Interview with one of the protagonists of the “Lists of Terror” for the district of Dibra, Mr. Rifjat Tahir Prenci Question: How did you experience the moment when you read your name on the “Death Lists” for the district of Dibra, when your name is listed at number 8? Answer: My father, Tahir Prenci, was executed on 3 November 1952. He was a former officer and served the American CIA; he came to Albania to liberate the country and the Albanian people from Communism. I, his son, could not be otherwise, and I never thought they would leave me free. I served 22 years in political prison, and already during the trial they told me: “What is born of Mica (the Cat) catches mice”—so, as Tirana’s chief prosecutor Mynir Tirana and Mrs. Hava Bekteshi said, my name would not be eighth in bronze, but eighth on the list.

We are publishing the letter that a Kosovar sent to the former Political Bureau of the PPSH, asking for an end to the odyssey of petitions addressed to various mechanisms of the former dictatorship in order to see his father.

A grand gathering The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, attends A grand gathering Young Democrats celebrate joining Europe The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, attends “We are in a season of hopes that spring from the depths of the ancient and youthful Albanian soul, and fulfill the promise that exists within us. Therefore, together, united with one another, let us turn the season of hope into the realization of our dreams and possibilities. So let us not listen to the pessimists, the negativists, the nihilists, because the future belongs to those who are determined to work; and that is what you are.” These were among the words spoken by the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, at the grand gathering organized yesterday morning by the FRPD at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, on the occasion of this forum’s admission to DEMYC. The great hall of this Palace resounded with the applause and cheers of thousands of young Democrats who had come from all the districts of (Continued on page 2)

Address by the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, on the occasion of the Congress of the Democratic Party Youth Forum Albanian youth deserve the greatest credit Dear members of the Democratic Youth Forum, It is a great pleasure for me to celebrate this together [The opening fragment appears to continue a sentence:] “...shown the dictatorship and the dictator that you were the new Oso Kukes, Vojo Kushe and Mic Sokols of Albania. In those years, you had the star in your eyes for the [unclear], says a poet, just as can be seen in the [unclear] fruit. You reached Europe with courage and dignity. You were the rebuilders of true values in Albania. Dear young people, For Albania and the Albanians, the history of freedom and the history of youth in the 1990s are one and the same thing. After 28 November 1944, the day Albania’s youth liberated the country from foreign totalitarian occupation, free Albania would gradually be set in place and sink into the deep darkness of the half-century-long communist night. This time, however, Albania, liberated on 22 March through your work, would later take its place at the European table, and I think that together with a group of intellectuals, [we] would found, in December 1990, the Democratic Party, a party of freedoms and human rights, the first party with a Western orientation. “We want Albania like all of Europe” became the slogan of its great rallies, hunger strikes, demonstrations and the toppling of statues. Albania in 1990–91 numbered around one million young people. That is why I told you that today you are celebrating membership in DEMYC, but all of us together are honoring the great achievement of Albanian youth: Albania’s membership in the Council of Europe. Your membership in the European Democratic Forum is a great recognition of your historic contribution to the overthrow of the communist dictatorship and to the building of an Albania and a society based on the universal values of democracy. You are members of this forum today because you fought for the freedom of Europe. (Continued on page 2)

Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi, invited by his Romanian counterpart, Nikolae Vakariu, will make a three-day visit to Romania beginning on July 17. In addition to meeting his Romanian counterpart, Mr. Meksi will hold talks with Romanian President Ion Iliesku, as well as with the speakers of the two houses of parliament, Adrian Nastase and Oliviu Gherman.

