— From the meeting of the Council of Ministers — At its meeting yesterday, the Council of Ministers examined and approved a series of important decisions. On the basis of Decree No. 7477 of the President of the People's Assembly, dated 12 March 1991, “On the authorization and protection of private property and activity,” the government approved a detailed decision to support the development of private activity. It instructed the ministries and other central institutions, in cooperation with the Committee for the Reorganization of the Economy and the executive committees of the people's councils of the districts, to identify by the end of April the enterprises, parts, sectors and particular activities that will be transferred from state ownership to private ownership. Priority will be given to those in the handicraft and communications services sectors, the trade in mass-consumption goods, foodstuffs, industrial and handicraft goods, as well as workshops, departments, factories, sectors and other enterprises operating on a closed-cycle basis in freight and passenger transport, therapeutic, artistic and service activities, and legal services. The above decision sets out the private activities to be established using capital from state property transferred to private ownership, or by forming new enterprises. They will be organized and operate as sole proprietorships, partnerships, collective cooperatives, non-governmental enterprises, and other forms that may be established through monetary and material capital contributed by one or more individuals, between the state and private entities, or as joint-stock companies. They will operate in their own interest, with bank loans, and will receive greater support through assistance from the state and other organizations, including material and technical assistance, with the aim of providing economic support. In establishing joint-stock companies, priority in purchasing shares (with a value of no less than 100 lekë) will be given to employees working in the existing state enterprises that are to become collectively or privately owned. Under this decision, the ministries and other central institutions will also approve the establishment of companies or joint enterprises between domestic entities engaged in such activities and foreign partners. The Council of Ministers also approved the establishment of the Committee for the Reorganization of the Economy, as well as its duties and functions. This committee will organize, direct and coordinate with managers and other central institutions the process of transferring state property into private ownership, creating the new private sector, and managing other relationships arising from the reorganization of the economy. Pursuant to Decree No. 7477 of the President of the People's Assembly, dated 12 March 1991, “On the authorization of employment abroad and the establishment of the Committee for Labour and Economic Emigration,” the Council of Ministers adopted a decision on the duties and composition of the Committee for Labour and Economic Emigration. In addition to studying and calculating the labour resources available in towns and villages, by district and nationwide, and the need to create new jobs in the country, this committee will study, examine and pursue opportunities for Albanian citizens to find employment in other countries by concluding relevant agreements and contracts with foreign bodies, organizations or firms. The Committee for Labour and Economic Emigration will represent the People's Socialist Republic of Albania in the International Labour Organization (ILO), maintain direct links with international labour and emigration organizations in other countries, and establish cooperation with them in the fields of information, the exchange of literature and experience, and training on labour and economic emigration issues. At yesterday's meeting, on the proposal of the Ministry of Transport, the Council of Ministers decided to authorize the signing of a contract to establish an Albanian-Italian joint enterprise in Trieste. Its purpose will be to provide various forwarding services to Albanian import-export enterprises at the port of Trieste. The Ministry of Transport was tasked with implementing this decision. The Council of Ministers was briefed by the Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation on the expected foreign-currency balance for the first and second quarters of this year. In the first quarter, because domestic targets were not met, more foodstuffs than planned were imported, while foreign-currency revenues reached only 50 percent of the target. The difficult foreign-currency balance inherited from the previous year and worsened during the first three months of this year, it was said at the meeting, will be addressed through the efforts of all ministries and enterprises and by specifying concrete tasks for each of them, so that they mobilize as much export revenue as possible to cover imports. Nevertheless, in the second quarter as well, efforts will again be needed to secure a substantial portion of imports through external sources of financing. The Council of Ministers instructed the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation, the State Banks and other ministries, in cooperation with foreign firms and countries, to secure such financing, and to make efforts through the cooperation agreements being developed with Italy, Turkey and Greece, and through the mediation of the IMF and several international banks with which contacts have been established. At its meeting yesterday, the Council of Ministers adopted a decision on the plan of the State Bank of Albania for the second quarter of 1991 and authorized the financing of the payments necessary to continue work in the various sectors of the economy and culture. On the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government decided to open an embassy of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania in the United States of America. (ATSH)

