TRIAL / The case of the tear gas grenades goes to court The smoke trade The Police were misled Two former officials face charges of "abuse of office" EDMOND LACI TIRANA — It was the second consecutive day that the Tirana Court had in its chambers people accused of "abuse of office", after materials bought in Albania had been transferred and were supposed to be exchanged for military supplies. In this case it has now been officially learned that, with funds that were to be used in France to buy hundreds of tear gas grenades and which were, according to the Ministry of Defence, still not brought to Albania — a former official of the Ministry of Labour and Interior and another from "Teknimi port"; a former foreign-trade enterprise — have been brought before the military judges. Yet another mysterious story that has now begun to come to light publicly. Everything is linked to March 1991, when, for the needs of the former Ministry of Labour and Interior, 222,375 dollars were sent to France for "Albanians", intended for the urgent purchase of hundreds upon hundreds of tear gas grenades. Defence checks established that the payments could not be made in the normal course of their official duties, which explains the failure to complete the import of this quantity of armaments," charged military prosecutor Petrit Shahu on the first day of the trial. An accusation that was completely unacceptable to Sako and Toto, who denied any responsibility in this story. In any case, the most important episode is the pursuit of the 222,375 dollars back to Albania — for the first time a signal is publicly raised and often repeated. As was stated at the trial — although the one that began on Tuesday in Tirana does not directly concern this episode — efforts to recover these thousands of dollars in Albania are still continuing. Perhaps they were exchanged for another military supply, perhaps still with a motosaf. In any case, the sum of 222,375 dollars will be counted alongside the names of Sako and Toto — both of whom have been in Tirana Prison for 15 months. Tear gas grenades at the center of a scandal

FIER, over 40 patients in hospital Cholera surges: the river carries the vibrio Villagers have been drinking contaminated water along the Osum. A convoy of tanker trucks has begun FIER — Cholera is intensifying in Fier. The analyses carried out so far have confirmed the presence of the vibrio in more than 40 people. An even larger number have been admitted to the city hospital, suspected of having been affected by the epidemic. Every day, more people continue to arrive with the now well-known symptoms: vomiting and diarrhea. Almost all of them are from the villages, mainly from the areas through which the Osum River flows — which appears to be the main source feeding the spread of cholera in Fier. Apparently polluted by the vibrio in Berat — into this river flow the springs of that city and of Kuçovë — this water is carried directly to villagers, who also use it for drinking. The first data on the serious episode showed that drinking water thus became the cause of the spread of the disease. Even in the nearest villages the water remains there, whether in the holes it has left behind — clearly — where, according to them, it is filtered — and everything is fine. In this situation, health specialists as well as water-supply technicians have been alerted. In some villages — Kallm and Suk — drinking water is now delivered only by tanker trucks, while a large quantity of disinfectant has also been distributed. The hospital is also on full alert. The first floor of the Infectious Diseases ward has been completely cleared of other patients and has been fitted with 80 beds, and the number of medical staff, both mid-level and senior, has been increased to cope with the spread of the epidemic. En. My.

The Ministry reports the case to the Prosecutor's Office TIRANA — The Ministry of Health has filed a criminal complaint against the local and regional officials responsible for this sector for the use and administration of drinking water as well as for the lack of the necessary hygienic measures to deal with the cholera epidemic. In a special statement distributed by the Ministry on Tuesday, it denounced as responsible for the spread of cholera in the villages of the Peqin Gorge the local authorities that had long lacked drinking water. Now — according to the statement — the Ministry of Health has asked the district Prosecutor's Office to take the appropriate measures regarding those responsible. "Several times the Ministry has drawn the attention of the local authorities to the use of water-supply systems and municipal enterprises — the statement says — and has even asked for the relocation of the workplaces of the persons responsible, but without ..."

