By DASHNOR KALOÇI

Nearly 20 years ago, in one of our conversations with the renowned researcher and historian Sherif Delvina (“Teacher of the People”), together with his two close friends, Professor Luan Malltezi and Gani Demiri Ratkoceri (“Teacher of the People”, originally from Kosovo, who came to Albania as a political immigrant in 1961, a former prisoner in Enver Hoxha’s political camps and prisons), Sherif, who had spent most of his life in the state archives and the National Library, told us that: “Enver Hoxha, not only never wanted Kosovo to have the status of a Republic within the framework of the Yugoslav Federation, but he fought in every way to prevent that from becoming a reality”! Explaining to us that; if Kosovo were to enjoy the status of a Republic, like the other six republics, Kosovo would receive great attention and be much more recognized in the international arena, thus eclipsing communist Albania led by Enver Hoxha, which would be relegated to the background as a state. Given this, the "support" that Albania and Enver Hoxha gave to Kosovo after the demonstrations of March 1981, for Kosovo to be granted the status of a Republic, was simply for public consumption.

Our request (from Professor Luan Malltezi and Gani Ratkocer) to conduct an interview in "Gazeta Shqiptare" (where I was covering the historical dossier column at the time), where he would publicly explain in more detail what he was telling us, Sherifi categorically refused, telling us: "What I am telling you, I have only heard and I have not yet found the archival documents in the Central State Archives, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I assure you that these documents are there and if you find them one day, you will prove me right.

"I can't speak without documents"!

Of course, we did not bother him to tell us publicly in the press, since Sherif was blunt and we knew his nature well. Sherif told us many events and stories of the most diverse kinds, mainly with Enver Hoxha, whom he had known since he was a child (during the War, 1939-1944), when he went to the house of his uncle, Esat Dishnica, where Enver, as his close and very confidential friend, was often there for lunches and dinners.

Likewise, Sherifi knew many of the events and stories related to Enver Hoxha from former Prime Minister Ibrahim Bey Biçaku (Sherifi's maternal uncle), or his father, Neki Delvina, a former member of the Supreme Court during the Zog Monarchy and the first years after the War, who was sentenced to political imprisonment. Sherifi "took all these events and stories with him", and never agreed to make them public in the media, even though his close friend, Professor Luan Malltezi, (or the author of these lines), begged him time and time again, that they should be published in the press, as they were of public interest!

But, returning to the main topic of this article, we emphasize that the renowned researcher and historian Sherif Delvina was completely right about what he was telling us, namely: that Enver Hoxha never wanted Kosovo to gain the status of a Republic, which is made known by several archival documents recently released by the Central State Archive (the fund of the former Central Committee of the Albanian People's Liberation Party), with the acronym "Top Secret" (already declassified), which belong to 1970, where there is also a record of Enver Hoxha's meeting with diplomat Lik Seiti, the chargé d'affaires of the People's Republic of Albania in Belgrade.

In all these documents, where for the first time light is shed and what has been rumored for years about the occult connections of Enver Hoxha with Josif Broz Tito is officially made known (the messages they sent to each other through Fadil Hoxha) as well as the minutes in question, it is written in black and white that; Enver Hoxha never wanted Kosovo to have the status of a Republic, and even made all the efforts he could to ensure that this never happened. Regarding this, etc., we are introduced to the documents in question, which are published for the first time and in full (along with the relevant facsimiles), by Memorie.al

ARCHIVE DOCUMENT WITH MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF ENVER HOXHA WITH LIK SEIT, CHARGE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA IN BELGRADE

MEETING OF THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CC OF THE ALPS, COMRADE ENVER HOXHA, WITH THE CHARGEEE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA IN YUGOSLAVIA, LIK SEITIN, IN TIRANA, ON 19.9.1970

The Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Comrade Ramiz Alia, also participates in this meeting. Comrade Enver, after receiving and getting acquainted with Comrade Lik Seiti, asks him if he has learned the Serbo-Croatian language and, when he receives the answer that he does not know it well, he orders Lik to learn it, since it is necessary for our diplomat to learn the language of the country where he is assigned to serve, especially in a country like Yugoslavia, where a traitorous Marxist-Leninist clique is in power, otherwise he cannot fight. In general, you diplomats, continued Comrade Enver, do not make the necessary efforts to learn foreign languages.

