HERITAGE Museum and religious objects are once again under the “actions” of thieves. In Shkodër, Lezhë, Berat and Lushnje, the latest reports... HERITAGE Museum and religious objects are once again under the “actions” of thieves. In Shkodër, Lezhë, Berat and Lushnje, the latest reports... And the thefts continue More works of art disappear TIRANA — The alarm over the disappearance of works of art sounded again. Even before the bitter taste left by the sensational theft at the National Historical Museum had faded — where the famous Epitaph of Glavenica was also stolen — losses of value were once again confirmed in museum and religious collections. Just in the days before, police and prosecutor’s office bodies had opened criminal cases against many people involved in the theft of precious works of art or even in preparing their “exodus” outside the territory of Albania. Thus, twice Krujë and Lushnjë had been the scene of similar episodes involving the theft of church bells. On Wednesday, law-enforcement bodies officially returned to the home of citizen Arben Shani a stolen bell — taken with the cooperation of other people as well — which belonged to the Berat district. This time too, another bell has been discovered, one that belonged to the Church of Shënkoll. Although the investigations are continuing — while two accused people are in prison — the stolen object still has not been found. But the “attack” on museum objects and religious items, where dozens of extraordinary cultural and historical works are kept, is not limited to southern Albania. Shortly after law-enforcement bodies recovered the rare bell — a 16th-century work of art and allegedly(?) at the altar — which had been stolen last year in Malësia e Madhe, official sources confirm other thefts of this kind. Thus, from the Church of the village of Kace in Shkodër, a wooden carved figure — a symbol of the Virgin Mary with Child — and two valuable paintings have disappeared. One of them, that of Shën Ndout, had been brought to Albania from Venice. Meanwhile, in another village, thieves had stolen the bell from the Church of Maba. The scandal of the disappearance of tourist works of art in Lezhë, where — in the Church of the village of Gramsh — a carved image of the Heart of Christ had been stolen. Edmond Laçi Museum, new checks TIRANA — The inventory of all the property of the National Historical Museum in Tirana has now begun. A special commission is carrying out a detailed check of the current condition of the cultural and historical values of this important institution. So far, no complete announcement has been made about the first results of this inventory. They are expected to become known by the end of next week. The list includes the major theft of the Epitaph of Glavenica — one of the most important works of Albanian culture and history — and several other items from the Historical Museum, which had also lost two other objects. The fact that the theft of the trophies of the National Liberation War — the revolver of Enver Hoxha and Vasil Shanto — was only confirmed after the theft of the Epitaph, raises doubts that other values may also have disappeared. Thus, apart from those already known, it is suspected that several other objects have also disappeared from the exhibition halls of the Museum. The victims of the thefts of history are believed to be mainly rare silver items. These are old silver pistols together with their holsters. However, their exact number is not yet known. The special commission tasked with this work — a small group of specialists with participation from Museum employees — continues the work of full inventorying. Meanwhile, the checking of the Museum’s storage collection has not yet begun. Its results are expected to reveal the real condition of the Albanian historical and cultural values displayed in this Museum, which has recently been the victim of theft several times. Before the sensational theft of the Epitaph and four icons — whose value is immeasurable — several ancient coins had disappeared from the upper halls of the museum. a.m.

News... “Albania is called” RAI DUE can’t find it CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA — “Albania is called” was the title of the program. But which Albania? The one we saw on Thursday evening on Italian television (TG2 Mixer, 10:25 p.m.) is a country that no longer exists. Or rather: it is only one part of Albania, the saddest one. So, the oldest, the most neglected one continues to darken — because of the fault of many careless journalists — a new Albania that exists and is growing amid many contradictions, amid much suffering, but above all amid change. No, we do not like this kind of information. RAI cannot come to Albania for seven days, gather the usual old and sad images (donkeys, poor children, refugees climbing aboard ships) and then present them as evidence. And the risk of distortion is already there. For about an hour on Thursday evening, we witnessed the blatantly rhetorical reproduction of a journey into despair. The film was made between January and February of this year, and yet even if it were older, the situations were already there before, when we foreign journalists first came to Albania and were amazed by its bunkers, its empty roads, its destroyed bridges, and the comfortable sleep of its inhabitants, the rise in unemployment, but also the fall in inflation, the crisis in industry, but also the growth of foreign investment. These are all new, contradictory but undeniable facts, and they should have been recorded. And yet the enthusiastic journalist did not understand them. How can you claim to describe relations with Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Italy through a few isolated remarks? How can Albania's political reality be described by listening to one person met by chance in the street? The clash between the majority and the opposition is not emphasized, the social reality is not mentioned, nor are the problems of transformation, or those of Justice. The only figures given were those — wonderful — about Malësia e Madhe, an officially poor area, which was found to be 5 years old underground and only 2 meters away, when the national statistics are not shown? Again? with 7 percent above the average expenditure recorded to be spent on a television donated by RAI, but no one says that Albania has not only donkeys and destroyed buses, but also Mercedes and Porsches, fashion boutiques, discotheques and large shops. The Albania shown in that program looks like a baby and refuses to adapt: it seems to live in the courtyard, as the journalist said, in a faint voice. In the market, a desperate place where people scrape by with a piece of glass and a chair and the mice. “Where is he now?” a man asks me angrily. “He, when he saw Albania, went through hell.” The program itself is the last to see hell? To say so would reveal the false attitude that has always been sought in relation to Albania itself.

