By Halil Lalaj At the Statute Section of the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania, they tell us that they have received many phone calls from some districts, such as Korça, Lushnja, and others. — Tell us what we should do, — they ask from the districts. — How should we set up the Party’s basic organizations: according to territory (that is, in city neighborhoods) or in enterprises and institutions? — But you have received the instructions, the central office explains. — We have received them, of course. But opinions that are different are being expressed in “Zëri i popullit.” Since we saw them in the newspaper, we thought perhaps the guidelines had changed. At the present moment, renewal in the Party of Labour is one of its major concerns. We sense this from the letters to the editorial office, from the contributors we meet, and likewise from conversations with Party members. This means that the Party membership wants renewal, and therefore embraces new ideas and swift action. There are diverse opinions, and there are opposing ones too. In any case, they are of interest—great interest. But... An article offered a suggestion about setting up basic organizations, writing that perhaps the time has come for the collectives of every enterprise and every institution to be depoliticized. In other words, parties should operate outside enterprises and institutions. Letters supporting this opinion subsequently arrived at the newspaper, some of which have been published. There are also those who oppose it. Neither the former nor the latter are without arguments. That is what matters. There is something essential in these arguments that, it seems to us, has not been understood. First, does the fact that an opinion has been put forward in the newspaper mean that it absolutely has to be adopted? Certainly not: that would mean treating it as the opinion of the Party’s Central Committee. We have put forward issues for discussion before, and from now on we will need to put forward more, until we arrive at the best solutions. We know the guidelines for the new elections in the Party. If a different opinion is put forward, that does not mean you should question the guidelines and tie your hands when it comes to implementation. We have always wanted pluralism of opinion and will try to give it more space in the newspaper. It is a condition of our development, a path and an indicator of renewal. Second, things must be done at the right time. We, the members of the Party of Labour, our basic organizations, and the higher bodies must be quicker—undoubtedly much quicker—but where necessary and for what is necessary. No one would benefit from doing something today and regretting it tomorrow. The same applies to what we have said. If an opinion has been put forward in favor of broad depoliticization, that does not mean it should be done just like that, in a flash. No, this is one of those steps that should not be rushed. After all, the Congress is coming. By then, things will be different and opinions more crystallized. But criticism always comes after broad and open discussion, especially among members of the Party of Labour of Albania. Nevertheless, what we have said is not an argument for claiming that we should not have Party of Labour organizations in our factories and plants, mines and other institutions. Above all, the Party has now entered new arenas of political struggle, without in any way distancing itself from people’s interests. Would it really carry this out properly if Party members were scattered here and there among neighborhoods and blocks? We do not believe so. But more important is that there are broader, non-party interests at stake in this matter, and that they take precedence. Our Party has adopted matter, and that they take precedence. Our Party has … have been published. There are also those who oppose them. is the main thing. Nevertheless, there is something essential is it a given that because an opinion was put forward in a newspaper, we must necessarily do things that way? Of course not. If that were to happen, then in the newspapers of all the … Today the circumstances are different. Gone are the days when, because some party official gave this or that instruction, ordinary members in the grassroots organization would necessarily support it, whether it was right or not, in accordance with our convictions, in a centralized manner. Gone are the days when a journalist’s opinion had to be one and the same as the opinion of someone in the apparatus; gone are the days when even a journalist’s suggestion would be made official to such an extent that… … new arenas of political struggle, but without ever departing from people’s interests. Would this be properly achieved if members of the Party of … were moved here and there through neighborhoods and blocks? We do not think so. But more importantly, this matter involves broader, non-party interests that take precedence. Our Party has already stated that even if it is in opposition, we will abide by the rules, support the rule of law, and uphold the laws passed by the country’s assembly. A realistic … that alone expresses the will of the entire people. All the more so today. Undoubtedly, at present the Party of Labour is the political force most interested in establishing the rule of law as soon as possible. But it needs support wherever people work, produce, and live. And oversight to ensure that its administrations… … our …, are our interests. So then, why should you distance yourselves from them? Finally. It is understood that the Party of Labour itself can decide whether or not to keep its organizations in enterprises. But it cannot decide whether opposition parties will or will not be there. Other bodies decide on this depoliticization. Otherwise, tomorrow precisely this will happen. If party activity there harms work and production, causes destabilization and severe confrontations, and creates social tensions and conflicts, etc., then the state’s higher authorities may decide on this. For now, what matters to us is that the parties serve what we want to build. Any agreement for this purpose is more useful. The Party of Labour is fully committed to this.

