MYSTERY The kidnapping of a specialist from Puglia who came to Vlorë for work is reported. They want a motorboat in exchange for his release. But the Italian Embassy shows no concern “Italian hostage in Albania” Links to the clandestine smuggling trade? VLORË — A mystery between the Puglian city of Otranto and Albania: an Italian worker, Domenico Cirasino, is said to have been held hostage for many days by a gang of Albanians, possibly linked to international trafficking in illegal migrants. The complaint was filed with the Italian police authorities, who immediately informed Interpol. The Italian, who arrived in Vlorë for work, has not returned home. These days, according to the complaint by Cirasino's family, numerous threatening phone calls have arrived in Italy informing relatives that the man will not be released unless the gang of Albanians is handed a new motorboat. The Italian Foreign Ministry has also been notified and appears to have received reassuring news from the authorities in Tirana so far. “The Albanian police — the Italian Embassy explains — assure us that Domenico Cirasino is in the Vlorë area, but that he is free...” But what about the people who have not returned to Italy? And why have his relatives reported that he was kidnapped? This morning, Albanian sources informed the Italian news agency that the alleged kidnapping has been denied: the Italian is still in Albania. The story, full of dark and highly suspicious sides, is also being investigated by the prosecutor's office in Brindisi. It began on 1 June, when Domenico Cirasino, married and father of two children, arrived in Vlorë aboard a ferry from Italy. Cirasino works for the shipyard “Nautica costunese” in Villanova, a small town near Ostuni, in the province of Brindisi. A few weeks earlier the shipyard had sold a “Molinari” motorboat to a group of Albanians, 7 metres long and fitted with two 130-horsepower engines: an extremely powerful boat worth 50 million lire. Suddenly the boat developed a fault, so the shipyard sent Domenico Cirasino, a technician, to Albania to load it and have it repaired. But as soon as he arrived in Vlorë, he realized that it concerned spare parts that could not be found in Albania. He had practically decided to return to Italy to buy them, but from that moment on nothing more is known about him. According to the threatening phone calls received by Cirasino's family, a group of Albanians is holding him hostage, asking in exchange for his release for a new motorboat. According to Italian investigators, the motorboat would be used to transport many more illegal migrants from Albania who land in Puglia every night. A trade worth millions of dollars. (b.c.) Domenico Cirasino

LEZHË — Another piece of evidence of the trafficking of illegal migrants has been recorded. This time, the information gathered by the Lezhë police forces — in addition to Albanian illegal migrants — also involved an Italian citizen or, in three, a fast Italian motorboat. Brought into Albanian waters from the Ulcinj side, the motorboat anchored for a few minutes in the mouth of the Mat River, near a forest by the village of Tale in the Lezhë district. Within moments, it was loaded with Albanian illegal refugees and set off at high speed toward Italy. But this synchronization of actions was not enough this time. Before reaching international waters, the motorboat was forced back to shore by the Lezhë Border Police and the Shëngjin maritime district. Now, with the motorboat held immobilized in the Port of Shëngjin, 5 illegal migrants have also been arrested “for illegal border crossing”: Pjetër Lek Leka, Tunu[?] Gjerj Dashi, Qemal Ymer Ab[?]unci, Zef Lulash Vojvoda and Ridvan Rexhep Vranoci, both from Laç

TIRANË — Albanian passport forgers are now carrying out their activities abroad as well. The latest report comes from the International Emigrant Office in Tirana: in Rome, an Albanian, Gj. Doksani, is selling fake American passports to his fellow Albanian emigrants in Italy. The discovery was made by chance by an Albanian refugee, Armand Begaj, who fell victim to this fraud. Wanting to obtain all the necessary documentation for the USA, he was reassured by the “Emigration Office in Rome”. There, the specialists gave him a new passport in his brother's name, and he says that the passports were paid for in installments of 500,000 lire and that more than 500 other Albanians currently working in Italy have done the same. Ar. Me.