KORÇË — The cheerful masks are returning to the city of Korçë. Today, after 40 years, the Carnival will take over the streets and the city’s main square. More than 400 people will take part in the National Carnival Festival. There will be 9 groups from Korçë and others from Kavaja, Elbasan, Tirana — the Circus troupe and the National Puppet Theatre — as well as the Mask Theatre of Bucharest and a troupe from Kostur, which will compete with one another from morning until late at night. At the beginning, everyone together will take part in a parade along the city promenade and then present their numbers in the main square. The “Great Masquerade” will be organized in the hall of the “Z. Çajupi” Theatre — to bring everyone together again in one of the most special moments: the masked ball. During it, prizes will also be awarded to the winners. Thus the rare atmosphere of imagination will once again burst forth in Korçë. Carnival. Representatives of different ages will march dressed in the most varied and unusual costumes, giants and masks. The ancient pagan ritual of the struggle between good and evil will be brought back in an original way by the villagers of Polenë. For the last time, Carnival had filled the streets of Korçë in 1954, abandoning a tradition that had begun at the end of the previous century.

Regional vigilance TIRANA — Albania expresses its readiness to create airport facilities for all NATO missions aimed at preserving peace and stability in the Balkans. Thus, only a short time after the positive response to the American spy planes — which aim at an observation mission in the region — Albania is now ready to host on its airport and port bases also various NATO missions. The official confirmation was given — in a joint press conference — by Sefet Zhuli, Minister of Defense, after the reception in Tirana of NATO’s Supreme Commander for Europe, General Joulwan. In this way, Albania’s relations with NATO are moving forward quickly. “Albania considers the Partnership for Peace to be an active process for its integration into NATO.” This was the word of the Albanian Minister of Defense, Safet Zhuli, to the senior NATO official, General Joulwan; Albania is now increasingly aiming toward the fullest possible membership. In this framework there is also the creation of a special company of the Albanian Army, which after training could take part in the peacekeeping forces of KFOR, as well as the preparation of other forces for participation in rescue operations and humanitarian aid in areas of international conflict. Meanwhile, after confirmation from the US of the lifting of the arms embargo for Albania, General Joulwan stated: “We are in the process of receiving the request from Albanian officials and the presentation document must be examined so that Albania’s rapprochement strategy can be assessed. But we will do everything possible to help you.” At a NATO meeting

ALBANIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE AGAINST THE SENTENCING OF JOURNALISTS — “We reaffirm our position for the freedom of a group of journalists,” says the statement of the Albanian Helsinki Committee. This committee also expresses opposition to the decision of the Tirana Court against the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Populli Po”. The ruling sentenced him to two months of suspended deprivation of liberty with one year of probation. “The Committee considers all this to be an intolerant phenomenon on the part of the relevant institutions,” the statement concludes. ALBANIA ACCUSES GREECE OF INTERFERENCE IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS — “We consider Papoulias’s statement to be an interference in the internal affairs of Albania and an unacceptable act toward Albanian justice,” says the statement of the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This declaration was made by the government spokesperson after Papoulias, the Greek Foreign Minister, stated that the attitude toward Fatos Nano amounted to persecution of politicians. IN TIRANA A PATIENT JUMPS FROM THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE HOSPITAL — The death a patient inflicted on himself at Hospital 2 in the University Center in Tirana is fully true. Agim Bakuli, 47 years old, from Durrës, jumped from the third floor of room number 4 in the Hematology ward. The reasons for this act are not yet fully known, but the initial investigations have shown that the victim’s jump was voluntary.

