Terror and blood in the offices of the fuel company One of the civilian guards is hit by three bullets and nearly 5,000 dollars are taken from the safe. The company now operates with its clients through banks TIRANA — The search for the identification of those responsible for the bloody robbery at the offices of "IAP" is continuing nonstop throughout the country. Shortly after three on Wednesday, at around 11:45 — five masked and armed men again attacked the offices of the Albanian branch of the Italian fuel giant, in a "blitz" identical to the one two months earlier — when more than 50,000 dollars had been stolen from the company safe. This time they took only 5,000 dollars, and their gunfire — on each of the five blows to the right side of "IAP" — spared neither of the two civilian guards. The robbers stormed the company’s entrance in an internal corridor on the second floor, with two weapons in their hands. The 29-year-old Eduard Trimi was shot in the head while changing shifts, struck against the wound, while by the time of Wednesday’s arrival the two observers had already been fighting death. It was only one of the events of 7 December for nearly 20 people — employees of the company or clients, including foreigners — who were then present there. According to them, the five masked men, after blocking one of the civilian guards with a gun at the main door, spread out through the internal spaces of "IAP". From that moment on, the company, which at every hour of the day is guarded by two armed civilian guards, completely changed the rhythm of its daily operations. According to the company employees, the robbers and others immediately headed to the second floor, via a staircase where the "IAP" safe is also located, while to get there one of the armed accomplices had also intercepted the armed guard Eduard Trimi in the act. "Then one of the others joined in and hit him with an Albanian pistol" — sources from "IAP" tell Gazeta Shqiptare — saying that the robbers entered a toilet and then exited through the back. Interesting is the fact that in both of their attacks, in these first two months, after the office director in the branch — the workers who experienced the terror of that day — they describe the same scene: the robbers hurried out of the safe with around 5,000 dollars, because the company now operates through banks — they fired at the tires of the "IAP" vehicles, while one of them seized the keys. Then he forced the door open under a side awning and drove out, while there was a tragedy involving the official cars.

The third meeting fails Palace of Congresses TIRANA — The debate between the parties over the Constitution risks remaining trapped in an endless conflict. Wednesday’s meeting, following two others held two days earlier, again brought nothing new. After a heated exchange, representatives of the parties and parliamentary groups once more parted without reaching consensus. An objective that seems increasingly distant on the political horizon. The Socialists, through their representative Namik Dokle, reiterated once again the path they believe should be followed for the Constitution: drafting the project by the commission — its approval in Parliament — and a vote by the people through a referendum. According to Dokle, unless all these procedures are defined and approved, work in the constitutional commission cannot begin. A different view was expressed by the representative of the Democratic Party, Ali Spahia. For the DP, work on drafting the project should begin as soon as possible and only afterward would consensus be sought. On these two main points, the representatives of the parties seem to have split, two sides that throughout the meeting failed to find even a single common thread. The president of the PSD, Gjinushi, also spoke at the meeting. "It would be a mistake to enter the new parliamentary elections without first approving the Constitution," he said, explicitly supporting the view that the state’s most important law should be adopted. Aben Hamza of the Democratic Alliance raised the accusation that the head of the committee is leaving the decision-making in Parliament in the hands of those who are against it. "The Constitution must be approved by Parliament by at least two-thirds of the deputies." According to Imami, such a procedure would make it even easier to have it approved by popular referendum. The only decision approved by everyone seems to have been: another round table must be organized. Perhaps this one will be more fruitful.

The second seropositive death The girl had long been a carrier of the merciless virus. She also suffered from tuberculosis TIRANA — Death has again fallen upon those affected by AIDS. Another Albanian seropositive person has been struck by it. Just a few days ago in Shkodër, the girl — known among doctors as the most serious case in Albania infected with the killer virus and the only female affected by it so far — lost her life. Doctors are still unable to give a precise answer about the cause of her death. The day before yesterday, she was already suffering from tuberculosis. In their opinion? tuberculosis. Specialists say the rapid progression of her illness has left many doubts that the true cause of this deterioration, which unfortunately led to her death as well, may have been the merciless AIDS virus itself, which manifests itself precisely by worsening the consequences of other illnesses. The girl’s painful story began last year. Having recently returned from Italy, she experienced numerous health problems. At first the doctors told her she was suffering from signs of pulmonary disease, which over time were found to indicate the presence of tuberculosis. From that moment on, the girl had to undergo numerous tests — she was also sent for treatment to the sanatorium in Tirana — and it was precisely during these examinations that the laboratories discovered that she was also infected with the AIDS virus. Nevertheless, she continued to have only doubts. She was urgently removed from the laboratory completely. But even there nothing changed. In March she ended up with a doctor in a center. In June it was stated that her infection with the AIDS virus had occurred some time earlier. After these long months, only in November did work begin to focus on the continuation of blood transfusions. Informational materials on the fight against AIDS At present in Albania the virus of the century has taken at least one life to its end. Since June 1993, when it first became known, and until now, 10 people have been registered as affected. Most of them have been infected through sexual transmission, but it has not hesitated to strike in hidden ways as well. In the summer of this year there were two people who contracted AIDS in hospital through blood transfusion. And after them come the deaths. Now the shadow of the killer disease in Albania weighs even more heavily. Armand Mero

