Amid enthusiastic cheers for the Socialist Party and its chairman, Fatos Nano, the meeting organized by the Socialist Party of Korçë with its members and supporters began at the sports palace in this city. The meeting was attended by the Party’s deputy chairman, Servet Pëllumbi, deputy chairman Namik Dokle, and MPs Bashkim Caka and Ermelinda Meksi. “This rally that we are holding today,” said Niko Pandeli, chairman of the Socialist Party of Korçë, in his speech, “is a tribute commemorating May 9, the great day of victory over fascism. For socialists, this war and its participants will remain alive and unforgettable. It was their contribution that placed Albania among the victorious nations, and is highly valued by the progressive world today.” Then Comrade Servet Pëllumbi took the floor. The chairman of the district veterans’ association, Shefqet Pojani, said that the participation of Socialist Party leaders, as on May 5, and again today at this rally, honors the people of Korçë, this district which produced five partisan brigades. (Continued on page 2)

Comrades, Dear participants, On May 9, 1995, all the peoples of the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany and the end of the Second World War. We Albanians have a legitimate right to take pride on the 50th anniversary of the end of this general war, because, thanks to the blood shed and the great sacrifices of Albania’s finest sons and daughters, the legendary partisans of the Albanian National Liberation Army, we were counted among the victorious countries of the Second World War. The Second World War was unleashed by the fascist states of that time—Italy and Germany, and militarist Japan—and ended with their defeat on November 29, 1944. It was the antifascist national liberation war, and the contribution and sacrifices made by the Albanian people, united in the antifascist national liberation front formed in Pezë on September 16, 1942, that placed Albania among the countries of the antifascist coalition, among the victorious countries alongside its Anglo-Soviet-American allies. Small Albania succeeded in creating a National Liberation Army of 70,000 partisans, organized into detachments, battalions, brigades, divisions and corps. The district of Korçë has a legitimate right to take pride in the fact that many of these partisan formations and units came from its ranks, at a time when neighboring chauvinist cliques wanted to see it otherwise—a highly dangerous prospect that would have brought with it a new partition of Albania. The Socialist Party of Albania is among those political forces that fight and insistently call for the idea of victory in the Second World War, and the idea of the symbols that unite us with our great Anglo-Soviet-American allies, to be preserved undiminished in the collective memory of our people and in Albanian reality, alongside the other peoples who fought together in the Second World War. Those who say today that the antifascist national liberation war was neither national nor liberating, as well as those who fought and sacrificed for Albania’s liberation and its progress toward prosperity and democracy, [text as printed is garbled]. We will restore the honor of the veterans and disabled veterans of the antifascist national liberation war, and put an end to delays in implementing the status granted by the Albanian Parliament. Without doing this, and without genuinely recognizing the antifascist national liberation war and all those who took part in it; without rebuilding the memorial columns, commemorative plaques and museums; and without restoring the names of the heroes and martyrs of this war to schools, we will remain indebted to history and to the blood of the fallen, and our society will continue to be ... remain polarized. Historical memory is among the greatest values of peoples. The economic and political failure of the regime established after the country’s liberation, the grave mistakes made by the PPSH’s top leadership—especially regarding the chosen model and economic policies, which failed to ensure the country’s rapid development and improve people’s well-being; the conception and pursuit of class struggle; the country’s long and catastrophic isolation, etc.—cannot diminish the value of the epic of the antifascist national liberation war, nor the achievements our people managed to realize through countless efforts and sacrifices after liberation. Those who try to portray our people over the past 50 years as a people that stood outside history have no other aim than to make an effort, in the name of “de-communizing,” to justify the destruction that accompanied their rise to power and to reduce everything to “ground zero,” and ... [The source begins mid-word: “...rgjaksinë,”] of the best sons and daughters of Albania, of rank that time: Italy, Germany and militarist Japan. Each had its own pretexts for starting that slaughter, which continued for more than six years. During the Second World War, 50 million people lost their lives, and approximately half of them were victims from the former Soviet Union, which, as acknowledged by the historiography of all democratic countries, bore the main burden. Victory belonged to the worldwide anti-fascist coalition, the idea of which began to take shape as early as 12 July 1941, 25 days after Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union, when the governments of Great Britain and the Soviet Union concluded the agreement “On Joint Actions in the War against Germany”; and on 25 September 1941, at the Moscow Conference of the three great powers—Britain, the USSR and the USA—this alliance took full shape. Despite their differences, the three great allies recognized the Albanian people’s national liberation war. In 1943 they established contacts with the General Staff of the National Liberation Army and helped it financially, with weapons, ammunition and other military equipment needed to fight the Nazi-fascist occupiers and their collaborationist collaborators in Balli Kombëtar and Legaliteti, whose treacherous actions cannot be concealed by slogans about the supposed need to fight communism. That is why the PSSH has previously denounced, and again denounces on this occasion of 9 May, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the attacks on and distortions of the history of this glorious war attempted by sections of the right-wing forces, particularly the ruling PD. On this occasion, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of victory over fascism, we tell them once again: without the national liberation anti-fascist war, the existence of the Albanian state would have been at risk. Any other alternative would have placed Albania in the defeated camp. As part of the worldwide little Koçë district has a legitimate right to be proud its ranks. Twenty-eight thousand martyrs fell on the battlefield, while thousands more were wounded and left disabled. Around 120,000 Albanians were arrested and tortured by the Nazi-fascist occupiers and by the collaborators of worldwide little Koçë district has a legitimate right to be proud thousands more were wounded and left disabled. Those who say today that the national liberation anti-fascist war was neither national nor a war of liberation, as well as those willing to treat it as a civil war—that is, as something that would have been better not to have fought—present themselves as heirs to those who tied their fate to that of the occupiers and were therefore covered with shame and the dust of oblivion. Such a position is as offensive to an entire people as it is dangerous to social peace. It leads to the removal of the heroes and martyrs, its symbols and memorials, and to anti-historical betrayals: a whole series of actions accompanied by burials and exhumations, arbitrary awarding and withdrawal of decorations, changing the date of liberation, reducing the glorious epic simply to an “anti-fascist war,” and so on—all with the perverse aim of unjustly placing in the ranks of fighters against Nazi-fascism the organizations that opposed the national liberation anti-fascist war. The PSSH assures you that, when it comes to power, these anti-national distortions will come to an end. It will restore things to their proper place ... [The source text becomes garbled here:] at their head and in their proper places, among the victorious countries alongside its Anglo-Soviet-American allies, little Koçë district has a legitimate right to be proud thousands more were wounded and left disabled. (Continued on page 2)

