The issue reaches Parliament and further discussions begin . The Minority and the Controversy. Schools reignite the conflict. ANDREA STEFANI TIRANA — Tensions continue to mount. Four months after the dramatic “Broom” operation, a wind of controversy is beginning to blow through relations between the Albanian Government and the Greek minority. This time it reached Parliament, where the Minister of Education had to defend himself against accusations that he wanted to close Greek schools. But what is the real situation? How will it develop in the coming months? Paradoxically, Albania’s opening to the world and the democratic emphasis in its position toward the 58,000 members of the Greek minority seem to have made it more difficult to resist the demands of ultranationalist circles coming from across the border. Greek claims and complaints are growing almost in parallel with the advancement of minority rights. Today, in minority areas, there are 52 eight-year schools and 7 secondary schools, with 4,571 students and 432 teachers. A Greek-language department has just opened at the University of Gjirokastër. Many members of the minority have joined the structures of government. In Sarandë alone, 37 percent of municipal employees are ethnic Greeks from the minority. But apparently to no avail. A nearly trivial, untimely incident involving a Greek church missionary in minority areas caused relations to cool and led to the forceful return of Albanian refugees by Greek police. Albania is continually called to account for upholding the rights of the Greek minority, while Greek policy toward Albanians remains fixed in the bastions of past centuries. “The Greek Constitution does not recognize not only the existence of the Cham population,” notes Kujtim Çashku, chairman of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, “but neither does it recognize national minorities in Greece.” In recent years, there has been a tendency artificially to portray the Greek minority as an ethnic population. Former Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s declaration about the existence of 400,000 Greeks in southern Albania was perceived by the Tirana Government as an insult. Responsibility from the Tirana Government as an insult? fña- a few years ago. It has now proved to be a failed event for “New Democracy.” In the last elections, the chauvinistic tones of its policy toward neighboring countries were a factor, and the government that emerged from it followed that policy. The border crossing between Albania and Greece

Schools reignite the conflict Recently, Albanian Minister of Education Xhezair Teliti had to give explanations during a parliamentary interpellation called by minority representatives concerning an order issued by his department regarding education for national minorities in their mother tongue in eight-year schools. “The aim is to give minority children the opportunity to integrate naturally into Albanian society, not to close minority schools,” he explained. “Despite the changes in the proportions of subjects taught in Albanian and in the minority language, across the eight-year school system as a whole, only 35 percent belongs to the former and 65 percent to the latter.” But this argument did not convince the minority deputies. “It is a directive that does not accord with the fundamental political orientation of the Republic of Albania on respect for human rights,” insisted Makariadhi, a deputy from the Human Rights Party, “and seeks to restrict and minimize even those rights that have already been won.” Meanwhile, during a meeting of the Greek Government cabinet, it is hoped that Greek policy toward Albania will return to the more moderate limits it had a few years ago. “One of the reasons for the defeat of ‘New Democracy’ in the last elections was the chauvinistic tone of its policy toward neighboring countries, pursued by the government that emerged from it.”

Sport On page 3: the Albanian championship On page 4: Serie A results On page 4: the adventure of an Albanian Juventus-Atalanta match: Moeller (on the left) manages to get the ball and score the Bianconeri’s second goal

PRISTINA — Another educator has been arrested in Kosovo. Ibrahim Bala, director of the secondary economics school in Mitrovica, has joined the ranks of Albanian teachers arrested by Serbian police. But the Serbian authorities are not content merely to close schools. Recently, cases of police forces intervening in private centers and interrupting lessons have increased. All these actions are nothing other than one of the forms of terror that the Serbs are inflicting in Kosovo. This repression and these methods, similar to those of the Inquisition in the Middle Ages, are in complete violation of human rights and the Helsinki Charter.

Body discovered after 6 months GRAMSH — Another crime committed among members of a family. GRAMSH — (p. re.) — Another crime committed among members of a family. This time in Gramsh. The successful work of the Criminal Police of this town led to the discovery of a monstrous murder committed six months ago. After identifying the body, which had been hidden in a forest, the perpetrators were also found: all relatives of the victim. They have now all been arrested. The victim is Uran Çyç(o), from the village of Sov in Lushnjë. Just 7 days after identifying him, the police managed to identify the perpetrators, who had struck the victim on the head with blunt objects. They are Pashk Martini, his brother-in-law, as well as the victim’s wife, son, and daughter, who are accused of being accomplices in this serious crime. The incident, which took place in the forest of the village of Tarzes, is currently explained by the police as a crime committed for very trivial motives. This is the latest case that had remained unsolved in the district of Gramsh, which, according to police officials, has a 100 percent rate of solving these crimes. In the last two weeks, two other similar incidents have also come to light, in Bulqizë and Fier, where people were killed by family members for trivial reasons. The perpetrators of these crimes were sentenced to capital punishment, the death penalty, by the respective courts.

