Delayed facts: SHIK’s Secretariat informed the strikers through their chairman: “Be careful, tonight they will force you out of the strike.” ’98 — A year of bites that ended with the big kiss P. 4 The latest fax revelation about Hajdari’s murder: A new name among those accused, the nephew of a party leader

The old guard behind the political scenes The USA, through its diplomatic representative in Tirana, Ms. Lino, sent signals of

The USA, through its diplomatic representative in Tirana, Ms. Lino, sent clear signals that it expects the continuation of the recently initiated political dialogue, a process that should culminate in the DP’s return to Parliament. in Tirana, Ms. Lino, sent clear signals that it expects the continuation of the recently initiated political dialogue, a process that should culminate in the DP’s return to Parliament. But there is a likelihood that the dialogue will remain formal. The first to obstruct its institutionalization is the Albanian Parliament, headed by Mr. Gjinushi, a representative of the conservative wing of politics, a wing that is very likely to be sidelined very soon. American diplomacy held a meeting with Gjinushi yesterday, where, according to official information, they discussed the possibility of bringing the opposition closer and encouraging the DP to return to parliamentary life. The USA is finding traces of political sin in the conservative clan. The Speaker of Parliament and his close associates in the SP have fought, and continue to fight, to keep the DP or particular segments of the opposition outside the institutions, or to include them in institutions of a particular kind, where the law of political selec[?]tion poses no threat, thus preserving the status quo predetermined from the very outset of the declaration of pluralism. Gjinushi, and perhaps a senior SP official, are willing to suffer precisely for those principles that empower representatives of ideas challenging the new political tradition. Continued on page 3

Pp. 18–19

Today’s “Republika” — special New Year’s issue. 24 pages, 30 lekë. Humor — 15 conversations with Qamil Buxheli. Telephone interview: Koço Devole gains the status of the per-

Chronology of the most important events in Albanian courts. ’98—the year of major trials, but one in which nobody was convicted Albania ’98, the open gateway to crime: From VEFA and the trafficking of infants to Hajdari’s murder P. 2–6

Today, at 10:00, the PR Presidency is hosting a conference-cocktail reception for journalists