Participants will also come from Kosovo and Macedonia. The sponsor makes it possible to award prizes to the winners Today, the nationwide “Tirana ’93” Marathon EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — Thousands of people will run together for many kilometers today. It is the Nationwide “Tirana ’93” Marathon that will bring together compatriots from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and the Albanian diaspora around the world. An occasion for people of every generation, who rarely do the same thing. “Participants will include pupils from primary and secondary schools, university students and military-school students — Edmond Gega, spokesman for the Albanian Olympic Committee, says enthusiastically — but they will be joined in the run by well-known athletes, veterans, members of various sports associations and Albanians living outside their homeland.” Invitations have also been extended to the staff of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Albania. Thus, runners will have the chance to see ambassadors at the marathon as well. “Ten athletes from Kosovo have confirmed so far that they will come to the Tirana marathon,” says Petrit Çendro, chairman of the Albanian Athletics Federation. Although, until the last day, only the Kosovars had been confirmed as participants, the organizers are confident that others will also come from Macedonia and other areas where Albanians live. Journalist Gani Kosumi from Kosovo has undertaken to arrange the participation of émigré Albanians and members of the diaspora as well. The organizers are anxiously awaiting the culmination of this marathon. They are the Municipality of Tirana, which, in addition to organizing the event, has also contributed 40,000 lekë, and the Tirana Regional Olympic Committee, in cooperation with the Albanian Athletics Federation. “Everything the organizers have done would have failed,” insists spokesman Gega, “if nobody had sponsored it.” Bemano, Duru, Euro Albania, Eximkos and the Union of Democratic Businessmen are the companies making it possible to award prizes to the winners. “For each age group and event in this marathon, the top ten places will receive prizes,” explains Enver Tonuzi, one of the members of the organizing group. Only the first-place amateur will receive 1,000 lekë, while athletes will receive 5,000 lekë. In addition, everyone who completes the marathon will receive another 1,000 lekë. This fine race will start at 10 o’clock from Tirana University Square. The 42-kilometer route will go from Tirana to Maminas and back via [unclear], while women will run only from Tirana to Maminas. It is expected to start today. People will surely remember the kilometers they ran afterward, realizing that it was not just a marathon in which someone had to come first. Because everyone will be a winner: those who, over 42 kilometers, will end up so close together, so much alike—people from all over the country, of the same blood, and others who agree to run alongside them. “There will be few spectators,” assures a young man who came to the Olympic Committee to ask about the marathon, “because everyone will be taking part.”

The tender announced by the Ministry of Construction has concluded FATOS BAXHAKU TIRANA — One of the most troubling problems for the capital’s population is moving toward a solution. Within two years, Tirana will have enough drinking water. Work to rebuild the Bovilla reservoir is due to begin in September. It is expected to have a capacity of around 100 million cubic meters, 30 million of which will be used to supply the population. The works will be financed by the Italian government, which has made 13 billion lire available. This project will ensure a water flow of 4,990 liters, comparable to that of most European cities. On Friday, the Italian company that will carry out the work was selected from among ten companies that submitted bids for the project, but its name has not yet been announced. Meanwhile, reconstruction of Tirana’s existing water-supply network has begun, with the aim of ensuring that by June residents on the upper floors of apartment buildings receive water for at least a few hours a day. For this purpose, the Albanian government has allocated 64 million lekë to the Municipality of Tirana. Drinking-water consumption will increase by around 30 percent, municipal specialists explain, but of course we cannot claim that this alone will solve the problem. Built in the 1950s, the capital’s water-supply system can no longer meet the needs of Tirana’s ever-growing population. It must supply 250,000 city residents and around 100,000 people in the surrounding villages. In recent years, water consumption has fallen to 320 liters per person per day in spring and much less during the dry season. Thus, the already considerable economic hardships were compounded by water shortages. It seems this period will soon be over. “With the reconstruction underway, water consumption will increase by 30 percent and supply will be guaranteed for a few hours a day, even to the upper floors,” municipal officials assure us. Nevertheless, it will take another two years for the water problem to be resolved definitively. That is how long the still-unnamed Italian company will need to rebuild the lost reservoir. The company’s identity remains something of a mystery. Several Italian companies showed great interest in carrying out the 13-billion-lire project. Ten of them took part in a competition organized for this purpose by the Albanian Ministry of Construction. Sources at the ministry say that the winning company has been selected, but its name will be announced only after further checks are carried out in cooperation with the Italian authorities.

