Changes to the structure of the Government fall within the competence of the People’s Assembly President Berisha considers that he should decide on the Prime Minister’s proposals after the law on the reorganization of the ministries has been adopted As announced by the Press Office at the Presidency on 25 November 1994, pursuant to Article 28, paragraph 7, of Law No. 7491, dated 29.04.1994, “On the Main Constitutional Provisions,” the Prime Minister, Mr. Aleksander Meksi, has proposed several changes to the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, in the composition and structure of the Government. Since competence of the People’s Assembly, the President of the Republic been adopted; this competence, under Article 16, paragraph 13, of the constitutional law, belongs exclusively to the People’s Assembly.

. Tomorrow marks exactly 50 years since the liberation of Albania from the Nazi-fascist occupiers. From the [?] [??] lavish in the history of our people, a [?] that we celebrate as free citizens in free Albania. It is 28 November, this date of special brilliance in the Albanian calendar, Flag Day, the day when the wise old man, the great man of the Albanian nation, Ismail Qemali, raised the National Flag in Vlora and declared Albania’s independence. This Flag Day also coincides with the day of liberation from the Nazi-fascist occupiers. It makes us proud of our history, of the martyrs of freedom, of the sons and daughters who shed their blood in the struggle for freedom, whom the national memory will always honor with deep reverence. Generation after generation, Albanians will be proud of the heroic struggle of the Albanian people, who, alongside other peoples, stood with dignity against the Nazi-fascist dictatorship during the Second World War. The blood shed and the countless sacrifices of Albanians during this war are among the outstanding indicators that show how much Albanians loved freedom, for which they rose up in struggle without distinction of religion, belief or ideology. This great unity of Albanians in the fight against the occupiers had a deserved crowning achievement: Victory. But this victory would later be squandered by communism and Enver Hoxha’s clique, which crushed the hopes of Albanians for a democratic Albania. The communist dictatorship was installed in Albania, suppressing freedoms and human rights. With the creation of the first opposition party, the DP, Albania entered the path of political pluralism, the path of building a civilized society that has turned its face toward the European family, where Albania deserves to take its place and will surely take it with dignity. Throughout these three years of democracy, Albania has changed its appearance; it is [?] economic development and the improvement of every individual’s welfare. No one, not even the most [?], can say that Albania has not changed. On the contrary, everyone’s life has changed; the individual has become, and is becoming every day more and more, master of themselves, able to compete with the force of freedom in mind and spirit. Certainly, we are still the poorest in Europe, but we live much better than we did yesterday, despite the communist remnants, the nostalgics for the past, and those who have lost their privileges and armchairs, who [?] everything. They even threaten to convince people that today’s rulers deny the antifascist war, but this is nothing more than one of the many fabrications they make to regain the seats they have lost. On the contrary, the antifascist war of the Albanian people and the martyrs of freedom are not only honored, but they are and will remain cornerstones of Albanian democracy, which grows stronger every day, corrects itself, and brings people messages of cooperation and tolerance, messages of Albania’s renewal by all Albanians. Albania is on the right path. We tell one another this, and well-wishers around the world tell us the same. Albanians have unwavering faith in democracy; they do not look backward, and this means that, through everyone’s joint efforts, democracy will be consolidated, its values will grow, and some shortcomings will be corrected. This is the message conveyed by 28 November, this day marked in our history. It is the message of the present and the future. of conviction and ideas. This great unity of Albanians, united against the occupiers, received its deserved recognition. and Enver Hoxha’s clique, which killed dictatorship was installed in Albania, turning Albania into one vast prison, a hell for ordinary people and a paradise for the ruling caste. Nevertheless, in the consciousness of… 1944–1994 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION

The LDK replied for 28 November Prishtinë: On the occasion of 28 November, the Presidency of the Democratic League of Kosovo sent the Albanian President Sali Berisha the following congratulatory telegram: On the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of the raising of the independence flag in legendary Vlora and the 50th anniversary of Albania’s liberation from the Nazi-fascist occupiers, we wish you a happy great celebration of the Flag and Liberation. The Albania of Gjergj Kastriot and Abdyl Frasheri, of Ismail Qemali and Hasan Prishtina, the Albania of the martyrs of freedom, is moving confidently along the irreversible path of great and comprehensive democratic transformations and progress in every sphere of life. The Albanian people of Kosovo, although enslaved, celebrate the great day of 28 November with joy and pride, steadfast in their just and sacred cause. Convinced of the victory of freedom over enslavement, democracy over tyranny, and justice over darkness, they are moving toward the ultimate fulfillment of their centuries-old aspirations. Our martyred nation, arbitrarily divided by administrative borders, has never allowed its spirit, history or ideal of freedom, independence and democracy to be divided, concludes the congratulatory telegram from the LDK Presidency to President Berisha on the occasion of 28 November.

