The “First National Liberation Conference” (also known as the Peza Conference) was held in the village of Peza in Tirana, on the initiative of the Communist Party of Albania. The conference was attended by 18 delegates and several others as listeners. They represented the Communist Party of Albania and various nationalist currents. The delegation of the Communist Party of Albania was represented by Enver Hoxha, Ramadan Çitaku, Ymer Dishnica, Koço Tashko and Mustafa Gjinishi. The Anti-Fascist Youth was represented by Nako Spiru. Representatives of the Zogist current were: Abaz Kupi and Ndoc Çoba. The meeting was opened and chaired by Ndoc Çoba, the oldest delegate. The fundamental problem that the conference examined was the unification of the Albanian people in a single national liberation front to face the situation created by the fascist occupation of the country. The main decision taken by the conference was: the creation of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Front, which would include all anti-fascist forces of the country, all patriots, regardless of social affiliation, religious, regional differences, and political convictions. The National Liberation Front was charged with three important tasks. 1) to mobilize the Albanian people in the war against the invader to regain national independence; 2) to lead the national liberation councils that would be formed as organs of war in the occupied areas and as organs of power in the liberated areas: 3) to align Albania and its anti-fascist struggle in the Anglo-Soviet-American Coalition. From this war, the General Staff would emerge, and the National Liberation Army of the Albanian people would be created. The idea of creating squads was accepted by the participants. But the nationalists raised an objection to their partisan name and to wearing the red partisan five-pointed star on the fighters’ hats, arguing that doing so would arm the fascists and their collaborators to fight the National Liberation Movement as “communist”. All the delegates agreed that the new regime in Albania should be a democratic regime. As for the form of the regime, this would be decided by the people themselves after the war. The issue of Kosovo was also discussed at the conference. In the end, it was decided that it should be decided on the basis of the right of self-determination, as foreseen by the Atlantic Charter, and that the Kosovars and the Albanians of other countries in Yugoslavia would win this right by rising up in the fight against fascism, side by side with their brothers in Albania and with other peoples, including the Yugoslav peoples. The issues that were discussed and decided at the conference were reflected in the Resolution that was unanimously accepted by the delegates. The resolution constituted the platform of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War of the Albanian people. In the end, the conference chose the National Liberation General Council composed of: Enver Hoxha, Myslym Peza, Mustafa Xhani, Ymer Dishnica, Mustafa Gjinishi, Abaz Kupi, Ndoc Çoba and Kamber Qafmolla. The General National Liberation Council addressed the Albanian people with a call, in which it was announced that the delegates of the three Albanian nationalist currents met together with the delegates of the Communist Party and declared their will for a common war and for national unity in a united front. common. (In the photo: The house where the Peza Conference was held, 1942)
Text: The history of the Albanian people – Vol. IV, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Toena“, Tirana, 2009, page 55-57.
Photo: © Central State Archives
Graphic processing: AHCF
