TELEGRAMS TO COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CC OF THE PLA A group of veterans of the National Liberation War and of labor in the city of Korçë were deeply indignant at the events that took place at Tirana’s “Enver Hoxha” University and in Durrës. We are convinced that these ugly events have been incited by dark forces which, under the mask of democracy, seek to denigrate the figure of our distinguished leader Enver Hoxha. We remind the students that it was not they who gave the university its name, but the entire people; therefore, we call on the students not to toy with our feelings and to respect the people, to abandon excessive demands and not to turn into a discontented force that can be manipulated by those who do not wish Albania well, in order to sneak the devil in and make it possible for our country to be built, not destroyed, as unfortunately happened in the city of Durrës. We support the proposals from Rreshen that the archives not be opened for 50 years. We assure you, Comrade Ramiz, that in the elections of 31 March we will go forward with our fists united around the Party of Labour of Albania, with you at its head. Veterans of the war and of labor, Korçë 11.2.1991 Dear Comrade Ramiz, We, the mountain women of the Kukës district, were indignant when we learned of the students’ demand to remove Enver Hoxha’s name from Tirana University. We know well what Enver Hoxha and the Party of Labour have done for us women, once sunk in ignorance and oppressed not only by poverty, but also by social contempt. They are our sons and daughters, and so it is our duty to call on them not to be manipulated and not to follow dark forces that want only to destabilize Albania. For half a century, along with our children’s mother’s milk, we have taught them love for the Party of Labour and Enver Hoxha, who kindled and nurtured, as nothing else did, the light of progress and advancement in long-suffering, semi-feudal Albania. For these achievements, tangible to every honest Albanian heart, we, the mothers of Kukës, ask our children to apply themselves to the authorities of learning so as to master the advances of contemporary science as well as possible; only in this way can our beloved Albania proceed with the dignity acknowledged by the centuries, toward Europe. The district women’s active, Kukës 11.2.1991 We, the people of the village of Fushë-Bardhë in the district of Gjirokastër, indignant, gathered in an assembly and discussed the demand being made by certain forces, who speak in the name of our sons and daughters, whom we have sent away to study and prepare themselves, not to become prey to dubious internal and external forces, but to be prepared to serve Albania. We will not allow anyone to sully the name of our son Enver Hoxha. This seems unbelievable to us. Enver gave us a name, when no one in the world knew us; he gave us culture when our enemies wanted us to remain ignorant; he united us as brothers when our enemies wanted us divided. His figure became an intermediary for the people; everyone knows who Enver Hoxha is, and it is for him to decide about Enver Hoxha, and no one else, whoever that may be. We want this letter to be broadcast on our television so that all the people may know about it. From the people of the village of Fushë-Bardhë, Gjirokastër settled and prey to dubious political forces that want to... contribution to the advancement of bilateral relations, expressed his delegation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, These results confirmed the will and substance to bilateral cooperation and to further expand it in all areas of exchanges of visits by the highest political figures of the two countries in strengthening the Italian ambassador to convey his greetings and best wishes to Prime Minister Xhulio Andreoti also attended the reception. (ATSH)

These two photographs were taken by photojournalist Niko Xhufka at the brick factory in Lushnje, where increasing attention is being paid to the quality not only of the main product, bricks, but also of plates, etc.