TIRANA — Katia Riccia-

. TIRANA (Ed.La.) — Five have arrived in Tirana, modestly dressed and carrying a bag full of work tools. They come from Kosovo and are the first economic migrants to arrive in Albania. The tragedy continues, along with the unrestrained desire to emigrate. But this time they are Albanians from the Republic of Kosovo, who in recent days have been registering with the Albanian authorities as economic migrants. Although they are coming from their own country, where more than 300,000 compatriots are receiving assistance or are unemployed, they come all the same. And they need help. Five of them have just arrived. It is a real adventure for them. “Persecuted by the Serbs and unemployed, we have no other way out,” they told officials at Albania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Even those who are employed earn 20 marks a month; they cannot help us.” They are five Albanians seeking work in Albania. A 50-year-old father from Ferizaj has brought along his 10-year-old son, who has not yet attended school. He has traveled a long way together with three others from Gllogovci and other areas where Albanians live, hoping they will finally find a way out. As he is sent on from Shkodra to Elbasan and Tirana, he curses the route he took from Kosovo through Ulcinj to reach the Albanian border. Nobody can solve their predicament. Not even the Kosovo Office in Tirana, which is asking for documents proving their persecution. “We have left dozens more in Ulcinj,” they warn. The five newly arrived Kosovars are still outside. The robots have left them at the duty office of the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with the ministries, which wanted to put them to work. Perhaps someone will see them. And someone must see them.

A trial date has still not been set for the two young men . DURRËS — A date has still not been set for the trial of the two young men from Durrës who, a few days ago, desecrated 25 graves in the city cemetery (photo left). In an effort to lessen their guilt, the families of the two vandals from Durrës’s Neighborhood 15 have made the necessary funds available to restore the graves. Some of the families affected by the destruction have begun repairing the damage from that terrible night themselves. The son of a cancer patient at the city hospital was also a victim of this mass destruction. Unfortunately, the patient has learned what happened to his son’s grave.

. TIRANA — Katia Ricciarelli returns to the Albanian audience. Following the success she enjoyed in Tirana some time ago, on Tuesday she will give her second concert at the International Cultural Center. The concert is organized by the Italian Embassy in cooperation with the Albanian Radio and Television Orchestra, conducted by Italian conductor Franco Vasselli, with the participation of young Albanian singers. The concert repertoire consists of various works by distinguished composers such as Verdi, Donizetti, Mozart, Rossini, Mascagni, Catalani and Zadeja. The concert is part of the “1992-1993 Concert Season” series, presented to our audience from time to time.