As consumers, when we face the market, we often think about whether the products we are looking for are available. No one can stop us from assessing and judging, from understanding things as consumers, on issues such as these. But we always judge the work of trade and remain in the position of the dissatisfied, without, in any case, judging ourselves and our own work. We ask the countryside to produce vegetables, livestock products, and so on, and we would all like to enjoy the market by choosing what we like, according to our tastes. We would like to find different kinds of meat, an assortment of vegetables and various fruits in the shops... We would like that! Come on, let us try them—not with words and judgments, but through work. Let us judge the countryside when it does not produce what we need, but first let us judge ourselves for the shortcomings we have allowed, which have meant that this or that product was not produced in the countryside. We are facing a concrete situation: a shortage in supplies throughout the spring. The organizational changes made to cooperatives, and the reassessment of work and remuneration, have stimulated interest in work. So the question arises: Why is agricultural work not progressing as it should...? It is understandable that the political situation has had an effect. But it does not determine everything. The peasant, like the townsman, wants to live better. And they do not expect this better life to come from the sky, or from across the sea: our work will lead us toward abundance. Why is the work of the peasantry lagging behind previous years? I think there is no lack of willingness to work in the countryside, but there are many other factors that hinder work. Not everyone depends solely on the farmer's work. For example, to sow something, the tractor has to be in good repair, and there must also be fuel, fertilizer and many other things that enable the owners of plots in the countryside to work. These must be secured first. Then, yes, we will have the right to ask more of the countryside. But what is the situation with the supply of raw materials to agriculture for the planting campaign? The first quarter has passed, and the supply of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers, compared with previous years, has left many gaps. Supplies of these fertilizers produced domestically were approximately 73 and 39 percent, respectively. Given that the government decision clearly states that agriculture must receive 100 percent of its planned fuel for the campaign, regardless of output, the people responsible for fuel supplies seem not to have kept this in mind; in the districts of Dibër, Lezhë, Përmet, and others, agriculture received even less than the supply percentages for the surrounding areas. It is understandable that there are so many difficulties. There are problems with gas. The nitrogen-fertilizer plant in Fier has had its expected production disrupted! The Laç superphosphate plant has its railway problems. These matters are less well known in the ministries. But they can be alleviated. The Executive Committee in the district of Mirditë must give priority to providing supplies to the mine workers, especially those at Spaç. The General Directorate of Railways has no reason to complain about fuel supplies when it is unable to deliver to Ballsh or another railway station, even though it is well known that there are 1,500 tons of gas oil at Ballsh. Let us quickly put right what depends on our own work, and then address the other problems that have caused greater hardship. Especially now, for agriculture, we must do everything possible and give the countryside our support, because this campaign will determine the future of the market and the people's daily food supply. THAMAS SAHATIÇIO

— FROM THE INTERVIEW OF COMRADE FATOS NANO WITH JOURNALIST TITO STANCA OF THE TURIN NEWSPAPER «LA STAMPA» — Question: Let us begin our interview with the Prime Minister with a shared example. How does the Albanian government explain the fact that thousands of refugees left Albania for Italy? Answer: We must bear in mind the difficult situation that had arisen, both because of the economic crisis and because people were being asked to wait for the results of the reforms. It seems that the legislative, economic and political reforms have not been properly understood by everyone. As a result, a small number of people immediately launched what I would call a violent and irresponsible assault toward the port. In practice, the regular guards protecting the port were not sufficient to withstand such an assault. As soon as these actions began, we increased the number of guards, and now it is practically impossible for such a thing to happen at the port of Durrës. This situation created an undesirable state of affairs in bilateral relations between Albania and Italy. But the important thing is that there were no casualties. I would add just one other point. It seems that someone outside Albania, perhaps outside the Balkans, wants to play games with the peninsula. There is already a scenario, still unclear, whose authors may be hiding in the Balkans, in Europe, or even farther away. One cannot exclude from this scenario political destabilization, nor the calls for the overthrow of the government that have also come from Albania's self-proclaimed king, Leka Zogu. In practice, these are connected with drugs, prostitution and weapons. Someone does not like the positive democratic developments in Albania, or the establishment of good relations between Albania and Italy. Naturally, our government is not only uninterested in creating such situations, but has done, is doing and will do everything to develop democracy and friendship between Albania and Italy. Question: In some newspapers abroad—(Continued on page 4)

