AID SCANDAL / Official act in the investigation into the case Blerim Çela: «Find other evidence» EDMOND LAÇI CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA — The Prosecutor’s Office has begun the main investigation into the aid scandal and immediately summoned Fatos Nano. The national secretary of the Socialist Party was questioned on Tuesday morning for almost two hours by investigator Llambi Bako, in his office at the General Investigation Directorate. Nano, accused of taking part in tax fraud between Italy and Albania while he was prime minister, still refuses to give up his parliamentary immunity and is therefore being questioned by a full panel of investigators. The chairman of the Socialist parliamentary group, Namik Dokle, commenting on the news to “Gazeta Shqiptare,” said that “this is a normal procedure, provided for in all cases when a person is named in documents submitted to the Investigation Directorate. The person named, that is, Fatos Nano, was summoned by the investigator to respond to the complaint filed against him by Blerim Çela, Chairman of the State Control Commission. This is only a professional clarification.” Ministry of Justice in Tirana Fatos Nano was reported by the State Control Commission as one of the people bearing the greatest responsibility. In this affair, which concerns the provision of aid funds worth 20 billion, offered by the Italian Government in 1991, the Bari-based company “Levant. Co.” has also become involved; its owner is under investigation in Italy as well. The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has in fact opened a full investigation, analogous to the one reported by the Albanian Commission, which has also implicated officials who were absent from the room), likewise connected to the aid scandal. Asked whether the accusations against Nano are such that he could be arrested, Çela replied that “the decision rests with the Investigation Directorate, but the evidence gathered so far is solid.” Çela added that “new facts” against him would have been collected at the Prosecutor’s Office. As for the Swiss trader Ajdin Sejdia, suspected of involvement in the scandal, it has been reported that this same Control Commission, in agreement with the Tirana Investigation Directorate, has asked the Swiss government to hand Sejdia over. But on the horizon of the scandal, another one is clearly taking shape, and once again it concerns food aid supplied by Italy. This time, the goods under suspicion would be those supplied in April 1992. It was Blerim Çela himself who informed Parliament that an investigation had begun “to verify irregularities in the supply of six tons of cheese.” Ministry of Justice in Tirana Former Prime Minister Fatos Nano

Protest demonstrations by the Greek minority The White House calls for tensions to be eased. Yeltsin visits Athens GJIROKASTËR — (p.re.) Tensions have increased between the Albanian Government and the Greek minority living in the Dropull region. Special units of the Albanian police had been sent to the centre of the conflict. In the village of Derviçan, near Gjirokastër, police intervened to disperse a demonstration by Greeks with Albanian citizenship, who were protesting the conviction of the Greek Orthodox priest, who had for some time been conducting anti-Albanian propaganda in favour of the union of southern Albania with the Greek state. According to press agencies, everything began after the 11 o’clock mass had ended. At that point, a former member of the Albanian Parliament, of Greek ethnicity, began urging the crowd to leave the church and protest. The Albanian police dispersed the demonstration—which had also been banned in the days before—without using firearms. In the ensuing commotion, one police officer was injured by a blow from a stone, and the police stopped around a thousand people who were trying to reach Gjirokastër to continue the protest. Nevertheless, the incident is not entirely clear. On the same day, the Foreign Ministry in Tirana rejected reports of unrest in the south of the country. According to the ministry, these were “lies and slanders aimed at destabilizing Albanian politics.” The latest tensions near Gjirokastër occurred just one day after the Albanian ambassador in Athens, Çabej, returned to Tirana “for consultations.” The Albanian diplomat’s return came immediately after a demonstration by a group of Greek nationalists outside the Albanian diplomatic mission in Athens. So far, international reactions to the new events taking place on the Albanian-Greek border have been few. Only the position of the US government has been made known. In an official statement, the White House spokesperson said that the return of Albanian refugees was a matter for the Greek government, but stressed that it would encourage every effort to normalize relations between the two southern Balkan neighbours. Meanwhile, Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s visit to Athens continued. The Russian president, accompanied by Foreign Minister Kozirev, met with the highest-ranking Greek officials, including President Konstantin Karamanlis. Both sides described the meetings as “very positive” and as a new development in the close relations between the two Orthodox nations. While Moscow has not yet become involved in direct negotiations for the creation of an Orthodox Balkan pact between Serbia and Greece, it has never concealed its sympathies for the Serbs of this faith. Protest demonstration in front of the Albanian embassy in Athens and, below, a view of Gjirokastër

ALBANIA JOINS THE “CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT” — The Albanian Parliament approved Albania’s accession to Treatment or Punishment,” instead of having previously suffered from communist violence and torture. Accession to this international convention—joining 85 other participating states—comes after our country had earlier joined the Civil and Political Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. AFTER 7 MONTHS OF BEING HELD UP IN VENICE, THE SHIP “DAUTI” RETURNS TO Durrës — The Albanian Merchant Fleet ship “Dauti,” which had been held up in the port of Venice since 7 May, was released by the Italian port authorities thanks to efforts ... imposed a penalty of 200 dollars, its detention was carried out by the Greek navy. The Ministry of Mines official, who was sent after ... Italian ... in the amount of 250,000 dollars. A HUNTER IN PUKE HUNTED 70 “CESHTJE” IN 40 DAYS — In the mountain area of Pukë, a hunter surrounded the area and the hunting grounds — left the conditions of fire. It concerns 40 days, a hunter who has...

