. With the March 31 elections, Albania entered a new phase on its unstoppable path toward democratization. By electing a pluralist assembly, the people thus made a good and secure “start” toward Europe. By confidently casting their free vote for the Party of Labour, they put behind them their doubts and wavering in the face of the propaganda and electoral campaigns of the alternatives presented to them. Our people and Albania now have a clear prospect for development and democratization. The PLA programme contains the most logical, best-founded and reasoned, most realistic and convincing alternative for Albania’s future. It guarantees security for peaceful democratic developments, social peace and national sovereignty, and the rapid stabilization of the situation. Stabilizing the very grave economic situation is the first condition for the general stabilization of life in the country. The first quarter has ended. In many branches of the economy, shortfalls and deficits have deepened. This downward slide must therefore be halted as soon as possible, so that the climb can begin. The economy is ours; it is the basis of well-being, and therefore we must all lend it a hand and put our shoulders to the task. The road to Europe runs through the whole people’s productive work. Our work is also the guarantee and assurance of the aid others can and will give us. The most difficult problem at present is the supply of materials and technical inputs. As is known, because of shortages of raw materials and supplies, during the first quarter around 40,000–45,000 workers were paid at 80 percent. The great loss and inflationary consequences of this phenomenon are clear. It can be remedied if every worker does their job with devotion, commitment and responsibility. If we work at the necessary pace wherever possible, this shortfall could become a substantial pool of value, essential for importing the raw materials and supplies we lack. Therefore, what is needed today is dedication to work. Whoever wants Albania to be like Europe, whoever loves the people and themselves, must think and work with all their strength to contribute something new through their work and sweat. In several districts, particularly at various enterprises in Përmet, Pogradec, Librazhd, etc., this spirit is being felt in the fulfilment of tasks these days. But it is irresponsible that there are also quite a number of other enterprises and collectives that obstruct and block one another, simply because the work that should be organized is not being done. Mineral stockpiles are accumulating at sites near the mines, while production is being held up for lack of them. There are problems and difficulties supplying agriculture with fertilizer and fuel, but are all possibilities being used now, when the sowing campaign is at its peak? The call to work, the consensus around it, is an alarm bell that all the country’s political forces should ring and rally around. Unfortunately, this is not what we see. Some, especially the PD and its press, are serving only to spread confusion and tension. The economy’s interest lies in working—working everywhere and as much as possible—not in encouraging and supporting work stoppages, whether legal or illegal. Violence and destruction are even worse. The role of the rule-of-law state, which is on the path of reform and consolidation, must be strongly felt in this important matter. It must put a stop to disorder, anarchy and indiscipline. The enterprise must become a place where people only work, produce and provide services.

The return to work and the engagement of people in employment also entail implementing, correctly and as quickly as possible, those measures that encourage workers and link their material interests more directly to production. Some measures have been taken in this regard as part of the economic reform, and others are under way, especially those concerning remuneration. They must be accelerated. The problem has been, and continues to be, how to use economic means and methods to recreate a new climate that strengthens people’s awareness and sense of responsibility for work and production. In this context, as is known, the decree “On facilitating and protecting private property and activities” has also been approved. This cannot be done in a day or all at once. But the government’s approval of the relevant decision in recent days should help accelerate its implementation, wherever the greatest opportunities exist. Strengthening ties and cooperation with foreign countries represents one way out of the situation that has arisen. Work in this field has begun. A number of draft agreements on cooperation and credit have now been prepared. Many of them have also been approved by the government. It is therefore up to the relevant bodies to accelerate their implementation, without delays or procrastination. The authorization and distribution of goods from credits and aid allocated to supply production and the market must also be expedited. The government has taken a series of measures to stabilize the market and supply the people with the most essential goods. Nevertheless, this remains an acute problem. These are the most pressing issues. All efforts are concentrated, and will continue to be concentrated, here to improve the situation by using every possible means and source.

