SCANDAL The Albanian government seeks 5 French lawyers The fund disappears, Anglo-Adriatika’s license is refused, international court case Page 7

EDITORIAL Albania has never suffered from a shortage of ideas or of the materialized accessories that have changed because of them. Let us be honest: we have never lacked them, and it seems we never will. More than from these, this country has suffered from inflation, noise, commotion and appearances colored better than prostitutes, and ultimately from the devaluation that reality itself has inflicted on the words “table” and “idea.” No one can say that gathering ... politics is wrong. Moreover, at a time like the one we are going through, at least for the past four years, when the word “dialogue” has forgotten Albanian and begun speaking only the international language of weapons and threats, using Albanian only for the rich arsenal of insults it offers, a roundtable and the dialogues held around it have become an acute necessity. But, at other times and then... It was the protagonists themselves who trampled them underfoot, profaned them as if they had never existed, and mocked them as though they were not the offspring of politicians themselves, but lost street urchins, found somewhere amid abandonment and in the corners of dusty streets... A roundtable convened yesterday and, although incomplete, as if it were not to be reduced to the mire of ever- ... more than some of them, this country has been ruled by inflation, noise, commotion and appearances painted with prostitutes’ rouge, ultimately by the devaluation that reality itself has brought upon words of importance, or ideas. There is nothing wrong with gathering and discussing around a table. And listening patiently to your partner, endowed with merits, or not, sitting around it, regardless of whether what he says seems to you wise words or nonsense... [fragment unclear] of weapons and whips, using Albanian only to give the rich reasoning for the services it offers you, a table necessity. But what still leaves you skeptical and does not dispel the bitter taste of doubt is the fact that tables have been convened other times too, called sometimes at the initiative of one side and ... [fragment unclear] for lost, runaway children, streets... A table was convened and, although incomplete, so long as it does not sink into the ever-present mire of hypocrisy that has continually surrounded Albanian political tables, it is not a bad thing. But will it really be so, or will this too meet the fate of the others...?

A rarity/Death leaves her alone, but the State forgets her She is over 110 years old but says she will live past 140 Special feature, pages 12, 13 A rarity/Death leaves her alone, but the State forgets her Afete Kurti, the woman who is living through 3 centuries She is over 110 years old but says she will live past 140 Special feature, pages 12, 13

Massacre in Tirana. 4 killed in one hour / He waited for his son to be arrested before taking revenge Massacre in Tirana. 4 killed in one hour. Husband and wife executed. The killer, their uncle’s son. He waited for his son to be arrested before taking revenge. A couple were killed yesterday in their home in Tirana. Kalashnikov bullets took the lives of Pellumb and Aishe Haxhinë, husband and wife, who were executed last night in their home. A hail of bullets was poured over their bodies, while the Police arrived at the scene immediately. Page 5

Discoveries on the stage of the 39th song festival / Metë, Petrovci and Bregu, the “three musketeers” of Fest 2000 Discoveries on the stage of the 39th song festival. Mustafaraj, presenting and blues music. Metë, Petrovci and Bregu, the “three musketeers” of Fest 2000. Page 21

PR seeks accountability for the local elections / Begeja calls for a protocol for the meeting PR seeks accountability for the local elections. OSCE roundtable, a fragile success. Begeja calls for a protocol for the meeting. The most visible outcome of yesterday’s dialogue roundtable on the elections remains the confirmation of the political will to hold further roundtables. Thus, the meeting between the political parties achieved only one objective: continuing contacts for dialogue.

ODIHR publishes report on the October 1 elections The questionable political composition and inability of the Central Election Commission to manage the local elections of October 1 and 15 were two particularly “hot” points in the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR. . CEC, political and family ties to the SP. The questionable political composition and inability of the Central Election Commission to manage the local elections of October 1 and 15 were two particularly “hot” points in the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR, which was released yesterday by their office in the Albanian capital. The report by the two organizations that monitored the previous electoral process highlights a series of irregularities in the election process. Pages 2, 3

Education . 60 percent of lecturers abandon the faculties. Page 11

. George Bush, the 43rd President of the USA. Page 18