With a creative spirit and action — DURRËS — A few days have passed since the campaign began, and there are several things to report from Durrës. Separate meetings have been held with secretaries of the Party’s basic organizations, in the city and the countryside, but we believe these need to be broader and more frequent, free of formalities and the old standard methods, so as to draw out the views of the grassroots as effectively as possible. Close, informal meetings and conversations should be held with groups and even with each individual member of the Party of Labour, in order to gather everything valuable that can help build and operate the Party at all levels from now on. We should not think, “we have time for this”—an expression heard all too often in the past, leading to delays, procrastination, routine, and poor-quality work. We must be the bearers of new methods; we cannot and should not wait for them to be recommended from above. The strength and role of every member of the Party of Labour who cares about its work, its strengthening, renewal and reform, and the full implementation of its new programme lie in being as creative as possible today, as active, agile and courageous as possible, taking action in the ranks and, first of all, each examining themselves so as to take the right position and find the right direction. After several meetings and discussions of opinions—which, we believe, should not be considered definitively closed—the bureau of the district Party of Labour committee also met on 19 April. Based on the guidelines received from the Central Committee of the Party of Labour, it approved several basic directions and objectives for the campaign for new elections. One of the main goals was the Party’s foundation—the basic organization. In Durrës too, the view has taken hold that these must change, both in number and in their structure. This is not a formal change and should not be understood as one, since that would bring nothing qualitatively new to Party life. First and foremost, this change must be seen in terms of the new qualitative impact now and in the future expected of the Party of Labour’s work. Of the district’s 714 basic Party organizations, the bureau approved a total of 315 in the city and countryside. They will be organized on a territorial and production basis. As for the latter, naturally the basic organization will not have the role and powers it has today in production, but will have other directions for the Party’s work. We believe this issue remains open. I say this because perhaps, for the time being, these organizations can be structured this way, but in the future it would be much more appropriate for no political party to have party organizations in enterprises, but rather outside them. Meetings of the Party of Labour organizations in Durrës have not yet begun. The issue has been raised that the Party’s draft statute and programme, which are to be presented to the 10th Congress, have still not arrived. The central office is naturally working on this, and must do so more quickly, since these two basic documents will open up new horizons and provide much help. But the basic organizations can and should meet to discuss and offer opinions, because not everything has been fully crystallized. Measures are being intensified — PERMET — Work on the Party elections has been under way in the district of Përmet for some time. In the last three months, 32 people from the intelligentsia and youth have been accepted as Party members, and in recent days many more applications have come in, bringing fresh energy to the Party organizations—one of the directions of its renewal. The study and discussion of their organizational structure has been completed in all the Party organizations, and valuable opinions have been offered in light of local conditions. There are proposals for merging and combining them according to affiliation and territory, the secretary of the Party of Labour committee, Kujtim Hoxha, tells us. This is the case for the communities of schools and cultural institutions in the town of Përmet, which will be combined into one organization. The same applies to health institutions, services, and so on. Organizing on a territorial basis, according to professional affiliation in the town, and on a village basis in the countryside, also brings greater cohesion to their work within the framework of pluralism, moving away from methods used up to now that are no longer suitable. For detailed instructions and an exchange of experience concerning the particular features of these elections, seminars are being held in 11 areas with secretaries of Party organizations and those responsible for the elections. Measures have also been taken to ensure that, as soon as the draft programme and draft statute arrive, they are studied and discussed more widely, while continuing the work of carrying out the tasks each basic organization has set for its renewal, both in organizational matters and in its working methods, and in introducing new concepts relating to the work of communists wherever they work. The aim is that during this period and thereafter, the communis-

— PERMET — Work on the Party elections has been under way in the district of Përmet for some time.

