STATEMENT A treacherous hand cut short the young life of Mustaf Binak Stafa, a respected member of the SP and head of the finance section at the Bajram Curri construction enterprise. This unprecedented crime has been added to the string of murders and other acts of violence that have increased recently in our district. The Steering Committee of the SP in Tropojë district condemns this act as a Mafia-style crime, which not only took the life of one of its members, but also considers it an attack against all democratic processes, since this event has increased tension and the fear of organized terror everywhere. What is worse, while expressing our sincere condolences to the family of our comrade Mustaf Binak Stafa, we assure them of our maximum commitment alongside the specialized law-enforcement and justice bodies, so that the perpetrator of his murder may be discovered and mercilessly punished. We also propose that the pluralist executive committee study the circumstances in which this murder was committed and, within a short time, decide in accordance with the law to declare the late M. Stafi Binak Stafa a martyr. We call on the specialized bodies in the district, the Ministry of Public Order and the General Investigative Department to shake off once and for all the apathy that has gripped them, and to uncover without delay this murder and others that have shaken people throughout our district. On this occasion, we call on members and sympathizers of the SP to increase their vigilance everywhere and at all times in order to expose and prevent the criminal activity that is severely harming the democratic climate in Tropojë district. Tropojë, 22. 2. 1992 Steering Committee of the SP of Tropojë district

PROTEST To the Ministry of Public Order TIRANA The Steering Committee of the Socialist Party of Lushnjë protests to the Ministry of Public Order against the indifferent attitude adopted by the Police of the Lushnjë Public Order Department in enforcing the requirements of the law on “Elections to the People’s Assembly,” as well as the law on “gatherings and demonstrations.” On February 21, the SP Steering Committee organized an expanded meeting to open the election campaign. Participants were issued invitations to ensure that it proceeded normally. In addition to the requirements of the law, the Lushnjë Public Order Department was notified. We informed the leaders of this body several times of the reports we had received concerning the organization of groups of rally-goers to act as they had in Tropojë and sabotage the SP event. Statements by leaders of the district’s PD and “independent” trade unions about disrupting the SP event were explicit. But the police took no preventive measures. As a result, control of people entering the city cinema-theater hall was left to just four staff members and some of our sympathizers. The pressure from large groups of rally-goers was intense. Armed with blunt objects, knives and firearms, they violently entered the hall. At first, we closed the doors. We asked for help from the police, who stood by watching, but no action was taken. Under the threat and pressure of the “brave men,” the doors were opened, and many members and sympathizers of the PD entered along with the participants. The Lushnjë district police and its chief, Mr. Astrit Banushi, through the position they took, are accomplices of the opposition organizers of the counter-rally in Lushnjë. For an hour and 45 minutes, around 100 opposition supporters were heckling and shouting like madmen in front of 500–600 socialists inside the same hall. Only the socialists’ composure prevented a confrontation with serious consequences, perhaps even for people’s lives. The Socialist Party in Lushnjë district demands: - That the Public Order bodies absolutely enforce the requirements of the laws. We believe that in Lushnjë district they are not depoliticized but serve specific forces. Otherwise, their indifferent attitude, under the guise of tolerance and in favor of the opposition, is inexplicable. We believe that the police leadership should include people capable of applying the law impartially. - That the Penal Code be enforced and that the organizers be prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law. The facts are there for all to see: the police were present in the hall from the beginning to the end of the meeting, and, in addition, the groups of rally-goers were filmed by two cameras. Steering Committee of the Socialist Party of Lushnjë

— An enthusiastic meeting in the city of Shkodër. The Socialist Party is determined to ensure the continuation of reforms. Cheers for the Eurosocialist Forum. Dignified conduct by opposition members present in the hall. — For several moments in a row, cheers of “Socialist Party – Socialist Party,” “We will win,” and “The socialists will win” rang out in the hall of the “Republika” cinema in the city of Shkodër, opening the meeting to launch the election campaign. Hundreds of SP members and sympathizers of all ages took part. Enthusiastic cheers also echoed through the hall when the representatives of the Eurosocialist Forum were introduced, for they embody the future of the Party and its continuation along the path of reform. The meeting was opened by Shaqir Vukaj, chairman of the SP Steering Committee for Shkodër district. People, he said, also want to know the Socialist Party’s views on the problems facing society and their own hardships, as well as on the prospects for the future. They believe in its reform and seriousness, in the development alternatives it proposes for the country, and in the establishment of democratic relations in democratic Shkodër. The vice-chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania, Professor Servet Pëllumbi, also addressed the meeting. A country that is sustained only by aid is destined to fail The Socialist Party, Professor Servet Pëllumbi said, is determined to ensure the continuation of reforms, and it devotes great attention to this issue. We aim for a path of development that puts all our resources to work, based on the Eurosocialist model of development. More than anything else, the opposition is sharpening its attack around an issue that concerns everyone: will the world help the Socialist Party? The opposition says the people will not be left destitute, that no one will help. Let us set partisan thinking aside for a moment and sit down to discuss this with simple logic. Why did the world help Albania this year, even though it was governed by the socialists? Why was it accepted into so many international and European organizations? Why does economic aid continue to arrive, time and again? The issue of aid is an electoral farce. But we have said, and continue to say, that our country cannot live on aid alone, even though we wholeheartedly thank all those states, governments and associations that are helping us emerge from the darkness of the totalitarian state and helping us through these difficult days. But can we go on like this for long? A country sustained only by aid is destined to fail. Aid is aid; we welcome it, but this is not the economic direction of the SP. We support the development of our economy through foreign investment, joint ventures and deeper privatization. Do foreign companies have prejudices about the relevant practices of political parties and government officials, or do they want laws and a state governed by the rule of law? They want the latter. We believe that this is precisely why all parties must find common ground, for the good of the nation. A single-party government or a coalition? Another opposition thesis is that even if the SP wins, it is incapable of governing. They say, “I’ll rule, which means” [sic], with a vote for me alone because only I am capable of leading. Can we govern on our own, too? Of course we can. We have more than 120,000 members, and around us and within our ranks we have great intellectual potential, among the most distinguished, from every age group. So we can govern alone as well. But we do not support a single-party government, because the nature of the problems calls for a coalition government, (Continued on page 2)

