“The positions and actions of the current authorities aid the aims of our sworn enemies to partition Albania and annihilate the Albanian people, and undermine efforts to fulfill the just aspirations of Albanians in Kosovo, Macedonia, and the other occupied territories” ON PAGE 3 The Albanian diaspora in America is alarmed: The communist clique is imposing dictatorship in Albania December leader Azem Hajdari, in New York, during a meeting with leaders of the Pan-Albanian Confederation “Vatra” and the Albanian-American League

Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano repeated his visit to Macedonia to see once again the situation of the Albanians living beyond the borders. In his replies to talks with his Macedonian counterpart, and also at other meetings, he made comparisons using definitions of people’s rights between the Albanians living in Macedonia and the very small number of Macedonians living in Albania. Nano should have learned from his advisers, who may be more responsible than he is, that more than 35% of Macedonia’s population is Albanian, whereas in Albania their number does not exceed 6,000 inhabitants. Albanians should enjoy all the rights of a state-forming nation, while three years ago, on the occasion of the opening of the University of Tetovo, one Albanian was killed and many others were wounded, followed later by the events in Gostivar, where three Albanians were killed and dozens of others wounded or arrested. In his theory of Balkan Schengenization, the Albanian Prime Minister should consider the fact that Schengenization—and the Schengenization of this part of the Albanians, too—must first and foremost be for the Albanians, and only then for the prime minister. No one doubts that Nano, as prime minister, can be in Skopje, Belgrade, and Athens with all the rights. He can say whatever he wants and act as he wishes within the framework of those rights. He can say many things to Gligorov, and Gligorov would not send his special forces to beat him, put him in prison, or kill him. He could do the same with Milošević, as well as with Simiçis in Greece. The case for Balkan Schengenization among prime ministers was settled long before Nano became prime minister. But during his stay in Skopje, the Albanian prime minister should have borne in mind that the people living there are a real Albanian people, not a theoretical one. They have real, painful problems that require a solution. The problems of approximately 1 million Albanians in Macedonia are in no way comparable with the problems of 6,000 emigrants in Albania, just as the problems of Kosovo are not the same kind as those of the village of Vrakë near Shkodër. The Albanian prime minister’s irresponsible remarks seriously call into question the Albanian state’s commitment to the problems of its compatriots wherever they may be. The number of agreements and political games may have no value as long as the issues running through these agreements remain unresolved or are still only at an elementary stage. The absence of direct discussions on the legalization of the University of Tetovo, the laying of wreaths at the graves of Macedonian “martyrs”—who supposedly became martyrs by killing Albanians—or the gathering of Albanians in Tetovo rather than in Skopje, all speak of a lack of national resolve. This points to a lack of responsibility and a failure to confront the realities of Albanian-Macedonian relations in Macedonia. Under no circumstances can a prime minister wreck diplomatic relations on the basis of such personal situations. Regardless of the fact that our country is bound to Macedonia by a good and traditional friendship, and despite the previous government’s very serious engagement in such relations, Albanian-Macedonian issues in Macedonia form a knot that will either become a relationship and a path that can be worn away and made fruitful by words, or will destabilize things in the opposite way. During this visit, it is hard to believe that Nano asked the foreigners about his distress. What remains is the ongoing responsibility for all the talks and declarations about an Albanian-Macedonian future in Skopje.

Another revolt at Tirana prison ON PAGE 4 100 Albanian and Kurdish migrants detained in Italy

100 Albanian and Kurdish clandestine migrants detained in Italy According to the Italian authorities, such an influx had not been seen for years and is due, on the one hand, to the worsening situation in Albania and, on the other, to traffickers’ current preference for the route through Albania to transport Kurdish refugees ON PAGE 4

Former persecuted people continue their hunger strike This segment of the population is the most affected and most grievously burdened by the system of justice established in Albania during the dictatorship; therefore, more than anyone else, it has the moral right to demand and defend the independence of the judiciary ON PAGE 5

