“The criminals of the dictatorship must stand trial” The famous writer comments on the political situation. And makes accusations... EDMOND LAÇI “I don’t know why the sadists and torturers of the old dictatorship are not being tried. That is the simplest thing that could have been started.” After a long period of exile in France, Ismail Kadare has returned once again to Albania and its problems. This time—in answering the Albanian Newspaper—he takes a firmer position: “It is absurd that trials on genocide, half-theoretical ones, are being held in Albania today, while the real political and ordinary criminals are not being tried. Everyone knows them very well, and they are still free.” What should be done, in your opinion? “If a system is put on trial, one looks at who committed crimes against humanity and which crimes the system had entailed. Since the system we went through entailed crimes, then you have to find thousands of people who built and maintained that system. But within that ‘legal system’ there were people who violated even the laws that were in force at the time. There are hundreds and thousands of people in Albania who beat, tortured, and killed people during interrogations.” But trials have been held? “They have, but there has been a lack of consistency, even an essential one. The recent trials have been very superficial. They should have been trials that got at the truth and went all the way, rather than proceeding on the basis of conjecture.” So, in your view, has the prosecution been the main failing? “Above all the charges that can be brought against the old 45-year system, the most important should be those that give something back to this people. First of all, the money must be returned to the Albanian people.” So you mean the question of money that the PPSH may have transferred out of Albania? “I thought that every initial investigation into the matter of Albanian gold would begin with this. I was even surprised that this had not been done. It was a decision of the Political Bureau, and the fact that the finance ministers who lived through that period are still alive—at least one of them—is intriguing. As far as I know, he is only wise [wording unclear], and this still doesn’t surprise me.” Are you convinced that the PPSH has such a fund abroad? “The fact that the leaders of that time kept a reserve airplane and had an airfield like the one at Dajt to flee from in any eventuality shows that their mindset also presupposed taking precautions. Around 1963, the issue of a fund of money abroad was also raised in the Political Bureau. Today this fund may be in many countries around the world. I say there are abuses surrounding this issue: they asked Nexhmije Hoxha whether there was money, and she swore there wasn’t. But Nexhmija may not have the money in her pocket or in her own name; someone may have a party fund. So it must be known what the code is for accessing it. I only remember that this fund should be found and taken back for the people.” Do you have any handwritten document proving that this fund exists? “I don’t know of or possess any special documents; other people know what I’m telling you as well. But I consider what I’m saying logical, not sensational, given the system of that time. Let there first be an investigation into whether there was such a decision to keep a reserve of gold abroad or not. At least verify whether this principle existed, because if it is true about the gold, it must certainly have been put into practice.” And what about the role of the Albanian opposition? “It seems to me that all the main political forces in Albania are not constructive, because I see no friendly willingness to reach an understanding with one another. This is the worst thing happening in Albania.” The Albanian writer Ismail Kadare

