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By Genci ÇOBANI A year ago, a war ended and along with it, contrary to expectations, a dream also faded: to see Albania and Kosovo connected as soon as possible by a road built to modern standards. NATO troops halted the work begun on several sections of the Durrës-Kukës road, while the Albanians themselves never began financing it, not even morally. This was despite the fact that the then Albanian prime minister, Pandeli Majko, had made an ordinary poetic appeal in support of this, inviting the people to deposit as much money as possible into a bank account for the construction of the road in question. A full year has passed since then, and not a single metre of work has been done on the Durrës-Kukës link. The road has remained in the condition in which NATO’s military personnel left it, while many other projects, theoretically at least less important, have been given the green light; it is even said that they have secured the necessary funds to be put into effect. It is not all that disturbing that many claimed that this time, too, NATO had “disappointed” us. This is the language of an absurd, burdensome mentality, planted—who knows where and by whom. It is not the first time Albanians have waited for foreigners, or even criticized them for not working for this country (!). More disturbing than this is the absurd logic, outside every other line of reasoning, however unpatriotic it may be, of the Government currently running this country, which waits for others to remind it not only to get things done, but even to come up with ideas. In a strained effort to assert themselves, lacking initiative and any hope of seriousness in their work, our ministers are ready to applaud every chance remark that may casually be made to them at an equally ordinary diplomatic cocktail party, but they do not know—or do not want—to bend their ears to the bitter stream of criticism about their work. According to the paranoid logic that always governs our governments, such criticism worries foreigners more than it does them themselves.

A full year has passed since then, and not a single metre of work has been done on the Durrës-Kukës link. The road has remained in the condition in which NATO’s military personnel left it, while many other projects, theoretically at least less important, have been given the green light; it is even said that they have secured the necessary funds to be put into effect. It is not all that disturbing that many claimed that this time, too, NATO had “disappointed” us. This is the language of an absurd, burdensome mentality, planted—who knows where and by whom. It is not the first time Albanians have waited for foreigners, or even criticized them for not working for this country (!). More disturbing than this is the absurd logic, outside every other line of reasoning, however unpatriotic it may be, of the Government currently running this country, which waits for others to remind it not only to get things done, but even to come up with ideas. In a strained effort to assert themselves, lacking initiative and any hope of seriousness in their work, our ministers are ready to applaud every chance remark that may casually be made to them at an equally ordinary diplomatic cocktail party, but they do not know—or do not want—to bend their ears to the bitter stream of criticism about their work. According to the paranoid logic that always governs our governments, such criticism worries foreigners more than it does them themselves.

Law and order frightens majority MPs The PS parliamentary group attacks the Minister of Public Order, Spartak Poçi. The majority MPs have asked the head of the central Public Order department to intensify efforts to restore law and order. According to the majority MPs, this is especially important on the eve of the local elections, bearing in mind—as the Socialist MPs say—that the chaos in law and order could be used by the opposition as a weapon in the autumn local-election campaign. The MPs have also proposed changes at various police stations around the country. Page 9

Slovenia Zahoviç 10 Slovenia Zahoviç

Delays on Corridor 8 and the Durrës-Kukës highway The United States of America are stepping up their criticism of the Albanian Government regarding the progress of work under the Stability Pact. Although using carefully measured diplomatic language, the US ambassador in Tirana, Mr Limpreht, made clear yesterday at the 17th meeting of the Coordinating Group for the South Balkan Development Initiative that the US Government expects its counterparts, the Albanian ministers, to wake up. Page 7

Political appointments to the CEC demonstrate its political bias and control by the PS; they also reveal the claim made by some OSCE representatives that this commission would be apolitical because it had been defined as such by the Constitution. Page 4

Xhevahir Spahiu for Republika Page 19

Specialists sound the alarm Page 8

Tirana Municipality: Here are the culprits Page 5

From love to befo[f?]rof Phantom mothers fill the maternity ward Page 20