Today, December 8! Four years ago, in the “Student City,” the wonderful Albanian students began the battle to win THAT great and true thing: FREEDOM. Without having been taught by anyone, without experience of such television broadcasts, but with the vigour of youth, with the desire to change every evil, every wrong, with the desire to cast off the shackles of a people who had been deceived, robbed and oppressed, they decided to confront and defeat the savage beast, the red dragon, the dictatorship of the Hoxha and Alia dynasties. The regime tried to manipulate them by pointing to their living conditions. It knew they were poorly fed and had no roads, electricity or heating, and sought to portray them as mere economic petitioners. But… it failed, because they were FREEDOM FIGHTERS for an entire people. After December 8, events would unfold at breathtaking speed. Anyone who lived through those days in the “Student City” remembers nostalgically that intensity of action which defied time. The students were no longer alone. Hundreds of thousands of people joined them, along with their idealistic and democratic lecturers. From the first day of the young people’s confrontation with the dictatorship, Tirana had opened the doors of its homes, tended the wounded and cursed those who used violence; the whole city was in the “Student City.” All Albania had turned its eyes to its sons and daughters. On December 12, the students, lecturers, workers and those hundreds of thousands shouting “Down with communism,” “Enver Hitler,” “Freedom – Democracy,” and “We want Albania like all of Europe” founded the first opposition party to the communist dictatorship: the party of the great ideals of Freedom and Democracy, the Albanian Democratic Party. Many events have unfolded since those days. The DP, with its programme based on the ideals of December, governs the country. Many of those ideals have been fulfilled; others are still on the road to fulfilment. Much has been done, and much remains to be done. In any case, the rule of law and the market economy have been established in Albania, and individual freedom is guaranteed. Albania is among the leading countries of Eastern Europe in the rate of growth of production. Albania has begun its integration into European structures and NATO. But the road is long. It requires the serious commitment of everyone, especially those who set it in motion. QUESTION: December ’90. “Student City”—a respected pairing. Why did it begin precisely there? Was it the dictatorship’s weakest point, the centre of Albanian intellect, or…? ANSWER: It is difficult to say exactly why it began there. In my opinion, the movement found its support and culmination in Student City. As is known, Albania experienced the harshest and most absurd dictatorship. Even before Student City, challenges to it had begun in Kavaje, Shkoder and Tirana. But the dictatorship reacted harshly and crushed them. In Student City, despite the dictatorship’s harsh and rapid response, it could not do so, for two main reasons. First, it encountered very powerful—and shocking to the dictatorship—support from the people of Tirana. Democracy, and those of us who were there in December ’90, owe a great deal to the people of Tirana, because more than 100,000 of its citizens stood by us from the outset and gave this movement the dimensions of a popular revolution. This greatly frightened the dictatorship and, of course, gave us a great deal of support. The use of force under these circumstances, although discussed several times and very much desired by the dictatorial clique, became difficult. The shadow of Ceaușescu and the events in Romania exerted considerable pressure. It was not magnanimity but fear of becoming a Ceaușescu in the face of the powerful resistance of the students and citizens of Tirana that set democracy on its course. Student City also had a second advantage: an open and bloody conflict with it would have meant an open and bloody conflict throughout Albania, because the students came from all over Albania. At the end of 1990, the Albanian communist dictatorship did not feel secure enough to begin such a bloody conflict, and preferred a gradual defeat. QUESTION: The ideals of December ’90 bring together in you the lecturer from building 18 in Student City and the politician, leader of the PDSH. Does the understanding of the ideals of December change depending on…

