The union era before the court. The factions line up in the dock Majko burns Ruçi, Meta in the minority. Socialists set PSD and PAD against each other Teachers’ strike ends: five days for 500 lekë P. 6 The union era before the court. The factions line up in the dock Albania: no to the Council of Europe Majko burns Ruçi, Meta in the minority. Socialists set PSD and PAD against each other Teachers’ strike ends: five days for 500 lekë P. 6

The Albanian government lives side by side with crime. That was the essence of the statements made by the president of the Italian National Alliance, Gianfranco

Inside: One point that was not fully clarified to the end was who had authored the invitation to the esteemed Mr. Fini. Both the DP and the government claimed to be the hosts, and even accompanied this with the relevant evidence from their respective headquarters. The Italian Embassy in Tirana, in a very diplomatic manner, removed itself from this “hospitality” contest, providing only the visit schedule, while Berisha preferred— Page 3

The Albanian government lives side by side with crime. That was the essence of the statements made by the president of the Italian National Alliance, Gianfranco Fini, after meetings with prominent figures in Albanian politics and the state. of the Italian National Alliance, Gianfranco Fini, after meetings with prominent figures in Albanian politics and the state. Fini reminded the Albanian government of its responsibilities for stopping clandestine trafficking, saying that the Italian police cannot replace the Albanian police. The accusation coming from the neighboring country is extremely harsh. It should force the Albanian government to face an alternative: either it divorces itself from crime and then brings it under control, or it resigns. The Italians and European organizations are so concerned about the increase in organized crime in the troubled country of the Albanians that a hypothesis is circulating about a new mission of the “Alba” type, in which NATO warships would be tasked with patrolling the Adriatic and stopping the trafficking. Italian prosecutor Marcelo Madalena, who is leading the Albanian anti-crime effort in Turin, has described the criminal activity of Albanians as a “malie da kupole,” very well organized, especially in the prostitution sector. Mr. Fini goes even further, seeing the “boss” within Albania’s state and government structures. Europeans are clear-headed when confronting crime that originates in our country. But the Albanian government continues to defend itself with stale propaganda, describing neighboring countries as classic centers of the “Mafia” and “organized crime.” The point is not to deny things through accusations hurled back and forth, but to find solutions to escape from ... Continued on page 3

TIRANA—After a busy day of meetings and lengthy talks at the DP offices and the state’s main headquarters, where he met with President Meidani and Prime Minister Majko, the chairman of Italy’s National Alliance, Gianfranco Fini, chose the Tirana International Hotel for lunch after a press conference held in one of the hotel’s halls. As expected, at the conference—where, besides the many Albanian and Italian journalists, DP chairman Sali Berisha and its deputy chairman Genc Pollo stood beside Fini—the main topic addressed in almost all the questions, in both languages, was the trafficking of clandestine migrants. Berisha, for his part, once again brought up the “Coup d’État” and the Referendum on the Consti- P. 3

The most prominent and best-known ambassador of Albanian letters in the world, Ismail Kadare, quietly marked sixty-three years of life yesterday. The writer, whose works have been published in over 40 languages around the world, spent his birthday in complete silence, despite having been in Albania for several days, including in his hometown of Gjirokastër. Kadare, who opened the gateway to litera- P. 13 Last night the writer left Albania, leaving behind the din of politics, and flew to Paris to celebrate his birthday with his daughters

The dispute is over the chairman Page 5

Interview with Mirela Bogdani, chair of the Republican Women’s Forum, one day before the National Conference of the Albanian Republican Women’s Forum The national conference of Republican women opens tomorrow. After a long period of silence, how have you reached this point? The National Conference of Republican Women, which will be held tomorrow, is the second since the last one, held in Durrës several years ago. What makes this Conference special is the fact that separate formal organizations, like the levers of the past— Page 2

... were also accompanied by the corresponding fax(es) from the diplomatic manner, has taken itself out of this “hospitality” contest, providing only the schedule of visits, while Berisha has prefer- Page 3 Mediu replies to Berisha’s letter Dear Chairman of the Democratic Party, Taking into consideration your letter dated 27.10.1999, I consider your concern about the serious situation of law and order in Albania to be very much warranted. It has been our constant preoccupation for many years... Page 3