“The Party's word multiplies our strength and strengthens our faith in the path we ourselves have chosen” Numerous letters and telegrams from all over the country continue to arrive for the First Secretary of the Party's CC, Comrade Ramiz Alia, and for the Central Committee of the Party. They are written by workers' collectives, workers and cooperative members, veterans, young people, mass organizations, communists and cadres, intellectuals, military personnel, etc. All express people's solidarity with the decisions of the 11th Plenum of the Central Committee, as well as their complete conviction in the justice of the policy of the Party and our state, and promise to place all their strength, minds and hearts at the service of the people and the homeland, so that our beloved Albania may become more beautiful and stronger, with the unbreakable unity of the people around the Party and Comrade Ramiz Alia. Here is what members of the Democratic Front organization of Balla in the district of Puka write: We gathered again here in this beautiful, green forest, where ten months ago we had the feeling of being together, dear Comrade Ramiz. That meeting will remain unforgettable for us, but we have always held you in the fullest esteem, as a historic friend. We had you with us once again when we listened attentively to your words at the 11th Plenum. We highlanders have always stood with the Party, because we have seen nothing but good from it. But never have we been more satisfied than today, never more optimistic, together with our men, women and children. The decisions taken by the Party increase our joy, multiply our strength and strengthen our faith in the path we ourselves have chosen. But what pleases and inspires the people is a source of bitterness to those who do not wish us well, both abroad and at home. We know very well that they may find support among some vagabonds or speculators, and may even deceive a few people who are weak or have vices, but they certainly cannot win over a people. In this process of democratization, which surges like mountain waters in spring, we are convinced of the path we have chosen. There is nothing better than building your life with the sweat of your brow. Only then do you feel truly satisfied; only then does life seem beautiful and you feel proud. Only then do you know what you are doing today and what you are striving for tomorrow, where you are going and why you are fighting. We know these things well and are sure of this path, on which the Party leads us. “We listened attentively to Comrade Ramiz's speech at the 11th Plenum and fully approve the Party's analysis of the events of July 2 and the situation that arose a few days ago at the foreign embassies in Tirana.” This is what the employees of the Institute of History at the Academy of Sciences write to the Central Committee. “We express our conviction that these acts, which represent the activity of internal and external enemies, will fail in the face of the unbreakable unity of the people around the Party. We are convinced that the plans and actions of destructive, antidemocratic and anti-Albanian forces will be crushed. There is no other answer for the enemies. Expressing our faith in the justice of the Party's line, we draw lessons for our daily work, as the 11th Plenum instructed. In particular, our responsibility grows to give the people even more worthy works that serve the patriotic, class and revolutionary education of the working masses, especially the younger generation, and for the science of history to play an even greater role in this process of further democratizing the life of the country, which safeguards the freedom, independence and progress of the homeland.” “We heard your speech, Comrade Ramiz, at the recent Plenum of the Party's Central Committee, and our faith in the path we are following has grown and deepened,” write, among other things, the women and girls of the Ishëm agricultural cooperative in the district of Durrës. “Your words, Comrade Ramiz, are inspiring to us. They mobilize us at work, and on this occasion we inform you that we have exceeded our production targets for wheat, milk, etc. You remind us not to forget for a single moment to raise good children who love their parents, their homeland and their village, who study and progress in life, and who become honest and genuine people.” Four hundred intellectuals from the town of Gramsh write, among other things: “We gathered at a general meeting to discuss our duties in implementing the decisions of the 11th Plenum of the Central Committee. The liberation of the country found Gramsh with 99.3 per cent of its population illiterate. A travelling nurse used to go around the villages; there were only two people with secondary education and none with higher education. Today there are 1,200 cadres with higher education in every field, or one for every 40 inhabitants. These are great victories of socialism. As they write to Comrade Ramiz Alia, with our hearts and minds we are with you, in all your assessments of current developments, and we are enthusiastic about the bright prospects opening up for the life of the country. We listen with indignation to the malicious activity that seeks to hinder us on our road to progress. We know what the class struggle is, and we know how to fight and mobilize in the interests of our class. Our beloved Party and our entire socialist society have educated and moulded us for this. For us, as for all Albania, freedom, independence and socialism are one and inseparable.” “Evil, wherever it comes from, will find us alert here in our homes. We were like this even when there was no one to unite us, and all the more so today, when we are one: people and Party,” write the highlanders of Dragostunjë in the district of Tropojë. Dozens and dozens of other letters and telegrams share this spirit of solidarity with the decisions of the 11th Plenum. They support the line of our Party, express deep confidence and optimism about the process of revolutionizing and democratizing the life of the country, and, on this occasion, collectives and people of different ages and professions unanimously promise to serve in defending the victories achieved, so that our homeland may grow stronger and our life become more beautiful. Interviews of the day Bardhyl Londo, poet: The relationship between the individual, time and society can change considerably at different stages in the development of human communities. Nevertheless, there is something permanent that determines each person's worth, dignity and capacity: the relationship between the individual and the homeland. A person outside this relationship has never been imagined and cannot be imagined. The stronger and clearer these ties are, the more open and complete a person's being becomes, and the nobler their dignity. It is no accident that in Albanian the words for homeland and birthplace have become synonymous. For an Albanian, the place where one was born has been and remains the homeland. And parents, whatever the circumstances, are there to be loved, to be cared for, to be honoured, and to be approached with reverence. We have always expressed this lofty creed of the Albanian, and now, in entirely new conditions, Comrade Ramiz Alia's speech delivered on the first day of the Party Central Committee's 11th Plenum has once again brought it to the fore—the values of patriotism and love of the homeland, cherished everywhere in the world and by Albanians. Mehmet Rama, veteran: Comrade Ramiz once again gave an answer to those who want to hinder us on our road to democracy. Those hooligans will never destroy Albania. A mountain is not moved by the wind. We built Albania with our blood. Tempered in battle, the Albanian strengthened the national besa. History teaches us this too. When the forces of reaction cornered the highland hero Bajram Curri, they asked him to surrender in exchange for money and a comfortable new life. But the brave man answered them: “Bajram Curri does not sell his homeland for a soul.” Aleksandër Peçi, composer: That 450,000 Kosovars want to return to their own lands is a reality. That I have heard the despairing cries of thousands and thousands of Albanian children in the streets of Basel and Zurich, longing for their homeland, is also a reality. That talented singers (who could even win prizes at Radio festivals) and conservatory-trained instrumentalists, struggling to make ends meet on the few coins tossed to them in the streets and squares of Munich, Hamburg, Budapest and Rome, is a reality I have witnessed with my own eyes. That, in the eyes of their hosts, we are “economic emigrants”—almost synonymous with “a lower category of human being,” someone to be despised, stoned, or sent to a lead mine—is a reality! This has been the life of most emigrants until today. And if you add to this the fact that many other peoples knowingly ... “Are they not seized by Hamlet's dilemma, ‘to be or not to be’?” And not only later will the realities they dream of turn into cursed dreams.