It is not at all good for you to always work with translators. Such a practice does not get us far. Being in a country with a service and not knowing its language, you cannot even use the press. It may happen that the other person asks you for an urgent conversation, but if you do not have a translator there, telling him to wait because there is no one to translate for us right now is not polite. Many of you were taught to work with translators, but this should not continue in the future. What Fadil Hoxha says, is there a hint of Albanianism in this man, as for a Marxist-Leninist it is another matter, it is very far from him being such.

COMRADE LIK SEITI: From the meeting I had with him, I was impressed by what you said earlier, i.e. there is a sense of Albanianism in him. To be honest, I was impressed by his great preoccupation with the youth, regarding keeping photographs. Here he emphasized that as far as the feelings of older people are concerned, we are able to dominate them. As for the youth, which is a broader mass and which openly manifests love for Albania and comrade Enver, we have a harder time restraining them in this momentum, not because I am against the love for comrade Enver and keeping his photograph by the Kosovar youth, on the contrary, I am the first to love comrade Enver more than anyone, but because this spoils our work. You know that even during the war, when Comrade Enver's photo started to be taken down in our country, I informed Comrade Enver and he rightly advised me to raise this issue with the Provincial Committee of the Kosovo party.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Does Fadil mean by this that youth should not be exalted too much, which is why he raised the issue of young men and women not keeping Enver's photograph?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He made it clear that, if it comes to keeping Comrade Enver's photograph, I will keep it first, then the others. When the matter came up regarding the eventuality of an aggression against Albania, Fadil emphasized that he personally will be a loyal soldier of Comrade Enver and that Kosovo will never oppose the People's Republic of Albania. Then he spoke to me about the efforts he is making to gain Kosovo autonomy. These efforts, as he told me, he has been making since the time when Ranković was in power, which is why he was targeted by him. Fadil had then found opponents in this matter, among whom was Petër Stambolic.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What is Stambolic doing now?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: Now he has been sidelined, but not to the same extent as Tempua and his friends were sidelined. It's different with Stambolic, he is sometimes activated to present a decoration on behalf of Tito, or to cut the ribbon on the occasion of the inauguration of a work, etc.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Does Tempua do any work, does he appear in the receptions?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: No. Apparently he is writing his memoirs now.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What about Koca Popovic?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: Neither is this one. This one is like Stambolic.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Do they have a vice president now?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: No, with the new organization, the Yugoslavs do not have a vice president at all. The Chairman of the Federal Assembly, in form, also performs the function of vice president. This position is held by Milentije Popovic. When preparations were being made for the 9th Congress, for some time in Yugoslavia there were attempts to bring Kardelj out as Tito's deputy in the leadership of the League of Communists, but there was a reaction from others. So, when it was learned about the function of vice president of the League of Communists, everyone else said what an unknown thing this is. Therefore, at the 9th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, they removed all the old people from the leadership. Tito kept only Kardelj and some others, but emphasized that between them and the young people who entered the leadership there is no first and second, everyone is the same.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What about the relations between the Kosovar leaders? Do they have quarrels among themselves? For example, what are the relations between Fadil Hoxha, Veli Deva, Ali Shukri, etc.?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: So far we have not heard anything serious that has caught our attention, however there are small things between them. From what we know, it seems that Fadil and Veliu are one, while Xhavit Nimani and Ali Shukri are different. When Rankovic was in power, Ali Shukri had stronger positions than Fadil and Veliu. However, even these small things that they have between them are not yet very clear and substantiated. Regarding the activation of Kosovo Albanian leaders with important functions, the Yugoslav leadership acts equally for both.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Of the Kosovo Albanian leaders, who is in favor of Rankovic's Serb-dominated current?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: There are doubts about Xhavit Nimani and Ali Shukri, although Titua activates the latter quite a lot, and has also given him popularity.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Is Aliu old?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: About 45-50 years old. He has also been in Albania. Among all the others, Aliu is the most prepared person for government functions. Now he deals with the economy, he is especially active in the relations that Yugoslavia has with Arab countries.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Do these people have children and what is their stance?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: All of these children, during the patriotic manifestations that have been held by the Kosovar people, have been in favor of the flag and in favor of a broader autonomy for Kosovo. In addition, when our sports teams have come to Yugoslavia, all of these young elements have shown themselves to be closer and have shown interest in Albania. In this regard, the position of Fadil Hoxha's son is more pronounced. He is even more serious and constantly stays in Pristina with his mother. Even Fadil himself, with the exception of cases when a meeting or conference is held in the center, when he is authorized to have a meeting, or when he is sent abroad, spends most of his time in Kosovo.