We are devoting so much time to politics these days. But any politics that excludes work is sterile, is useless. It leaves you without bread. And indeed, if the slackening of work is added to the other difficulties, then the situation becomes extremely difficult everywhere. The alarm siren is sounding for agriculture. Highly unfavorable weather conditions are being compounded by a slackening of work. If in industry the work you leave today can be done tomorrow, in agriculture time leaves you behind. Land for planting must be prepared, fodder crops and wheat need tending, and seed must be sown in the ground. But in agricultural enterprises and cooperatives, more than half the workers are not going to work; the machinery is defective, chemical fertilizers are lacking, and so on. What will happen if things continue this way? Let us be frank: feeding the people will become more difficult. The indicators in agriculture are declining. In the coming months, prices on the private market for agricultural products will certainly rise several times over. (City dwellers will feel it most.) Compared with the same period last year, the milk deficit is 500 tons; half as many summer potatoes have been planted, half as much sunflower, etc. What will the people eat? You can go without clothes, and can make do with the clothes you have by looking after them if the textile mills do not produce. But what will you do when you run out of food products? Are we perhaps going to import tomatoes, potatoes, onions and some other agricultural product? Even if we had plenty of foreign currency, no one would give us some of these products. What is astonishing is that idleness and anarchy prevail not only in cooperatives, but also in the executive committees of some districts. The Ministry of Agriculture is focusing more on meetings and analyses than on providing concrete solutions. More than 4 million eggs have been supplied to the retail market. We see every day what is happening in the queues, while the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture found a “solution”: they dismissed 4–5 specialists and managers at the poultry-raising enterprise and in the directorates of the ministry. But what are the agriculture sections, the managers of agricultural enterprises and their specialists doing? The fodder supply is being depleted, and some cattle are headed for slaughterhouses. Small livestock are also being harmed. It is regrettable, but it must be said: wheat is being grazed down, and olive trees are being cut. It can hardly get any worse. Today, the most democratic person is the one who takes responsibility for the work; the shepherd tending the livestock up there in the mountains, the person looking after the wheat—not the one who shouts incessantly. Surely we should not just sit with our arms folded? We should expect nothing from anyone. Especially in agriculture, all the tasks before us now are in our hands if we are to change the situation. If there is no fertilizer from industry, we must plant anyway. There is no other way; there is no more time to wait. Some effective measures to help agriculture have been taken and are being taken. Procurement prices for many agricultural products have been raised. New forms of economic organization between villages and cooperatives are being established. But everyone’s work is needed to get out of this situation. This is the call we are making to one another under today’s conditions. SELIM HOXHA

Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adil Çarçani received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Albania, Georgio De Andreis, on the occasion of his departure from our country, and had a warm and friendly conversation with him. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Albania, Georgio De Andreis, on the occasion of his departure from our country, and had a warm and friendly conversation with him. Prime Minister Adil Çarçani, having praised Ambassador De Andreis’s personal contribution to the advancement of bilateral relations, expressed satisfaction with the positive results of the visit by the Italian Foreign Ministry delegation headed by Alessandro Grafin(i), special envoy of Minister De Michelis. These results confirmed the willingness of the Albanian and Italian governments to give new impetus and substance to bilateral cooperation and to further develop it in all fields of mutual interest. On this occasion, he emphasized the value of exchanges of visits by the two countries’ highest political figures in strengthening friendship between our two peoples and countries. He asked the Italian ambassador to convey to Prime Minister Xhulio Andreoti his greetings and best wishes for his health and for the progress and prosperity of the Italian people. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sokrat Plaka was also present at the reception. (ATSH)

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, Comrade Ramiz Alia, sent the following congratulatory telegram to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: “On the occasion of the anniversary of your country’s national holiday, on behalf of the Albanian people and in my own name, I send you, Mr. President, heartfelt greetings and extend to the friendly Iranian people my best wishes for their well-being and for the progress of their country. I hope that friendship and cooperation between our two countries will continue to develop, for our mutual benefit and for peace.” (ATSH)

The day before yesterday, a delegation of the Bank of the Albanian State, headed by its Director General, Niko Gjyzari, left for the United States of America. It will establish contacts and hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, with a view to establishing relations with these financial institutions. (ATSH)

The day before yesterday, the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy left our country. It was headed by Alessandro Grafin(i), special envoy of Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Xhani de Mikellis. At Rinas Airport, it was seen off by Bashkim Dilo, director of a department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic in Albania, Giorgio de Andreis, was also there. (ATSH)

