EDITORIAL By Genc Rrobani The government is playing bluff with wages According to the government daily, abuses with the title of Ove-rit, it has come to begin to apply wages and pensions for budget workers and beneficiaries on the basis of the increase. Behind this trick, behind the retreat? [?] payments, over which the government sought to set the new wages and to announce loudly that it is meeting the demands for wage increases from its electorate. But it is not so. According to figures published yesterday by the executive institutions themselves, this increase does not include pensions or former political prisoners, reserving for them a more than symbolic difference, reserving for them a symbolic difference of 1 percent. According to the executive’s norms, in the amended 2000 budget, presented by the Council of Ministers at the end of the week, budget revenues have increased by 24.7 billion lekë, revenues are planned to come from the sale of government privatizations. 11 billion lekë will be used for this purpose. Only 2.5 billion lekë go to wage and pension supplements. 1.6 billion lekë for bonuses, 250 million lekë for vulnerable groups. Thus, for the wages of budget employees, a fund has been allocated equal to that for pensions, which will continue to rise from mid-July. Government policy toward pensioners is even more striking, with increases that are more than symbolic. The number of pensioners who will benefit, according to this scheme, is estimated at 520,000. This shows that the final sum allocated, 250 million lekë and another 100 million for former political prisoners, is only an “aspirin” to silence this entire category. However, in any case, not only will the full number of pensioners not benefit, with only a small portion reserved for them, but the deadline has also been set so that this scheme will not begin until September next year. Such a thing can only be regarded as a fraud. It would have been better if the government had loudly stated the opposite. The opposite of what it has done in its budget package. By publicly saying that the amount made available is not enough for these increases, referring to its possibilities at this time. And on the contrary, if needed, this move should also have been made, making pensioners and budget workers understand that they are on the verge of a wonderful? increase that is happening and even begins on 1 July. In short, this means that people are being seen as targets to be hit? while the government is appearing and pensioners,

The treasure is in Albania Officially, real acts of theft that occurred on the boulevard “Zhan d'Ark”, where dozens of people were killed. Here, the statement made by European analysts can also be considered an accusation, according to which this entire Albanian-Macedonian community has created an almost professional network engaged in illegal activity. These problems have become especially visible in recent months. This situation is one of the arguments used by foreign analysts to justify their pessimism about Albania’s ability to build a state. In the Albanian prosecutor’s office there is an investigative file numbered 1475, which speaks of the illegal smuggling of bullion involving large sums of money and suspicions of around 8 million dollars. This file became known after being published by the media, while the trail of the investigation leads to a group of Albanians linked to the gold trade. At the center of this file is the person identified as Luigj Goga, who is suspected of entering Albania with an undeclared quantity of gold. Investigators are verifying the connections, destinations and flow of this gold, while the involvement of broader trafficking networks is not excluded. According to prosecutorial sources, the treasure has not left the country and part of it is thought to still be in Albania.

A Turk and two Albanians arrested The marijuana seized last night at the “Sonia” Boutique in Tirana Page 6

“Republika” continues publishing the lists Page 15

Chronicle, analysis, comments, predictions, half of the European football championship, in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Tirana. Only 20 lekë for 2 newspapers together Page 11,12,13,14

The cellular phone tender is a failure The purchase of AMC is being exploited Accident on the Tirana-Durrës road Hajdaraga injured Italian newspaper breaks down the Italo-Albanian company “Pegolo” announcements for speedboats Page 5 Page 6 Page 9

“Pegolo” announces speedboats Page 22 Page 5

Offers you mineral water, Mierva? ZAGORI Guaranteed production, for all ages, most suitable for your body Page 11,12,13,14