ALI CENA’S TESTIMONY / Someone may have entered through the secret corridor “I was there; I didn’t hear a single shot” CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA — “No, Mehmet Shehu would never have killed himself; he was far too strong a person to commit such an act of weakness. And besides, on the night of December 17 I was there, standing guard in front of his villa, and what happened was truly strange...” Ali Cena, the Prime Minister’s personal escort chief, officially said to have taken his own life 12 years earlier, continues to reveal to the “Gazeta” his unpublished memories from the nine years he spent alongside Mehmet Shehu. And he explains why he is now convinced that it was not a suicide, but a murder. Let’s take things in order: when did you last see Mehmet Shehu alive? “It was the evening of December 16. He had attended a meeting of the Political Bureau, where there was a very 1 heated discussion. They had accused him because he had become engaged to a girl whose family included relatives persecuted by the regime. It was called a scandalous fact. While he was in the meeting room, I walked along the corridor. Loud shouting could be heard; everyone was attacking him. The meeting ended at 19:45. When he came out, he was shaken and with his own people. I had never seen him in that state, even though in the last few days he had at 8 o’clock, because the meeting began at 9 and he had to speak before the Political Bureau and make a self-criticism.” So you returned to his villa only the next morning? “No, and that is the strangest thing that happened that night. An hour after I got back to my house, the Prime Minister’s personal doctor called me. Mehmet had phoned him and asked who was on guard at the villa that night. He seemed worried about something. The doctor had reassured him by saying that I was there too: it wasn’t true, but the doctor then asked me to go and stand guard. I went immediately. I reached the front of the villa at 22:45 and stayed until the body was found. That night, the doctor, the driver, two soldiers and I were on duty.” Did you notice any suspicious movements while you were on duty? “Absolutely nothing. And this is the second dark point: we did not even hear the shot that killed Shehu.” Why couldn’t a silenced weapon have been used? “The pistol found beside the body had no silencer. It was a ‘Makkarov’ pistol, which he always kept in his safe together with a submachine gun a self-criticism.” And another episode, known to very few people, proves this. The day after the incident, experts from the Ministry of the Interior carried out a test: they shut the bedroom door and fired a pistol once in the same room where Shehu had died. The shot sounded very loud, both where we had been standing guard that night and much farther away.” What do you think that means? “It’s very simple: the weapon that killed Mehmet Shehu was not the one found beside his body. It must have been some weapon fitted with a silencer. So I was in my place when I heard shouting in the house, and then Vladimir called me over the radio. I ran inside; that made me the second person—after his son—to see Mehmet Shehu ‘dead.’” Did you notice anything strange? “No, but this too seemed surprising to me. He was lying on the bed and looked as if he were asleep: he was wearing glasses, a white shirt, the bottom part of his pyjamas and socks. The bed was completely undisturbed. At the height of his right knee, on the mattress, lay the pistol. He had died from a single shot to the heart. The doctors ... in hand.” So you support the version that someone killed Mehmet Shehu. But who, given that you were on guard and ensured that no one entered the villa? “There were many ways to enter the villa without being noticed. The first was through the underground tunnels, intended for emergencies. The tunnels led directly to the Prime Minister’s office, but we did not guard them. Then I want to add something else: the members of our escort guarded only the front of the villa. The rear was monitored by members of Enver Hoxha’s escort. But even about this...” A truly was walking in you. was truly shaken. I had never seen him in that state, although he had also been extremely upset during the last ten days. He remained silent in the car all the way to his home. I accompanied him inside; we said goodbye, and he made an appointment with me for the next morning: I had to get an answer. Why could a silenced weapon not have been used? “The pistol found beside the body did not have a silencer. It was a ‘Makkarov’ brand a submachine gun.” Is it possible that the shots were not heard because the shutters and gates were closed? “No, that is not possible...” “It is possible, it is possible, and from a weapon fitted with a silencer. So it was another one, not that one...” Who discovered the body first? “His son, Vladimir. He found him at around 7:30. I was ... ... stronger, at the place where we had kept watch that night, [he] was wearing glasses, a white shirt, the bottoms of his pajamas and socks. His head was completely unmarked. If the height of the stone on the right ... a pistol was found. The doctors explained to me that it is truly unusual to kill someone with just one shot to the heart: the usual instinctive action is to shoot ... ... astonishing. right ... Mehmet Shehu, a strange incident took place. But that is another story ... ... railway tunnels where he used to ... The tunnels led straight to the Prime Minister’s office ... but they did not come down on us. our escort guarded only the front part of the villa. The rear was watched by members of Enver Hoxha’s escort. But here too, two days after Mehmet Shehu’s death, ...” ... subjective observations drawn from the French Embassy in Tirana. “What impresses us most,” the statement says, “is the fact that France, as the host country—not only delayed issuing the visas, but, even more paradoxically, denied the right to representation at this event to all ...” Eleven-year-old Oriola Ymeri, national champion, will understandably be considered too young, ... ... the other teams. Both teams were able to cover their own expenses—through sponsors, one Albanian from Macedonia and the other, Italian Marchet​​i Morena from Ancona—and are now waiting for visas from the Italian Embassy in Tirana. If the two teams are unable to obtain them, then Albania will ultimately be represented by 12 athletes ... ... part of the $9,500 that the International Olympic Solidarity provides to these Games. “Financial reasons,” explain KOKSH spokespersons Edmond Gega, “mean that a large number of athletes, such as wrestlers, track-and-field athletes, cyclists and shooters, will not be able to take part in this major sporting event.” Former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu

Our country takes part in the 12th Mediterranean Games For financial reasons, many other athletes cannot go Sport Our country is taking part in the 12th Mediterranean Games The Albanian sports team arrives in Montpellier today For financial reasons, many other athletes cannot go EDMOND LAÇI TIRANA — After many setbacks, the Albanian Sports Delegation is due to leave today to take part in the 12th Mediterranean Games in Montpellier. This is our country’s third participation in an event of this kind, although this time the delegation is many times smaller than for the two previous events. Having finally managed to obtain French visas and secure the funds needed to cover the costs of the event, the first 15 Albanians will travel to France by air today, so that Albania can also parade in the Opening Ceremony, which takes place tomorrow. Two days before the delegation’s departure for Montpellier, the Albanian National Olympic Committee issued a worried press statement emphasizing that Albania would arrive late for the 12th Mediterranean Games because of subjective obstacles imposed by the French Embassy in Tirana. “What surprises us most,” the statement said, “is that France, as the host country, not only delayed issuing the visas, but, more paradoxically, also denied the right to participate in these...” ...the last country in terms of participation, among the other 20 countries. The decline is evident: 31 athletes represented Albania at its first participation in the Mediterranean Games and 120 at the second. Those figures now seem a distant memory and, when one considers that even Croatia, emerging from war, will take part with 290 athletes, the indignation is justified. But financial concerns will accompany our athletes throughout their stay in Montpellier as well. The volleyball team’s match will be particularly interesting if it progresses beyond the group matches, because sponsorship covers only the first matches. “For the whole of 1993, our state allocated 20,000 dollars to sport,” says Marjeta Zaçe, Secretary General of the Albanian National Olympic Committee. “Of this amount, only 6,000 dollars remain to be used for the Mediterranean Games, because 14,000 dollars are paid every year in membership fees to various international federations.” The same sum of 9,500 dollars that the International Olympic Solidarity gives Albania once every four years will also be used for these Games. “It was financial reasons,” says Edmond Gega, spokesperson for the Albanian National Olympic Committee, “that prevented a good number of athletes, such as wrestlers, track-and-field athletes, Football Totofutboll TIRANA — Totofutboll competition No. 40 was the last one of the 1992–93 football season. This week the competition was based solely on the schedule in the Italian Serie B championship, and there were no winners with 12 points. The sum of 141,279 lekë available for the winners will be shared by 5 tickets that managed to score 11 points: Elbasan — 009671 (2 tickets), Tirana — 034696 and Vlora — 093092. The winning tickets — without any advertising — would receive 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1

A new attack by the “blue helmets” NEW YORK — Silence and unease have settled over the UN headquarters in New York. The UN press office, amid a flood of requests for statements or reactions following the involvement of Pakistani “blue helmets” against a crowd of Somali demonstrators in Mogadishu, responds with a curt “no comment.” The UN special envoy to Somalia, Admiral Jonathan Howe, confined himself to describing the incident as “deplorable” in an interview with the NBC television network, while the US ambassador back at the Glass Palace, Madeline Albright, although condemning it, said that the demonstration was “very justified” and that she “understood the fear the blue helmets might have felt when the crowd approached soldiers who were unable to defend themselves.” “The UN peace operations room is in a state of turmoil,” [text garbled in source]. It was specified that the current toll of the action is only one dead. It is not ruled out, however, that the number of victims may be 20. On Sunday morning, a new air raid took place over Mogadishu: two American AC-130 aircraft repeatedly fired heavily at an area in a west-northwest direction. The target of the new American attack may have been [text garbled in source] other heavy-weapons depots just outside the city. American blue helmets take cover behind an armored vehicle

TIRANA — The visit to Albania by Undersecretary of State Giuseppe Giacovazzo, who came at the invitation of the Rector of the University of Tirana, has ended. At a meeting held during a reception at the Italian Embassy, Undersecretary Giacovazzo expressed to Albanian President Sali Berisha, among other things, Italy’s willingness to establish a comprehensive operational plan for the so-called post-emergency phase. For his part, President Berisha expressed his concern about the situation in Kosovo, which further aggravates the instability throughout the Balkan area and the wider region. Berisha also reiterated the Tirana government’s determination not to change the borders. Giacovazzo expressed his appreciation for the “consistency and care” of Albanian foreign policy, which is a stabilizing factor in a difficult and complicated situation such as the present one in the Balkan region. Before leaving for Rome, Giacovazzo met with the Albanian Minister for Decentralization and Local Administration, Rexhep Uka, who outlined Albania’s decentralization projects to him. During his three-day visit to Albania, Undersecretary Giacovazzo also visited the “Pellicano” contingent’s base in Durrës, where he met the head of the mission, General Toboldo, who briefed him on the Italian army’s activities in distributing humanitarian aid to the Albanian population in recent months.