One of the three second-tier banks, namely the Savings Bank, which under a Presidential Decree was appointed to distribute the Privatization Vouchers, opened its counters. Friday, May 4, 1995, was the first day of the distribution of Privatization Vouchers. The first to receive them were pensioners in the capital; distribution continued in other cities around the country starting yesterday. Distribution of Privatization Vouchers to pensioners aged over 55 (defined as such as of January 1 of this year) will take place in three phases. At the end of the third phase, each will receive the amount allocated to them, namely 100,000 lekë in Privatization Vouchers. When they go to the Savings Bank counters where they collect their pensions, pensioners will receive only the first basic voucher installment, worth 20,000 lekë in Privatization Vouchers. The remaining amount, up to 100,000 lekë in Privatization Vouchers, will be collected at the same counters in the other two phases; the amount for each of these phases has not yet been determined. A period of two months has been considered appropriate for carrying out the three phases, after which distribution of Privatization Vouchers will begin for the other two age groups, specifically those aged 18 to 35 and 36 to 55, whose first installments will be 10,000 and 15,000 lekë in Privatization Vouchers, respectively. Pensioners may go to the Savings Bank counters, where, using their pension-book number, they will find out the date for collecting the first installment of Privatization Vouchers, amounting to 20,000 lekë. The Director General of the Savings Bank, Mr. Bedri Çollaku, confirmed that all necessary measures had been taken, insofar as the bank was concerned, to ensure that this process proceeds normally. D. KOLA

TIRANA: at the Republic Guard Yesterday morning, the ceremony at which the new soldiers took their oath was held at one of the Republic Guard’s training grounds. The eighteen-year-olds who had come from all parts of Albania felt more grown-up, braver and more determined as they stood before the national flag. And the emotions came naturally. Yet it takes on another meaning in their steady hands and as they stand guard over it. Adriatik Jermini: “Now, on behalf of the new guardsmen. And with acknowledgment to us, her words have ...” [unclear text] All those present—including Minister Agron Musaraj, MP Azem Hajdari, Chief of the General Staff of the Army Sheme Kosova, the President of the Republic’s chief military adviser Adem Cobani, Guard Commander Halil Gjeçaj and others—congratulated the Republic Guard personnel on their achievements and wished them success in the future. “Zëri i Popullit” correspondent