The drop in blood pressure, high fever, and stomach bleeding suffered by some of the confined judges could, according to the doctor, even lead to clinical death ON PAGE 5

The Secretary-General of the PS, Pandeli Majko, yesterday apologized to the village of Lazarat for the insults directed at its residents by ministers in the Nano cabinet. The socialist leader expressed regret that Shkëndër Gjiniushi had been in Gjirokastër yesterday and had never before visited the city for a meeting, and said that several dozen tapes had occupied the hall. They also asked the leaders from Tirana to give their word regarding Minister Çeku’s responsible actions in directing the residents of the village of Lazarat. On this occasion, Majko told the representatives that he hoped these words would help turn the party’s current situation into a river and an opportunity to address the lack of order in the country. He also said there should be control and oversight of all citizens in the High Council, otherwise, otherwise, the city’s economy, perhaps contrary to the taste of the problems and without setting an early date for elections, since the PS’s decision had not been against the government. [illegible sections]

The Prime Minister confirms his government’s anti-Albanian policy. PD statement on Nano’s visit to Skopje The Democratic Party has considered, and continues to consider, the development of friendly and neighborly relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to be a necessary political direction. During its time in government, through concrete actions, it demonstrated its willingness to build friendly relations with this neighboring country. The Democratic Party considers any agreement that contributes to cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries and between Albanians and Macedonians to be positive. The Democratic Party emphasizes that the agreements signed had been advanced in due course by the PD government. The PD has defended, and continues to defend, the view that Macedonia’s stability can be guaranteed not by formal acts, but by including the human and national freedoms and rights of Albanians in Macedonia, and through understanding and mutual respect between Albanians and Macedonians in their state. The socialist prime minister’s visit to Macedonia is considered to have made no progress in this regard; on the contrary, by bypassing several issues of fundamental importance to Albanians, he merely confirms the anti-Albanian policy of the government he leads. During this visit, no progress was made on the fundamental rights and demands of the Albanian people in Macedonia, demonstrating that the prime minister did not make these rights and demands the subject of his talks in Skopje. Fatos Nano not only failed to discuss the University of Tetovo, which has by now acquired national recognition, but completely ignored its existence, declaring: “I want there to be an Albanian university in Macedonia; it is not far off.” Albania’s socialist prime minister did not visit the University of Tetovo, where more than 2,500 Albanian students study, but provocatively met only with a few students at the Macedonian government residence in Skopje. In talks with Macedonian government officials, the socialist prime minister neither raised nor achieved anything concerning the Albanians’ state-forming status and their contribution to the state of their own country, which is the demand of Albanians and all the Albanian parties in Macedonia. He also raised the demand for the right to use the Albanian flag, regarding which a high-level decision did nothing for the Albanians, and hundreds were wounded in the genocide in Gostivar. [some words illegible] The socialist prime minister neither raised nor achieved anything on the issue of the official use of the Albanian language, a right recognized for Albanians by all international acts and conventions. He did not discuss the means of Albanian participation in the public administration of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which is at one of the most unacceptable levels in today’s Europe. The Democratic Party insists on respect for minority rights in accordance with the Copenhagen documents and considers Fatos Nano’s statement equating the Albanian people in Macedonia with the Macedonian minority in Albania irresponsible. In response to the prime minister’s Albanian-related point of view, the Democratic Party assures Albanians that it has defended and will steadfastly defend their human and national freedoms and rights, to which they are entitled under all international acts.

December leader Azem Hajdari, in New York, during a meeting with leaders of the Pan-Albanian Confederation “Vatra” and the Albanian-American League

PD proposes an alternative that can satisfy both the state and the individual. Lower taxes for Albanians. A 7% tax on food products and 15% on luxury goods The “successes” of the 20-percent VAT introduced by the “Nano” government today mark the closure of 25% of small businesses, inflation at 110%, the disappearance of 3,800 foreign investors and 70,000 unemployed people, a fall in consumer demand, and land left fallow ON PAGE 2