A history of Apollonia, Butrint and Durrës Closed gates, mobilized guards and alarm systems: this is how Albanian treasures are being protected FATOS BAXHAKU TIRANA — The treasures of Albanian history and art continue to be under threat. Following the deployment of armed guards at the main museums, the Ministry of Culture has asked the Albanian Government to finance the purchase of four alarm systems for some of the museums at greatest risk. If approved by the government, the entire operation will cost around 16,000 dollars. This also increases the chances that some of these museums will be opened to the general public. In addition, Albanian experts, in cooperation with their foreign counterparts, are continuing work to improve the law on cultural heritage, which will soon be presented to parliament. But how much damage has been done to the treasury of Albanian art in recent years? According to the first official information provided to the newspaper, the theft of valuable objects began as early as December 1990. The first archaeological museums to fall victim to break-ins were those of Butrint, Apollonia and Durrës. Many ancient objects are missing from the inventories of the first two, located in rural areas and difficult to protect. In March 1991, 13 Greek- and Roman-era tombstones were stolen from the Durrës museum of antiquities, not counting other smaller objects: tear bottles and ceramic vessels from the same period. In Butrint, the thieves aimed higher. Over two years, five ancient sculpted heads dating from the fifth century BC disappeared from the almost unprotected museum, according to information held by the Archaeological Center in Tirana. In Apollonia, thieves who have yet to be identified managed, between March and October 1991, to force open three times the door of the monastery where archaeological objects unearthed over decades of excavations were kept. Other, smaller museums have also suffered damage. Thus, in Tepelenë, in January of this year, a silver sword and several other valuable relics were stolen, which experts attribute to Ali Pashë Tepelena, the famous Albanian nobleman of the 18th century. So far, a good portion of the stolen objects have ended up outside Albania. Three of the five heads from Butrint were recovered by Greek police: one in a modest house on the outskirts of Parga, and two were seized from two Albanians who were trying to sell them at the Corfu market for 3 million drachmas (around 15,000 dollars). According to experts at the Archaeological Center in Tirana, “there is an entire clandestine trade in ancient amphorae between Albania and Italy.” In fact, such an incident was confirmed last July, when an Italian motorboat loaded with ancient amphorae was intercepted in Albanian territorial waters but managed to escape thanks to its great speed. There is evidence that stolen objects have also reached far-off countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. So far, according to official information available to Guri Pano, the Ministry of Culture’s museum inspector, few people have been prosecuted. Among them was one unusual case: a priest, the priest of the Ardenica monastery, accused of stealing icons together with three fellow villagers—icons he himself was supposed to guard. In Berat, the director of the “Onufri” museum was dismissed; he was also suspected of having had a hand in the disappearance of several icons. As we shall see, this is precisely the kind of business that is highly profitable for art traffickers. (1 — continued) Special report

Inside Albanian trade unionist arrested in Kosovo A guide in Bari to help immigrants The Pope’s impressions of his visit to Albania

Italian football championship The Inter player Ruben Sosa celebrates after his second goal DANIELE VULPI ROME — What will happen now in the race for the national championship title? Inter, only four points behind Milan, are trying to catch up, pinning their hopes on the five matchdays remaining in this championship. A bold pursuit—considered “madness” until just a few weeks ago, and less so today—is thrilling all of Italy’s football fans, even though those who believe in it least are the protagonists themselves. But another subplot, another challenge, lies beneath the obvious rivalry between Inter and Milan. While the Inter fans constantly deny that their aim is to avoid drawing attention to themselves, as they notch up one emphatic victory after another, and the Milan players are strangely content with easy draws (0–0 in Udine), Sunday’s spotlight revealed the rivalry, the duel between two rival players: Ruben Sosa, so far the author of 16 goals against Milan, and the standard-bearer, the star of years past who shone in Milan’s victories, Marco Van Basten, who came on precisely in the match in Udine after a long absence. The outcome of Inter’s somewhat belated surge may perhaps depend on this duel, and yet this is exactly what makes the pursuit of the matches more gripping. The championship break for the national team’s matches against Switzerland will give Inter the chance to maintain its marvelous physical and mental form, and Milan the chance, with Van Basten’s return to the pitch, to find new elements to secure victory. All this will add considerable excitement to the matches. In the shadow of the long duel between the two Milan sides, the UEFA places are being contested—Juventus, in marvelous form, is the leading contender, with Lazio and Parma increasingly setting their sights on Europe—and the battle to avoid relegation is becoming ever more dramatic. Only Foggia, which has 28 points in the standings, can breathe easily at the moment (although in the next three matches it will have to face Juventus). Fiorentina, which took on Juventus and lost, is in a truly difficult position. It is fifth from the bottom (alongside Genoa), one point ahead of Udinese. And in three rounds’ time, the head-to-head match with Juventus will be played in Florence. A detour for the Florentines is almost obligatory, especially since Brescia (third from the bottom with 22 points) is showing no sign of hopelessness, and Genoa itself is naturally better equipped than Fiorentina to fight on until the very end. And all these teams sliding towards relegation are certainly expected to get a taste of the thrill of draws.

