Will he speak this time? TIRANA - John Mc Gow, the administrator who knows the secrets about the stolen gold, has returned to Albania. He landed yesterday morning in Rinas, on a plane arriving from Vienna. Waiting for him in Tirana was S. Shehu, secretary-general of the Democratic Party. It is understood that Mc Gow may have come for a private visit, but his presence cannot help reminding us of the promise he made in April 1992 before the cameras of state television: “When the time is right, I will speak...” And the man of Scottish origin, who lives in Switzerland, seemed at the time to have a great deal to say. Most important of all was the secret of the stolen gold. A matter still to be fully clarified, concerning events that must have unfolded in the final months of the dictatorship, in the period between 1990 and 1991 when Ramiz Alia’s regime was collapsing. Mc Gow—who, before coming to Albania to bring humanitarian aid, had been a professional pilot—said he had seen dozens of crates loaded with gold being put aboard planes lined up on the Rinas runway. He described seemingly precise circumstances: the crates were brought aboard by trucks escorted by the “sampistët,” the notorious police officers of unit 326. When the trucks stopped at the airport entrance, the area was sealed off and no one could enter. The crates were loaded onto the planes, and the planes took off for an unknown destination. Unknown to everyone else, but not to him: John Mc Gow said he knew in which countries, in which banks, and in whose name the gold was being transported. But he did not mention any names: “It’s not the time,” he explained; “the time isn’t right,” he said on television a few months later. But he promised: “When the time is right, I will speak.” Has that moment perhaps arrived now? The deputy’s statements did not fall on deaf ears. The transitional government formed after the 1992 elections set up an investigative commission headed by Blerim Çela, now chairman of the Control Commission. Çela collected documents, testimony, and accounts. He filled entire files that seemed to demonstrate one thing: the gold accumulated by the communist regime over the years through confiscations from wealthy Albanian merchants was not in the State Bank’s vaults. But the investigations never clarified where it had ended up, or whether anyone had in fact taken it out of the country. Ramiz Alia has always denied everything, always sworn that no one had stolen the gold and that the assets that were indeed missing had been spent on stock-market operations that went wrong. In short, failed speculation, not fraud. Today John Mc Gow returns to the same Albania as Arsidi, the French businessman who was called in to mediate over a foreign debt that had also arisen from those stock-market speculations acknowledged by Alia. A complicated story, whose most important part perhaps—unexpectedly—is only beginning now. (c.bo) Only now has it once again been left hanging. At least until yesterday morning. (el) Abdiu: lifting the immunity of the chairman or a member of the Council was not within Parliament’s competence. ARMAND MEKO on page 5

The fifth “turns himself in” on his own initiative In Korçë, two “lookalikes” of the escapees are held for several hours. And an unfortunate trip from Tirana... TIRANA - The fifth of the escapees to return to his cell was “turned in” by his wife. He had been sentenced for an injustice to more than five years; the 30-year-old, sentenced to five years in prison, still had only 27 months to serve. While police checks continue at every kilometre across the country, a woman appears at Tirana Prison asking to speak with director Shkëlqim Mustafaraj. “My husband is at home. Come and get him.” A report was drawn up and genuine suspicions arose within minutes—the time it took to travel to Kodër-Kamëz to retrieve the escapee, Ismet Daja. “The person who voluntarily returned to prison was not only treated well by prison staff,” Bedri Çoku, an official of the Prison Administration, told Gazeta Shqiptare, “but also expressed remorse for what he had done.” However, according to him, the report by Daja’s wife cannot be included in the category of cases eligible for the one-thousand-dollar reward offered by the Ministry of Justice. But while the return of the escapee to his cell was being dealt with, reports from Korçë raised hopes for two others as well. Two “lookalikes” of the escapees—this time from Mirditë—spent several hours at the Korçë Police Station because they resembled one of the other escapees. It took only a four-hour trip by Tirana Prison staff—who know all the escapees well—for the mistaken identification to be cleared up very quickly. Even so, the number of those recaptured remained five. At least until yesterday evening. (el) Ismet Daja, the escapee who returned to prison yesterday. On the right: Bedri Çoku, head of the Prison Administration

TIRANA - Parliament will decide on the immunity of the President of the Court of Cassation, Zet Brozi. This morning, the Constitutional Court publicly announced its decision, based on the constitutional provisions currently in force. Parliament must consider the request submitted by the General Prosecutor’s Office. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. At the end of December, the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group had asked the Constitutional Court to interpret the article concerning the immunity of the chairman and members of the Constitutional Court. Now the future of President Brozi will depend on the deputies’ vote. The “Brozi case”—one of the most widely discussed subjects in the press in recent days—began on the eve of the New Year. On December 29, General Prosecutor Altush Dragoshi had sent Parliament a request to lift Brozi’s immunity. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, he “had exceeded his authority in the performance of his duties.” The accusation concerned the release of a Greek citizen, Kallafatos—who had long since returned to his homeland—who had been convicted by the Albanian courts for drugs; the Court of Cassation had sent his case back to the Prosecutor’s Office for retrial. The Prosecutor’s request had initially been rejected by Parliament’s Mandates Committee. According to its chairman, of the Court of Cassation was not within Parliament’s competence.