Comrade Ramiz Alia, with [sic: unclear in source] the President of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, received the delegation of the Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo, headed by Prof. Dr. Hajulla Gorani, and held a cordial conversation with them. Comrade Ramiz Alia informed them about the situation in Albania following the free democratic elections of March 31. These elections, he emphasized, constitute a new step forward on the road to democratization. We now have a pluralist People’s Assembly that reflects the political will of all sections of the population. The political parties, Comrade Ramiz said, have declared their acceptance of the election results. But, putting the interests of the homeland above all else, they must cooperate in governing the country and opening up new prospects for the people. That is what Albania needs today, not division along party interests and ambitions. The process of democratization, following the achievement of the important victory of March 31, will not be slowed down, much less halted. The Party of Labour has only one line, and that is the line of democratic development, strengthening achievements and defending national interests. It has no different wings or factions; therefore, it will consistently follow the path that is most beneficial to the people. [The remainder of the source text shifts abruptly to a passage about stabilizing the situation in the city and establishing consensus among all sides to cooperate toward this goal.] They will seek to establish mutual trust through the participation of eyewitnesses to the events, members of the law-enforcement forces, the wounded and the families of the victims, as well as representatives of the district’s political and social organizations. Alongside this, they intend to secure the necessary material evidence to be used by the competent authorities in their assessment. [Cut portion] “We follow with concern everything that is happening where you are,” he said. a grave situation prevails in Kosovo because of Great Serbian oppression. The brave Kosovar working class, the peasantry, the young people and the intellectuals must be certain that we will support with all our strength their struggle for national and social rights.” Prof. Dr. Hajrulla Gorani, chairman of the Independent Trade Unions of Albania, said: “Everyone should return to work. and I have been and remain optimistic about this, especially when I consider your role, tolerance and direct attention,” he told Comrade Ramiz. The meeting took place in a very warm, intimate and fraternal atmosphere. Also present at the meeting was Së Sitor Kocollari, chairman of the General Council of the Professional Unions of Albania. (ATSH)

for the benefit of the people. Democracy must be built by all of us together, Comrade Ramiz went on to say. The people want an atmosphere of calm and security, especially now that they have expressed their will through the vote. That is why it is regrettable that in Shkodër, a city always renowned for its culture, tolerance and civic spirit, painful events—killings and destruction—have taken place in recent days, fomenting division and causing new tensions. I appeal to everyone, Comrade Ramiz said; I appeal to the citizens, political parties, youth and intelligentsia to restrain their passions and seek a language of understanding. They must do this for the sake of Albania’s sovereignty. Everyone must return to work. Comrade Ramiz Alia then spoke about our state’s position regarding the just demands of our Albanian brothers living in Yugoslavia. We, he said, are deeply concerned by everything that is happening there. We understand the difficulties you face, and we know that a grave situation prevails in Kosovo and Kosovasë. For his part, after thanking Comrade Ramiz Alia for the reception and warm conversation, he presented an overview of current political developments in Kosovo. He described the democratic elections held in Albania on March 31 as an important political victory for the entire Albanian people and as direct support for the rights of our brothers in Kosovo and elsewhere. He went on to emphasize that the Independent Trade Union of Kosovo is currently working to strengthen solidarity among workers, peasants and the intelligentsia, so that, as always, they can overcome together whatever difficult situations may arise. We Kosovars, in Kosovo and wherever we may be, deeply experience the democratic developments in Albania, he said. I hope that democracy in Albania will continue to advance, and I have always been optimistic about it, especially when I consider the role, tolerance and care (Photo: ATSH)

The spokesperson of the Council of Ministers, taking into account the concern caused by the events that have unfolded in the city of Shkodër in recent days, contacted various ministries, the local government bodies, as well as the Investigation Directorate and the General Prosecutor’s Office. He learned that investigations into the events of April 2, 1991, in the city of Shkodër had begun, conducted by a special group of investigators from the capital and several districts under the supervision of the General Prosecutor’s Office, to fully and comprehensively clarify the circumstances of the events and determine the legal responsibility of those who caused them. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has established that on that day there were unlawful gatherings of citizens in the city, that citizens and members of the law-enforcement forces were armed, that explosives were used against public buildings, and that there were dead and wounded among those gathered, police employees and officials of the district Committee of the Party of Labour, as well as the burning and almost total destruction of the premises and equipment of the committee building. From April 2, 1991, through April 4, 1991, the investigative authorities had difficulty carrying out the necessary procedures because of the tense situation. In these circumstances, those assigned to the task were prevented from conducting the legal examination and comprehensive investigation of the facts at the sites of the events, meeting with various people, etc. For these reasons, it was impossible to question the wounded, the injured and the witnesses, and to obtain other evidence as provided for by law. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent an investigative team to Shkodër, which is collecting information and evidence to establish the facts about the events. For this purpose, a working group consisting of representatives of the ministry and local bodies has been formed in the city. The members of the group assigned to submit the final report on this matter ask the government and law-enforcement bodies, and representatives of all political parties and religious communities in the district, to provide the assistance necessary for them to carry out their assigned task responsibly and seriously. According to information from the local government bodies, the situation in Shkodër was generally calmer, and work had resumed at enterprises and institutions.