From Comrade Servet Pëllumbi’s meetings in Vlorë district. On Tuesday, at the opening of the election campaign, the vice-chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania, Doctor Servet Pëllumbi, held two meetings with workers in Vlorë district. The cinema-theater hall was unusually full for such an occasion, with workers from the workplace and production center, young men and women, pensioners and veterans of the city taking part. “We support a market economy,” Comrade Servet emphasized in his speech, “and the free initiative of industrious people; at the same time, the Socialist Party will defend the interests of those social strata or groups that need social support.” He assured those attending that the Socialist Party of Albania, as it has done until now, would enter the election campaign with responsibility and serious commitment to strengthening democracy in Albania, and to setting on the path to resolution, in accordance with constitutional and international norms, the problems and concerns preoccupying our entire society. In response to the question of whether the SP would cooperate with other political parties to form the next government if it won a majority in these elections, Comrade Servet explained that the SP had always been open and ready to cooperate with other forces, not only on this issue but also on other important matters vital to the people. It has no prejudices, but it is also capable and has no shortage of intellectuals to take on the task of leading the government if the other parties do not respond positively to this cooperation. Participants at the meeting expressed interest in learning the SP’s position toward the PKSH and toward countries where it is in power, such as Cuba, China, Korea, etc. Comrade Servet explained that the SP has the same relations with the PKSH as it does with all other political parties. As for countries where communist parties are still in power, he gave an overview of them, emphasizing their distinctive features. Another meeting was held that same day at the cultural center in the village of Novoselë, attended by residents of that village as well as those from nearby villages. It goes without saying that the participants’ greatest concern at this meeting was the SP’s position on resolving the village’s problems, both now and in the future.

In recent days, the Steering Committee of the Socialist Party in Pogradec district organized a meeting to launch the election campaign. The meeting was attended by Dr. Xhevat Lloshi, a member of the Presidium of the Socialist Party Steering Committee, and Koço Broka, a member of the SP Steering Committee. After explaining the substance and main requirements of the electoral law, comrades Xhevat Lloshi and Koço Broka discussed the main features of the Socialist Party’s election program and how it differed from those of the opposition parties. A key feature of the Socialist Party’s election program is that we support a market economy with a social dimension, not a free-market economy. While supporting and encouraging private initiative, the SP believes that all sections of the population should start from an equal footing. The minimum pension of former members of agricultural cooperatives should be brought into line with that of urban residents and raised to 80 percent of the level received by workers in agricultural enterprises. A market economy with a social dimension means further advancing achievements in education, health care, social insurance, urban development, etc. Alongside private health services, the Socialist Party calls for and defends the continued existence of public health services. It is also concerned with providing for the placement of intellectuals in the countryside—agronomists, veterinarians, animal scientists—and extending this to other groups of intellectuals, etc. Another characteristic of the Socialist Party program is its realism. We oppose the idea that everything should start from zero. We support a market economy with social dimensions, start from an equal footing. This is no longer merely an idea; it has been embodied in the “Land” law and other laws. The creation of property owners and the protection of their property will thus be the product of their labor and initiative, not the artificial creation of large landowners, as the opposition parties demand. In this way, Socialist Party deputies fought for and achieved that the retirement age for men in [text unclear] … veterinarians and animal scientists, and extend it Socialist Party program is its realistic nature. In matters of food and emergency relief, maintaining stable prices for the basket of goods created a good basis for people to embark on free and private investment. Bringing down the stability government by delaying the publication of the economic reform does not serve the establishment of democracy but of anarchy, seriously harming the interests of the working masses. The people have eyes and ears; they see that instead of this alternative and other concrete solutions, the opposition is advertising sensational promises.