TIRANA — Work has begun in Tirana on the 4,000 hotel. Its construction will cost 205 million dollars, of which 120 million are financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The contractor and owner of the hotel is the Austrian construction company «Rogner», which operates in many countries around the world. The project envisages combining the hotel with a business center, which will provide facilities for all those wishing to do business in Albania. The hotel will have 120 rooms, 20 apartments, 20 offices, as well as restaurants, a swimming pool, a garage, and conference halls.

An elderly woman is robbed in her own home. A new alarm is raised TIRANA — (p. re.) — The problem of violence against the elderly has surfaced again. After decades of artificial peace, young people and the elderly now face a new situation. Albania, perhaps the youngest country in Europe, feels the danger of forgetting the older generation. These are everyday incidents, occurring one at a time, with a quiet impact that calls for an urgent appeal: take care of the elderly. Three young men have just robbed a 71-year-old woman in her home, after first tying her hands and feet to make her reveal where the money was and to keep quiet about these dangers. It happened in Tirana, on the fourth floor of an apartment building on “Jordan Misja” Street. After the elderly woman opened the door, the three robbers immediately threw her down in the hallway. They covered her mouth with a sheet, and her head as well. The victim woke up on her own several hours later to find that her home had been robbed: a television, a radio, and 1,500 lek were enough for the three young men. They remain unidentified, although the Police have opened an investigative case and the Prosecutor’s Office a criminal case. This is the latest episode in a new phenomenon. Many elderly people have now become targets and, at the same time, victims of professional robbers. But violence against this group is also conditioned by other factors that Albanian society is experiencing for the first time in a long while. Young people emigrating have left their parents living without their protection. There is also a new attitude toward work and earnings, which leaves homes empty and the elderly to fend for themselves. Thus a new alarm is raised, one that is inevitably linked to development. Violence against the elderly marks the threshold of the end of a period of neglect, perhaps even careless neglect. Let us not forget that they are the people with the lowest incomes, the greatest health problems, those most persecuted by the regime that has just passed, and at the same time the most modest in their demands. We must protect them.

CONCERT BY THE ALBANIAN ORCHESTRA — The Tirana Albanian Philharmonic Orchestra, made up of more than 80 musicians and conducted by Ermir Krantja, will inaugurate on Thursday, 21 October, at 8:30 p.m., at the Church of Real Monte di Pieta in Barletta, the second part of the 9th Concert Season, “Musical Autumn,” organized by the Cultural Association “G. Curci” of Barletta. The program includes Tragic Overture, Op. 81, by J. Brahms, Symphony No. 4 by L. van Beethoven, and two suites from Peer Gynt by E. Grieg. NAKED SCHOOLGIRL ON HER WAY TO WORK — FOR A BET — A young woman who was driving her car completely naked on her way to work was stopped by the police and now faces 30 days in prison. Marcea Neumeier, 19, had accepted a challenge from a local radio station and, in exchange for the promise of a ticket to a festival and a front-row place at a Duran Duran concert, went to work driving her car completely naked. ONE FIFTH OF RUSSIANS IN FAVOR OF THE DEATH PENALTY FOR RUSSIAN [sic] KASHBULATOV — One Russian in five is in favor of the death penalty for Aleksandr Rustokin and Ruslan Khasbulatov, held responsible for the main killings during the armed revolt of 4 October in Moscow. This emerged from a poll conducted on a Sunday among more than a thousand Russians [?]. MOSCOW ANNOUNCES THE DISPOSAL OF NUCLEAR ROCKETS IN THE PACIFIC — Russia is engaged in disposing of radioactive missiles in the Sea of Japan, but has assured that the operation does not risk contaminating the waters and has announced that interested international organizations will be informed before the operations.

THIRD PHASE OF THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM BEGINS — The handover of the flag to the Water Supply Brigade of the Infantry Brigade in Vau i Dejës also marks the beginning of the third phase of the restructuring of the Albanian Water Supply system. The restructuring aims to modernize it and create optimal conditions for living, service, and protection. JAPANESE CONCESSIONAL LOAN FOR ALBANIAN AGRICULTURE — A loan of 20 million dollars has been granted by the Japanese Government for Albanian agriculture. Interest on the loan will be 1 percent per year, and the repayment period will be 30 years, beginning in 2003. The loan will be used for the Government’s joint plan with the World Bank in the agricultural sector. ONE OF THE TRAFFICKERS OF ALBANIAN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TO GREECE ARRESTED IN SARANDË — was arrested in Sarandë a few days ago. They were transported by sea to the Greek village of Lëpadhit in Greece. Police are now searching for Golaj, who has fled in an unknown direction. FURTHER FUNDS NEEDED TO IMPROVE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IN MAT — More funds are once again needed to improve the electricity supply in the district of Mat. Around 18 million lekë, allocated to the district’s electricity enterprise for repairs to the existing network infrastructure, were not enough to solve the problem of a regular electricity supply once and for all.

The premiere of «Estrada» opens during October The comedy troupe receives funding ON PAGE 2 More than 150 color works at the Art Gallery Illustrated fairy tales in the exhibition ON PAGE 2