On the last page: a photo of Partizani PINO MONTAGNA As is well known, Partizani dominated the entire Albanian football season, winning the championship title (for the fifteenth time), the Republic Cup (for the thirteenth time) and two mini-tournaments with prizes totaling 3,000 dollars. Less well known is the fact that Partizani Club is now an association 80 percent owned by an Italian construction company, the ABACO association (headed by engineer Stefano Salvati, a well-known entrepreneur from Terni), while the remaining 20 percent is still controlled by the Albanian Ministry of Defense (represented by Bujar Labinoti). This is therefore a rather unusual form of sponsorship: a sports association with mixed Italian-Albanian capital, a step toward genuine professionalism; in any case, it remains the first and most lasting financial commitment by foreign capital in Albanian sport. It should be said that this initiative grew out of a chance meeting between Eng. Salvati and Partizani’s current coach, Sulejman Starova, at Rinas Airport in September 1991. Everything took concrete form only at the beginning of the 1992–93 sports season, following the introduction of new legislation that enabled all football teams to become autonomous, allowing them to operate freely in a market economy. What interest could have prompted Italian entrepreneurs to invest in a sports club? Salvati himself gave us the answer: “For the time being, we cannot have ... ... speculative aims, especially given the country’s serious economic difficulties. Nevertheless, one must not forget that Partizani has always been a leading force in Albanian football: it has three goals in the golden record of titles; nor should one underestimate the fact that, at the sponsor’s request, technical and sporting management was entrusted to Albanians. The coach was therefore able to work with a completely established group of players, little changed from last year. Let us recall the first-choice eleven: Dani, Muftari, Ocelli, Shulku, Bano, Muça, Meta, Shehu, Hoxha, Çoçlli, Dosti (the best Albanian goalscorer, with 21 goals). We will close with a brief note on the plans being prepared for the new season: a training camp before the championship is being considered in Umbria, with the possibility of arranging friendly matches against Italian teams (if possible, Bari); participation in the Cup of Ar— [text truncated] is also planned, as the champions’ cup, for which everyone—officials and supporters alike—hopes for a matchup with Italy’s champions, Milan.”

DURRËS BEACH BLOCKED BY THE HOMELESS — For seven months, the 860 apartments at Durrës beach have been occupied by homeless people. They are families of politically persecuted people, police officers and other homeless residents of Durrës. Despite efforts by the security forces and the city municipality, the situation remains unresolved, and the beach will not be available to holidaymakers this year either. Meanwhile, many residents living along the coast from Dajlan Bridge to Shkëmbi i Kavajës have adapted their homes to rent them out during the summer. DENTAL CLINIC SAFE IN KORÇË STOLEN BY UNKNOWN PERSONS — The safe at the Korçë Dental Clinic has been stolen by persons who have not yet been identified. The thieves reached the safe after breaking the door to the corridor and the laboratory. FINANCIAL POLICE IN KORÇË SEIZE 30 QUINTALS OF FISH CAUGHT WITHOUT A PERMIT — During an inspection by the Financial Police in Korçë, 8 vehicles carrying around 8 quintals of fish caught without a permit in Lake Prespa were impounded. For some time, [text garbled in source] caught without a permit in Lake Prespa. permit in Lake Prespa. permit in Lake Prespa. permit in Lake Prespa. Two people were also taken to the police station in connection with this: clandestine fishermen who used dynamite as well. For illegal fishing and catching high-quality fish, [text garbled in source]; it is intended for the Macedonian market. CSCE HIGH COMMISSIONER ON NATIONAL MINORITIES IN ALBANIA — Max van der Stoel, the CSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, arrived in Tirana. He came after visiting Macedonia, where he discussed with the authorities in Skopje the many ethnic problems facing the new Balkan republic. During his visit to Tirana, van Stoel will meet senior figures from the Albanian Parliament, Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The High Commissioner on National Minorities is a new CSCE institution for minorities. The Dutchman van Stoel was appointed to this post in December 1992, and during this period his visits to Hungary and Slovakia have been considered very successful. POLLUTION IN GJIROKASTËR IS INCREASING — Viroi Park near the city of Gjirokastër has been seriously polluted by waste dumped by a business at the tourist site. Almost the entire area has been affected; the park is a cultural and tourist center near the city. “Çerçiz Topulli”. More than [text garbled in source] household waste has identified around 70 cases of ... IN TEPELENA, SEIZURES FOR [text garbled in source] — The Financial Police in Tepelena carried out inspections at several enterprises and businesses ...