— PSI foreign policy: peace and assistance for the democracy of the East — Political life cannot be reckoned without the socialists On February 19 in Turin, Betino [Bettino] Craxi, chairman of the Italian Socialist Party, delivered a speech that was not merely rated with applause by those attending that electoral conference. His words were measured and addressed to professional political analysts as well. The election campaign has begun in Italy, and on April 5 and 6 it will take concrete form in a new parliament. What will its “geography” be? In other words, what will the alliances and coalition structures be, who will make up the majority and minority, the government and the opposition, and what will their proportions be? In a country with experience of pluralist life, that childish mentality has disappeared—the one in which people rejoice at taking power with a few percentage points barely above half the vote, and even worse, as in some countries, with no more than a handful of votes, let alone more than fifty (Continued on page 3)

IN MEMORY OF GOOD PEOPLE You walk these winter days through the streets of Tirana, and more than the cold of the season, certain wicked thoughts and actions make you shudder. You walk, hoping to escape the columns of newspapers and come across something good, something beautiful. But what? Near the bust of our unforgettable hero, Qemal Stafa, you see someone. You approach and look more closely. “What are you doing, brother?” you ask. He is in tears. He looks at you with curiosity. “Who are you with?” he asks you in turn. The question confuses and surprises you. It even makes you want to laugh. But the stranger’s insistent gaze makes you hold back. “Who are you with?” he insists. “With the martyrs,” somehow the words come to mind. “But were you a partisan?” “Yes.” He breathes somewhat more easily. “Well, it must have been easier to fight the occupiers and their lackeys. They killed you, or you killed them. But this is how things are now.” And he continues wiping with that white handkerchief the place where someone had made a stain before him, trying to erase the traces of mud from the hero’s name. You follow him with your eyes as he walks away. How can this be? Who raised a hand like this, trying to desecrate the honored name of the son of his country? Who benefits from this? With this tormenting question in your mind, you walk through the silent streets of Tirana. You go in search of something good in this springtime vicinity, until you arrive near the place washed with the blood of the martyr, the judge Misto Mame. Once, you placed fresh flowers here, and you would like to place them again. But you approach, look, and suddenly it seems to you that from the cursed hiding places a hand is raised to strike with a rifle, as it did the hero back then. This painful feeling is caused by the hand—or hands—that have barbarously torn away the marble and erased the hero’s name. O God, how could this happen? You leave, even sadder. A little later you reach the memorial to Vojo, the brave man, who stands in bronze with a grenade over a tank. You do not want to believe it when you see marks on his chest from shattered bricks, which for a moment look to you like the image of fresh blood. Then the poet’s lines come to mind, about the fallen rising from their graves and being shot again. Here is the house where he was born, at the head of “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard. Once, a plaque stood here in honor of the seventeen-year-old guerrillas who brought down a fascist colonel. But the plaque is no longer here. Who removed it? These questions accompany you as far as another commemorative plaque. During the War, the communist worker Mihal Duri lived and worked here. (Continued on page 3)

— Mutual commitment to strengthen fraternal relations between PSSH and PSI FATOS NANO IN ITALY The Chairman of the Socialist Party of Albania, Fatos Nano, who is in Italy at the invitation of Foreign Minister Xhani De Mikelis to take part in the meeting chaired by him and Austrian Minister of State Peter Jankovic, “On the contribution of democratic and reformist forces to the transition process in Central Europe,” gave a detailed presentation yesterday on the country’s political, economic and social situation. Fatos Nano spoke about democratic processes in Albania and efforts to institutionalize them, the progress of reform and the transition to a market economy, privatization, etc. He emphasized the positions of the Socialist Party of Albania, the country’s largest political force, in support of this process, focusing on the Socialist Party’s well-known position that the transition to a market economy should take place without social hardship and with comprehensive state support for the broad, underprivileged masses. The Socialist Party, Fatos Nano stressed, adheres to the view that pluralist democracy in Albania, in its entirety, must always be grounded in the law, as this is essential for establishing and consolidating true democracy. He emphasized that the Socialist Party will resolutely adhere to its program for establishing a contemporary democracy in Albania, based on the fundamental principles of European democratic socialism. The participants at the meeting listened attentively to and praised Fatos Nano’s realistic and objective account of the situation in Albania and the progress of the democratic processes. During his stay in Italy, Fatos Nano was received by Xhani De Mikelis, a member of the leadership of the Socialist Party of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs, with whom he exchanged views on further strengthening cooperative relations between Albania and Italy. Fatos Nano thanked Xhani De Mikelis for the valuable assistance that the Italian Government and people have given, and continue to give, to the Albanian people during this period of transition, to help overcome economic difficulties. Yesterday in Milan, Fatos Nano held a warm and friendly meeting with Bettino Kraksi, General Secretary of the Socialist Party of Italy and an intermediary of the Socialist International. At the meeting, both sides expressed their full willingness and commitment to further strengthen the close and fraternal relations that exist between the Socialist Party of Albania and the Italian Socialist Party.

The alliance that crossed a quarter century — PSI foreign policy: peace and assistance for the democracies of the East —

The mystery of the gold, or political confusion? (After an interview about gold on television)