Yesterday, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Fatos Nano, received the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Ivan Selini. Yesterday, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Fatos Nano, received the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Ivan Selini, and held a warm and friendly conversation with him. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sokrat Plaka, was also present at the reception. Fatos Nano welcomed the senior American official’s visit to our country, stressing on this occasion that the restoration of diplomatic relations between Albania and the United States was a positive step. He briefed the American official on the progress and results to date of the 31 March elections, the main points of the economic reform drawn up by the government, and other issues. Fatos Nano expressed the government's official commitment and the appreciation shown by the President of the People's Assembly and the Presidential Council for the PPSH's public commitment to cooperate with other political forces. He said that the government has a clear program for the transition

Yesterday, the Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation, Shane Korbeci, received the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Ivan Selin. The meeting discussed opportunities for developing trade and economic, industrial and technical cooperation between the two countries, as well as the steps to be taken to put them into practice. The meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere. (ATSH)

Yesterday, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Ivan Selini, and his wife, Sokrat Plaka, as well as other representatives of the U.S. Department of State, left our country. At Rinas Airport, they were seen off by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sokrat Plaka, and other officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The head of the group of U.S. Department of State officials, David Suorts, was also there.

At the invitation of the General Council of the BSPH, a delegation of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo arrived in our country. It was headed by the Secretary General of the BPSH, Strati Marko. The delegation was received at the airport by the Secretary of the General Council of the BPSH, Strati Marko. (ATSH)

In view of the special situation that has arisen concerning the movement of imported foodstuffs and aid from Turkey, Italy, Greece, etc., a meeting was organized yesterday at the Executive Committee of the District People's Council of Durrës, attended by department heads and representatives of trade organizations and enterprises, material and technical supply depots, and transport. The meeting set out specific tasks aimed at improving the condition of the ships, storing goods in the various warehouses in the city of Durrës, and dispatching goods to their destinations in the relevant transport lots. Currently, two ships are being unloaded at the port of Durrës, and [unclear] with 15,000 tons of wheat, as well as the ship “Tirana” with 4,500 tons of sugar. Ships carrying flour from aid provided by Turkey are also being unloaded, along with the ship “Gjirokastra” carrying aid from Italy. The arrival of ships for the month (Continued on page 2)