Otranto, macabre discovery Terror at sea: after the Albanians two babies drown It remains a mystery who the victims are, whose bodies have now been recovered lifeless from the waters of the Adriatic on the night of 12 October. All the efforts of the authorities to reconstruct the full course of these events have ended in uncertainty. In Otranto, so far, all attempts have failed. It is known only that the two verified victims are both female and both young. The cause of death was blockage of the airways by seawater. Identification has been made more difficult by one circumstance: none of the rescued passengers has been able to answer the question of who the victims are. "We only saw them in the same boat, but we don't know who they are. It was the first time we had seen them," replied one of the undocumented migrants. Among the drowned, only one name is known so far: Qani Topojani, 26 years old, from Kosovo. His name does not appear on the list of survivors. He had set out that night together with his fiancée Emeralda Nini, 24, from Vlora, who fortunately managed to survive. The coffins of the two Kurdish children drowned in Otranto LECCE — It was not only the tragedy of the Albanian undocumented migrants that was recorded on 12 October in the Adriatic waters. Another painful piece of news, recently brought to light — released on 13 October — is that two babies also lost their lives. The horror was compounded in the midst of the storms by yet another tragedy: the two babies — one 2 months old and the other 6 months old — were buried near the coast by their own parents, who, overwhelmed by unbearable pain and fear, tried to hide the traces of this act in an inaccessible bend in the village of San Foca, an area favored by traffickers for landing the "human cargo". The children were part of a large group of Kurds who had set off from Albania with other traffickers' motosafs. The lifeless bodies of the two little ones were found on Tuesday. The discovery of the two small bodies came not after a report by the parents of one of the babies; both of them are now charged at liberty with "concealment of a corpse", while the other couple is being sought for the same offense. The details of this tragic event are still unknown. The deputy prosecutor of Lecce has ordered an autopsy on the two bodies, which will fully establish the cause of death. According to what later became known, on the night of the motosaf accident — which caused the death of two people and the disappearance of 11 others — a police patrol stopped on the shore of San Foca a group of ten Kurds, all Turkish citizens, including three children. Everyone was in serious condition and still wet from seawater. The children were completely naked. The first suspicions about the tragic event arose among investigators after they saw that the passports of the two Kurds also listed the names of the children born only a few months earlier. The initial investigations did not produce any results and repatriation was ordered for everyone. But, unexpectedly, another horrifying scene has clearly begun to emerge, ending with the discovery of the macabre sight. The latest story once again shows the tragic scale that migrant trafficking from the Albanian coast to Italy has taken. The Albanian victims of 12 October have now been joined by the two poor Kurdish babies. The toll of the tragedy shocked public opinion and once again placed this old problem at the center of attention. But many believe that the victims of that night are only the tip of the iceberg. (p.re.)

YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA The OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Van der Stoel has once again met with President Sali Berisha. After presenting him with the official Albanian position on the situation of the Greek minority, Berisha said: "The OSCE's interest in the situation of the Slav-Macedonian, Turkish and Albanian national minorities in Greece, and in the protection and respect of their rights, would be another real contribution that this organization could make toward fulfilling the mission that lies at its foundation and toward strengthening stability in the region".

The local authorities of Elbasan wanted to hear the voice of the war disabled who operate in the city, in order to better see where intervention is needed to improve the situation. Yesterday's meeting was held in a social center and was attended by the Prefect of Elbasan, Thanas Merxhani, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Ylli Bufi[?], as well as foreign businessmen, in a hall of the city's large hotel, "Skampa". Among the discussions presented by those present, the main ones concerned infrastructure and content, changes in legislation and the lack of timely information on the various things as well as their treatment.

Unexpected exclusions also for Koten and Mullai. Among the winners, many young people Contest, a sensational conclusion TIRANA — Shifts in the music world. The selection committee of "Fest '94" — which the day before yesterday announced 34 winning entries — has, in a clumsy way, left out the biggest names with the most noise and excitement. In the name of a more successful promotion of Albanian light music. Tomorrow — when a press conference will be held in the premises of Radio Tirana — will be another worry-free day for Ferdinand Deda, Vladimir Koti and Gazmend Mullai. Because this time their works have not been chosen among the 34 winners announced by the Selection Committee of Fest '94. There were 87 competing songs for the 33rd Song Festival on Radio and Television. All were submitted on cassette and privately attached by their authors. For the first time, the journalists of the Selection Committee — chaired by Zhani Ciko — have preferred that each work submitted to the competition correspond to a specific number rather than to the names of the authors, perhaps the best way to avoid subjectivism. And the result was surprising indeed. Many of the winning entries announced on TV on Tuesday evening were precisely the property of names completely unknown to festivals. In any case, also to Albanian light music. In any case, these entries — whose names will be announced only tomorrow, at the press conference — will have to face another competition, this time in the final version from which perhaps the final songs to be presented at "Fest '94" will emerge. Besides this category — which concerns authors residing in Albania — a competition for works by authors from the diaspora will also soon be held, from which another 10 works may be selected. So after the notes, it will now also be necessary to determine the letters, most of which have reached the Literary Commission of RTSH — they were considered "undesirable" by the family theme, perhaps also because 1994 is seeking an international Year of the Family. (Ed. La.)

