Ibrahim Rugova, in Kosovo today He will talk with all Albanian groups, including the UÇK P. 4

For 54 years the gun had been hidden in a church P. 13

Ceka: Nano cannot be a bridegroom four times Shuli’s Ministry has become disoriented P. 11

P. 8 Albanian special forces wait to stop the hostage bus The “Pisli” revolt happens again. A man from Lezhë named Aleksandër Nana takes hostage a bus carrying 50 Greek citizens.

By Arben ILIAZI In the post-privatization era, with the milestones of integration in sight, the greedy have lined up at the starting line to plunder property. Although corruption and smuggling are wreaking havoc and nobody knows what will become of the “rule-of-law state,” government officials are organizing high-profile conferences on the “privatization of strategic sectors,” such as the conference held yesterday at the Palace of Congresses. Why should government officials make important economic decisions? As is well known, government policy is displaying dangerous temptations toward theft and embezzlement. Since the minimum conditions that a collection of institutions must meet in order to aspire to be called a state do not exist, important decisions should be made by referendum. A referendum would create a balance in shaping the reform of privatization in important sectors, where the opportunities for abuse are certainly greater. Every action undertaken in fulfillment of a contractual obligation in civil society constitutes a new affirmation of the individual’s will, a new commitment and a new beginning. Respect for property is incompatible with a free solution imposed by the “institutions.” Government policy should favor those options that originate in the will of the people, in citizens’ initiative. The inhabitants of the “Island of Post-Privatization” stand to benefit because it is the government officials themselves, a new breed of young bureaucrats, who try to portray every “move” … Continued on page 3

The “Pisli” revolt happens again. A man from Lezhë named Aleksandër Nana takes hostage a bus carrying 50 Greek citizens.

Northern. He was carrying a grenade

By Agim Zeka Two days ago, the President of the Republic, Rexhep Meidani, announced what was said to be, in accordance with the Constitution, the composition of the Permanent Central Electoral Commission, whose mandate will last a full seven years. Up to this point, at first glance and formally speaking, as is also stated in the relevant article of the new Constitution, which grants this authority to the institution of the President, there seems to be nothing to worry about. And indeed, the Constitution clearly stipulates that of the seven permanent members of the Central Electoral Commission, two will be appointed by Parliament (and here begins the next Albanian paradox), two members will be appointed by the President of the Republic, and three members by the High Council of Justice (understand: the President again). Thus, five-sevenths of the CEC will pass through Meidani’s “moustache.” But the problem does not begin and end with these figures and ratios. If we bear in mind the “roosters’” battles in Albanian politics throughout all these years called democratic, the thread of Ariadne begins to emerge. The leader’s tendency to usurp spaces that are not his is all too evident in the case we are examining. First. When Mr. Meidani was elected President of the Republic, after a brief political career as Secretary General of the PS, many people thought that Nano’s choice (if it really was his, though I do not believe so, since it appears to me to have been the choice of a powerful, still untouched clan) was indeed right and rational, given that he knew the Albanians’ previous experience well. And indeed, the professor, doctor of science, with the appearance of a gentle lamb, with his measured, controlled actions and, above all, by presenting himself as a figure who has virtually no power, increased his prestige among the public after being chosen by his predecessor, the autocrat, right up to …

An Albanian citizen hijacked yesterday in the early afternoon a bus operating the regular route between Thessaloniki and Igoumenitsa, a locality near the major metropolis of Northern Greece. He was holding a grenade whose safety pin he had removed, and used it to frighten the 50 passengers on the bus that had been taken hostage. P. 2

In the duel between the Presidency and Parliament, the Presidency wins P. 11

Today, Godo and Parliament face one another Republican Sabri Godo is calling for the Albanian Assembly to make a maximum effort on the law concerning land. Parliament will face its most difficult test today as it seeks to deliver justice regarding the most problematic law for a large portion of Albanians, which concerns land. P. 3

The President tries to repair the endangered relations between the countries ELBASAN: France’s National Day risks cooling its relations with Albania. According to sources from the country’s embassy, on Tuesday evening the French ambassador, Patrik Krisma, was threatened with his life by means of P. 7

NATIONAL LIBRARY TIRANA