A press conference by the organizing committee of the 10th Albanian Film Festival, held yesterday morning in one of the rooms of the “Dajti” hotel, marked the opening of this major artistic event. After a long interruption, Albanian cinema will once again be presented to film-loving audiences, showcasing its latest and finest achievements. The Tenth Film Festival will run from May 10 to 13, 1995, at the Palace of Congresses and the International Cultural Center. This time, the organizers have conceived it in a contemporary way. Almost all four days will be packed with activities, bringing to our cinema what is known around the world as the “film industry”: films, meetings, journalistic and television debates, and press conferences will fill the four-day program presenting Albanian film. Speaking to journalists, they highlighted the major difficulties faced by the cinematic arts here during the transition years, particularly financial difficulties. Young and talented directors will be the main competitors at this festival. Prizes, accompanied this time by cash awards, will also be presented at the end of the festival. There will be a cup for the best film and for the best actor and actress, as well as medals for the director, screenplay, music, etc. The judging will be carried out by a seven-member jury, and the main sponsors of the prizes will be the “Velija” and “Soros” Foundations. Going on to discuss further... (Continued on page 2)

On May 5, the National Committee of Veterans of the LANÇ and the Albanian People organized a solemn meeting in the hall of the Academy of Arts in Tirana, dedicated to the great celebration of May 9, the 50th anniversary of Victory over Fascism Day. The meeting was held on this date because the veterans had been refused use of the hall to hold it on the eve of the holiday, May 8. The meeting was attended by young representatives of parties and five associations of veterans from the surrounding region that defend the National Liberation War, young male and female veterans, other guests, and others. Also present were the Russian Federation’s ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Nerubjallov, its military attaché Pjetër Prokopov, and others. The meeting was opened by Myqerem Fuga, deputy chairman of the LANÇ Veterans’ Committee, who spoke about the great importance of the May 9 victory and our people’s contribution to the war. Then Arif Hasko, deputy chairman of the National Committee of LANÇ Veterans, took the floor and delivered the commemorative address. In his speech, Comrade Arif spoke about the role of the great world antifascist alliance, led by the Soviet Union, England and the USA, in Albania’s liberation, emphasizing that this historic victory belonged to Albania, the Albanian people and all the allies. He spoke of the 70,000 partisans who fought with weapons in their hands for Albania’s liberation and drove Hitler’s hordes and their Balli-Zogist collaborators beyond the country’s state borders, as far as Sanjak in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He described the fighting on home soil during more than five years of war against around 150,000 Italian-German troops, half of whom were destroyed; recalled the heroism of the 29,000 martyrs; and mentioned the enormous material damage in this war, which placed Albania third in terms of wartime losses and damage relative to its population during the Second World War. The Russian ambassador Viktor Nerubjallov also spoke, as did the embassy’s first secretary, Mr. Kolja, who conveyed greetings from Colonel General Vorovjkin, vice-president of the Russian Federation’s War Veterans’ Committee, and all Russian veterans to the leaders of Albania’s LANÇ veterans. He spoke about the heroic struggle of the people of the Soviet Union, who bore the main burden of the war, and the sacrifices of their 27 million sons and daughters, about the Anglo-Soviet-American alliance and the great contribution of the Albanian people to the common victory. The speeches were followed with great interest and were frequently interrupted by applause and enthusiastic cheers from those present. As a sign of the authorities’ control, RTvSH was absent from this solemn meeting. “Zëri i Popullit” correspondent

Support for non-governmental organizations Non-governmental organizations now have support. The Albanian Civil Society Foundation (F. SH. SH. C.) was established in January 1995. The foundation held its first press conference in one of the rooms of the “Arbëreshe” hotel. Journalists from the press, radio and television were present, along with representatives of non-governmental organizations, MPs, intellectuals, etc. The foundation’s administrative director, Prof. Rolanda Dhimitri, stated in her presentation that “the Foundation that has been established is an apolitical, secular and non-profit organization, funded by the Danish Government through the Multilateral Development Agency—DANI-DA.” The DANIDA program in Albania will be implemented with the assistance of the Danish firm “Dialog Development.” She said that the Albanian Civil Society Foundation’s activities include conferences, seminars, meetings, training courses, etc., to help non-governmental organizations develop organizational skills, including project preparation. The Albanian Civil Society Foundation (F. SH. SH. C.) will also provide grants for projects that strengthen and develop the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations, etc. Diana Çuli, writer and member of the Foundation’s Board, responded to questions from journalists. After the press conference, the organizers hosted a cocktail reception for those present. D. K.