— POGRADEC — Fatos Pashaj, a mining engineer by profession, was recently appointed director of the new chrome mine at Pojskë in Po- Against a monthly target of 185 m, 228 linear metres were completed. These days in April, taken all together, speak of just one thing: targets being met. The daily quota of 190 tonnes of ore is being reached. The section that has opened up for them

— OBSERVATION — At the sawmill of the Elbasan wood-processing combine, in the sharpening workshop, someone cuts the belts that drive the machinery. The machines stop, work is interrupted, workers are forced to leave and are paid 80 percent of their wages. Replacing the damaged materials is difficult, since they are imported… But who damaged them? Who does not want the work to be done? That remains a mystery. What is more, it happens during the second shift, when work has been proceeding normally. Strange? It really is a “strange” game, because no one came from outside the combine to tamper with the machinery. And when the pulleys were greased so that the belts would be damaged and work would be interrupted for several hours, that too was not done by someone from outside the factory. Does this factory have managers, or do they sit with their eyes closed, vegetating in their offices? And why do the workers themselves allow machinery to be tampered with and destroyed right before their eyes? To be left without work as well? This is unacceptable. The case described above is not an isolated one. Similar acts have also occurred at the NN housing construction site, and elsewhere as well. We do not think that such acts are a protest against some unfulfilled demand, since that would be a display of naivety and a lack of civility, because there are plenty… (Continued on page 2)

- POGRADEC - Fatos Pashaj, a mining engineer by profession, was recently appointed director of the new chrome mine at Pojskë in Pogradec. director of the new chrome mine at Pojskë in Pogradec. This mine became independent from the Prenjas iron-nickel mine on February 1. The director says that work at this mine is proceeding in an optimistic spirit. The fact that all 300 of its workers, miners and specialists, have completed their assignments without unjustified absences speaks for itself. In short, there were some difficulties in February, whereas March, by contrast, was a month of complete stabilization. The deficits were made up through substantial overfulfillment of targets. One thousand tons of chrome were produced above the plan for the third month of the year. All the production brigades fulfilled their assignments. Significant progress was also made in mining work. Against a monthly plan of 185 linear meters, 228 linear meters were completed. And these days in April, everyone is talking about completing the assignments as soon as the work resumes. The daily quota of 190 tons of ore is being met. The sector that has paved the way for success is Pojskë. After the motor compressor was put into operation, work in the other sector, at Gjorkadukë, has also returned to normal. In giving us these few figures, the director also has in mind the good examples set by the miners who led the way in the work. He ends the conversation by expressing his positive assessment of the miners Muhamer Xhyldollari and Ijaz Kapri. “We call them the miners who bring down the ore,” he says. Working intensively, they have produced the necessary quantities of loosened ore, which has been extracted by the production brigades.

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Comrade Ramiz Alia, received the chairman of the Rexol Group of Companies, Sir Leon Taman, at the headquarters of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly the day before yesterday afternoon and held a warm and friendly conversation with him. , at the headquarters of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly the day before yesterday afternoon and held a warm and friendly conversation with him. Comrade Ramiz Alia spoke to him about democratic developments in Albania, the expansion of relations in the economic sphere and other fields with various countries and companies, and the prospects for expanding these relations in the future. (ATSH)

