- Reportage - Today is January 11, the day Albania was proclaimed a republic. When I put it this way, I have in mind the fact that this day constitutes a highly significant event in our history, of unquestionable importance. But I also have something else in mind: the fact that this landmark date has invited citizens to celebrate it as a holiday. It is, indeed, a holiday as beautiful as it is unique, for that is how all our people experienced January 11, 1946, the day when, as a newspaper of the time wrote, “the first truly popular Assembly, of the workers and peasants, of Albania’s intellectuals, convened.” But what is distinctive, and indeed beautiful, about this holiday also lies in something else of substance: precisely in the fact that, among the many holidays of this half-century—some of which have rightly lost the value artificially attributed to them by monism—it remains one of the least politicized and one of the most genuine. The many-century history of the Albanians has thousands of landmark dates. Heroism, dignity, honor and objectivity are in its very nature. But undoubtedly, among those moments in our history that we can rightly call democratic, from the heart of our ancient nation, there are some that stand as peaks, that have been and remain monuments to our pride. I do not want to stop and mention them one by one, not only because there are many, but also because good, patriotic Albanians know them very well. They are truths of value that people experience and remember with respect. In this context, January 11, 1946, too, has its place, and therefore deserves to be remembered with respect. A return to ’46... It is logical, indeed essential, to return to the time when January 11 was being prepared. We are in the first year of freedom. After a long and incredible war, Albania emerged devastated, without an economic base. Nothing was left. But it had won. And that was a great deal. For it had won freedom—the long-dreamed-of, most sacred freedom. But freedom had to be defended. At any cost, by any means, with every possible instrument, through every kind of sacrifice. That was how it had been won: with blood, with unparalleled sacrifices. And to achieve this, it was necessary to choose a form of government and a form of social organization acceptable to the majority of the people, so that the chances of losing this fragile freedom would be as small as possible. The people knew how to untangle precisely this complicated knot, even in those difficult—extremely difficult—times. The first 82 deputies, elected by the people in free and direct elections, expressed their confidence by voting unanimously and with complete unanimity to proclaim Albania a People’s Republic, as had never happened before in its history. This was a wise choice for those extremely difficult times, reaffirming once again the wisdom and democratic culture of our people. Leafing through the press of those days, one is struck by the extraordinary wisdom of those who prepared this event. The interests of the people, Albania, the preservation of all the victories achieved, and progress along the path of democracy on the basis of organization as a democratic state governed by law—these formed the essence of the events surrounding January 11, 1946. All of this takes on even greater significance and is seen in a new light today, when the struggle and efforts to preserve Albania and to establish fully and consolidate genuine democracy—not a sham democracy—have become imperative. Ën (Continued on page 2) …earlier. In this … BASANI … is it … totalitarian. In Ko… secretary… cultural in ad… of the treat… small … 37 …

ISMAIL KADARE: I support the initiative for national reconciliation without reservation We publish the interview that Ismet Rashti, Radio Tirana’s correspondent in Switzerland, conducted with the writer Ismail Kadare ISMAIL KADARE: I support the initiative for national reconciliation without reservation National reconciliation is among a nation’s greatest struggles We publish the interview that Ismet Rashti, Radio Tirana’s correspondent in Switzerland, conducted with the writer Ismail Kadare - Mr. Ismail Kadare, some time ago an initiative was launched to hold an Assembly for National Reconciliation and Unity, and an organizing council was later established. What can you tell us about this? - reconciliation is one of the highest stages in the history of a nation. Peoples capable of accomplishing it demonstrate their values, their acts of dignity. Conversely, peoples who cannot do it put a question mark over themselves and, above all, over their future. After the tragedy, after the illness it has endured, the loss of balance of the Albanian nation is so severe that today it threatens to plunge it into an abyss. But while it endured the brutal illness of communism alongside a number of other peoples, in this new calamity it risks being left alone. Albania has been gnawed at and divided several times by the danger of its dissolution, and this danger is greater and more tragic than other movements because it is caused by the Albanians themselves. History will severely punish those who turn against their own destiny. As for the Albanians who try to stab Albania, history will not ask what party they belong to, what reasons they put forward, or how they justified their actions. It will ask only one fundamental question: did you help this country when it needed help so badly, did you lend it your arm to hold it up, or did you put your shoulder to it to bring it down? History cannot give the day the mark of a people. The knot of the Albanian tragedy is such that its good and evil—its loss and disintegration, its darkness and light—are intertwined. It is in the hands of the Albanians to choose the right path of history. It is in their hands to transform themselves from an unfortunate and divided nation into one of the most solid, most homogeneous and most fortunate nations in the Balkans and Europe. National reconciliation opens the way to the unity of Albanians. National unity creates a new vision of the world. A nation bound together by its troubles, anxieties and sorrows gains a visible light, grace and clarity about everything. National reconciliation does not mean forgetting the past, nor erasing facts from the archives and from the world; on the contrary, a new vision of the world will help us bury evil forever, and bloodshed and crime, because wisdom and composure bury the deepest crimes that ferocity and haste cannot bury. National reconciliation is not a festive act; it is nothing like sentimental operettas. It is a magnificent drama, it is a confrontation—and a people bears its full weight. National reconciliation is among a nation’s greatest struggles. It is part of its glorious movements: when Albanians win this battle, a new horizon will unfold before them. Albania, before the world, maintains an inner balance. Albanians have a ...