A new stage between the two countries The Albanian Government

Another citizen from Tropoja killed in Pejë

A new stage between the two countries recognizes Macedonia TIRANA — Albania recognized Macedonia as a sovereign and independent state. The decision was also delivered to the Albanian representatives at the CSCE. Official recognition was granted by the Albanian government under the new name approved by the international community—“The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”—only a few days after the small Slavic state was admitted to the United Nations. Relations between the two neighboring Balkan countries have thus been raised to a higher level. Since the countries on both sides of the border became democratic, those relations have developed positively, despite substantial problems. A considerable number of Albanians live in Macedonia, and they have on several occasions forcefully demanded their rights. This has meant that relations between the two countries have often experienced periods of tension over the past two years. A number of border incidents have also played a part, in which Albanians who had crossed the border illegally were killed or wounded by Macedonian border guards. Nevertheless, despite the ups and downs, Albanian-Macedonian relations over the past two years have been fruitful for both countries. Macedonia is the only foreign country to have abolished visa requirements for Albanian citizens—a gesture welcomed by the government in Tirana. Thousands of Albanians from Kosovo who wish to visit their relatives in Albania pass through it. On the other hand, a substantial part of Macedonia’s imports passes through Albanian ports. This has provided no small measure of assistance to the Macedonian economy, which has been in crisis for some time.

Another citizen from Tropoja killed in Pejë in Kukës on the border with Kosovo KUKËS (Ed. La.) — Five young Albanian citizens were killed by Serbian forces at the Albanian-Kosovar border. The latest dramatic incident took place near the northern city of Kukës, where Albanians wishing to cross the border to meet their relatives have also been killed and massacred on previous occasions. These five citizens were killed several meters inside what is called the Yugoslav border. A similar incident apparently occurred near the Kosovar city of Pejë, where another Albanian was killed. To verify the latest events, a helicopter carrying representatives of the Albanian Ministry of Public Order, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reporters departed urgently from Tirana. After inspecting the scene, they reported further details to the authorities. The case resembles many others in recent times, about which the Albanian Government has protested vigorously. This is because it is not the first time Serbian border guards have fired without warning at Albanian citizens, in violation of all international norms. According to the Public Order Department in Kukës, the Albanian victims are: Behar Adem Adem, 25, from Bardhoci; Mersin Hysen Sila, 27, from Morina; Hysen Hasan Sila, 25, from Morina; Ethem Dod Sila, 26, from Morina; and Mendur Sadri Sila, 15, also from Morina. The last four were related to one another. The same source states: “The killing by Serbian border forces took place several meters inside the Kosovo border and almost three hours from the Qafë-Morinë border post. The automatic gunfire caused the immediate deaths of the five people; 18 bullets were even found in the body of one of them.” On the day they were killed, the five victims from the Kukës district were not brought to the Albanian border for handover; instead, it was decided that their mortal remains would be handled in the nearest city to the incident, Prizren. Perhaps this was also done to conceal, even slightly, the scale of this mass killing by the Serbian authorities. In any case, until the victims are handed over to the Albanian authorities, it is impossible to speak of complete facts. Details are not yet known about the other incident in Pejë, where the citizen from Tropoja was killed. Since the beginning of the year, 24 people aged 20–30 from the same district have been killed by Serbian forces. These are dramatic incidents, for which a decisive intervention by international organizations is awaited.

ROME — Having distributed more than 400,000 tons, “Pellicano”—the Italian military contingent that for more than a year has been transporting food and medicines throughout Albania and Kosovo—has reached another milestone. Sent across the Adriatic in September 1991 to help for just a few months, the Italian soldiers have by now become an integral part of the economy and of communal life. The members of “Italfor”, whose numbers have fallen from 700 at the beginning to just 550, have covered a long distance of more than 10 million kilometers in 435 vehicles, unloading supplies in the most remote areas of the country.

I am a citizen from Elbasan: 29 Nëntori Neighborhood, No. 27. My name is Qamil Kasa. Since March, I have not been able to get in touch with my son, N. Kasa, in Turin, Italy. His telephone number is: 0039 122629255. (Qamil Kasa — Elbasan) * * * Do you have a relative, a friend or a loved one far away, across the sea? Would you like to reach them with a greeting, a message or simply a wish? This space is yours: use it; they will read it. If you are in Italy, you can write to this address: GAZETA SHQIPTARE, Viale Scipione l’Africano 269, 70100 Bari — If you live in Albania, you can write to this address: GAZETA SHQIPTARE, Rruga Bajram Curri 370, Tirana. I am the father of our son. He became a refugee in March. We have had no contact for 5–6 months, neither by telephone nor by letter. You can understand our concern as parents. He has not left either the place where he lived or the job where he worked. The telephone number where he worked, a local café, is 0039 937951076, while the telephone number of the house where the owner let him stay is: 0039 87954657. The owner is from Pelegorona, Catania, Italy. I do not know how to write at greater length, given the worrying situation we are in. Please, we beg you to help us find our son, Artan Deliu, or Artur, as the Italians where he worked called him. We ask you once again, especially for his mother, who is worried: help us find out where our son is. Even if he has been killed, whatever his situation or condition may be. We await a reply as soon as possible. With esteem and respect. (The Delia family) My son left for Italy during the March 1991 exodus and found work and accommodation in Lika, Italy. My son is called Gjerqi Qose; he is 22 years old. I was in touch with him until 10 August 1992. After that, he called me using that number and said he was going to Milan. Since that day (10 August), I have not heard any news, so please help me find out where he is and let Gjergji himself call [???]. Gjergji’s address is: Saide Duro, NB Maliq Pritias. Please, his name is Gjergji Qose. I have great hope. (Saide Doro — Drithas)