Investigations into the theft of the Epitaph Another employee of the institution ends up in prison The Epitaph of Gllavenica TIRANE — (Ed.La.) Another person has now been arrested after the theft of the priceless artworks from the National Historical Museum in the capital. Last Sunday evening, on the order of the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, Theofil Ceka was arrested; until then he had worked in this museum. The accusation brought against Ceka is not accompanied by corresponding details because — a few days earlier — five other people had also been ordered detained in Tirana prison. However — because of the secrecy of the investigation — further details concerning the arrest or the reasons for it have not yet been made public. The number of people arrested after the criminal case began for the robbery at the National Historical Museum thus rises to six, while the four defendants are all members of the staff of this institution. The robbery in several halls of the Historical Museum was discovered two weeks ago in the early hours of the morning. Only afterward was it understood that thousands of valuable items were missing — including the famous Epitaph of Gllavenica, four highly valuable icons, and many historical pistols preserved since the time of the Second World War. The immediate start of the investigation first led to the detention of ten people, among them five museum employees who had been responsible for the missing artworks. Meanwhile, after the end of the 48-hour detention period, only five of them remained in Tirana prison. At that point the director of the National Historical Museum, Mylsim Jella, was also considered arrested, and a precautionary measure without custody was also imposed on Begator Mani, president of the civil guard “Rogat,” the company that only a few hours earlier had taken over the museum’s security. The preliminary charge against Jella and Mauten — as well as against the civil guard and two internal witnesses from the museum — referred to “abuse of office” and perhaps related to the failure to take measures, within the scope of their respective duties, to protect the museum. The latest person arrested in this case is — at least up to Sunday, because the investigation continues intensively — Theofil Ceka, who had worked at the museum as a temporary employee. The rather cautious investigation has still not confirmed the identification of the perpetrators of this robbery or even their location. Nevertheless, for days checks have been carried out at border points, through which the thieves are thought perhaps to be taking the antique works out of the country, even though all neighboring states and even countries farther away are now aware of them.

The ultimatum expires in 3 days Duchess Sarah Ferguson: humanitarian aid has been sent to Bosnia CARLO BOLLINO TIRANA – The raging river of war has swept through again. What until a few weeks ago was only the tragedy of one people has suddenly engulfed the world and threatens to become the tragedy of the entire planet. The war in Bosnia is no longer only the war of the Bosnians. The front page of the big news of the last few days is the sign of a new mobilization — that international public opinion which until now had watched indecisively in front of the television screen, broadcasting images stained by the blood of others. In three days the ultimatum expires, but the tension of these hours, with the many positions expressed by different countries, shows something else as well: the urgent call of the world to move toward Western victory does not make the enemy — Saddam — any less bloodstained. Russia continues to represent a deeply felt point in the Kremlin and remains, for the strategists of the White House, a voice to be heard. Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev publicly said that in his discussion with U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, he expressed his “opposition” to an armed intervention by NATO. It is not only an apparently formal divergence (Moscow believes that any order must come only from the UN, while Washington declares that NATO must be authorized to intervene), but the split is also a substantial one. NATO forces will not attack in the skies over his ocean. Even the Balkans seem divided: the President of the Republic of Albania, Sali Berisha, has given his approval for a NATO intervention, while Greece gives a blunt “no” to military action. The West is now clear and, at last, ready to condemn Serbian violence. Meanwhile in the East, this too is evident, the government opposes. They are the fronts of the other two blocs that seek to confront one another, and once again the Balkans — today as two weeks ago — appear as the terrain where two cultures, two mentalities, and two opposing policies clash. The NATO ultimatum expires on 20 February, and looking ahead to that date, foreign diplomats have little time to find a solution that will bring peace to Bosnia and thus avoid air strikes. Then something else emerges: regardless of whether the strikes are carried out or not, the West's threat of force has served to shake this already inflamed situation, which on 20 February reaches a critical point, leaving no room for what is being done today that should have been done many months ago. The question is posed: why was the NATO ultimatum not issued a year earlier? The more responsible explanation today is this: until now the world had thought that the war in Bosnia was only a local conflict. But today, at last, it understands that intervention in Bosnia, for which local responsibility is not enough, is a great danger for everyone. This, despite the apparent contradictions, is the first step taken toward peace. On page 2, the news

