Kadare: Do not leave Albania alone, submerged in misery by corrupt politicians.

Albania—a tougher nut to crack than Mozambique, Angola, and Algeria for Sant Egidio [the following text is cut off at the lower edge]

Nano and Gj inushi agree with Shehu of PD. Godo and Selfo announce the challenge It is beyond dispute that Albanian politics is steeped in sins and sullied by guilt. The chaos this country is experiencing itself accuses politicians of irresponsibility and lack of professionalism in healing wounds, stopping the killings, and resolving the crisis. In four months, because of the politicians, 1,600 people have been killed in Albania and another 4,000 have been maimed and mutilated, joining the ranks of people with disabilities. A daily toll of 13 people killed by bullets is more than a political accusation against the parties, the puppet government, and the nonexistent president. Perhaps Albanian politics went to confess in Rome for all these reasons. In recent days, the Albanian crisis has offered another indication. The two major parties, PD and PS, can hardly wait for one of their leaders to be taken prisoner and held hostage until television arrives to interview them, until the party spokesperson arrives to draft the statement. Insults and counter-insults do nothing but prepare the way for an explosion. Perhaps these were the reasons why yesterday’s meeting in Rome attracted the interest of Albanians and foreigners. But Albanians, as temperamentally distinctive Balkan people, created problems for the Catholic Church. It seems Albanian politics was not quite ready to sign blindly an agreement to share power, repeating a second Trieste under the conditions of 1997. It is surprising that PD and PS, which insult each other so much before the electorate, found common ground so remarkably under the Sant Egidio formula. They signed without worrying about their statements of just the day before. PD agreed to share power with PS, even though President Berisha had declared on February 22, 1997, before the citizens of Shkodër, that PD would never form a joint government with PS. Berisha had said then: “To form a coalition with PS means trying to [unclear] their legacy, ignoring Albanian democracy with its muddy legacy. To form a coalition with PS, for Shkodër, means to trample on the ideals of Arben Broci.”

Today in Tepelenë, 11:00 Tomorrow in Berat, 11:00

P. 4

Bashkim Driza speaks to “Republika” from America: Meksi has frozen the papers, not the people’s money, with which he bought treasury bills.

OSCE: Change the voting hours P. 3

P. 3

P. 2

P. 12