General unrest expected Police cannot guarantee the campaign Page 3 Thus, while knives and other weapons are produced among candidates at party conferences, along the main routes connecting the northern and southern borders, masked men used those very same weapons against Kosovars or other people. Spartak Poçi boasted a few days ago that he would set up a special police checkpoint to monitor the route connecting us with Kosovo, but before 24 hours had passed, the masked men responded, as if to show that they would not tolerate even very cheaply, at 1 Tetori. For this, he urged the parties to notify the police in case of... they struck. The first to test the police’s level of readiness to ensure a proper election campaign in Albania was the number two official of the institution that makes the law. The smaller parties, naturally, must understand the message that follows this “misunderstanding” that happened to the number two of the legislature and the DP.... The state-party policy removed them

US Embassy opens its doors for visas What are the application procedures for a US visa? Page 9

The 450-million super-scam How the Ministry of Education financed the phantom company “AEG Follorin” Page 15

Politics & crime, a masquerade ball By Agim BAÇI Politics heats up and takes off its mask, but thieves and criminals immediately put that mask on. In just the past few days, as the campaign’s tone has grown more heated, masks have also become more common on Albania’s streets. Thus, while knives and other bladed weapons flashed between candidates at party conferences, along the main roads linking the northern and southern borders, masked men used those same weapons against Kosovars or ... [illegible] pressure, especially from the heads of the Albanian Police. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Meta, speaking about that same police force, which cannot stop these masked men, says that the elections on 1 October will be free—indeed, very free. He called on the parties to notify the police if they are attacked. The first to test the police’s readiness to guarantee a proper campaign in Albania was ... [text missing] the masks, and it re-emerged in the conflict-ridden situation where it seems to like operating and where it feels most itself. The first to take advantage of this were the masked men, while the only ones paying the price are Albanians and their future. ...International institutions have long been sounding the alarm about the need for elections, so that we can show the world that we are worthy of help in overcoming this terrible period of discord. But for just as long, we too have succeeded in doing the opposite, leaving the world to think seriously about the path we want to take.

The state does not know where the 42 million dollars are The cloud of suspicion continues to thicken over the arrival of the money from the recently sold AMC. For about a week now, the Albanian people have no longer held ownership rights over their country’s only mobile-phone company, as the company has been transferred to the region’s most important new player, “Telekom/Cosmote”. According to what has been said about the agreement reached (in fact, the text of the agreement has not yet been made public, and it is not known whether it ever will be), the buyers were supposed to acquire ownership of AMC only after paying the Albanian state more than 50 percent of the 85.6 million dollars. Page 11

Voter lists are left halfway along the road Local Government Election Commissions are being set up with major shortfalls, while a substantial task of verifying the voter lists lies ahead of them. According to Shahin Bistri, a member of the CEC, of the 385 LGECs that must be established throughout Albania, those set up have only 6.5 and as few as 4 members, while in two municipalities, Marnar[t]esh and Finiq, seven political entities have not submitted a single candidate. Page 4

Jozefina: They threatened me, telling me never to come back Two days after the armed incident near the village of Peshkëpi in Vlora, the deputy chairwoman of Parliament from the Democratic Party, as well as her security detail, are still shaken. When they finally arrived in Tirana, everyone greeted them with the consoling words, “Good thing you got out alive,” but it seems that everything has left traces that will be difficult to erase from the memories of the people who, without wishing to, became participants in a grave situation. Page 2

The Avdyli case Page 7

2,000 foreign emigrants live in Albania Page 19

The North is out of control. Masked men are “making the rounds” Page 8

Merchant kidnapped. They demanded USD 50,000 Page 7