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Grenades and cartridges seized TIRANA — (Ed. La.) Reliable information about clandestine arms trafficking has compelled the Albanian police to carry out operations against it. A “blitz” organized by officers of the Tirana Police Directorate for Public Order—at 1:00 at night—caught three people in the act, along with a quantity of military ammunition. After two hours of the necessary checks, the detainees were taken to Police Station No. 3. About 7,200 cartridges, 56 grenades, 400 automatic-rifle cartridges and grenade fuses were immediately seized from the Albanian citizens Çerçiz Lule 1-b/ h-officer, aged 43, and his wife Luljana, aged 39, as well as the Yugoslav citizen, but of Albanian ethnicity, I. K., aged 41. The latter (whose full name was not given by the authorities) was found in a single-storey house near the centre of Tirana, which he had rented. A lawyer whom the accused attempted to appoint as their defence counsel says that “it is thought that other people are also implicated in this arms trafficking who, although identified, cannot be named because the investigations are ongoing.” For the same reason—the investigations—other police bodies are also reluctant to give a definitive account of this operation, which may still be in progress. An investigative case has been opened against the detainees.

A few days ago, “Gazeta” published an article titled “A tourist oasis is born in Ksamil.” In connection with this article, a response has arrived from the Press Spokesperson of the Ministry of Tourism. It says that the news is inaccurate and that the Italian partner in the joint venture STS has so far fulfilled none of its obligations. Thus, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, what the article says—that work will begin before the summer—is not true. The text of the denial states that “since the contract signed two years ago has not been implemented because the Italian entrepreneur has failed to fulfil his obligations, other options are being considered.”

The Italian mission is demobilized and changes its role DURRËS — “Operation ‘Pellicano’ will continue in Albania, but now also as a training center for Albanian military personnel.” General Antonio Tabaldo said this at the end of a press conference he held in Durrës, where it was announced that the Italian “Pellicano” mission would change its function. The training center is one of Operation “Pellicano”’s objectives for the future. For nearly two years, since September 18, 1991—perhaps more precisely, since it began transporting food aid and medicine to Albania—the operation has changed in Albania in accordance with a project previously put forward. But during the final month of “Pellicano”’s activity, its operations have been scaled back, as is also shown by the personnel at the center, which now numbers 850 people, down from the 1,100 it had at the beginning. This has also been accompanied by the return to Italy on May 29 of this year of 10 military personnel and 131 vehicles. Meanwhile, daily transport capacity has fallen from 1,400 tons to 300. “This has happened as a result of the reduction in workload,” General Tabaldo says, “but also because the Albanian Operation ‘Shqiponja’ has learned to operate more effectively.” During its deployment in Albania, this contingent covered 10 million and 400 thousand kilometers by road and carried out 1,790 hours of helicopter flights, transporting 41 thousand tons of aid. The aid was unloaded at the ports of Durrës and Vlorë, and the transport…

Everyone dreams when they sleep. This is an entirely normal fact, except that sometimes these dreams are so beautiful or so bad that they leave you astonished and perplexed when you wake up. But dreams can also be “prophetic,” that is, they can contain a preview, a warning of what may happen in the future. Every week, “Gazeta Shqiptare” offers its readers explanations and the meaning of objects and situations that are most often dreamed about. TO BREAK Psychological interpretation: This dream can be interpreted either as a threat to an idea that has faded away (a romantic relationship, a friendship, a hope...) or as a desire to break away from a calculation or from people or situations. Prediction: Breaking glass means becoming weak; breaking dishes means plenty (so much that you can no longer manage). SWALLOW Psychological interpretation: A symbol of old age, but it can also be a negative symbol associated with betrayal, separation, and lack of faithfulness. Prediction: A flock of many swallows; a swallow in a nest means joy. ROSE Psychological interpretation: Considered in every age the king of flowers, the rose is a symbol of beauty and femininity. But one must be careful, because the rose can prick you: this delicate flower therefore also represents the suffering of love. We must also remember the rose celebrated by Latin poets: it must not be picked, so as not to lose its enchanting beauty. This speaks of the flower not losing its virginity, which has another meaning: being able to… After all, we all know that a rose’s beauty lasts only a short time: it also represents youth, which comes and goes quickly. Prediction: Roses herald good chances only if they remain in their proper season. Otherwise, they foretell problems. White roses foretell happy love; red ones, pleasure and sensuality. Picking roses and wrapping them means an important and captivating event; wilted roses indicate disappointment and failure. RED Psychological interpretation: Red is… SAND Psychological interpretation: Sand is a symbol of a dream: it protects and, from a psychological point of view, is like the dust of sleep. Dreams dominated by this image indicate a desire to return to childhood and make changes. Prediction: Sand offers help with cleaning…