The lottery hopeful speaks TIRANË — It was a mistake that will apparently cost RTSH dearly: the announcement of the winner of the “Benz”. “I will wait for the Court of Appeal's decision, and if even then I am not given the prize I won, then I will sue the Lottery Commission for the section ‘Around Fate for 12 Weeks’. The commission made a mistake. Now let them pay for it.” It is Spartak Kodra, the spouse who lost the big prize in the Tirana Court, who speaks to Gazeta Shqiptare about the incident and his dissatisfaction. Spartak learned of the court decision completely by chance. “I came to Tirana to find out what was happening and there I learned the news, which came as a complete surprise to me — says Spartak — that commission had told me the trial would be a formality, since I was the buyer of the true winning ticket. But instead of seeing the result I found out that the court had ruled in favor of the girl from Kavaja, K. Këshitu. So Spartak Kodra, the 22-year-old unemployed man from Nizhavec i Posapecit, still insists on hoping for the miracle of the prize, even though from the lottery notice the great mistake story that was broadcast live by Television will, it seems, continue for some time yet.

How we will receive the satellite On Sunday, 5 stations How we will receive the satellite Here are the new channels On Sunday, 5 stations TIRANË — Specialists at the City Hall are making every effort for the broadcast of several long-announced satellite television stations to begin on Sunday. The initiative has aroused great interest because it coincides with the start of the USA '94 World Cup. Here are the channels on which citizens of Tirana will be able to receive the new stations: 22, 24, 26, 28, 34, 38. The new stations are: CNN, Euro News, Antenne 2, Superchannel, Italia Uno, RTL. The antennas needed to receive the television signals of these stations are those used for UHF frequencies, known in popular jargon as “group antennas.” The signal of the two existing stations RAI 1 and RAI 2 will also be significantly strengthened. These too — which also broadcast by satellite — will, through the new system, have a much stronger transmission signal. (va. bax.)

Hundreds of cases discovered FATOS BAXHAKU TIRANË — The first graves of German soldiers killed in Albania during the Second World War have begun to be found, even though no German mission has yet started systematic searches. After the publication of the news about the opening of the common grave, various Albanian citizens themselves informed the German Embassy in Tirana about what they remember from the days of the war or what they discovered by chance. On the other hand, traces of German graves were also followed during his searches by the mission “Uno call 1” of the Italian Ministry of Defence, which has now informed the German authorities. According to Otto Groff, a diplomat at the Tirana Embassy, although it is known that scattered individual graves have been seen, two are the most important reports so far: a mass grave near Vlorë and an even larger one in Petrelë, near Tirana. The testimony from Vlorë was given by a citizen. The discovery of the collective pit happened completely by chance during some works being carried out on the outskirts of the city, on the hill ringed with olive trees. The unusual sight at first worried the volunteer, who then noticed ten medallions. They were — as later proved — characteristic medallions of German soldiers. The tragic end of this group is still not known in detail. The letters from Elbasan are significant in content. They were written by a direct witness of the war. According to the testimony, near Petrelë, not far from the road linking Elbasan with Tirana, there must be a large collective grave where around 150 Germans killed during fierce fighting with the partisans are buried. In fact, historians knew this area as one of the places where most such graves should be sought. According to Dr. Muharrem Dëzhguti, who has long studied the history of the war, there is a document issued by the German command itself in October 1944, which speaks of very heavy losses: 1,500 of the 3,000 soldiers of the "Seiter" group were killed here in clashes with the partisans. The story of the victims found in the area near Gjirokastër and reported to the Italian military mission is even sadder. According to them, in a hill in the place called "Ja në avroor" many Germans, some even say 280. They were all 19-20-year-olds and were kept here as guards — the elderly have said — they had been in very bad shape, exhausted, half barefoot and with their bodies covered in lice. Then they fell ill with an infectious disease that killed almost all of them. Four or five died every day. The Italian military saw nine reported by villagers. According to them too, there should be at least 150 graves of soldiers who met this absurd end there. The story of the Germans killed and of those who are not the best-known figures of the Second World War. One from Hermann Göring, Lieutenant von Hesse, was killed in Arban, near Tirana, in the distant October of 1943. Now, many voices say that there are still villagers who remember exactly where he is buried, in the shadow of the “Air Marshal”.

DURRES — A new shoe factory will soon be built in Durrës. The factory, to be built in Xhafzotaj by a mixed private company based in Tirana, plans to employ around 600-800 workers. The construction plan has now been approved — 15 thousand square metres — where, in addition to the building in which the factory plants will be installed, warehouses will also be built and green areas created. The company responsible for carrying out this project expects that, if production goes well, 1,000 employees will be employed successfully in the market, and a health centre and a grass field for the factory will be built. A. M

TIRANË — The eyes of Albanians, like those of the whole world, are today turned toward the United States. The World Football Championship is certainly the most important sporting event of the year, but also the greatest ever, even though the world remains divided by the ideologies of war. Gazeta Shqiptare, starting today, will follow this great event with all its attention and present it to readers in full, with photographs, information, comments, figures, statistics and curiosities. Every day our newspaper will bring you information about the USA '94 World Cup. A little something extra, to feel close to the champions of America. In today's issue, the entire third page is devoted to this great sporting adventure.