The ruling TIRANE — The ten Blockmen — this time by the Court of Appeal — were tried again; they had been found guilty by the Tirana Court at the end of 1993 of “violating the equality of citizens by cooperating through the creation of privileges.” But now there is another, more serious charge: the leaders among the ten defendants, benefiting from lighter sentences: Miska, Bekteshi, Gjebrifti and Çeliku, since 2 p.m. on Tuesday — when the appeal ruling was also handed down — have had 365 days subtracted from their previous sentence. The Court of Appeal’s final ruling has four points: first, the qualitative, legal and juridical reclassification of the criminal act committed by the ten defendants, sentencing them for the crime of “abuse of office”; second, the separation of the civil claim from the criminal proceedings, to be presented for review before the Civil Court of Tirana; third, the sentence of 365 days, the stripping of decorations and honorary titles; and fourth, the confirmation of the seizure measure, in the custody of the investigating body, until the final resolution of the civil case that has been opened. Of the ten Blockmen tried in the appeal process, three did not remain in the courtroom — according to the lawyers — for health reasons. Meanwhile, one of them, apparently the one excluded last, was the only defendant present. What is the next development in this file? The Court of Cassation, which will be the last to decide their fate definitively. (e.[?])

From our editorial staff It may be French, as it leads to the authors of the sensational theft committed two weeks ago in Albania. The hypothesis, still unconfirmed, is being seriously considered by several police forces around the world. The Italian investigative center handling the case of the theft of the Epitaph of Gllavenica and the four 17th-century icons suspects that there is perhaps a link to these valuable collections, which may help a great deal in identifying the work successfully stolen in France. As we wrote in the past few days, French investigators found that during the 1972 robbery at a museum in the southern city of Dijon, many relics of ancient art were lost, and the stolen works were also taken abroad. It may be a simple coincidence, but in the Italian media there is also the idea that the figures, independently of the Albanian perpetrators, represent fragments of another French case. Some of the museum objects cannot be sold on the clandestine market in that country.

At the Conference TIRANE — The Second Conference of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania begins amid incidents and division. At yesterday's meeting — while the Conference had already started in one of the halls of the Children's Cultural Center — a fairly large group of other trade unionists, together with the head of the BSP of Tirana, Valer Rrumbonja, were seeking entry into the hall. The goal was to confirm the absence of the signatures of eleven delegates. After that, the participants inside the hall — who had begun the Conference — together with the trade union leader of BSPSH, Valer Xheka, came out into the entrance hall to confront the protesters and demanded trade-union proof from those who were insisting on entering. From that moment in Tirana, the Second Conference turned into two mini-conferences, one that started its work at the Children's Cultural Center and the other in the premises of BSPSH. After the upheaval they have no representative documents of any kind — Valer Xheka tells Gazeta Shqiptare. According to him, those are not trade unionists from the district; they have been brought in by certain cliques to influence the Conference vote. Meanwhile the other group — through a press release and in the name of the Second Conference of BSP of Tirana — denounces “the bypassing actions of Xheka and his collaborators.” It is still not known which of these Conferences will be recognized as legitimate by the National Council of BSPSH.