On April 5, 1991, at the recommendation of the Central Committee of the PLA, the plenum of the Party Committee of the Shkodër district convened. At the meeting, participants discussed, with a deep sense of responsibility, the serious political situation that had arisen recently in this city, particularly the events of April 2, 1991, which, in their painful and shocking entirety, were a blow to the realization of the democratization process. Because of incompetence, the loss of a realistic sense of how to direct the Party’s work in the district, and bureaucratic detachment from the people in political work, it was decided to dismiss from their posts the first secretary of the district Party Committee, Xhemail Dymyja, as well as the secretaries Bukurije Cungu, Adem Golemi and Xhorxhi Grabova. It was also decided, following a proposal by members, to dissolve the plenum of the Shkodër district Party Committee. An organizing committee composed of workers, cooperative members, cadres, prominent intellectuals, etc., was appointed to lead and organize the work and prepare the Party of Labour conference of the Shkodër district. Shaqir Vukaj was elected chair of the organizing committee. Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”

A working group from the U.S. Office of Humanitarian Assistance, headed by the director of that office, Endrju Nafsios, has arrived in our country. Representatives of the American Red Cross are also part of the group. It will work with the Albanian Red Cross and other institutions in our country to assess the country’s overall situation and needs, including food products and medicines, and to arrange measures, meetings and working visits. Yesterday, the American group of experts. (Continued on page 4)

The Democratic Party is trying to pin its sins on others When the heat is on, they work hard but get it wrong. “Look who is selling the land: the Party of Labour, the Democratic Party,” reads a leaflet among those distributed by the thousands around the capital. This is the malicious political assessment the Democratic Party makes of a decree by the Presidium of the People’s Assembly on “Criteria for assessing land made available for use and lease to foreign legal and natural persons conducting independent economic activity in the territory of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania.” The content is clear in this decree, or in the corresponding Council of Ministers Decision No. 446, dated 25.12.1990, which we cited above. The Party of Labour of Albania and the Government are not selling the land; rather, it is made available for use to foreign or Albanian natural and legal persons whose base is abroad, for joint economic activity with our enterprises, cooperatives and institutions at a specified rate (set according to certain criteria established by law), for a fixed period and not forever. The Party of Labour does not hide the fact that making cooperation with foreign partners a reality—a goal everyone has agreed on—requires the land to be leased. As for the rental rate, it has been set so as to attract foreign investors. The Democratic Party, having failed with its policy of selling the land, is trying to lay its own sin at someone else’s door. It crudely equates two concepts that are entirely distinct to anyone with even a little economic literacy: the sale of land and the lease of its use. Could this be some blunder by the “doctors of science” who are members of its ranks? I would not think so, since they noisily promise citizens that they will give them for free the homes they currently occupy as tenants. By that logic, citizens must already have owned their homes, and the Democratic Party need not have gone to the trouble of making them owners. Could it be those “extremists” and “troublemakers” from whom the Democratic Party “distances itself” every morning, as soon as the sun rises? I do not believe they are capable of thinking so “subtly.” And who knows? What things we have to hear these days! Citizens know for themselves how to distinguish a sale from use under a lease. Having failed to sell the land, the Democratic Party is now selling its propaganda for next to nothing.

For years, in books, newspapers and theoretical manuals, the Communists fanatically defended the idea of forcibly moving from one economic and social order to another. They likewise proclaimed and defended the other idea—or principle—of not sharing power. Thus, sharing power or forming a coalition was deemed wrong. With the acceptance of political pluralism, both these ideas were shaken. Moreover, even before March 31, the Party of Labour declared that it accepted the parliamentary path for society’s development and left open the possibility of a coalition government. Every serious and dialectical party moves with contemporary developments. To everyone’s astonishment, the Democratic Party and its leaders took the opposite position: “We will not compromise with the Communists; we refuse to take part in a coalition government,” and so on. G. Pashko, before a crowd in ecstasy outside the Democratic Party headquarters, declared to them in the days after the March 31 elections: “Wait another two months!” Even more astonishing is the fact that this party’s leaders are calling for the situation to be overthrown by force(!). Nothing more and nothing less than what an anachronistic bastard and drug addict like Leka Zogu recommends for Europe. What does this mean? Could it be that the Democrats want to move from one monopoly to another?! And they want it by any means, at any cost. We will all understand what consequences such positions may have for the country’s fate—and should we be so alarmed by them? Our wise people know this well, and so they reflect and act with culture and maturity. The Democratic Party’s feverish propaganda cannot overcome their wisdom.

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