“Arkond” reappears. Bankers block the 150-million loan. The government lost 400 million DM Berisha: Banks are pyramid schemes Page 9

Political and economic conditions, customs posts through which aid will pass The Rome Conference, the Albanians’ hope for recovery and revival, has fallen into the politicians’ hands. It seems that Albania’s misfortune is destined always to come from nervous politicians who are unable to keep their tempers under control. Politicians in the governing camp call Rome an unforeseen success and do not mention the conditions, while the man who considers himself the only opposition, Berisha, calls the conference a failure, no more and no less. Nano hurried to declare that he had secured $100 per capita for Albanians, without mentioning the Conference’s core issues: the political and economic conditions, reconciliation, finding a “modus vivendi” with the opposition, and cleansing the economy of pyramid schemes, in which state banks have recently also become entangled. The Prime Minister must be open and honest, at least with his own electorate. He must speak plainly. There is no alternative but for Albanians to surrender their weapons, accept the disaster caused by the pyramid schemes, and make peace with one another, both in government and in opposition; otherwise, there will be neither $100 per capita, nor 100 million by March, nor 1.5 billion for the years to come. To put it more bluntly, there will be no aid without an agreement with the IMF (which has the same conditions) and another agreement with the World Bank. On the other hand, Berisha does not reassure Albanians either with (Continued on page 2)

Berisha: Banks are pyramid schemes. Page 9

The Albanian mafia earns 8 billion dollars a year From cartoonist Medi Belortaja’s collection

Albanian diplomacy—a hostage of Crete The opposition attacks the government’s foreign policy

Journalists from “Republika” and “Koha Jonë” are mistreated. Explosive device on the national highway

Zog’s villa in America with 60 rooms. Leka Bungo addresses Aleksandër Frangaj

Today “Republika” has 24 pages In the supplement: Dostojewski, Keko, Haliti, Xoxa and Vreto