— Armed robbers are also appearing in the capital’s bank branches. On Thursday at midday, unknown individuals equipped — according to employees of Tirana Bank Agency 1 — also with a pistol, threatened both the staff and the civilian guard who was protecting the agency, stealing a sum of money equivalent to 7,000 dollars. Immediately after this incident, the law-enforcement bodies, which — due to the secrecy of the intensive investigation — had still not confirmed the identification or even the discovery of the perpetrators of this robbery. (p.re.)

Kerosene trafficking 4 in prison SHKODËR — The phenomenon of kerosene smuggling continues again in the city of Shkodër. On Thursday, in the village of Dajç, four people were caught in the act by law-enforcement bodies — while selling smuggled kerosene — especially unidentified(?) persons. The four were detained — as accused of the trafficking offense, as in Shkodër, Lezhë or even Fier. The response of the competent authorities against the export, trade and illegal import of fuels had also arrested two days earlier the president of the company “Shtembari” in the city of Lushnjë. (p.re.)

NATO, Yeltsin proposes an exchange We want an economic agreement too ON PAGE 2 Prices are rising Sugar and fruit are more expensive Inflation in March 104.4 percent ON PAGE 3

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL? DO YOU WANT TO BUY SOMETHING? DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL? DO YOU WANT TO BUY SOMETHING? This space is free for your classified ads. Send us your message, no longer than 15 words, to one of our addresses: In Tirana: Rruga Bajram Curri, 370. Or in Bari: Viale Scipione l'Africano, 264. State in the message what you are looking for and what you are offering, your name and address. FOR RENT — a one-room apartment with a kitchen and an annex. It is on the first floor, equipped with water and electricity. Located in the “Ali Demi” neighborhood near the “Kushtrimi i Lirisë” school; interested parties should call 25066 or send a note to the address Rruga “Mine Peza”, Building 13, 2B, Apartment 14. FOR RENT — a two-story house with yard, veranda, rooms and kitchen, annex, bathroom, bathtub, storage space. Located on “Elbasani” Street. Contact near the telephone wall at 27977. FOR RENT — a 2-room apartment and a kitchen (the house is on the second floor, secured with two balconies and fully furnished). Address: Rruga “Myslym Shyri”, Building 2, Staircase 1, Apartment 3 (behind the Court of Cassation). Interested parties should contact in the evening hours. LOOKING FOR — cooperation with a construction company for the purchase of a property in Durrës. The property is located opposite the Sports Palace (the bus stop for Shkozet). Size 95 square meters. WANTED — a good notice in the message board. This person, for whom something of yours(?) near by the granite(?) is in the center, should write and for this school(?) matter. Interested parties can call 27977 and mention the name “BRAVO”. FOR RENT — a three-room apartment and a kitchen, two courtyards and three terraces, two balconies, annex and bathroom. The house is on the fourth floor in the tower block of the officers’ building in Tirana (near the 12th directorate of the regime). Interested parties should contact 24020. FOR RENT — a shop with an area of 72 square meters in the former Industrial Mapo on Rruga “Dëshmorët e Kombit” (next to Café “Vjena”). Interested parties can contact 23906 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The price is 1.2 million. FOR SALE — 600 liters of olive oil, house and carpet(?) with acquaintance for 1200 dollars. Purpose comes home. Interested parties contact: Daud Doda, Neighborhood No. 60, Rruga “Asim Vokshi”, Building 03, Entrance 3, Apartment 13. Tel-fax number 00 356 42 4430

Zattere 1411 - Tel. 0039/41/781611 - Fax 781805 - Tlx 410045 Ferries for Passengers, Cars, Trucks DURRES - BARI - ANCONA TRIESTE - DURRES From DURRES to BARI: every Tuesday departs at 10:00 p.m. every Thursday departs at 12:00 From DURRES to ANCONA: every Sunday departs at 12:00 From DURRES to TRIESTE: every Wednesday departs at 7:00 p.m. every Saturday departs at 8:00 p.m. Agency in ALBANIA DURRES: DETARE SHTETERORE Tel. 052/22233 - Fax 22911 - Tlx 4148 Agency in ITALY BARI: AGESTEA Srl - via Lattieda 4 Tel. 0039/80/331555 - Fax 330628 - Tlx 810043 ANCONA: MARITIME AGENCY Srl Tel. 0039/71/204915 - Fax 202296 - Via XXIX Settembre, 20 TRIESTE: AGEMAR Srl - Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi, 2/a Tel. 0039/40/363222 - Fax 77723 - Tlx 460059