An area of 15 hectares is designated TIRANE — There will be 15 hectares of surface area in the new Port of Vlora that will now belong to Albpetrol, the Albanian Oil Corporation. This area will serve as a base to support offshore oil exploration platforms. In addition to the construction of a special quay, which is expected to be about 280 meters long, a series of buildings are also planned — such as warehouses and storage facilities — that will serve the exploration works. The entire designated area will be exclusive to oil operations. At present, support for offshore platforms — so far only two exploration operations have been carried out — has been provided from bases in Brindisi. But the development and expansion of this activity — and the many services it requires — made it necessary to create a base in Albania. Initially it was thought that it would be built in Durrës. The narrow spaces and the large volume handled by this port did not allow the creation of full support for offshore exploration operations. Therefore it was decided that the new Port of Vlora would serve as a permanent base, although it has not yet been completed. Until it is ready, the Port of Durrës will function as temporary support for the operations currently under way. Ar. Me.

TIRANE — The two bodies that arrived from Greece and have been in the Tirana Department of Pathological Anatomy for a month still remain unidentified. More than 400 relatives, who came from all over Albania, have had the chance to see the two unidentified bodies, but none of them — up to Tuesday — has been able to recognize them. The difficulty of identifying them has led the doctors and forensic experts at the Morgue, and its directors are asking the Prosecutor's Office for permission to bury them. One of the victims — with what may have been a serious injury, Kristo Ziso from Saranda — had died in June 1993 after a car accident in Corinth.

Tirana TIRANE — A traffic accident on the railway. A driver from Kukës paid dearly for crossing the train tracks, precisely at an ungated and unguarded crossing on the outskirts of the capital. After this, the driver A.M. was detained by law-enforcement authorities, while his passenger L.J. was hospitalized in serious condition. The incident happened last Friday on “Jordan Misja” street, when the vehicle collided with the Tiranë-Vlorë line train. The investigation into this case is still ongoing.

IN FUSHË-KRUJË ONE KILLED BY THE EXPLOSION OF A BOMB — it was the nineteenth explosion in Fushë-Krujë that caused the death of 25-year-old Nazim Leka and injured his companion. The explosion had happened suddenly while the two were approaching a bush. It is thought the bomb may have been planted there long ago. IN DURRËS A PERSERITES IS ARRESTED — A gaming hall will soon be installed in Durrës. The decision on this was taken by the Municipality of the city after a complaint it had previously received from various residents of Durrës. The Municipality will now announce the tender for the company that will take responsibility for the installation of the renewed system. In this way, the residents of Durrës will have the opportunity to follow the various Italian television stations, among them the main stations of Italy. THREE ALBANIANS FOUND ALMOST FROZEN NEAR THE BORDER WITH GREECE — The three Albanians found by the rapid intervention forces and the volunteer units were almost frozen. The three people — returning from Greece — had been trapped by snow and the cold. Taken immediately to hospital, only two of them — although in serious condition — managed to survive. The third, an 85-year-old, could not escape death. Five other Albanians who had just returned from Greece had raised the alarm for them.

For a long time government offices had been without electricity A curious initiative by the Tirana investigators For a long time government offices had been without electricity They pay 100 lek to see the light A curious initiative by the Tirana investigators EDMOND LACI TIRANE — To escape the darkness and the difficulties, they had come through the prosecutor's office door with hope. And our energy had also turned for them. So — in fact, perfectly normal if we were talking about free people — it happened in a state institution. Where for years some people work day and night, the so-called investigators. For a long time the offices of the Tirana Investigation Service have worked without power and lights, to the point that it became clear that they needed something that would provide them with light for a while: “We have to pay, 100 lek each,” someone said insistently, asking someone to get the light for 100 per week. That was enough, and the electrician — now motivated — rushed to the office in the blink of an eye. But the duty is also in the office, because — for the sake of the project, they requested one of their own hydroelectric plants, but from one of them as well, still? Now the electrician — working with earned pay — perhaps should have understood that the more light comes to them in this role, the less they value, instead of daytime, those who are waiting for the investigations to finish as quickly as possible. The Tirana Investigation Service

The awakening of Albanian drama New talents are sought Zmailon funds available for the winners[?] ON PAGE 3 Three days of celebration for the encyclopedic book A special fair in Tirana ON PAGE 3

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