At the 9th Congress, the elections of the main leadership were held in such a way that all republics were represented in equal numbers in its composition. This was done with the aim of balancing forces. Thus, two people were elected to the Political Bureau of the League for each republic and one for both autonomous provinces. As far as we know from the press and from the various data we have, just as Fadil stays in Kosovo, Kardelj also spends most of his time in Slovenia. The leaders from the other republics also act in the same way, who also spend most of their time in their homelands and only go to Belgrade when they have meetings.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: How does Nikeziq stand with Albanians?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: We've heard that he supports them. He gave a lot of advice when he was in Kosovo.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What about Veselinovic and Tempo, etc., are they with the Serbs?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: Yes.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What do you think about the conversation you had with Fadil, is it worth responding to? Where did he meet you?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He met me one night at the reception that was given at the Sudanese embassy on the occasion of the visit that the President of the State of Sudan made to Yugoslavia. Fadil was at that reception with Ali Shukri, but perhaps, because he did not know me well or even to justify the meeting with me, the two of them came together. Well, as soon as they met, Ali left immediately, justifying himself that he had to meet someone else. So Fadil came second and the meeting took place at a reception in front of everyone else. As soon as we were left alone, we both stepped aside and there Fadil found the opportunity to talk to me.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: And Velina, when did you meet her?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: I spoke with Veli during my first meeting with Fadil. The meeting with him took place at the time when the diplomats were leaving the stadium and lasted a total of 2-3 minutes. So, when I was leaving, I accidentally met Fadil, who told Veli, who was behind us, to come and meet the chargé d'affaires of the People's Republic of Albania. After this short meeting, we parted ways at once.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: So, what do you think, is it worth responding to Fadil by sending him a response from me through you?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: From the conversation I had with him, I have the impression that he is waiting for an answer.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Specifically, what did he want from me, because from what I remember from the radiogram you sent us, he seemed to have asked you what Comrade Enver thought.

