Elections were postponed? Then why should work be postponed?! Many people have come forward with the misguided view that the upcoming elections, now postponed until 31 March, are paving the way for total disintegration. They say that then everything will come undone and no one will answer before the law. At the very least, work will go to waste and things will drift and be spun around as work in Albania is accustomed to doing. Two kinds of people have therefore emerged: one, who, if his time in power is prolonged, gladly takes advantage of it and abuses it; and another, who, if the election period is extended, takes work lightly, as if it were his defeat. Both are wrong. The citizen must not disintegrate the state. The worker must not disintegrate work. But if the elections have been postponed, the duties have not been postponed. No one has been relieved of responsibility. No one has been allowed to waste time. No one has been declared free from fulfilling the plan, from maintaining order, from enforcing the law. The country is going through a severe political and moral trial. This is a time of testing for everyone: for the state, for the parties, for the administration, for the citizen, for the worker, for the peasant, for the intellectual. Right now it is being measured who carries the country on their shoulders and who seeks to avoid the burden. There is no reason for the delay of the elections to become a pretext for neglecting the factory, the field, the school, the hospital, the office, trade, or services. On the contrary, there must be more work, more order, more self-restraint. Democracy does not begin with disorder; it begins with responsibility. Freedom does not mean that everyone does whatever they please; freedom means that each person carries out their own duty without fear and with a clear conscience. Let us not confuse the climate of openness with allowing anarchy. Let us not confuse pluralism with the weakening of the state. Let us not confuse the right to speak with the absence of work. (Continued on page 2)

A group of young people, arriving from the countryside and the city, have blocked roads and squares, created chaos, and obstructed normal traffic. The damage caused is considerable. Shop windows, vehicles, and public objects have been damaged. The law-enforcement authorities are taking measures to restore calm and normality. The citizens of Tirana have faced this situation with concern and have called for the swift return of order. It cannot be allowed for a minority to hold the capital and its daily life hostage. All responsible forces must act with restraint, but also with determination. (Continued on page 2)

TIRANA, 21 January. Apart from me, the authorities have not issued any order for the use of weapons. There are many inaccurate rumors and versions circulating concerning the recent events. The competent bodies are carrying out investigations and all facts will be made known to public opinion. Citizens are urged to remain calm and not to fall victim to provocations. (ATSH)

In several towns and districts, solidarity rallies were held and support was expressed for President Ramiz Alia’s calls for calm, order, and continued work. Participants condemned acts of violence and called for problems to be solved through understanding. The need to preserve unity and avoid divisions was emphasized. In the speeches delivered, the difficulties of the moment were highlighted, but also the duty not to damage the economy and the life of the country. (ATSH)

Interview with the Minister of Press and Culture, Zhulio, for the Italian agency ANSA, radio, television, the press and the book sector Question: What are the aims of this visit? Answer: Our goal is to broaden contacts with Italy and with other European countries, without neglecting relations with other states with which we have common interests. Albania is at a new stage and seeks to open more windows of communication with the world. Question: How do you view cooperation in the field of information and culture? Answer: It is a field of special interest. We seek broader relations in radio, television, the press, and publishing, while preserving our national identity and the interests of the country. Question: What can you tell us about books? Answer: The book is an important bridge of cultural communication and we aim to increase exchanges in this area. (Continued on page 3)

TO COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA TIRANA With sorrow over the spontaneous demonstration in the town of Peshkopia over the killing of comrade Hekuran Isai, we send this telegram of condolence. The people of the Dibra district and the workers of the internal affairs organs strongly condemn the terrorist act against the distinguished figure of our Party and our state. We will forever preserve his memory. FROM THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE DIBRA DISTRICT