The President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, attends The national holiday of France, July 14, was celebrated yesterday at a reception hosted by the French Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Lui Domenici, at Hotel Tirana. Those attending the reception included the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Pjeter Arbnori, members of the government, members of parliament, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tirana, guests and friends, as well as journalists from various press organizations. The reception took place in a warm and festive atmosphere. RD CORRESPONDENT

—From the speech delivered in Parliament by MP Pellumb Malaj on behalf of the PD parliamentary group Approval of the draft laws:

Following the meeting of the Albanian-Greek joint commission, Deputy Foreign Minister Arian Starova and the Secretary-General of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Gjeorgjiu, signed the agreement to eliminate double taxation between the two countries. The agreement was signed by both parties as an incentive for the further development of economic and trade cooperation and for increasing investment. In addition to members of both delegations, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dylber Vrioni, was also present at the signing ceremony.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dylber Vrioni received yesterday the Greek delegation headed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Gjeorgjiu. During the meeting, views were exchanged on expanding bilateral economic cooperation and implementing various projects within the framework of European programs. The importance of the fact that several Greek banks, including the largest one, the National Commercial Bank, wish to open branches in Albania was emphasized; this was considered an incentive for expanding trade exchanges and the normal development of financial transactions between the two countries. Deputy Prime Minister Vrioni expressed the Albanian government’s willingness to resolve the external debt issue with Greece, which would contribute to intensifying economic and financial cooperation. In this regard, he mentioned Albania’s signing of six such agreements with Western European countries.

Dear members of the Democratic Youth Forum, great pleasure for me to celebrate together this remarkable event, not only for you but for the entire political life of the country, and to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the youth of Albania. To Albania and to young Albanians wherever they are in the world: happy day, your celebration, Albania’s celebration. But through this gathering, in truth, all of us together are celebrating and honouring your great contribution, the historic contribution for which, I repeat, Albanian youth deserve the greatest credit. I am convinced that this history will not be forgotten, although you do not work for history: you work for freedom, for Albania, and therein lies the greatness of your achievement. Albania, and you, my dear, which has been in Europe since its beginnings, was kept outside its doors, as F. Noli put it, “beside the table, but unfed”; today it is at Europe’s great table, where you wanted it to be, where it deserves to be. Until the 1990s, Albania, geographically in Europe, was separated from civilised Europe and its values by a high, thick wall stretching from the Strait of Corfu to the northern seas. It entered this decade as a land of prisons, concentration camps, crushed hopes and hopeless youth, seemingly an estate of Pol Pot and other dictatorships, undefined in appearance and seeming to Albanians like a fatal inevitability. But far stronger was the courage and bravery of Albanian youth, who, through bullets, charged forward in one of the most magnificent battles in the history of freedom; they brought down this wall and inflicted wounds on the dictatorship that would never heal. The youth went forth, flying to find support among the true democracies. Today, with its youth, on this remarkable day, Albania is an equal among the countries of the political family, and I inflicted wounds on the dictatorship that would never heal. There were around 600,000 young people of Forum age, but even the little ones aged 12 and over never left your side. Many of them are in this hall today. They were with you as you toppled the busts of Pol Pot, as you charged at tanks or set fire to the Ministry of Crime. The blood of 13-year-old Spartak Deliru reddened the streets of Tirana. Spartak Deliru was the same age as Valmis, the youngest hero of the French Revolution. Let us honour this day, the day of the fall of the Bastille; in doing so, you also honour your membership in DEMYC. You celebrate this day with great pride, because at the foundation of Albania’s membership in the Council of Europe lies the blood of your comrades: Arben Broci, Josif Budes, Artan Lenjes, Artur Dakes, Spartak Deliut, Mikel Laros, and many others; there are the wounds of little Olta, and the courage and heroism of the thousands of you who followed the tanks through the streets of Shkodra, Kavaja, Tirana, Elbasan, Korça and Fier, looking death straight in the eye, but also by… Olta, and the courage and heroism of the Albanian youth eye, but also…