. In recent years, organizing the ceremony for the 82nd anniversary of the raising of the flag in Flag Square in Tirana has become a tradition, commemorating one of the most notable events in Tirana’s history, Independence Day. The event, organized yesterday morning in Flag Square in Tirana by the Tirana Municipality, was part of the celebrations for 28 November, the day of the national flag and the liberation of the homeland from the Nazi-fascist occupiers. It was precisely in this square that great historical events had their beginnings, such as 26 November 1912, when, for the first time after 500 years of Ottoman rule, the people of Tirana, together with the patriots, raised the national flag in the capital, and the day the Albanian government emerging from the Congress of Lushnjë was established. In the presence of the mayor of Tirana, Sali Kelmendi, war veterans and other guests, the chairman of the municipal council, Mr. Besnik Petrela, had the honor of raising the national flag on this festive day. On behalf of the “Tirana” association, its chairman, Mr. Shqefqet Ndroqi, greeted those present and, recalling the great struggle, quoted the words of the patriot Refik Topanti addressed to the people on that blessed day: “God willing,” and “may we meet as we do today, face to face, and thus be able to protect our homeland from the enemy’s trampling.” The festive atmosphere was enlivened by the Tirana folk music groups, the artistic ensemble “Tirana” and “Çameria.”

The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, attends the inauguration. Yesterday afternoon, in one of the premises of the National Gallery of Arts, the figurative art exhibition “ONUFRI ’94” was inaugurated. The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, and his wife were present at the opening of the exhibition. State dignitaries, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Albania, artists and art lovers attended. “ONUFRI ’94” is opening as part of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the homeland. The exhibition includes works of painting, sculpture, graphic art and applied arts by established artists and new talents; a committee set up at the gallery will award prizes in each category. This exhibition, in terms of its values

The First National Congress of the United Organization of Veterans held its proceedings in one of the halls of the Academy of Arts in Tirana. The proceedings of the Congress were opened by the veteran Dr. Ymer Dishnica. Then Mr. Muhamer Spahiu delivered the report on the activities of the United Organization of Veterans, from the time when the founding group announced its creation a short while ago. The organization’s main objective, the report emphasized, is the defense of Albania and the patriotic education of generations, with the aim of keeping the national interest, at all times, above personal and party interests, above language and regional distinctions. In the war, the report stated, we took up arms without distinction of religion, ideas or region, for a free country where honor and morality would be preserved. But E. Hoxha undermined this great aspiration of the people and installed the most brutal dictatorship, the harshest persecution and the most inhuman class war. The Antifascist National Liberation War, it went on to emphasize, was undoubtedly the most glorious struggle waged by the Albanian people to liberate the country from the occupiers. E. Hoxha did not wage it, because we are witnesses that afterwards he most unscrupulously and unjustly attributed the merits of this war to himself and his party. On his orders, hundreds of innocent people were later thrown into prison, killed and disappeared. There is no figure more brutal and cruel than E. Hoxha. We are convinced that even today there are nostalgics for the past, it was said later at the Congress, but we call on these left-wing extremists to break free from this nostalgia and work for the democracy of the nation. The report also condemned the stance of the Veterans’ Committee, which, throughout all the activities now being held to commemorate the crimes of the partisan Brigades and the great celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation, did not support the Government’s decision to organize commemorations for its glorious veterans, even though it had guaranteed the relevant funds and other expenses for the veterans during these activities. The leaders of this committee, it was said, have often prevented veterans from participating in these events. Despite this, the report continued, we will tirelessly continue our work to bring all veterans together in a single organization, rather than divided into “white” and “black,” or split among several such organizations. For us, this unity should be achieved without regard to the veterans’ political beliefs.