INTERVIEW WITH PDSH CHAIRMAN EDUARD SELAMI, GIVEN TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LORENC LIGORI QUESTION: As one of the initiators of December ’90, what does December 8, 1990 represent for you? Can you recall anything special reported in the chronicles of those days? ANSWER: Without a doubt, it is a great day for democracy and for Albania’s historic turning point after its long suffering under dictatorship. It was the day on which popular resistance to the communist dictatorship crystallized and expressed itself ever more openly, leading to its overthrow and Albania’s entry onto the path of Western pluralist democracy. I do not know exactly what has been written about that day so far, but naturally there are many special things. As someone who took part that day, I have my own thoughts and memories, but I do not think today is the time to dwell on the memories and reflections of that great day—not only for those who were present, but for everyone. QUESTION: December ’90 and its ideals gave birth to the PDSH. Today, people are saying that its mission has become superfluous. ANSWER: I want to say that these two things came about quite naturally, one following the other. I am still a lecturer; it has been less than a year since I stopped living in the Student City dormitory. In terms of my beliefs and my relationships with myself, my friends and my relatives, very little has changed. PDSH. Today there are voices saying that its mission… [the source text is garbled here] …with intellectuals. Among other things, is this respect for the groups that initiated the democratic processes, nostalgia for those days, or the DP’s strategy of relying on them? ANSWER: It is more than nostalgia. Albania needs capable and qualified people. One of the fundamental dimensions of our democratic revolution is its enlightening and civilizing dimension; therefore, intellectuals and especially the younger generation hold the keys to the success of our democracy and progress. That is why one of the strategies of DP policy has been, and remains, to rely on intellectuals and the younger generation. QUESTION: One of the DP’s political theses is: “In a democracy, no one is too late.” Its opponents often refer to December 1990. Is such a reference justified? ANSWER: It is relative. I am among those who reject the view that there were no democrats before us and before December. On the other hand, the process of change and of casting communism out of Albania is a process that unfolds over time. There have been many honest people who, even after December ’90, believed in communism. In Albania, everyone has their own period and process of de-indoctrination and decommunization; in my opinion, this process is not yet over, and in this respect we should be tolerant and accept change. But I want to draw attention to a very dangerous phenomenon accompanying this process: the phenomenon of chameleons or “flag-bearers.” Alongside honest people who believed in communism and were deceived by it, then understood when the time came and cast it aside, there are people who joined us for other purposes. These crafty opportunists, chameleons, “firebrand flag-bearers,” both then and now, are a danger; they have nothing in common with democracy. Not only the DP but society as a whole must beware of them, because they sow resentment and hatred. Their ideal is destruction, ruin and poverty, so long as they themselves always stay afloat. QUESTION: Finally, Mr. Selami, through RD would you like to say something to those who gave December 1990 the status of the Month of Democracy? ANSWER: I would like to tell them that we are fortunate to remember December ’90, not only because we survived physically (unfortunately, some of us did not, such as Arben Broci), but also because we had the opportunity to contribute to the overthrow of communism and the establishment of democracy in Albania. We are all still young and have many challenges ahead. civilized country, a country of which you will be proud, a country of which you are proud, …concluded. In those historic days, do you think the DP was conceived with the sole mission of overthrowing the dictatorship, or did its mission extend further…? ANSWER: I consider these calls coming from the opposition normal, and therefore they have never troubled me. It is too soon to make final judgments, because time has a monopoly over history, but my view is that the DP is definitively part of the history of the overthrow of communism and the building of pluralist democracy in Albania. Albanians associate many great ideals of freedom and democracy with the DP, as well as many positive things and, naturally, disappointments—things that cannot easily be erased. What will its future be? That will depend on many factors. My view is that the PDSH, regardless of the individuals involved, will continue to play a key role in Albanian political life in the future. QUESTION: The students were the first… Hundreds of thousands stood beside them… Do you think their ideals have been realized today, four years later? ANSWER: Some of these ideals, yes. There is still much to be done. The road to freedom, democracy, progress and success is not a station. It is a continuous journey. QUESTION: The political opponents of December ’90 are also fixed in our memory of that December. Do you still see them active in Albanian politics today? ANSWER: Time has removed some of them from political life. Most of those who remain active are now in the ranks of the PS, as its central and local leaders. QUESTION: It is often observed that Selami addresses meetings and conversations with students,

