The People’s Assembly continued its pro- of the Party and by had encouraged and fostered privileges at levels of... People’s Assembly continued its work yesterday morning with discussion of the draft law “On the Departyization and Depoliticization of Certain State Bodies.” The draft law had previously been reviewed by the Commission on Laws and by the parliamentary groups. The deputies had been distributed a report from the Commission on Laws, which had expressed views and made comments on the wording of certain articles. After extensive discussion by the deputies and suggestions from the Commission on Laws, Article 1 was first adopted. It states that the activities of political parties, organizations and associations are prohibited in the units, enterprises and military institutions of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Public Order, the Ministry of Justice and diplomatic missions abroad; in prosecutors’ offices, investigative offices and courts; in the offices of the People’s Assembly, the President of the Republic and the Council of Ministers; in ministries, bodies equivalent to them and other central institutions; ATSH, RTSH; health and educational institutions; and local administrative authorities. Article 2 was also generally adopted in the wording proposed by the Commission on Laws, with some editing and an addition made by several deputies. Under this article, officers, active-service officials and civilian employees working with units of the Ministry of People’s Defense and the Ministry of Public Order, as well as in their schools and institutions, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and personnel of diplomatic missions, are not permitted to belong to political parties, organizations or associations. (Continued on page 4)

As the 10th Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania opens in Tirana, it has undoubtedly aroused particular interest throughout the Party and among the people at large. This interest has its reasons. The 10th Congress of the PPSH is an ordinary congress in terms of its place in the sequence, but it is not an ordinary one given the situation in which it is convening, the issues it will discuss and the solutions it will determine. Its proceedings and decisions are vital for the Party and its role in the fate of the country and the people. The delegates to this Congress come to this assembly with this historic mission; with this responsibility they will discuss and debate the past, the present and the future. The 10th Congress is convening in an entirely exceptional domestic and international situation. Our country is experiencing its deepest and harshest economic, political and social crisis. Conscious of this situation, the Party of Labour, as the sole political force and the party in power for 45 years, has committed itself—with the great obligation and responsibility it feels toward the people—to overcoming this situation as quickly as possible. This commitment is expressed in a series of plans, measures and activities nationwide and in the districts, which have shed light on the causes and factors that led us into this crisis. On this basis, concrete measures and actions have been undertaken, paving the way for the profound and comprehensive reform of society. They are connected with permitting and institutionalizing political pluralism, which brought other political parties onto the scene alongside the Party of Labour; abandoning the state’s monist, administrative and command system; and laying the foundations for the establishment and consolidation of the rule-of-law state and a new constitution for the contemporary Republic. Such fundamental changes were made to the economic base, and the diversity of forms of ownership, competition and the producers’ free initiative were given legal status. Human freedoms and rights were guaranteed to a degree found in the most democratic societies. Political and economic ties and cooperation with the outside world and with international organizations in various spheres expanded on an unprecedented scale. The Party of Labour has described these changes as a vital necessity for the fate of the homeland, the people and the Albanian nation. The Congress will once again affirm the undeniable truth that pluralist democracy in Albania is an objective necessity arising from internal factors and is also spurred by the radical changes taking place in Eastern Europe. Our Party entered the country’s political life by inheriting and enriching the finest traditions of our history, as a party with pronounced national and democratic characteristics. It always placed the interests of the homeland and national unity first. The PPSH organized and led the Antifascist National Liberation War, founded the new state and opened up new paths of development, bringing Albania out of the profound backwardness it had inherited. Without in any way denying these indisputable truths or the great contribution that the Party of Labour has made and continues to make to the irreversible process of democratization, the great ranks of its honest and devoted members are conscious of the historic responsibility it bears for the difficult situation in which the country finds itself today. The 10th Congress will be a Congress for assessing the past and examining the prospects for our future development. It is the Party’s duty, for the sake of its honor and prestige, to openly acknowledge its mistakes and failures, its positions and the solutions it pursued. This can be achieved only through an analysis grounded in historical truths, reason and evidence, without sentimentality or alarmism. The Congress is an opportunity to renew and strengthen the Party, and to advance the interests and cause of the people. But let us not forget that we are living in a new and difficult critical situation, in which there are forces that want to (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday’s interviews from Tirana We put this question to several delegates in the city of Tirana. Here are their answers: ZEF PRECI, economist: Now is the time, more than ever, to reflect; otherwise nobody will follow us. We have talked a lot, promised and wished for a lot, but have not achieved as much as we promised. Now we will try to talk less, achieve more, and earn greater trust, in order to attain the justice and social well-being the people seek; to achieve individual freedom at the highest level. FATRI SINANI, intellectual: I have not written a single line. I will speak about the problem I feel most certain about. I know there is a tendency to turn the conflict into a major confrontation. As an intellectual, it is my role to examine things carefully, use argument, defend what is true, and oppose extremism. THANAS DEDE, engineer: What will I discuss? It may seem unimportant if you start with the to be renewed? Reform, or a change from the outset under entirely different circumstances? Ideology is built upon an economic system. And what is the economic system now? The problem is very delicate. So, will we once again be a Labor Party? A Socialist Party or a Party of Democratic Progress? All these questions lead to our program, composition and mission. The issue is not the name, but a clearly defined path that we will follow in the future, in the interests of the Europeanization of the country, in the most progressive and democratic sense of the word. At various meetings beyond the confines of formalism, delegates exchange views with other members and supporters of the Party about the “coluadua,” the arguments and the issues that will be raised. FRANO ÇAKA