Current laws allow Albanians to play only for teams in the lower divisions PINO MONTAGNA BARI - A brief investigation into the presence of Albanian footballers in the various Italian leagues led us to the surprising conclusion that there are currently not many of them and, moreover, they play at most in the fifth division (known as the interregional championships), which is reserved for amateurs. These include well-known footballers such as Arjan Stafa (formerly of Dinamo and the national team, now with Termoli), or Shllaku (formerly of Partizani, now at Giulianova), or Deliallisi (formerly of Partizani, currently at Maglie), etc., who in most cases play in towns in southern Italy. So why does this happen? We found an answer from a spokesperson for the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) registration office and in the regulations governing the registration of foreign footballers of any nationality, including Albanians. In fact, unlike other countries (Germany, Greece, France, etc.), in Italy a foreigner is allowed to play only in the Serie A championships, while participation in the other professional leagues is prohibited: in descending order, Serie B, Serie C1, and Serie C2. One foreign player per team may be accepted only by professional teams, that is, ama- ...teur football is divided into nine groups of 18 teams each, formed according to geographical proximity criteria covering two or three regions. But beyond sporting issues, Albanians wishing to obtain a residence permit to stay in Italy must take into account the fact that they are non-EU nationals and therefore need to be employed—a requirement that is officially impossible for amateur football associations. In reality, the fifth and sixth divisions of Italian associations allow athletes to earn a little financial security.” Finally, let us hear the experience of Igi Deliallis (26, formerly a Partizani defender): “I started playing for Partizani Tirana. In 1991 I arrived in Italy with the enticing offer of playing for Casarano (Serie C1), but later I discovered this was impossible because of sports legislation: it required that I play for two seasons... So I agreed to play for Maglie (in the Province of Lecce), where I have continued playing for two years and am doing quite well. This year we earned promotion to the interregional division. I have scored 13 goals; I am also a master instructor at a gym. The only thing that isn’t going well is that I cannot play in divisions that are technically more important. I would like to return to Albania, to...” other professional championships is prohibited; these are, One foreigner per team may be accepted only by amateur football clubs, starting from the fifth tier (or what in Italian football is called the interregional championships), which is unavailable to amateur football associations; in fact, the fifth and sixth tiers of Italian associations allow the best athletes a kind of financial security. To conclude, let us hear about the experience of Igli Dellialtisti (26, former Partizani defender): “I started playing for Partizani when I was 16, and thus became a regular starter; in 1990 I went to Switzerland to a clu—..., then for [text unclear]. This year we have earned promotion, participation in the interregional league. I have also a gym. The only thing I really dislike is that I cannot play in technically important divisions. My wish is that when I return to Albania, I will be able to practise my profession as a physical education teacher.” Footballers on the pitch

Accusing Greater Serbia

Accusing Greater Serbia GENEVA — A heated debate at the Crans Montana society meeting (Switzerland) between Albania’s president, Sali Berisha, and the foreign minister of the Yugoslav Federation, Vlladislav Jovanoviç. GENEVA — A heated debate took place at the Crans Montana society meeting (Switzerland) between Albania’s president, Sali Berisha, and the foreign minister of the Yugoslav Federation, Vlladislav Jovanoviç. Both are taking part in a discussion about the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and clashed over the issue of Kosovo. Berisha accused the Yugoslav Federation of the “military occupation” of the province of Kosovo and of oppressing the Albanian majority. This statement angered the minister from Belgrade, according to whom “Kosovo has always been an integral part of Serbia and Albania. Our policy,” he said, “respects Albanian identity, but it is the government in Tirana that continues to encourage separatism by making false claims about the Yugoslav Federation. Albania’s ambition is to unite Kosovo, and all this Serbian territory also extends into Montenegro. The government in Tirana,” Jovanoviç asserted, “wants to destroy even what little remains of Yugoslavia.” Berisha immediately replied, accusing Belgrade of posing a major threat to the stability of the region: “It is Serbia’s project,” he said, “to annihilate our entire nation through the peoples of the Balkans.”

PISTOIA — They tried to set fire to a house where around ten Albanian immigrants live, but the house’s metal door prevented the flames from spreading. This happened last evening in Al-bergi, a hamlet of Pescia in the province of Pistoia, where for several months some Albanians—families with children and a group of young people—have been living in a former school made available to them by the municipal administration. The fire, started by a group of unknown people, was discovered by a carabinieri patrol: near the metal gate there was a petrol can with a rag soaked in fuel, which had been set alight. In recent weeks, a state of tension has prevailed between the residents of the Pescia hamlet and the Albanian immigrants. This is the second act of racism against Albanians to be reported in Italy: a month ago, a young man was attacked in Milan.

