— Rally in the city’s main square — Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic of Albania, Ramiz Alia, arrived in the city of Kukës. This is the first visit the President has made since his election by the country’s first pluralist parliament. On this visit, the President of the Republic is accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Nexhmedin Dumani, and the Minister of Construction, Emin Mysliu. President Ramiz Alia was welcomed by the chairman of the People’s Council of the district, Ali Doçi; the chairman of the Executive Committee of the district’s People’s Council, deputy Muharrem Mezini; and People’s Assembly deputies Feim Tota, Qemal Elezi and Rexhep Ballmi, among others. Several thousand people from Kukës had gathered in the city’s main square and greeted the President with applause. Among the banners in the square were: “The freedom and independence of the Fatherland above all,” “Albania’s admission to the CSCE—a significant act for democracy,” “We support the legitimate rights of our brothers in Kosovo,” “Long live the people of the Kukës district,” and others. The rally organized for the occasion was opened by Muharem Mezini. Among other things, he said that, in response to the repeated requests of the citizens, workers, cooperative members and all the people of our district to talk, discuss their concerns and join forces, the head of state, the President of the Republic of Albania, Ramiz Alia, was among them that day, together with a group of members of the country’s Government of Stability. He pointed out that the people of the Kukës district had found their position under the conditions of a pluralist society, supporting and upholding what united them, while casting aside and rejecting what divided them. He then emphasized the courage and spiritual values of the people of this district, who had placed the national cause, unity and the desire for a better future above political, religious and regional divisions and economic differences. The President of the Republic, Ramiz Alia, then took the floor. The President’s speech was greeted with applause and cries of “Long live the President!” After the rally, President Ramiz Alia held a meeting at the “Hasan Prishtina” House of Culture and Folk Creativity with senior officials of local government and the economy, intellectuals from various fields, and others. (ATSH)

— THE HARVEST IS LAGGING; THE SEED MUST NOT BE SURRENDERED. PEOPLE MUST BE INFORMED ABOUT POSSIBLE LOSSES — Throughout the entire low-lying coastal region, the wheat-harvesting and threshing campaign has entered its decisive phase. As of yesterday, according to a notice from the spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, wheat had been harvested on 25 percent of the planned area. More could have been done, since there were more combine harvesters than last year. The fuel supply has been an obstacle, and in some districts it continues to be one. The wheat is overripe, and every day’s delay leads to losses. The most pressing problem has proved to be harvesting, threshing, handling and delivering the seed crop. We emphasize this because in many cooperatives in the districts of Krujë, Lezhë, Berat, Vlorë, etc., people are reluctant to deliver the crop, insisting that their bread-grain balance will not cover a year’s needs. Such an attitude toward wheat seed has very serious consequences. Cooperatives must safeguard not only the seed they need themselves, but also the portion contracted with the seed departments, against any attempt to consume or damage it. It is well known that producing varieties and seeds of the quality required for planting, according to the regionalization carried out in the area and the subzone, has required 10–15 years of genetic and selection work. Therefore, consuming it as bread would undo all this work. Moreover, seed for sowing wheat cannot be imported, because it cannot become acclimatized in our country—not to mention that its price is more than three times that of ordinary produce. It must be made perfectly clear that the state will also help each farm meet its wheat-bread needs. For farms whose entire crop is intended for seed, the district executive committees are taking immediate measures to exchange the produce. This will ensure that wheat is planted and will also bring financial benefit, since the price of one kilogram of super-elite seed is 10.5 lekë, elite seed is 6.5 lekë, and first-generation reproduction seed is 5 lekë, compared with 3.5 lekë for bread wheat. Here it is worth recalling the tradition of our peasant, who, in every situation and circumstance, never consumed the seed that secured the continuity of production.

Yesterday morning, the President of the Republic of Albania, Ramiz Alia, received at his residence a delegation from the “Appeal of Conscience” Foundation of the USA, headed by Dr. Rabbi Artur Shneier, who is visiting our country. President Ramiz Alia welcomed them to Albania and spoke to the members of the delegation about the democratization processes in our country, efforts to integrate Albania into the international community, freedom of conscience and belief, and the organization of religions in Albania, etc. The head of the delegation, Dr. Rabbi Artur Shneier, thanked him for the warm reception and emphasized that Albania would have the support of the “Appeal of Conscience” Foundation. Above all, he said, let us put the interests of peoples and nations, peace and prosperity everywhere in the world first. Also present at the reception was Jorgo Melica, chairman of the Albanian Committee for Cultural and Friendly Relations with the Outside World. The reception took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere. (ATSH)

Photograph: President Ramiz Alia and the crowd at the rally.

