The Tirana Prosecutor’s Office is asking the Albanian parliament to lift the immunity of Gramoz Ruçi, a Socialist Party deputy. The events of April 2, the disappearance of secret documents, and killings at the border are the reasons that prompted the prosecutor’s office to seek the lifting of immunity for the Socialist deputy. Gramoz Ruçi was summoned by the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office together with R. Alia over the massacre of April 2, 1995; although he had parliamentary immunity, he agreed to sit at prosecutor Xhelili’s table to give explanations about the events of April 2 five years earlier. But while the former president was placed under arrest, Gramoz Ruçi, it seems, was protected by his parliamentary immunity. Regarding the events of April 2, the prosecutor’s office has set up a special investigative team, and Azem Hajdari has submitted three telegrams from Ruçi sent during the days of More on p. 4

PS: From congress to elections, from elections to congress The first phase of the PS Congress ended on Sunday. At that day’s session, following discussions and greetings from foreign guests, the electoral program was approved which, according to the former communists, will lead the socialists to victory. The 352 candidates that the PS will present to the Commission for the Verification of Figures were also approved. This number included the additions made by the party leadership. The absence of Bashkim Zeneli, one of the “five,” stood out; he had not been nominated by the grassroots but was added by the party leadership. The planned resolutions were also approved, one of which was naturally for the release of Fatos Nano, the imprisoned chairman of the PS. Once the candidates have received clearance to stand in the elections, the PS leadership and its Steering Committee will make the further selection. They will have to behave well with the leaders—the “clean” candidates—in order to make the list of 115, or be among those who will stand in the elections if constituencies are left open for other parties. Of the five, only Maqo Lakrori spoke during the congress discussions. At the end, an elated Servet Pëllumbi, his voice raised and audible even outside, concluded the gathering with a promise to meet after the elections: “See you after the victory.” More on p. 4

Yesterday morning, the chairman of the

During the summer, German soldiers will land in Albania again Today, Germany’s defense minister, Volker Ruehe, arrives in Tirana for a friendly visit. Naturally, Mr. Ruehe’s visit to Tirana and his meetings with the highest officials of our country will serve not only military ties between our two countries, but will also make an important contribution to strengthening Albanian-German cooperation as a whole. During his visit to Tirana, the German defense minister will meet with Prime Minister Meksi and President Berisha. More on p. 4

130 Albanian clandestine migrants caught by the Italian coast guard on Saturday are being repatriated. The migrants had set out from the Albanian coast in a speedboat from the port of Vlora, along with a fishing boat, taking shelter throughout the vessel’s hold. The fishing boat was sailing out to fish. But this time, at the port of Bari, during an inspection, instead of fish, the Italian coast guard found 130 Albanian clandestine migrants in the ship’s hold, who, like many others, were trying to find happiness on Italian soil. According to the statements of the migrants discovered aboard the vessel, each had paid the boat’s operators 1 million lire. For 1 million lire, they would travel across the Adriatic for nothing. They will be the first group to depart in the direction of the port of Durrës. But while the 130 migrants will begin the return journey, a very different fate awaits the vessel’s six operators. They will remain in Italy, where they are expected to be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison under the new Italian law on facilitating clandestine immigration. The vessel has been seized and will remain in the Apulian port. Taking the latest migrants into account, the number of those seeking to reach Western life over the past three months has reached 1,200. They have reached the Italian coast but were repatriated two days later. A large number have been recorded along the Albanian coastline, where they were caught by border forces. The best way to avoid capture, the migrants confirm, is to join a foreign vessel in the middle of the sea and disembark in Nordic or Asian countries. Many migrants have had this fate; they were reported drowned, and their whereabouts were announced several months later. B. P.

Yesterday morning, the chairman of the PR, Mr. Sabri Godo, received at the Party’s Central Headquarters the British ambassador to Albania, Mr. Tesoriere, at the latter’s request. Mr. Tesoriere enquired about the PR, its position in Albanian politics, the stances it had taken during developments in Albania, and so on. Mr. Godo acquainted the British ambassador with the PR’s activities and the path it had followed since its founding. The PR’s position in Albanian politics, Mr. Godo said, belongs to the Albanian Right. It is based on Euro-American conservatism and the finest traditions of the Albanian nation. Mr. Godo then presented the British ambassador with his party’s position as a political opponent of the PS and as being in strong, uncompromising opposition to the PD. Both sides expressed a desire to intensify contacts between them in the future. The PR deputy chairman, Mr. Fatmir Mediu, also attended the meeting. * received a group of representatives of In-[?] More on p. 4

Newspaper “REPUBLIKA”, “Sami Frashëri” Street, near “Petro Nini Luarasi” High School, Tirana, Tel/Fax 259 88