CURSIVE REALITY LEZHË — Another work of cultural heritage has escaped the claws of the gold bandit gang. It concerns an 80-kilogram bell belonging to the church of Shen Kolli, built 150 years ago in the nearby area. In a brief and unusual mention, the criminal police officer of this district had found that, as an object of worship, it would have been difficult to remove and export clandestinely out of the country. This is poor evidence of the number of the pierced bell, which helps to convince us that not only churches are being destroyed but also their [sacred?] objects of worship. This alarm was an explanation for a cult object and gold. At the very least, it should have had a value of wood, the midnight of the courtyard or our cracked wooden planks; these saved it from that destructive digger. But perhaps there were also things attractive to vandalism from their suspicion a short time earlier the villager Shlyqen Haxhi attended the meeting on the threshold with the ruins of the large walls on top he saw by hand he suspected he held in the shepherd's fold. And as priest, the two were saved they gave and [it?] was taken from the suspicion of the unscrupulous in the crime committed — [T]a jo Andres Stefani

St. Mark's Square in Venice He died in St. Mark's Square, in Venice, he was killed in a tragedy. The prosecutor's office of this city, with the suspicions hanging over him, has questioned residents among the 48 Albanians with traces found. His death is linked as an explanation to some blood feud, perhaps a bird shooting, perhaps an accident, perhaps murder. No one has yet been able to clarify with what motive, who shot him dead. Has anyone ever heard of being killed in the famous St. Mark's Square, so beautifully under that damp corner? He had arrived one evening, asking with tears in his eyes to leave in the direction of other cities. Now he will remain, a grave. A passer-by fired four times and with an endless crack shot him. [partially illegible text]

The diplomat disinfects the trees together with the pupils TIRANË — The capital began to change from around ten o'clock yesterday morning when the U.S. ambassador to Albania, N. Seeden[?], and after 30 minutes gathered with the forest district teachers, carried out an action together with 60 pupils from the schools "11 Janari" and "Kimi Duro" in the neighborhood with little greenery to clean up the stagnant and polluted ponds of the capital. For an hour and a half they worked together with the lecturers as ambassadors. “We are making this initiative first of all from ourselves, and everyone will set an example,” he told Gazeta Shqiptare. Rayerson will be in Albania again over the coming weeks. If this is what he does, the campaign takes up all the time after[?] A. M.

THE DECREE “ON THE FINANCIAL POLICE” IS CHANGED — The new amendments to the 1991 decree “On the Financial Police” have now been approved by Parliament. This decree — proposed to members of Parliament by President of the Republic Sali Berisha — provides, among other things, for “the establishment of the Financial Police at the premises and sites where there is evidence of the exercise of illegal activity, only with the approval of the competent authorities, in accordance with constitutional provisions”. DURRES, THE “ALEKSANDER MOISIU” FOUNDATION IS CREATED — A new foundation has now been created in Durrës. Its founders — it bears the name of the famous Albanian actor Aleksandër Moisiu — have set themselves the task of organizing and promoting modern culture better, especially in step with the times and internationally, which will take its point of departure from Albania and new support. TIRANË, FOR THE FIRST TIME AN ECONOMIC EXHIBITION OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA — For the first time in Tirana, an economic exhibition from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — organized in the premises of the International Cultural Centre — different pavilions displayed goods of various kinds and quality from Macedonian production. The aim of this exhibition is to create contacts between the centres of the two countries. KE PER MUNGESË AUTORIT BANJANDRITIK PER MUNGESË AUTORIT BANJANDRITIK — Partikët e këti[?] vendi e grurit të Malësisë së Madhe. Shkak për këtë situatë është bërë mungesa e një lumi u dhur e automobliçance dhe makinave shkrirëse për zonat malore. Megjithëse është kërkuar ndihmë nga rrethet fqinjë, deri tani nuk është zgjidhur asgjë.

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