Dear brothers and sisters of the Kukës district, It has been quite some time that I have wanted to come to Kukës, but events and many tasks have prevented me. At this meeting today, I wish to greet from the bottom of my heart the men and women of Kukës, all the brave and honorable people of your district, fighters who are tireless in their efforts. Our country has now entered a new phase of its development, one that we have called democracy. This phase encompasses every aspect of the country’s life. Everything is in motion; everything is changing. These changes have not come easily. But at times of great change, mass anxiety, trauma and confusion are inevitable. What matters is avoiding clashes and suffering, and carrying out transformations without great pain. To achieve this, everyone must get used to the new reality and learn to live together in a civilized way, respecting each person’s views, regardless of one another’s differences. Above all, what matters to our people is unity, the interests of the homeland, the interests of the homeland, its freedom and independence. The major political fact is that the country’s political forces have agreed among themselves to form a government with a broad popular base, the Government of Stability. This government’s mission is to normalize the country’s political and economic life, revive the people’s confidence, restore their faith in the future, and develop the administration and democracy. A crisis is part of a time of democracy and pluralism. Therefore, to get through this difficult phase, which some have only just begun, there must be goodwill, cooperation and understanding. For Albania, there can be no stability except in this way. The processes of democratization are not incidental. Everyone must understand this well, from the veterans of the National Liberation War and the war to rebuild the country, to all those who fought and sacrificed to drain the marshes, build hydroelectric power plants, open mines and emancipate the country, to emancipate women and develop education, and on to today’s youth, who rightly wish to catch up as quickly as possible with the youth of Europe in living standards and freedom of travel and movement. The current democratic transformations are an objective necessity; they must be fundamental. The previous path, accompanied by many distortions and mistakes, what the political vocabulary calls monism or dictatorship, Stalinism or totalitarianism—in short, the past—must be left behind without any doubt or hesitation. This is the only way to overcome the difficulties we face, to rekindle people’s hopes and confidence, and to work for the future. Otherwise, the difficulties will grow, and the economic, political and social situation will worsen, with unforeseeable consequences. The transformation we must carry out, the deepening of the processes of democratization, is achieved not with words and declarations but through work and concrete measures. All the political forces existing in the country are now coordinating on this issue: the Socialist Party, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Agrarian Party, the Ecological Party, the National Unity Party, etc. Each has set out its own aims in its program. They are all in favor of a market economy and respect for individual freedoms and rights, the depoliticization of the army and other state bodies, and the elimination of violence; they are all in favor of economic cooperation with the world and an open, peaceful foreign policy. The question is how they implement their programs, how well they keep their word and fulfill their promises, and how they defend the interests of the different strata of the people. This is a crisis, but all these difficulties are great, and we must all strive to overcome them. The fundamental factor in preventing further economic decline is our work. We must have no illusions about this. Therefore, let us work to revive the economy, so that the people can have hope and people can learn to extend a hand with confidence and optimism. The most urgent thing the country needs is to revive the people’s optimism. Victory over the crisis begins with the individual. Without confidence, it is impossible to overcome the situation and change the course of the negative processes that have been developing for some time. Optimism encourages people, spurs them to take initiative and create. Whoever loses confidence has put himself on the side of the losers. We are going through a transitional phase which, objectively, cannot satisfy all the workers’ demands. In this regard, not enough has been done, so it is no wonder that there is disappointment and pessimism. But they must not be allowed to turn into a loss of perspective. In what we are going through, we have lost a great deal, but not everything. On the contrary, historic opportunities lie ahead of us. In difficult times, we move forward. Our task continues below

(ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPOKESPERSON OF THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC ORDER) The public-order authorities of the Durrës district report that: 1. On 25 June 1991, five young men, after drinking at the “Adriatiku” hotel, became ill in the city. From there they went to the bus station and provoked two police officers. Then, suddenly, they struck police officer Shkëlqim Meta on the head with a bottle. The policemen fell, but he quickly got up and fired his weapon into the air. They jumped on him, snatched his pistol and began beating him. In these circumstances the police officer used his knife and wounded Astrit Kuçi, who later died in hospital, and Arben Koçi. Later, the law-enforcement authorities caught and detained Emilian Luli, Asti Caka-llin and Arjan Preza; the pistol they had snatched from the police officer was also found on them. Police officers Shkëlqim Meta and Ilir Serjani were admitted to hospital. 2. At about 18:30 on 26 June 1991, while police officer Bashkim Gjoni was on his way to take up duty, Bajram Shaka and Ilir Meta, both previously convicted of theft, confronted him in Shkozet and provoked him for no reason. The police officer tried to avoid them and not get into a confrontation, but the troublemakers persisted, going so far as to stab and wound him. The police officer then used his weapon and wounded both of the aforementioned individuals, one of them seriously. The police officer was admitted to hospital. 3. Various individuals have caused serious disturbances at the Durrës beach through their improper behavior, seriously jeopardizing the peace and safety of holidaymakers. The law-enforcement authorities are acting against these individuals in accordance with the law and have taken measures to restore normal calm. On 25, 26 and 27 June, they apprehended and detained 14 people, who were handed over to the relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Tirana, 27. 6. 1991.

The Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Economy, Dr. Gramoz Pashko, yesterday received the mission of the organizations of the UN system, headed by Mr. Winston Prettly. The mission has been in our country for several days. It has held meetings at ministries and other central institutions, at executive committees of the district kp, and has visited towns and villages, health institutions, etc. Areas for urgent humanitarian aid to Albania (food, medicines and other items) have been identified, and cooperation among UN organizations, under the direction of UNDP, was also planned to assess the implementation of the Government of National Stability’s program for restructuring the economy and renewing its branches. These will be put into concrete form soon, following the report that the mission will submit to UN bodies. The Chairman of the Committee for Labor and Social Support, Theodhori Bej, hosted a lunch in honor of the mission at Hotel «Dajti»; it took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Yesterday, the UN mission for humanitarian aid also departed from our country. (According to ATSH)

— Note from a Press Conference o Deputy Prime Minister Pashko. — Yesterday, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Pashko explained the results of the talks in the European Community. We do not want to dwell on them; more or less, the same things we heard summarized on television were said. But two thi- (Continued on page 2)

(Photo: P. Omeri - ATSH)