QUESTION: Mr. President, what were some of the results of the summit, and, secondly, could you tell us something about the meetings you held with senior officials from European countries? ANSWER: I would like to say that the Summit of Heads of State or Government of the CSCE member countries, which met for two days in Budapest, was intended to strengthen and redefine the role of this very important organization. As is known, it played a very significant role in the fall of the Iron Curtain, and it is now expected that its role will be redefined in terms of strengthening human rights, security, peace and stability, as well as the rights of minorities throughout the region covered by this organization. I can say that it did not achieve its primary aim of redefining its role, because two different viewpoints emerged at the conference. One was the view of the United States, supported by the Western countries, according to which NATO’s enlargement and the strengthening of the CSCE’s role are very important for preserving peace and stability. The Russian view differed from this, regarding NATO enlargement as an objection and a threat. In these circumstances, a compromise had to be found, and that was also why the process took so long. QUESTION: Mr. President, press profiles have often portrayed you as a man who is admirably pursuing reforms, both in consolidating democracy and in developing the market economy. You met with the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Filipe Gonzales, and the subject of our conversation was bilateral relations and Albania’s integration. At a dinner to which I was invited by the Prime Minister of Turkey, [the source text is garbled here] the excellent and very good state of relations between our countries, at both the political level and in several other fields, but we insisted that these be followed by more intensive economic cooperation. Naturally, the situation in the region was one of the main topics in all these conversations. I had a special and very cordial meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, to whom I expressed my deep gratitude for the great assistance Italy has given Albania during a difficult period in its history. At the same time, I expressed my great appreciation for the considerable efforts that Mr. Berlusconi’s government is making to renew the Italian economy and Italy, and to redefine its role in the region and around the world. Prime Minister Berlusconi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs… …referring that accompanies always stay afloat. in Budapest on Tuesday. As was stated in the final declaration, this conference succeeded in declaring, for the first time in its history… [source text garbled] …with the consensus of many countries and major experts on the great responsibilities that Mr. Berlusconi’s government is undertaking to renew the Italian economy. in the world. Prime Minister Berlusconi and Foreign Minister Martino, who was at this meeting, assured me that Albania is at the top of Italy’s priorities for assistance and that, in addition to cooperation aid, in which Albania will be given priority, they will encourage Italian investors to come and invest in Albania. Italy is and will remain deeply interested in the East–West corridor, a corridor that brings all these countries closer to Italy and Europe. I can say that I reached a very strong understanding with Prime Minister Berlusconi, and that we shared the same views on developments in the region and in our two countries. Prime Minister Berlusconi renewed President Scalfaro’s invitation for me to visit Italy, a visit I will make as soon as possible. During my stay I met with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Dehove, (Continued on page 2)

Some gentlemen are laying their political cards on the table; they may be connected with anything except the goodwill to put a carefully considered draft constitution into the hands of Albanians as soon as possible, so that, through a referendum, it can become the fundamental document of the democratic state and post-dictatorship Albanian society. DUKA GJIN HATA Another political roundtable: for two mornings, the parliamentary political parties met to debate and find a new solution, reach consensus on the adoption of another draft, and discuss its working practices and approval procedures. There are two proposed approaches: one gives priority to drafting a better proposal that is suitable for all parties, and then submitting it to debate and approval. (Continued on page 2)

On Tuesday, the high-level Conference on Cooperation and Security in Europe concluded in Budapest. As was stated in the final declaration, the conference succeeded in declaring, for the first time in… (Continued on page 2)

…concluded. In those historic days, do you think the DP was conceived with the sole mission of overthrowing the dictatorship, or did its mission extend further…?

5 days – December ’90 Keeping a diary of those days is difficult, especially for us who lived through them so intensely. Because after every word we want to add something, since the impressions are countless, since every word contains within itself a moment from the finest history of our lives and of our parents’ lives. That is why we have so many studies. They have even begun to write. Although no one has told the truth. What matters is that each person shares their impression, so that future generations can clearly build an impression of today’s truth. Later, for us, this December 8 will document the diary of events from the beginning up to the birth of the party of