The government is obliged to implement the law - So far, only 7–8 percent of them have been issued. - There are dollars for selling abroad, but apparently none for buying paper. - Stavri Mitezi, head of the land-allocation group at the Government Commission in the Ministry of Agriculture, blames the Ministry of Economy - - So far, only 7–8 percent of them have been issued. - There are dollars for selling abroad, but apparently none for buying paper. - Stavri Mitezi, head of the land-allocation group at the Government Commission in the Ministry of Agriculture, blames the Ministry of Economy - Some may consider the title deed that should be given to a farmer after the land is allocated to be a mere formality. One cannot judge it that way, not least because this document is stipulated in the Land Law. The farmer wants to have it as proof, now and in the future, of his rights to its produce. The family wants to receive this document from the state commission, with a signature and a seal, to have it, so to speak, in its pocket. However, although more than 60 percent of the land has now been allocated, title deeds have been received by only 7–8 percent of the families. Or, more precisely, of the 250,000 families that have received land, it is said that 30,000 have been issued title deeds. Very few! Some district executive committee chairmen rightly raised this issue. (Continued on page 2)

For some time there has been talk of introducing a law “On Pensions.” Concerns, fears, the breakup of cooperatives and privatization processes have increased the urgency of passing this law. Many ideas and proposals have circulated as wishes, with everyone interpreting them according to their interests or information. Yet this issue has also been raised repeatedly by individual deputies in Parliament. These days, 51 deputies of the Socialist Party made a joint statement in the People’s Assembly, emphasizing not only the need to pass the law urgently but also their dissatisfaction with its unjustifiable delay. By publishing the statement, our newspaper undertook to answer the question: who has blocked the pensions law?! We first put this question to deputy Lufti Dautllari, who read the statement on behalf of his colleagues in the People’s Assembly: “I don’t know where it has got stuck,” he says. “They say it has been sent back several times for corrections… and the Assembly, they say, has prepared it and will present it soon. This is what I know: we raised the concerns of our constituents during the election campaign, and repeated several times that this law should be among the first, but nothing has been done. At the very least, explanations should have been given…”<br><br>Leontie Guci: Former Secretary of State for the Economy, Socialist Party deputy: “The law has been drafted; it is waiting its turn to be approved. We haven’t been idle. I haven’t read the statement, but some people want to retire early so they can engage in business. They make irresponsible statements…”<br><br>Lush Përpali: Deputy Speaker of the People’s Assembly. “This issue has been raised continuously by quite a few deputies. The Council of Ministers has not submitted a bill to the Assembly that is ready for approval. We hope to amend the previous law that we have approved…”<br><br>Naim Hasi: Director of Social Insurance: “The pensions law has been incorporated into the social insurance law. We are working on it, and in February we will organize to…” …undoubtedly … historical that do not go beyond… hardly an exaggeration to call them decorations… on the chest of our ancient nation, … this somewhat that make up the cul… with, which patriotic Albanians know them very well and keep them in mind. In this … rounded volume. We will also translate the material into English… So, some think that the law is waiting in the Assembly’s files; others want to find it at the … The Prime Minister and in fact it still has not set out from its starting point… Therefore, the question «who has blocked the Law»—believe me, technically we have answered it. Naturally, the problem is not so simple. Not only is it unclear how this law has begun or where it has stalled; the same is true of economic reform itself. Pensions under the «Social Insurance» law must also meet the urgent needs of the … … to be considered by the Assembly and not resolved. Such a matter is either impossible or faces opposition. Parliament itself can provide the answer. We imagine the People’s Assembly as a … gathering of elected people, where one branch speaks … to the others, rather than 51 people speaking and nobody understanding anything…? And when you cannot understand one another among yourselves and have no respect for a colleague’s word, do not expect to convince others… Naturally, the current People’s Assembly will go down in history as the first pluralist parliament, which … passed laws of vital importance. But, keeping to the issue we are examining, «pensions», we leave the responsibility to the People’s Assembly for another … fact. The statement by 51 deputies, made in an almost ultimatum-like manner at Wednesday’s session this week, was not broadcast on television and was not included in the report prepared on the Assembly’s proceedings either. In recent days, Television rightly engaged in self-criticism and broadcast, audio only and without images, a meeting of the Democratic Party branch in Kukës, promising that such cases would not happen again. But why does it not broadcast the statement by the 51 deputies, when it is known that cameras are installed in the hall; when statements by individual deputies have always been broadcast, and interviews with young and old people «about the future»—completely unprepared and in a streetwise tone—are often shown? Television is not a party organ and would do well not to fall prey to the distortions that manipulate public opinion. As for the materials of the People’s Assembly, on which it depends, it has a duty to broadcast them or provide information about them. The people who elected them judge their value. Yet the statement on pensions, which reiterated the demands made of RTV, was again not published. Who blocked the statement? Were the reasons technical or political? Once again, only the People’s Assembly can answer this, though it often consults others and, in the name of «tolerance», has surrendered much of its authority. …This means, for example, that they must withstand the test of time. They must also take into account those who depend on their pension for a living, while not granting these benefits to early retirees. The law faces both the demand to respond to the market economy and the pressure to become «ultracommunist» toward the state treasury. Nevertheless, these issues are for specialists, who fortunately have not yet tied their lives to pensions… To put it better, repeating the question «Who has blocked the law?», we would say that, in practice, it has been blocked by the People’s Assembly. The question here is not who delayed the submission of the draft law. There is no great difficulty in drafting a law on the basis of …, with calculations on paper. The question is: Why is there no substantive answer or clarification about what will be done? If we cannot find the truth of the answers, how is the ordinary citizen supposed to find it? We cannot treat this as a problem that is continually raised in … …what has fallen due, and also in drafting a law on the basis of …