—ARTICLE 2 OF THE AMNESTY LAW EXCLUDES THOSE WHO HAVE COMMITTED SERIOUS CRIMES. —AN IMPRISONED POLITICIAN IS NOT A POLITICAL PRISONER, GENTLEMEN; OTHERWISE EUROPE WOULD BE FULL OF POLITICAL PRISONERS. Although almost all of us voted for the entire Amnesty Law on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of liberation from the Nazi-Fascists, many statements by opposition politicians have clearly expressed dissatisfaction that this law, among the categories of convicts it amnesties, does not include former Balli Kombëtar members (including E. Hoxha’s successor at the head of the PPSH) and does not release the former communist criminal F. Nano. Although they have been told several times that an amnesty is not a pardon that can be granted to specific individuals, they do not seem to like understanding this. In any case, let us follow their logic and accept that this law was drafted in this way precisely so as not to release these particular convicts. Of course, the law cannot name the people who should be released, but it does specify the categories of convicts who qualify. This law gives the opportunity to benefit to those who, in violation of fundamental freedoms and rights, were convicted without the possibility of defending themselves and under the laws of the dictatorship. This law also excludes the release of those who have committed serious crimes. The people mentioned by the opposition leaders certainly belong to this category; in short, they are calling for the release of those who have committed serious crimes such as murder, rape and major robberies. This category includes, gentlemen, R. Alia, Nano and the criminal former members of the Bloc and the Sigurimi. Why did you not ask, gentlemen, for Article 2 of the law to be amended so that the amnesty would also include those who committed serious crimes? On the other hand, the people the opposition politicians are talking about do not qualify, also because they were not convicted during the dictatorship; therefore, they had the opportunity to defend themselves and enjoy all the rights afforded by a trial in a democratic state. But let us be sure that if things had been different—that is, if these people had been convicted during the dictatorship for the crimes they committed—they still would not have been able to benefit from this amnesty, since they would all be in prison. Some justify their demand with the absurd claim that these people should be released as political prisoners. No, gentlemen, these are different concepts: an imprisoned politician is not the same as a political prisoner. Otherwise, some of the most developed democracies, such as Italy, Germany, France, Spain, etc., would be accused of having a considerable number of political prisoners in their jails. Alia, Nano, Hoxha and the others belong among ordinary criminals who committed serious crimes. They killed, robbed and raped the entire population; therefore, their crimes are more serious even than those of people in prison for killing or robbing a single person. The gentlemen of the opposition have the right to call for the release of murderers and rapists, but I do not believe ordinary citizens would agree with such a demand.

This evening, more than a thousand prisoners or people held in pretrial detention who benefited from the “Amnesty” Law on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Homeland from the Nazi-Fascist occupiers will return to their families. This evening, more than a thousand prisoners or people held in pretrial detention who benefited from the the liberation of the Homeland from the Nazi-Fascist occupiers will return to their families. This evening, then, will be filled with more love, more embraces and tears of longing, more dreams and hopes. The celebrations of today will continue until dawn on the great date of November 28, which this year will knock on the heart of every Albanian with a new sound, with a greater message of humanity and freedom. The message of this day will carry through the years and decades the honor of the Albanian parliament and of the 25 PD deputies who initiated this great humanitarian act. We learned from inquiries at the prison directorate that 237 convicts serving three-quarters of their sentences have been released from seven prisons; among them are 15 minors and two women. These figures should be supplemented by the releases of people held in pretrial detention at police stations. NDREKE GJINI

These post-referendum days are marking out a distinctive Albanian political horizon. The old political caste, largely from the province of a clique, is being sharpened by the transformations of the various current platforms and of two of the main parties, the party in power and the Socialist opposition. If the first populist vector presents itself as the first self-converging vector, some of the Socialist opposition parties seemed to foresee that this position would advance for them through compromise, activism and the embodiment of old politics—careers so exhausted by misuse that they are not even worth bringing back. The noise made by the old relativizers in the wake of the new communists’ beginnings, in fact, seems to say “NO”; would you really do that, in fact, by making it shine and fade, and losing the states? [sic] (Continued on page 3)

—WITH TODAY’S ALBANIAN OPPOSITION, YOU CAN SUCCEED ONLY IF YOU TAKE WITH THE UTMOST SERIOUSNESS THE DAMAGE ITS STRATEGY CAUSES— (Continued on page 3) The course of events, the dynamics of political developments, the ongoing consolidation of the rule of law, the society’s inclination towards integration into the market economy, the awareness of the many parties or political groupings as they move from emotional revival and enthusiastic fervour towards the cool logic of electoral pragmatism. In the political struggle, complete victories and defeats must be assessed throughout the electoral term, with success and maturity at every stage. It is this difficult task that gives today’s politics…

—SAYS ALBANIA’S FIRST CARDINAL, MIKEL KOLIQI Pope John Paul II ordained 30 cardinals at the Vatican, including Mikel Koliqi from Albania. This will increase Pope John Paul’s influence over the College of Cardinals, which has the right to elect his successor. In his address to the new cardinals, Pope John Paul II gave special attention to the resurgent churches of Eastern Europe, formerly under communism. The Holy Father also condemned the interreligious wars in Bosnia and, at the same time, invited Catholics throughout the world to renew their hope as they await the Jubilee of the year 2000. After the solemn celebration of the imposition of the red hat, Albania’s first cardinal, during an interview he gave on the premises of the Holy See, had only these words to say about the high title conferred by Pope John Paul II: “The title of Cardinal has been given to Albania.”