Charges against five Albanian servicemen TIRANA — The Peshkëpi massacre comes before the military judges of Tirana. Yesterday, 10 April '[?] — when a Greek commando had attacked a young recruits’ center on Albanian territory — the case begins to be reconstructed once again. But now five Albanian servicemen — four of whom have been under arrest for eight months — must also defend themselves against the serious charges of "abuse of office" or "violation of guard duty regulations". Nevertheless, since Wednesday, when the accused defended themselves publicly for the first time — the 10 April '[?] incident has taken on special significance, as the truth is now moving forward quickly. According to the indictment — read by the prosecutor — "the massacre by the Greek commando on the military barracks of Upper Peshkëpi in Gjirokastër caused the death of two Albanian soldiers, the wounding of three others, and material damage to military property estimated at approximately 50,000 dollars. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the consequences of this tragedy are now attributed to the following: Ylber Meraja, Pëllo Nini, Arjan Guma, Shat Selv[?] and Qemal Stroka. This is an unacceptable accusation for the former Chief of the Police Commissariat of Gjirokastër, Meraja — the only defendant who is free — who was the first of the defendants to appear before the judges. He was followed by Ndini, Guma, Sel[?] and Stroka. Meanwhile, soldiers and officers, witnesses to that night of terror at the barracks, have also been called to the trial. The trial has just begun.

— The stone city will heal the wounds opened during the years of transition. A recent meeting of the municipal council of the city had as its main objective the determination of the museum values of Gjirokastër. According to the measures approved at this meeting, in January the massive repair of the traditional cobblestones, the Municipality building, and several Culture Museum houses will begin. For some time the castle and several century-old houses in a state of construction and ruin have received from the Municipality the order to immediately implement a decision it had taken some time earlier: "all windows pay the city maintenance tax, it is for the good of every citizen of Gjirokastër". To organize the work, the Municipal Council has ordered the communal enterprise. (r. k.)

Plan for controls against trafficking in nuclear materials TIRANA — Albania is preparing to have barriers against the trafficking of radioactive materials. A detailed program drawn up by specialists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics envisages the installation of devices for detecting radioactive materials at the customs checkpoints on the Albanian border. The project — prepared at the government’s request — has already been handed over to the World Bank, which is being asked for financial support to carry it out. The main goal is no longer the identification of materials — nuclear or radioactive — transported by nuclear radiation, but preventing the entry into Albania of various radioactive substances. "This is also the greatest risk that must be avoided," the specialists explain. For this reason, it is planned to place small handheld probes at all border points — they can easily reach even narrow spaces — which can detect the presence of a radioactive substance. In cases where such a presence is verified, the specialists propose blocking the shipment until full identification is carried out in special laboratories. The implementation of such a project is considered a step by the country to prevent Albanian territory from becoming a connecting bridge or channel for the dangerous trafficking of radioactivity. r. me.

The price index reaches 13 percent TIRANA — Another moderate rise in inflation and prices. The Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) reports that now — compared with the base level of 100 at the beginning of September '[?] — the consumer price index has reached 113.66 percent. Likewise, compared with a month earlier, this index has risen by 0.9 percent, while if we refer to last year’s balance, the increase is 14 percent. Prices in the group of items "food, drinks and tobacco" had the greatest impact — 1.4 percent — on the rise in the Price Index. Within this group, the biggest increase in prices was recorded for dairy products and eggs (1.7 percent), oils and fats (3.3 percent), and fruits and vegetables 4.6 percent. At the same time, also within the food group, there was a price drop for bread and cereals (0.3 percent), meat and fish, as well as a 1.5 percent drop for sugar, butter, sausages and various cold cuts. In November, household items in general, especially large appliances, also fell in price compared with December '[?], and within the group, with a 1 percent price drop for tickets, the index for the transport and communications group was reduced. Monthly changes in consumer prices during the period 1992-1994 Ja Sh. Ma. Pr. Mj. Qe. Ko. Gu. Sht. Te. Ne. Dhj. 1992 1993 1994 An. Ste.

Information TIRANA — Another criminal complaint against an Albanian journalist. This time it is against "Lajdi mb[?]m Shtypi" and Bashkim Koçi, one of the journalists of the daily "Zëri i Popullit". The above-mentioned journalist and the doctors — after being questioned and arrested by the criminal police on the prosecutor’s order. Proceedings have been opened against him after the doctors’ opinion was taken into account. At the first meeting Koçi, with an attempted, accuses him based on a complaint made earlier and two d[?] mej?u[?]e. After his arrest he was released. The investigation into this case is continuing.

YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA The number one of the French army, the Chief of the General Staff, Admiral Lanxade, has arrived in Tirana. It is the first time that such a high-ranking leader of the French army has come to Albania. A year and a few months ago, the former Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian army, General Sh. Vasho, had visited Paris. Elbasan, trial for the financial police An unusual trial has begun in Elbasan. A merchant has sued the city’s financial police, after a decision by them to seize goods worth up to 17[?] dollars for smuggling. "Everything is excessively stolen[?]" — said Flamur Gega, the head of the city’s financial police — you are fully convinced that our decision in this matter was entirely in accordance with the law.

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