Prime Minister of Italy Xhulio Andreoti, Prime Minister of Turkey Sulejman Demirel, Prime Minister of Greece Kostantin Mitsotakis, President of Romania Ion Iliesku, Head of the State of Palestine Jaser Arafat, Head of the Libyan Jamahiriya Muhamar Kadafi, and others have sent President of the Republic Ramiz Alia wishes for a speedy recovery and a return to normal life and activities. <br><br>The telegram from U.S. Secretary of State Xhejms Bejker reads:<br>“Dear Mr. President, I was very sorry to learn that you suffered a heart attack on New Year’s Eve, but was reassured to hear that you are recovering very well. Mrs. Bejker and I fondly remember your hospitality and that of the Albanian people during our visit to Tirana in June. Please accept our very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Sincerely, Xhejms Bejker III”<br><br>The telegram from Turkish Prime Minister Sulejman Demirel reads: “I was concerned to hear of your illness. I would like to extend my most sincere wishes for Your Excellency’s speedy recovery and for long and good health. Sulejman Demirel”<br><br>Among other things, Jaser Arafat’s message expressed “great concern over the sudden illness and confidence in the speedy improvement of President Alia’s health.”<br><br>President Ramiz Alia has been informed of this concern and has conveyed his heartfelt thanks to all those who sent him their good wishes for overcoming his illness and returning to work.<br><br>The health of President of the Republic Ramiz Alia has continued to be good. Meanwhile, the President has held brief working meetings.<br><br>Tirana, 10.1.1992

<br><br>◆ The chairman of the pluralist Executive Committee of the Durrës district has decided: either he gets the office once occupied by Muho Asllani and Qirjako Mihali, or he will resign?!...<br>◆ Bashkim Kopliku knows that preparations are under way to send the Socialist Party’s Steering Committee to Durrës. The law-enforcement and justice authorities should take the appropriate legal measures, since this is not a rumor but a denunciation by the Committee chairman.<br><br>At the end of 1991, a document, number 5839 and dated 25.11.1991, was issued from the building of the pluralist Executive Committee of the Durrës district. It was addressed to the Council of Ministers, the Socialist Party Steering Committee in Tirana, and the district committee in Durrës. At the bottom of the document, beside the seal, is Mr. KOPLIKU’s signature.<br><br>In this document, Bashkim Kopliku asks that the building of the former district committee of the Party of Labour of Albania be transferred from the ownership of the Socialist Party to that of the Executive Committee, for administration by the Committee’s staff. It is clear that this would give Mr. Bashkim the opportunity to take the office where Comrade Muho and Comrade Qirjako vegetated. But I do not want to dwell on that. Nor do I want to dwell on Bashkim Kopliku’s accusations against Bardhyl Agasi and Spartak Braho, respectively the chairman and deputy chairman of the Socialist Party in the district, to whom he attributes the desire to “recognize the situation in Durrës and the position of the Socialist Party today as an impasse.” My attention has been fixed on the final paragraph of the document. It says explicitly:<br>“We suggest that you intervene as soon as possible, since there is a risk that what happened with similar buildings in Shkodër, Vlorë, etc., may also happen to the building of the Party of Labour of Albania Committee in Durrës, which is state property, and therefore belongs to the entire people. In the meantime, we will do everything we can to protect it from fires and destruction, as we have done so far.”<br><br>Dear readers, surely this paragraph will strike you too. And I imagine you will say: “... long live the vigilant Bashkim Kopliku, who has managed to uncover preparations for such a crime punishable under the rule of law.” Surely it must be the work of the communist power-holders. But there are none of those in Durrës. The power-holder there is Bashkim Kopliku. If he is called a “communist power-holder,” that is another matter.

<br>– AZEM HAJDARI’S DIGNITY IS UNDER THREAT – (Police on duty: four citizens fined for «insulting» Azem).<br>– «RUÇE’S POLITICS» WELCOMES DICTATORSHIP – «We will rely on the politics of the street, since with it we brought down the dictatorship» – Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha (First Assembly of the PDSH)<br>– «The street is the decisive place where politics is made» (Jozef Gebels, Nazi minister of propaganda).