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The names of 200 people who must appear to sign the contract with Albtelekom for the new telephone numbers; they are being allocated telephone numbers Page 19

Eight-year-old boy dies, nine-year-old in serious condition Driver of the vehicle taken hostage Page 2

EDITORIAL Yesterday blood was spilled again in Albania. Worse still, the blood of innocent children was spilled. And the event took place just as the Minister of Public Order was telling the media that law and order, and calm in the country, would soon be established... Yesterday, as well as the day before, and the day before that, and so on, Albanians’ taps whistled in their mute, empty streams. And this continued to happen at a time when the state and its political representatives in the electoral race that has now begun promise that they will solve the drinking-water problem very soon... Yesterday KESH began distributing electricity “ration cards”, reminding us that in Albania the heat goes away faster than August does, of course by cutting the pow- And yet they make promises... er for hours at a time. Not only that, but yesterday, once again, KESH told us that we should resign ourselves to another 10 years without electricity. And this happened while the candidates coveting the municipalities again say they will bring us electricity very soon... Isn’t that so?! In fact, nobody dares say it. In Albania, terms in office are unfortunately measured not by work, but only by years. Just as politicians are not measured by their ability—“the ability to keep the promises they make”—but by how likely they are to forget them. And by their shamelessness in not blushing when they are ready to make promises again. It will take 20 years to finally solve the electricity problem. Millions of dollars to quench our thirst a little. And another two years (at least officially) to save us by reducing the number of weapons... and yet, the candidates promise. After all, what do they have to lose?! Apart from giving a little of what they have most of, and a little extra energy to formulate a few more sentences than those that can and should be said. Their predecessors have taken care of the rest (or perhaps they themselves have). They have also taken care of ignoring the failure to keep promises, of mocking to the point of madness those who have begun to pretend they believe, and of the kinds of apologies and promises that should be made...

Power cuts will continue for years “The energy problem in general, and electricity in particular, will be solved only after 20 years.” “The energy problem in general, and electricity in particular, will be solved only after 20 years. Until then, we will continue to have power cuts, day and night, sometimes because of insufficient production and sometimes because of deficiencies in the distribution network.” This is the conclusion of the National Energy Agency. According to the head of this agency, a comprehensive study to solve this problem has been carried out in recent years. The plan is expected to span 30 years, with priority given to the first 20 years, during which around eight hydroelectric power plants will be built, four of them large, along with others of medium capacity. Page 5

Elections/Confusion over the powers of institutions Page 4

The trafficking of study places is made legal Page 12

The state fills its pockets with money from cars Page 9

Education Pages 12, 13

Cement/Contract exposes sale scandal A contract riddled with gaps. The draft contract, which sets out the rights and obligations between the Albanian State and the buyer of the Fushë-Krujë Cement Factory, contains serious deficiencies regarding the obligations of the negotiating parties (the Albanian State and the winner of the tender for the facility). “Republika” has a copy of the draft contract, which is only nine pages long and is therefore very limited with regard to the legal status under which the factory was privatized. Page 3

Incident/Serbian army approaches Albania The Serbian army is approaching the Albanian border, while three residents of a border village in the Tropojë district have also been fired upon. Thus, the Albanian border is once again at the center of attacks by the Yugoslav Army. The numerous incidents that occurred during the Kosovo crisis and the conflict in Kosovo seem to have no end. Page 7