The Democratic Party, through its newspaper «Rilindja Demokratike» and through some unserious leaflets circulating in the streets, has been making bizarre attacks, prompted by the election results, on the non-partisan, hardworking and democratic peasantry, simply because it was the rural areas where this party's candidates lost overwhelmingly, down to the smallest electoral unit. The peasantry is being carelessly described as backward, uncultured, unemancipated, and with a string of other epithets. Of course, it is neither the place nor the time to claim that the peasantry is incapable of understanding or choosing its political vote. On 31 March, the countryside showed which political force it trusts. Perhaps these lines would not have been written if a hooligan-like attitude had not been adopted in some towns toward the good, hardworking peasant, who, using the opportunities provided by the cooperative plot, seeks to go to market as a proprietor, an activity that supports his family but also provides a great service to the town. On the other hand, the PD's claim to own the “educated” part of the vote must not be left unanswered. If one begins by speaking of democracy, every vote, wherever it is cast and whoever casts it, has the same democratic value. The people are everywhere; the youth are everywhere; the workers' movement is everywhere; our people's intelligentsia is everywhere. Are these the majority of the votes? In Fier, it won so much with the votes from the villages. Do these PD gentlemen not consider the people there “educated”? Do they not know that factories and cooperatives operate in Fier, the backbone of the working class? Likewise, the PPSH won in the chromium, copper and iron-nickel regions, as well as in the forests and elsewhere; there, a heroic working class labours, bound to the Party like flesh to bone, and carries the heaviest burden in the development of the national economy. “Who cares? Who holds the truth of the masses, of the people?” The answer is given by the miners of Fushë-Arrëz in their group telegram: [text unclear]. We have received many such [messages] in recent days, while RD’s references to “uncultured votes” continue to insult our brothers in their district and throughout the country—in Dibra, Gjirokastra, Kukësi, Lushnja, Përmeti, Pogradeci, Saranda, etc.—where the PPSH won an overwhelming majority of the votes. The PD does not want to understand this, or does not want to accept it. So much the worse for it! Let them thank the enterprises for the “educated vote.” Nevertheless, taking as our starting point what RD has stated in black and white—that the PPSH secured its votes from the most backward part of Albanian society—let us accept that for a moment. Let us compare this with Tirana, starting from the fact that Wednesday's RD published on the front page, in a prominent position, an article titled «[unclear for Tirana]», with the headline «Albanian democracy fully deserves the vote of the citizens». How, then, did Comrade Ramiz Alia win in Tirana? The PPSH is conducting its own analysis, but history will give this manipulation its proper name: a farce, a blatant mockery of democracy, concocted by the PD day and night. But was it normal for a [unclear] to lose? For Rexhep Mejdani to lose to an unknown candidate; for a diplomat esteemed internationally, such as M. Kapllani, to lose to a physical-education teacher? Was it right for a physicist such as P. Skënder to lose to a student? Was it right for leading figures in Albanian writing and culture in the capital to lose to people who call themselves scientists? Others from the PD, however, are active in the countryside, in science and in politics. Naturally, we do not begrudge anyone a mistaken judgment. Nevertheless, the victory of the vote belongs to no one personally. But does this not show that the writers of such articles in RD look with a one-eyed, condescending attitude on our peasant, miner, oil worker, lumberjack and all those politically tested patriots, simply because they gave their vote to a PPSH candidate? The RD writers are trying to prejudge this as manipulation. You know better than we do that if there was electoral manipulation, it occurred in Tirana, Shkodër, Durrës, etc., where psychological pressure clearly influenced people in the election campaign by means of every legal campaign tool.

• A general strike in Genc Polo’s turn — The day before yesterday, in Tirana and several other towns in the country, a leaflet in the form of a tract was distributed, stamped by the PD Steering Committee, calling for a general strike by workers on 4.4.1991. This was also confirmed by the PD spokesperson, Genc Polo, at yesterday's PD press conference at the International Press Center in Tirana. When a foreign journalist told him that he himself had visited several enterprises in Tirana and had seen that work was continuing normally, Genc Polo replied: “I have not been to the enterprises, but I know that there is a general strike in Albania today.” Yesterday at 7 p.m., we received the following information from the chairman of the Tirana District Executive Committee, Llambi Gegprifti: Work continued regularly at all 28 municipal enterprises and PTT facilities; at the [unclear] (Vasilas, Mushqetë, Mëzes, Kërrabë); at all food and trade enterprises; at all motor-transport depots and their workshops; and at all scientific institutions, the PTT, TEC, etc. Because of a shortage of raw materials, mainly steam, work was interrupted in some areas at the Textile Combine and the “Misto Mame” Combine. Only a few PD members and sympathizers at the Electromechanical Plant, the glass factory, the educational and sporting articles enterprise, and elsewhere responded to the call for a strike. The work continued during the second shift as well (as we ourselves confirmed at four mines and the Autotractor Combine), just as it had during the third day... Some want to work and remain at work, while others are absent over certain political issues and the party behind them. A general strike across all enterprises? The workers of the Railway in Durrës? The PD's call to join the strike for political reasons, as stated by its steering leadership, comes from this May? Seriously... The eight giants in Tirana? Was this serious? This is what they call throwing a stone and hiding one's hand. HAMDI JUPE