Interview with the chairman of the State Planning Commission, Comrade BUJAR KOLANECI, given to SADRI RRAHMANI, head of our newspaper's economics section. Question: Yesterday our press reported these improvements. First, the move to a wage based on the classification of the workplace or work process would benefit all workers across every branch of the economy who work in positions or processes requiring a higher qualification than they actually possess. Second, compensation amounting to 80 per cent of wages when work is interrupted through no fault of the worker and no other work is provided for them (up from the previous 50 per cent) is another important measure that eases workers' burden and aims to ensure that their wages and income are affected as little as possible in such cases. This will apply in all enterprises where such a situation arises. It is self-evident that work stoppages are undesirable for workers and for the state. The interests of the state, society and the workers themselves lie in increasing production and, on that basis, income. It is therefore the duty of state and economic bodies, managers and enterprise administrations to ensure that such phenomena do not arise because of poor management; on the contrary, they must be prevented and minimized. The compensation addresses objective circumstances, that is, circumstances beyond the control of the workers. Increasing the responsibility of administrative employees and managers is also intended to set their compensation at 50 per cent in cases where work is interrupted through their own fault. (Continued on page 2) Question: First of all, I would like to stress that these beneficial measures are an expression of the direct concern of the Party and Comrade Ramiz Alia for improving the general well-being of the working masses. The people's wages and real incomes have continually increased, in line with the capacity of the economy and the rise in workers' technical and professional skills. In implementing this policy, forms of remuneration have been improved to link them to labour productivity; low wages and wages in difficult sectors have been increased; and forms of payment suited to material needs and based on productivity and efficiency have been expanded, improved and applied in practice in a considered manner. A concrete expression of this policy is also the guidance provided by the Party Central Committee's 11th Plenum, which was put into effect through decrees of the Presidium of the People's Assembly and a special decision of the Council of Ministers on wage increases. These supplementary measures, alongside those to strengthen the economic mechanism and those concerning economic organization, the development of services and administration, are accompanied by a substantial increase in workers' incomes. About one third of the workforce in the state sector will benefit. More specifically, this is where the arrangements are being consolidated and established.