The little girl underwent surgery in Lecce . Dorella, clandestine to escape death. MASSIMO BARBANO. LECCE — A desperate journey from Vlora to Lecce saved the life of a little Albanian girl, Dorella, eight years old, suffering from a serious illness, a form of cerebral cyst caused by a parasite in the fetal portion of the uterus... The journey was made by the child’s father, Zini Harliza, 34, a traffic police officer in Vlora, and a doctor, Dr. Hito Jaza, 51, head of the pediatrics department at the hospital in Vlora. The doctor arrived in Lecce with a five in his pocket, while the Albanians—the doctor and the little girl—left the fleet’s ferry at the port of the regional capital, Lecce, finally managing to get the border authorities to turn a blind eye to their lack of the necessary documents (at least for entry into Italy). The little girl appeared to be dead. The doctors at the “Faz” [?] hospital examined her and immediately decided to operate. Dorella has now escaped danger. She is sleeping peacefully in a bed in the intensive care unit of the neurosurgery department at the hospital in Lecce, where on Friday the doctors on Prof. Bartolomeo Armenise’s team, head of the neurosurgery division, operated on the girl. The operation lasted almost two hours and was successful. But how did this terrible adventure unfold? Dr. Hito Jaza, who as a doctor could assist during the operation, had brought Zini to his home at the hospital a few days earlier, exactly two days before leaving — says the Albanian doctor — despite the white coat I was wearing, I noticed that she had a parasite and that it was necessary to intervene as quickly as possible. I knew that an operation of this kind could be performed in Lecce. They set off on Wednesday afternoon aboard the ferry that traveled from Vlora to Italy. But when they reached Otranto, the problems began. The Carabinieri could not allow Zini and his daughter to disembark because they did not have the proper documents and residence permits. “The ship’s captain helped me a great deal,” explains the girl’s father, speaking in halting Italian. “He was Neapolitan and proved capable; he made the police officers understand that this was an emergency, that the girl was in very serious condition, that she risked dying, and that this was the only way we could get through.” The greatest credit goes to the diocesan Caritas and its president in Otranto, don. Pippo Colavero. The permit to pass was prepared around midnight, after the port authorities confirmed the girl’s serious condition and the need for urgent medical assistance. Then came admission to hospital in Lecce and the operation, which was successful. There is only one painful aspect left to tell. These people, because of this wonderful hospitality and without having given notice, will find that when Zini returns to Albania he will have lost his job.

The Durrës cemetery where 25 graves have been vandalized

The Adriatic in the front line for Bosnia The match ● The Lazio-Inter match could decide the championship. ● Is Clinton America’s sexiest man? ● A whole page of business notices

— by Stella Wilder. Aries 20/III 20/IV: An ideal week for the future and for pursuing commercial interests. Pay attention to details and examine every proposal thoroughly. Greater generosity toward your relatives could bring you more advantages than you think. Taurus 21/IV 20/V: It could be a more entertaining week… with irresistible temptations, if you are ready to let yourself be carried away. This is the ideal week to give up once and for all your bad habits. Gemini 21/V 20/VI: By the end of the week you may find yourself caught up in a somewhat unpleasant situation. Talking with a friend may help you find a more… satisfactory way. This week, encouragement and support may come precisely from someone you think is against your project. Cancer 21/VI 22/VII: The pace of your life may become frenetic in the middle of the week; you will therefore need to change your tactics and schedule. A small argument at the beginning of the week could turn into a difficult situation, if not a real clash, unless you make an effort to moderate your arguments. Leo 23/VII 22/VIII: In the first part of the week you will be waiting for a number of pieces of information, without which you cannot get your project underway. Resist the urge to break off a connection with a friend you have not seen for a long time; instead, try to repair the relationship. Virgo 23/VIII 22/IX: You will face responsibilities, something you absolutely do not want, this week and, whether you like it or not, you will be forced to make many decisions that will impose obligations on you. Do not do too many favors for others; in the end you may find yourself unable to help even yourself. Libra 23/IX 22/X: You will notice a beneficial influence on those around you. Your natural inclination toward fairness and your ability to maneuver in any situation will be very useful to you. Insist that others do what you say. Scorpio 2/X 21/XI: You may realize that excess does no good and will be forced to set limits. You will have many opportunities to help out with tasks, but few truly important moments in terms of quality. Sagittarius 22/XI 21/XII: However positive the coming week may be overall, nothing will satisfy you, and rightly so, because your aspirations and desires are moving faster. Unintentionally, in the coming days, you may find yourself in a delicate position. Capricorn 22/XII 19/I: You will be in a good mood but sluggish. Be careful not to go too far with jokes or by making others resentful. Try to understand the situation well by looking at it from another person’s perspective. Aquarius 20/I 19/II: You may find inspiration and comfort in routine. You will feel more stable than usual. You may meet someone who knows how to appreciate what you are able to offer. Pisces 20/II 19/III: Beware. Rivalry and competition may suddenly become very intense. The information at your disposal… may put you in an absolutely advantageous position against your competitors.