— GRAMSH — In the district of Gramsh, too, all ordinary members of the PPSH, young and old, seem to want to offer their delegates a piece of advice: what to say from the podium of this Congress, how to show respect for the majority of the Party’s ordinary members, who did everything possible for the good of this nation, and how to trim the excess fat of the top leadership, accustomed only to privileges and people’s applause. Nevruz Kaptelli is very young. He is also a new Party member. A few years ago, he applied to join the ranks of the Party of Labour, convinced that its members were among the best people in this country, that they were people of work and sacrifice. To reach this conclusion, the experience around him and the example set by older comrades were enough. They were modest, gentle and worthy of respect. Why should he not want to be like them? And from the day he received his membership card, he lined up alongside them. He had never seen the leaders up close, only on the television screen or at some ceremonial meeting podium. From their speeches, they had seemed wise and concerned about the people’s troubles. But it turned out otherwise. The leaders cared only about themselves, not the people. They thought more about luxury than about the people’s troubles. This, too, shook Nevruz. But what should he do? Hand in his membership card? No. He thinks it is necessary to denounce this bureaucracy, to expose it in the name of the sincerity and humanism of so many other ordinary members. This is the message he has for the delegates to the 10th Congress of the Party of Labour. Older people like Nevruz, Sallata, Kasem Xhangolli and others have the same message for the delegates: from the rostrum of this Congress, they should overcome the corrupt, mistaken practices that disillusioned them, and it should be acknowledged that a new, more effective path must be established to move forward. PIRRO VERUSHI

1. At border-crossing checkpoints, law-enforcement authorities have observed various Albanian citizens using forged passports and visas to travel abroad. So far, the authorities have seized the forged passports or visas of the following citizens: Tahir Belegu, Rajmonda Bulku and Sadik Rushiti from Tirana; Sofraq Kola, Konstandin Mele and Robert Angjellari from Vlora; Gjergji Pano, Nasho Meleji and Athina Mejd from Korça; Sejdin Brahimaj, Hysen Shanaj and Emanuel Hyska from Fieri; Mihallaq Miço, Lefter Qerama and Artan Qerama from Saranda; Nikollë Ndreu, Agë Ndreu and Arjan Uruçi from Shkodra; Agim Elezi, Arjan Stafa and Kujtim Dyrmishi from Elbasani, as well as other persons from these and other districts of the country. Forged passports and visas belonging to citizens have also been detected by the relevant authorities of other states. The forgery of these documents constitutes a crime punishable under the provisions of the Penal Code, both for the forger and for the person possessing them; therefore, the cases detected (Continued on page 4)

In recent days, during meetings between representatives of political parties, trade unions and the Prime Minister, the BSP-SH’s request for payment for the days during which employees went on strike has been discussed extensively. Prime Minister Ylli Bufi’s position on this issue has been, and remains, that until the strikers’ demands are reviewed—which will take place at the first meeting of the new government, after it is formed—the striking employees will be paid advances by their enterprises.

For New Tasks BEHAR GONXHE, employee at the Skrapar construction enterprise. The processes of democratizing life in the country are renewing the course of Party life. At the congress we will talk about what we will do in the struggle to abandon previous practices and the dismissive attitudes of bureaucrats and people accustomed to privileges; we will carry the workers’ warm message of solidarity. KASTRIOT ISLAMI, doctor in Skrapar. “Our attitude toward the intelligentsia must change. This should happen as part of the renewal of the Party, because its ranks contain inexhaustible intellectual energy that will serve the country’s progress. We are going to the Party assembly with new views.” FAIK BALLA, teacher in Librazhd. The thorough, objective analysis it will make of the past, and the tasks for the future, concern the very survival of the Party. Party members demand that it be renewed, that it finally break with slogans, dogmas, bureaucratic methods and bureaucrats, which brought us to this difficult day. All those who have profited and speculated on the trust of our people—whether members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, first secretaries, or others throughout the party and state administration, from the center to the grassroots—must be held accountable.