Reportage I Today socialist Albania has created its own complete and accurate image in the world. It is the country of a people that has fought and continues to fight for social progress. It is a country distinguished by, and deeply devoted to, its freedom and independence, because it won them through blood and sacrifice. It is a country that has loved and continues to love its friends and well-wishers, respects them when they respect it, and welcomes and bids them farewell with affection, because, as the leader of the Party and the people, Comrade Ramiz Alia, has said, our people have never wanted isolation and do not want it now. Precisely because we know these qualities and virtues of our people, and because we know this image of our country well, it has many friends and well-wishers throughout the world. Their sympathy and affection have always been a feature of our relations, especially now that Albania has embarked on further development and democratization. There are many conversations, meetings, statements and events that testify to the sympathy people around the world feel for our country and people: from discussions among statesmen to simple conversations, and from international events to meetings and ordinary scientific or cultural gatherings. Indeed, this sympathy and respect go so far that people and personalities from various fields often express a wish to help in the further development of our country. One day we were in the lobby of the “Rozafa” hotel in Shkodër. The well-known scientist Ahmet Osja was accompanying and talking with Mr. Lukas Milenas, scientific secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Greece. After speaking warmly and sympathetically about Albania, Mr. Milenas made this statement: “As a scientist, and above all as a friend of your country, I would like to do something for Albania, and I would like my name, together with the experience I have, to be associated with the problems of your agricultural science.” These days we also spoke with our well-known doctor, Dr. Flamur Tarari, who has just returned with Kastriot Dauni and Rezër Rusi from the 9th European Congress of Urology, held in Amsterdam on June 13–16. “We were invited to this congress,” Flamur tells us, “at the invitation of its president, Mr. Frans M. J. Debruyne. He is a sympathizer and friend of Albania. He speaks of our country with affection and respect. Indeed, he was very pleased when we introduced him to others. For example, there we met Prof. Dr. De Sy, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ghent in Belgium and head of the urology clinic, together with his assistant, Dr. W. Oosterlinck. Why do I mention this? Because I had met Professor De Sy in Germany. When I met him again in Amsterdam, he gave us Albanian doctors an atlas of urethral plastic surgery, his own work, which I consider a great gift.” “As I said, there are many such examples and cases today. But one thing is certain: they all have one and the same basis. They are based on the image of Albania that people see, and on their friendship and goodwill toward it. As for what follows, since we understand our image clearly and take it into account, we must thank and respect them.” II The truth is that there are quite a few forces abroad working and fighting against the independence of this country and the very existence of Albania's image. What don't they do? They fabricate stories about Albania, distort it, smear it and present it in a demeaning and unfounded way. Evidence of this can be found in foreign disinformation broadcasts. But there is also evidence from many people who come to Albania with numerous prejudices, as if they will find “hell” here, and who leave our country with different opinions, different assessments and sympathy. Naturally, they ...

Amid the revolutionary enthusiasm aroused by the decisions of the Party Central Committee's 11th Plenum and Comrade Ramiz Alia's words delivered at that plenum, the people of the district of Elbasan celebrated yesterday morning the 47th anniversary of the creation of our People's Army, the work of the Party and Comrade Enver Hoxha. On this occasion, a rally was held at Labinot-Mal, where on July 10, 1943, the General Staff of the National Liberation Army was established. Also present were Viktor Naska, chairman of the Presidium of the district People's Council; Fatmir Gjergji, chairman of the Executive Committee of the district People's Council; and other comrades. Bouquets of flowers were laid beside the statue of the beloved and unforgettable leader, the legendary commander of the National Liberation Army and architect of the building of the new socialist Albania, Comrade Enver Hoxha. (Continued on page 2)

The meeting of the preparatory committee for the summit within the framework of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), scheduled to take place in Paris at the end of this year, began its work yesterday in Vienna. After considering the request of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, the participating delegations decided by consensus to grant our country observer status at the meeting. The Albanian delegation is headed by Petrit Bushati, ambassador to Sweden. The delegations of Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ireland, the Soviet Union, Romania, etc., welcomed Albania's participation as an observer at the meeting. As the Austrian news agency APA reports, the head of the American delegation, Xhon Moreska, told journalists on this occasion that the government of the United States of America welcomes and understands Albania's interest in joining the family of European states. The meeting of the preparatory committee, whose work will continue until July 27, will consider the agenda, procedure and draft documents for the summit.

For the cause of the people, for the cause of the freedom and independence of the Homeland, for the cause of socialism, let us raise our fighting spirit ever higher; let us work with determination and courage, sparing neither our labour, our minds nor our strength. RAMIZ ALIA