At the Council of Ministers On 11. 2. 1991, the Council of Ministers discussed, at a special meeting, the situation created by the unrest that took place in the city of Durrës on 9 February. On 11. 2. 1991, the Council of Ministers discussed, at a special meeting, the situation created by on 9 February. After hearing a detailed report from the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hekuran Isai, the Council of Ministers assessed that this grave event could not be judged in isolation from the difficulties of the situation we are going through, in which certain forces, inside and outside the country, are attempting to exploit them to the detriment of the country’s political stability and the normal course of the people’s lives. The Council of Ministers noted that the law-enforcement forces had shown restraint in response to the vandalistic actions, with serious economic consequences, of criminal elements, and had acted energetically to stabilize the situation within the powers granted to them by law. It drew attention to the need to inform public opinion promptly about the disinformation being spread, as well as to the necessity of strengthening the entire system of preventive measures needed to avert the recurrence of such situations. The Council of Ministers emphasized that the most important of these measures is strengthening state discipline at every level of the organs of power and the economy, in the districts and in the ministries. It instructed the judicial authorities to continue working to identify those responsible for the unrest and to act in accordance with the laws to hold the perpetrators of criminal acts accountable. It also assigned special tasks to the relevant ministries and to the Executive Committee of the KP of the Durrës District to overcome the serious consequences of this event, so that life and work in the city of Durrës could continue normally. The Council of Ministers called on all political parties and other social organizations, on the basis of the agreement reached and the dialogue taking place among them, to commit themselves and take concrete action to eliminate the causes that lead to such events, which are harmful to national unity, and to address wisely the profound democratic changes taking place in our country. (ATSH)

410 km. The local agency after the earthquake in Gjirokastër...

On the meeting of representatives of the Party of Labour of Albania and the Democratic Party

On the meeting of representatives of the Party of Labour of Albania and the Democratic Party Labour of Albania and the Democratic Party On 8 February 1991, at the initiative of the DP, a meeting was held in Tirana between representatives of the Democratic Party’s Founding Commission and representatives of the PLA. The DP was represented at the meeting by the chairman of the Founding Commission, Azem Hajdari, and commission members Sali Berisha, Arben Imami and Preç Zogaj; the PLA was represented by Spiro Dedë, secretary of the PLA CC, Ismail Lleshi, candidate member of the Party CC and secretary of the Tirana Party Committee, and Fatmir Kumbaro, an employee of the political section of the Party CC. The participants discussed, in an atmosphere of debate and dialogue, matters concerning the country’s political situation, the establishment of social peace, the depoliticization of state bodies, the army, internal affairs bodies and the judiciary, the drafting of the constitution, and the need to conduct the electoral campaign and hold free, pluralist and democratic elections on 31 March for deputies to the People’s Assembly. Both parties believe that political forces must always be guided by wisdom and by their historical responsibility for the destiny of the homeland. They consider it necessary to intensify the sincere commitment and efforts of all political and social forces, and of every honest and patriotic person, to eliminate various factors that aggravate the economic, political and social situation, and to preserve calm, security and stability in the country. On the important issue of depoliticizing state bodies, the two parties maintained their respective positions. Both sides emphasized the need to continue contacts and mutual exchanges of views between the two parties and other political and social forces in the country. (ATSH)

of the Press and Information Directorate at the Council of Ministers On Saturday, 9.2.1991, the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Aleks Luarasi, received several representatives of a group of students from the University of Tirana who had boycotted classes and sent the Chairman of the Council of Ministers a letter containing several demands. He gave them the necessary explanations regarding their economic and political demands. It was emphasized that the economic demands concerning the asphalting of roads, improvements to heating in the dormitories of the Faculty of Medicine, the establishment of a discotheque in the “Student City,” etc., have been addressed and are being addressed within the framework of the measures taken to improve living conditions in the “Student City.” Regarding the demand that, during this academic year, the subjects of political economy and dialectical and historical materialism be made optional, the students were informed of the measures taken by the Ministry of Education to renew the teaching of these subjects in accordance with new developments. Regarding the demand that politicized and ideologized material be removed from the syllabuses of other subjects, the students’ representatives were told that the Ministry of Education had assigned this task to teachers and textbook authors some time ago, and that they are carrying it out. In response to the demand concerning a change to the name of the University of Tirana, the students were given the following explanations: The University is a national institution and, as such, belongs to the entire nation. Therefore, its name cannot be changed at the request of a section of the students, especially since they do not represent all the students. This matter concerns the feelings and wishes of the entire people. Such demands, during the current phase of new elections to the People’s Assembly, do not serve their normal conduct or the preservation of national unity, to which all political forces are committed. Finally, the students’ representatives were made to understand that changing the name of the University of Tirana and the other demands concerning the review of the decree on the protection of historical figures cannot be carried out outside legal procedures and the expression of the people’s will through its representative organs. The letter submitted raises the issue of there being no political arrests and of judicial proceedings against students, teachers and state employees. In the rule-of-law state, everyone is treated equally before the law, so there is no basis for the concern expressed.