Albania responds to the accusations over Janullatos Tirana-Athens: even the Constitution a "bone of contention" TIRANA — The debate over the Albanian draft constitution has now also begun between Greece and Albania. On Tuesday the Albanian Foreign Ministry distributed a statement in which the recent positions of senior Greek officials regarding the part concerning religious communities are described as unacceptable interference by the Greek state in Albania's internal affairs. A few days earlier, senior Greek officials had protested in Athens against the Albanian draft Constitution. According to them, a specific article of it "constituted a threat to the presence of Archbishop Janullatos in Albania". The Albanian Orthodox Church responded that Tirana — it has the right to exist, whatever the citizens, and to decide who should be at its head, and no one has the right to dictate things that go against this status. Much less does Greece have the right to exploit the presence of a Greek priest as primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church in order to erode its autocephalous character, when it is known that he is not an envoy but a representative of the Greek state". (p. re.)

In Lezhë LEZHE — It all began as a not-so-funny joke and very quickly turned into tragedy. The owner of the house in the village near Balldre, A. Salja from Kosovo, is now in handcuffs as the defendant for injuries and murder caused to two fellow villagers, who had been staying there since 11:30. The injuries sustained during this stage also involved the injured man's brother. He had also been involved with a man[?] for years. Now he is fighting for his life. FOR RENT — A 3+1 villa near Durrës (at the railway, near the Durrës hotel) with two bedrooms, living room with kitchen, veranda, terrace, 2 bathrooms, garage. Tel ... (R. N.)

In Tropojë, the language[?] has had products that many areas now need. For infrastructure reasons, its citizens also go there for supplies. Other things seem to be lacking and this remains difficult to solve.

Accusations of electoral fraud in Macedonia Publication of the results is delayed ON PAGE 2 10 enterprises closed 19 others cut jobs ARN study completed ON PAGE 3

This space is free for you! For economic notices. Send your message, no longer than 15 words, to one of our addresses: In Tirana: Bajram Curri Street, 370, or in Bari: Viale Scipione l'Africano, 264. Tell in your message what you are looking for and offering, your name and address LOOKING TO SELL SOMETHING? LOOKING TO BUY SOMETHING? call 42108. TIRANA FOR SALE — An apartment on the second floor, two rooms + a kitchen near KS "Partizani". Interested parties should contact by phone at 26413. Low price 20,000 lek. FOR RENT — For storage, a space with an area of 50 square meters and a height of 2.2 meters. It has a cement floor and no dampness. Address: "Ali Pash Gucia" street no. 50/1, Tirana. FOR SALE — A house with three rooms and a kitchen, two bathrooms, with a yard and parking available. Interested parties should call 0225 80 67, 7000, 8:00, 15:00–19:00 and 20:00. FOR SALE — An apartment with two rooms and a kitchen, an anteroom, location[?]: Agim Bacelli, "Skënderbej" neighborhood, building 144/1, Lezhë. FOR SALE — An apartment with two rooms and a kitchen, annex, second floor. Interested parties should contact Qemali Xharo, "Beqiri haji" neighborhood, building 15/45. LEZHË FOR SALE — Radio transmission system, AM, FM, VHF and UHF as well as radio-telephone. Contact phone no. 24766. FOR SALE — Cinema "Drini", in the center of Lezhë. The two-story building stands on a 700-square-meter foundation area and also has over 800 square meters of yard. Interested parties should contact Mr. Ali Trana in Lezhë. DURRËS FOR SALE — A house with a yard in Durrës, near cinema "Iliria", on "Vaso Pasha" street. Contact in Tirana at phone no. 25732, every day, and 32664 after 16:00. EXCHANGE[?] — An apartment, two rooms and a kitchen, annex and bathroom inside, located behind 16 Nëntori school, for an apartment with two rooms and a kitchen inside the ring road and not on the first floor. Interested parties n[?]: Agim Bacelli, "Skënderbej" neighborhood, building 144/1, Lezhë. FOR SALE — An apartment with two rooms and a kitchen, annex, second floor. Interested parties should contact Qemali Xharo, "Beqir haji" neighborhood, building 15/45.

DURAZZO BARI DURAZZO with CATAMARAN GOULBAYA STRELA IN 3 HOURS AND A HALF Daily departure from DURAZZO at 17:00 from BARI at 09:00 Fares from USD 45 For information and bookings: at your TRAVEL AGENCY or at: TEAM ALBANIA sh.p.k. UNITI MARITIMA AGENT DURAZZO - Stacioni i Trenit Durres, 3 Tel. 00355-52-22035 - Fax 00355-52-23741