By Ervin MAZNIKU Albania’s current Minister of Public Order, Spartak Poçi, at his press conferences, after surveying the situation from on high, observes that there is smuggling in Albania, that there are structures linked to crime within the police, that smuggling takes place with neighboring countries, that our neighbors are Greece and Montenegro, and that weapons should continue to be voluntarily surrendered. Such revelations, like bolts from the blue to the public, do not provide what is needed to convince people how and to what extent the fight against evil is being waged. Those involved are selling the Kalashnikovs and TNT taken from the ’97 depots and buying sniper rifles from Montenegro. It is not the first time a police operation has been compromised, only for responsibility to then be attributed to criminal structures within the police. Nor is it the first time that, after the police stopped the much-wanted suspects in one place, having pursued them on motorcycles, they used not firearms but stones and bottles. Nevertheless, Minister Poçi stated that the rate at which the civilian population surrenders weapons increases from year to year. The success is attributed to appealing to public opinion’s good sense. The shortcomings are a consequence of the lack of cooperation with state structures. there are structures linked to crime, smuggling takes place with the neighbors; our neighbors are Greece and Montenegro, and weapons must continue to be handed in voluntarily. Such revelations to the public, it seems, should be a high indicator of the fruitful work of the police leaders. From publicizing these ’97 events, they are now time a police operation has been exposed, only for responsibility then to be attributed to other criminalized structures within the police. It is not the first time that highly wanted people pursued by the police have beaten the police. Perhaps yesterday’s incident in Durrës is unique; in a year, the rate at which the civilian population hands in weapons has increased. The success is due to appealing to the good sense of public opinion. The shortcomings are the result of a lack of cooperation with state structures. In short, it is people who hand in the weapons, not the state, with its own structures, that takes them from them...

The man who found the body speaks Page 3

Britain gives Greece an ultimatum after the murder of its serviceman in Athens Page 11 Stephan Saunders

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The court rejects the Prosecutor’s Office’s charge Page 2

The deputy follows in Shuli’s footsteps Page 4

Arms trafficking with Montenegro Page 5

Koseni beats the MAPE officer Page 6

It has been 24 days that this street has been left in this state. Before this canal was opened, Ministers Angjeli and Poçi took a stroll, promising that Tirana would take its roads seriously. These roads remind you of the Jurassic period and Prime Minister Meta.

Election funds blocked; Fino and Dedja shrug Election funds blocked Where did the US’ 1.5 million go? Fino and Dedja shrug “The American Government has provided a fund of 1.5 million dollars for technical assistance for the local elections. We, as the Municipality, have not yet had any funds released,” Tirana Mayor Albert Brojka said yesterday at a press conference, thus recalling the “deadlock” over the missing money in the preparatory phase, so that the work could be completed within the set deadlines. Page 13