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He asked this question when he raised the problem regarding the movement of Rezak Shala, who was for the creation of a republic of Albanians in Yugoslavia. Fadil told me that he had expressed himself against such a thing. For my part, he emphasized, I know only one Albanian republic, the People's Republic of Albania. Personally, I have been and am, he continued, for the full autonomy of Kosovo, therefore I do not know what Comrade Enver thinks about this issue. I, he said, do not believe that he is against it.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Who is this Rezak Shala?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He was a prosecutor. Now, after the attempt he made to create the republic, they have removed him.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What do you think, are these views that Fadil expressed with the knowledge of the Yugoslav leadership, or are they his own?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: I think he is aware of the leadership because he put a lot of emphasis on Tito, when he wanted to show me against any aggression, but also in case he comes back to power how much he cares and how he has constantly advised us to love Albania and comrade Enver, because an entire people loves him and now the authority of the People's Republic of Albania has grown a lot in the world. He emphasized this issue a lot. The other issue that Fadil touched on came from a question that I asked him regarding the prospects of events in Yugoslavia after Tito's death.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: What did he say, what do you think might happen in Yugoslavia after Tito's death, and how did he raise this issue?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: I asked him the question when Fadil said that Titu is very interested in the Albanians in Kosovo. Our desire, he emphasized, is to raise the legations of both countries to the rank of embassy, ​​although it must be recognized that there are also opponents, such as the Serb forces, who do not want this. In this case, I asked him the question and he replied that Titu, while he is still alive, is working so that the federation remains unchanged after his death, is taking measures so that neither Serb chauvinism dominates later, nor a confederation is established, as there have been rumors, nor that Yugoslavia is a centralized federation dominated by Serbs. And this is more or less being achieved. Raising the problem of the leadership of the Communist League, he emphasized that this is now assured, although forces may arise to endanger the federation.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Did Fadili say these things with conviction, or in a low voice? Did he seem to say them with enthusiasm, or just to tell you that he had been tasked with conveying them to you? What impression did you have of him at this time?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: Fadil spoke enthusiastically about Tito and his line, in the sense that he favored the Kosovars, while he spoke with hatred about Rankovic, at one point even with nervousness and declared that his time would never come. But I did not understand his promise that he would be a loyal soldier of Comrade Enver not only if Albania was threatened by any aggression, but also if Rankovic came to power again, would he work so that Kosovo would not oppose the People's Republic of Albania? This saved me from having to explain, because at that time there were a lot of people around us, among them two Soviets, one of whom he knew. Fadil in this case said that in the end we will do our job, no matter how much these (the Soviets) who are our enemies may not want us to.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Did Fadil say anything about the anti-Serbian feelings of the Kosovar people, when he mentioned those supposedly exalted feelings of the Kosovar youth?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He didn't say anything.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Do the people love Fadil?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: He loves him and seems to trust him more than any other of the scoundrels of his caliber. People speak well of him. There are also rumors circulating that he was an opponent of the departure of Albanians from Yugoslavia.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Are there Kosovars now returning from Turkey to Yugoslavia?

COMRADE LIK SEITI: These are very few so far, 3-4 people in total. This issue is being discussed between the two countries, they are saying that they will not allow the Turks. However, there is nothing clear yet.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: When the opportunity arises, you must make our line clear to everyone, according to which the Kosovar emigrants must return to their country and to their homes, and in this direction efforts must be made to ensure that no obstacles are placed in their way. It must be made clear that our point of view is that the Yugoslavs should remove the obstacles they have placed by demanding as a condition that those Albanian emigrants who wish to return to Kosovo must have a certain amount of money.

COMRADE LIK SEITI: Fadil is also awaiting a response regarding the return of our legation in Belgrade to embassy status.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Well, let me tell you some things that, to be more precise, I have written down. You can have these with you, but you must tell Fadil orally, that he and his comrades are not safe people. The ideas that I am giving you in writing are quite concise and for both pictures, and for Fadil himself personally, in case he wants to keep them in mind, even if it means telling Tito, because we know that he is Tito's and this does not spoil any of our work. Of course, you must find the opportunity to tell him these ideas like this, in general. But better let me read them to you once, then let's see what you think:

"Appreciating the conversation we had together, as well as the fact that you gave me to understand that you also wanted to know Comrade Enver's opinion on the issues you raised, when I was in Tirana, I requested a meeting with Comrade Enver and reported everything you told me. Comrade Enver instructed me to convey his thanks to you and to greet you for the pure patriotic feelings that are characteristic of Albanians, whether they are citizens of the People's Republic of Albania or of Kosovo. Comrade Enver was touched by what you said that in case of danger to the People's Republic of Albania you would be by his side. Comrade Enver, who knows you personally, has no doubt about this, because your position on this problem is in the continuation of the heroic fighting traditions of our people who have fought for centuries and in the continuation of the high patriotism of the people of Kosovo.

We are closely following the changes that have occurred in Kosovo, the rights that have been gained in the issue of language, education, in terms of administration, etc. Undoubtedly, these are victories against the anti-Albanian, Rankovician and Greater Serbian currents. But, as you yourself say, this is not all. There are many other rights that the Kosovar brothers must win. We consider your opinion to not accept the creation of a second Albanian Republic to be right. This is a right and patriotic stance. The People's Republic of Albania will fight an opposing stance with all its might. We agree with your opinion that there is only one People's Republic of Albania in the world./ Memorie.al