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL / The triumph of «SK Tirana» With today’s issue, we begin publishing a series of articles on the history of Albanian football. From this very beginning, in 1930, through to the end of this season, we will tell the story of all the well-known figures in Albanian football and of the most popular game in Albania. The emotions, joys, defeats, and also the disappointments of players and fans. This is what the well-known sports editor Shkifër Këllçi will seek to do. SKIFTER KËLLÇI TIRANA — It was not until 1930 that the first national Albanian football championship was finally held in Albania. But this does not mean that the Albanian teams known at the time—“SK Tirana”, “Vlaznia”, “Skënderbeu” and later “Bashkimi i Durrësit”, “Besa” and “Korça”—had not played matches against one another before, or had not undertaken the adventure of a championship; rather, they held their matches every two years. All this continued until 22 June 1930, when a championship series began between the best teams in Albania, in this game, with teams from every city in the country and other sporting clubs, as was also desired in other countries around the world. Based on the match results, since they had played the final rounds, the contenders to win the first championship were “SK Tirana”, “Bashkimi Shkodran” and “SK Vlora”. In the very first round, “Bashkimi Shkodran” defeated “SK Tirana” in Shkodër, while “Skënderbeu”, which had lost heavily to Tirana in the first week, defeated the strong Shkodran team 2–0 in Korçë. SK Tirana drew 0–0 with “Skënderbeu” in Tirana. Meanwhile, “Teuta” [text unclear] in Durrës against “Bashkimi Shkodran”. The match that had been hoped would see the capital’s “Tirana” secure a win was not successful either, because the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Thus, the team [text unclear] was the most ambitious to win the championship. These were SK Tirana and “Skënderbeu”. Their final match was to be played on the Korçë sports ground. No [text unclear] had yet been established in Albania. SK “Tirana” had 16 points and a goal difference of 10, while “Skënderbeu” had 14 points and a goal difference of 9. Thus, for the Korçë team to be declared champion, it had to win by at least two goals. The match between these teams was held in Korçë, but something unexpected happened. “Skënderbeu” did not appear on the field, insisting that in the first match between the teams, played in Tirana, the referee had awarded two penalties in its favor. It was then decided that the match would be played two weeks later in Tirana. This time too, the Korçë team did not appear on the home ground. In this way, the Technical Arbitration Commission awarded SK Tirana a 3–0 victory, declaring it the first champion in the history of Albanian football with 18 points. “Skënderbeu” of Korçë took second place with 14 points, followed by “Teuta”, “Bashkimi” with 8 points, “Tirana” and i Bali [?] in [text unclear] place with 6 points, while last place went to “SK Vlora” with five points. Among the best footballers in this championship were S. Sërmasti, A. Karapici, I. Dashmi, Il. Muslian [?], I. Peristeri (“Amarbeku”), B. Gorri (“Urani”), N. Tartari (“Teuta”), and M. Hallili (“Bashkimi Shkodran”). According to the Tirana newspaper “Ora”, the finest match of the championship was the one played in Korçë on 4 May 1930 between “Skënderbeu” and “Sportklub-Tirana”. A match between «Bashkimi Shkodran» and «SK Tirana», played in Shkodër in 1932

TEDI PAPAVRAMI HOLDS A PRESS CONFERENCE IN TIRANA — After eight years in exile in France, the famous Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami is visiting his relatives for the first time. Now, for the first time in eight years, Papavrami will give a concert in Tirana for the “Fête de la Musique.” At a press conference, the distinguished violinist said: “My musical future was the reason my family emigrated to France. At that time, in Albania, one could not even imagine pursuing an artistic career under conditions of complete isolation. I did not think things would change so quickly. Now, however, the material resources for such a thing are lacking.” HAIRDRESSING, HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND COSMETOLOGY COURSES OPEN IN DURRËS — The American company “Ort,” funded by the World Bank, has organized a hairdressing and cosmetology course and a course in hotel management and travel agency work. About 50 trainees have enrolled in these courses, which are operating on the premises of the Physical Education School in Durrës; they have completed secondary school. CHAIRMAN OF THE ALBANIAN JOURNALISTS: “THE PRESS IS HIGHLY POLITICIZED” — “For two years Albania has had freedom of the press, but most newspapers are financed by politicians and serve them. Many journalists themselves do not believe what they write.” This is what Mero Baze, chairman of the Journalists’ Association, said at his meeting with the delegation of lawyers from the Council of Europe. The chairman of the Albanian journalists also protested against a recent decision by the Ministry of Finance, which exempts the publication of books and magazines from a 15 percent [tax], but not newspapers. “For most books and magazines, but not newspapers, publishing them means complete bankruptcy,” Mero Baze stressed.

Actor Belushi, son of Albania Today in Bari, the Albanian Minister of Education The “gli Uffizi” reopen successfully in Florence