Since, as we are hearing, increasingly more fanciful rumors are being concocted and spread about the wealth of Enver Hoxha and his family, I feel it necessary to clarify to public opinion that all of these are entirely malicious, unfounded and untrue rumors. I declare on my own responsibility that, contrary to what certain circles trying to denigrate Enver Hoxha as a person have claimed, there are no properties, no properties as alleged, no houses, and consequently none abroad. Consequently, neither I nor his family have ever had... [The source text is garbled here.] ... We did not have money, and ... all the other income. Earthquakes and the voices of provocateurs and others, which have been spread in public... ...[The source text is garbled here.]... in the savings books of the Albanian state; some members of his family have savings books, like every citizen. As far as I personally am concerned, I have the right to declare publicly that in savings book no. 11735/II I currently have the sum of 16,520 lekë (sixteen thousand five hundred and twenty) deposited. It has been accumulated from the monthly income of 300 lekë from the pension I receive in connection with Enver Hoxha, as Hekto Popullit (after his death). From this sum too, since the time I left the Bloc and moved to another residence, I have begun to withdraw part of it to cover some additional expenses for equipping the house with a bathroom, which cannot be covered solely by the pension I receive, like all those of my rank (700 lekë + 100 lekë for veterans of the National Liberation War). On this occasion I also wish to clarify the rumors that our family, after the events of 20 February of this year, left the country to live abroad, in Europe and even in the USA, using the “wealth” attributed to us and leading a fabulous life. Despite the grief we experienced and the threats made against us by certain unrestrained forces, we have not left Tirana for a single day. It is clear that this campaign of lies, organized beyond the bounds of imagination, is intended to denigrate the figure of Enver Hoxha, who lives in the hearts of the people. I thank the newspaper’s editorial office for publishing this clarification, which I am making for public opinion. Respectfully, NEXHMIJE HOXHA Tirana, 9 June 1991

In accordance with the declarations made by the Albanian Government and the British Government in Madrid on the occasion of the establishment of diplomatic relations, delegations from the foreign ministries of the two countries met in Geneva on 7 June to discuss outstanding matters for talks. The talks were held in a constructive atmosphere, and the delegations will meet again in the near future, in Tirana. (ATSH)

From 12 to 14 June 1991, a meeting of Senior Officials of the Foreign Ministries of the Balkan states will be held in Ankara. A delegation from our country will also participate in the forthcoming meeting, headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sokrat Plaka. The meeting will discuss progress in the process of Balkan cooperation since the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Balkan states, held in Tirana in October of last year, up to the present, and will approve the calendar of Balkan activities through the end of this year. Views will also be exchanged on Balkan cooperation relations with other regional groups, international organizations, etc. (ATSH)

On the joint meeting of the Plenum of the Party CC and the Organizing Committee for the preparation of the 10th Congress of the PPSH On 7 June 1991, a joint meeting was held of the Plenum of the Party Central Committee Congress of the PPSH. At the meeting, where the report to be presented to the Congress and the other main documents—the Party’s draft program and draft statute—were considered, the activity of the Party Central Committee since the previous Congress was analyzed with a sense of responsibility and in a spirit of profound criticism and self-criticism. At the meeting, serious criticism was expressed of the incompetence of some leading cadres in the Party and the state, who had caused harm to the country’s economic and social life and had severely shaken the relationship between the Party of Labour and the masses, as well as their trust in it. It was also pointed out that many of these cadres, members of the CC and the Political Bureau, were unprepared during the period of profound democratic changes in the Party and society; they were confused and withdrew from activity, which clearly reflects their detachment from the body of Party members and from the people. Particular critical analysis was devoted to practices that had encouraged and fostered privileges at various levels of the Party and state leadership. These were seen both as a consequence of the system and as the result of the individual conduct of various officials. At the end of the meeting, the report on the Party’s activity to be presented to the Congress was approved, with the supplementary observations made to it. The Congress opens on 10 June 1991, at 9:00 a.m., with the following agenda: 1. Report of the Central Committee: “The Renewal of the Party—A Historical Necessity”; 2. Report on the activity of the Party’s Central Commission of Control and Revision; 3. Discussions; 4. Approval of the Party Program and Statute; 5. Election of the Party’s leading bodies. From Congress of the PPSH. Tirana, 8 June 1991.

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