amnesty,” initiated by the Democratic Party deputies. In connection with this, our newspaper asked MP Rushen Golemi for her opinion. She said: “This amnesty, which was approved today by the Albanian Parliament, is the clearest indication of the consolidation of the new democratic state. Yesterday the Albanian Parliament approved the law “On Amnesty,” initiated by the Democratic Party deputies. In connection with this, our “This amnesty, which was approved today by the Albanian Parliament, is the clearest indication of the consolidation of the new democratic state. Even one day of losing your freedom is too much time in prison, that time has served to help these people. Anyone who still has a positive, sound side should appreciate this humane and very human gesture by the Albanian Parliament. There are very few prisoners, and now there are no prisoners of conscience. They are only people who have committed ordinary crimes, not crimes of conscience.”

Reception by the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy A group of French Senators led by Messrs. Zharo and Bernard met with members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy. MP Izet Shehu, after thanking them for the meeting, explained that the committee is pluralistic and is built on the new structures of democracy; therefore, our committee pursues an open policy with all the countries of the world and institutionalizes foreign policy. MP Hali Lalaj stated that Albania has felt the presence of international bodies at close hand, especially European ones. The arrival of the French senators is part of this interest, which also increases our responsibility. Our MPs told their French guests that our country lives next to conflicts; we are a divided nation, but the Albanian state, the political forces and all of us are interested in moderation and calm. We continue to call for the influence and engagement of international public opinion and the European Community so that these difficult problems may be overcome. French Senator Zharo affirmed that there is never an absolutely good solution, but that one must find the least bad one. His colleague Bernard said that democracy’s victory in Albania made us realize that your country is not European only geographically. Regarding Albania’s situation in relation to the conflicts in the Balkans, we believe that Europe has an interest in Albania being a country of stability in the region, because it is well known that the nationalisms emerging are dangerous. Our visit is intended, the French senators emphasized, to shape Europe’s view of Albania. Everywhere we have been welcomed warmly and have encountered a desire for Albania to be part of Europe. Our duty is to help you, and you will have good defenders in us. For his part, MP Lalaj said that the time has come for us to do things faster and not always blame the dictatorship. The government is now looking critically at its own work. We believe that everyone understands and wants a certain Albania. And there is an opportunity for this.