A World Bank working mission arrived in our country the day before yesterday, headed by Adil Kanan, an executive director at the Bank. the day before yesterday, headed by Adil Kanan, an executive director at the Bank. At Rinas Airport, the World Bank working mission was received by Kamber Myftari, deputy general director of the Albanian State Bank, as well as by other specialists from the Albanian State Bank and the Albanian State Bank for Foreign Relations. The mission will remain in our country for five days and will work with the Albanian State Bank, the Albanian State Bank for Foreign Relations, the Ministry of Finance, and other ministries and central institutions to determine the procedures necessary for Albania’s accession to the World Bank. (ATSH)

A government delegation headed by Aleks Jaksa, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, departed for Italy the day before yesterday. The delegation will hold talks with Italian government authorities on ways to expand and intensify relations between the two countries in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields, and will discuss in particular the issue of Albanian citizens who have left for Italy. At Rinas Airport, the delegation was seen off by Shkëlqim Cani, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and Sokrat Plaka, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Torquato Cardilli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic in Tirana, was also present. (ATSH)

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muhamet Kapllani, met with Sir Leon J. Taman, chairman of the Rexol Group of Companies. Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muhamet Kapllani, met with Sir Leon J. Taman, chairman of the Rexol Group of Companies, and the prominent businessman Rafat të Felah, who took part in the ceremony organized in Tirana on the occasion of the inauguration of the Albania-Israel Friendship Association. A friendly conversation took place during the meeting, in which Muhamet Kapllani described the significance of moving to friendly relations and cooperation between Albania and Israel, and the fact that mutual respect has never been absent between the two peoples; now is the time for these to be expressed and for relations between our two countries to be established. Sir Leon J. Taman spoke highly of the Albanian people, their ancient history and rich traditions, and their generous spirit, which Israel has had occasion to get to know from… (Continued on page 4)

Yesterday afternoon, the Minister of Finance, Qemal Disha, received the World Bank working mission, headed by Adil Kanan, an executive director at the Bank. Yesterday afternoon, the Minister of Finance, Qemal Disha, received the World Bank working mission, During the warm and friendly conversation, the Minister of Finance briefed the mission on the economic reform undertaken in our country and on the important tasks arising in the financial field as part of the interconnection of this reform with the transition to a market economy. In this connection, Qemal Disha emphasized the financial difficulties our economy experienced, particularly during 1990, and which continue this year. He raised the need to develop financial and fiscal policies that respond to the demands of economic development amid profound economic transformations, overcome the difficulties, and address what is happening. In this context, he emphasized, there is a need for a… (Continued on page 4)

Yesterday morning, Kamber Myftari, Deputy General Director of the Albanian State Bank, received the World Bank working mission. Yesterday morning, received the World Bank working mission. After welcoming them, he held a warm and friendly conversation with them, during which he acquainted them with the development of the processes of democratization throughout the country’s political, economic and social life. In particular, he spoke about the measures that have been and are being taken in our country as part of economic reform and the gradual transition to a market economy, the establishment of joint enterprises with foreign capital participation and the protection of foreign investments, the privatization process in the economy, etc. He also pointed out the need to improve the banking system so that it can support the development of economic reform and privatization, as well as… (Continued on page 4)

- SHKODËR - The spring period at the dairy factory in Shkodër has been the peak production season. The factory has always operated at full capacity in all its departments: powdered milk and condensed milk, cheese and butter production, and the sale of fresh milk to the public has also increased considerably. At times, the workload was so great that they had to bring in containers and seasonal workers. This year, however, things are different there. The factory is still in its “winter season,” that is, with little production, little work and, naturally, very little supply for the market. Two departments are not operating at all: powdered and condensed milk production, while the other departments are working below their spring capacities. So now is the time not only to regulate the market, but also to build up “reserves” for other seasons, when milk production has fallen. Instead of the approximately 450 quintals of milk the factory should process every day, it never reaches even 150 quintals. Indeed, on many days production falls below these figures. Many of the workers and mechanics are being paid 80 percent of their wages. What does this decline in production mean, and what is it connected to? The villagers… (Continued on page 2)

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