—From the speech delivered in Parliament by deputy Pellumb Malaj on behalf of the PD parliamentary group Approval of the draft laws: deputy of the draft laws: —On electricity and the privatisation of the electric power sector, intended to reorganise the electric power sector; since these draft laws concern a particular field, we have considered it appropriate to approve them as a package. I. The Electricity Law has been conceived (to set out the main objectives). —To establish the basic conditions for the activities of individual entities in the electric power sector, on the understanding that the state retains the right to grant permits (licences) to these entities. —During the transitional period, until the Regulatory Authority begins operating, its duties will be carried out by the Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources. —The planned reorganisation of the electric power sector is to be carried out by initially converting the electric power corporation (KESH) into a joint-stock company with exclusively public (state) capital. The shares of this company will be allocated proportionally among the joint-stock companies to be created through the restructuring of KESH. Provision is also made here for the measures the state must take in extraordinary situations to deal with the consequences and quickly restore normal conditions, as well as to protect consumers by ensuring a continuous supply of energy within the technical parameters. This Law reflects the specific position of the electric power sector in the country’s economy: its role in the functioning of the economy, the national economy and people’s lives, as well as the unique nature of the technological process, which begins with the production of electricity and continues with its transmission, distribution and use by individual users with different characteristics. The Electricity Law, together with the Regulation Law, constitutes the basic framework for transforming this sector quickly and safely, in accordance with the practice of countries that have already achieved this successfully. The laws submitted for approval are a natural necessity arising from all the changes taking place in democratic society. Economic changes towards a market economy have made it necessary for these changes to be reflected in the electric power sector too, which until now has been organised under centralised management. Centralised management and the regulations currently in force do not allow the privatisation of the state sector or the participation of various private enterprises. The factors that make privatisation in the electricity sector essential are: 1. Until now, the state has been unable to curb users’ tendency to use electricity inefficiently and without paying for it. This phenomenon is particular to our system and makes privatisation more urgent, because mismanagement will be reduced very quickly. 2. On the other hand, our energy system, particularly electricity distribution, has inherited from the past a very low technical standard and urgently needs substantial rehabilitation to meet technical requirements. It is well known that the state budget currently has no financial capacity to invest in rehabilitating the system. 3. Privatisation of the large sector increases the possibility for a large number of people to participate as owners, who will benefit directly from the sector’s profits. 4. Privatisation will encourage competition, putting pressure on operating costs and directly influencing the reduction of expenses and improvement in service quality. 5. It will prevent state intervention driven by short-term political considerations. 6. It will bring about a better balance between the demand for electricity, its production and its distribution. 7. Since the state will not be the sole owner, it will be better able to rigorously monitor improvements in service levels and the quality of supply. 8. The state will be able to act more rigorously in measures to protect the environment. The electric power sector is also an essential public service and cannot be thrown into the market as just any kind of service. The state, with all its means, will… (Continued on page 2) exists within us. Therefore, together and united with one another, let us get through the season of hope as we realise the pessimists, the negative-minded and the nihilists, because the future belongs to those who choose to work; and that is who we are. This is what [he/she] says

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Pjeter Arbnori, writes to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Martinez, and Secretary Tarchys. READ ON PAGE 2

Resolution On the admission of FRPD to DEMYC The Assembly of the Youth Forum of PDSH, convened today, 14 July 1995, declares that: 1. Admission to the Democrat Community of European Youth constitutes one of FRPD’s greatest achievements in the international field since its establishment. 2. It represents an important step toward fulfilling FRPD’s objectives of integration into European youth institutions. 3. It recognizes that this is a major acknowledgment by DEMYC of the reform process in Albania. 4. It thanks all DEMYC member organizations for supporting and encouraging the activities of our organization on the path to true democracy. 5. It requests that complete information about DEMYC be obtained and that a small brochure be prepared on the history and role of this organization, as well as the stages of FRPD’s admission to it. 6. It welcomes Albania’s membership in the Council of Europe and PDSH’s membership in the European Christian Democrat Union, recognizing them as the fulfillment of the aspirations of Albanian youth to make Albania like the rest of Europe. Tirana, 14.7.1995