The actor arrived at Rinas TIRANA - Yesterday, the familiar image of the famous Pitkin appeared before the people of Tirana, just as nimble and humorous as ever. Only his hair, now whitened by age, was different... Norman Wisdom has remained unchanged in his gestures and jokes. Yesterday, too, his characteristic expressions, his feet on the table and, above all, his jokes about all the official ceremonies gave a special colour to his first steps in Tirana, Albania. During his visit to the capital, the actor was officially accompanied by a group of... Here are three photographs taken yesterday by Hektor Pustines.

Police are looking for the fourth LUSHNJË — The search for the perpetrators of last Friday’s serious attack in Lushnjë lasted only two days. The police have managed to arrest three people, considered participants in the incident in which three people died and two others were wounded. According to this source, on Monday morning Lushnjë police arrested Ismail Hamiti, 33, from Lushnjë, Flamur Myrton, 32, and Bajram Koreshi, 30. Details of the operation that led to their arrest have not yet been announced. Official sources have said only that it was carried out by the Lushnjë Criminal Police. The three young men had previously been convicted of various crimes. The police have established that all three were present at Monday’s serious attack, when they fired Kalashnikovs at a car carrying six people. Three of the passengers were killed on the spot and two others were wounded. Only the car’s driver escaped unharmed. A friend of the three arrestees is still being sought by police. It is suspected that this incident stemmed from an old grudge between him—the wanted man is named Artur Daja—and one of Friday’s victims.

SHKODËR — Another crime report from Shkodër. Fortunately, no one was killed, although residents of the city center held their breath for several moments. A 17-year-old was stabbed by people who are still unknown. The incident took place on Wednesday, at around 7:00 p.m. According to eyewitnesses, the boy—a resident of Parrucë, Shkodër’s central neighborhood—was wounded after an argument with several other boys, who then left without giving the police a chance to catch and identify them. The injured boy was immediately taken to hospital and is now out of danger. Shortly after this incident, special police forces carried out surprise searches in the homes of several people suspected of possessing unlicensed weapons. This serious stabbing comes after several other incidents in Shkodër over the past two weeks, some of whose participants were also killed.

An alert has been issued over food supplies PUKË — The grip of cold has tightened further around northern Albania, causing extensive damage and making communications between populated centers difficult. The snow cover has now exceeded one meter, while the cold persists, with temperatures around zero. In Pukë, a temperature of -15 degrees was even recorded. Only in recent days has it been possible to make a provisional assessment of the damage caused by the polar temperatures. Frequent avalanches have blocked nearly 140 kilometers of roads crossing the communes of Fierzë, Iballë, Blerim and Qelzë. Around 20,000 people are now completely cut off from the rest of the country. They are forced to live in difficult conditions: in addition to roads being blocked by snow and ice, they must also endure the lack of telephone service—which has not worked since the beginning of the year—and frequent power cuts. The District Council has sounded the alarm over food supplies to these areas. The lack of suitable storage facilities means that only half the required amount of flour is available here. The fierce battle against nature has now begun to deliver the necessary aid to the isolated residents.

DURRËS — A particular form of medicine has recently become widespread in Durrës: acupuncture. The special method for treating various diseases has been made available by S. Vokopola, a well-known neuropsychiatrist. To practice this type of treatment—which is being offered for the first time in the city of Durrës—Vokopola has set up the clinic in his home. Acupuncture is one of the treatments widely used around the world because of its effectiveness. It can be used to cure some illnesses.

TIRANA — The Electricity Police continue their inspections to combat abuses involving electrical energy. Checks are carried out on meters; in cases where they have been modified or are unsealed, very heavy fines are prescribed. Yesterday, during an inspection of the streets and Alitalia’s offices in Tirana, the meter was found to be unsealed. Alitalia’s representative, Mario Peretti, said the administrative proceedings were very severe and that the resulting amount would be substantial. Since Alitalia had paid its bills regularly, the fine was reduced from 100,000 lekë to 10,000 lekë.

TIRANA — The Japanese were not the only witnesses to the horror of the earthquake in Japan. An Albanian happened to be there, experiencing the earthquake not only as an ordinary citizen, but also as a specialist seeking to understand earthquakes well. He is Arben Pitarka, a specialist [unclear] who has learned a great deal about seismology from the Japanese. He had the “chance” to experience the powerful earthquake that struck the volcanic island, one of the strongest to hit the island in 75 years. Relatives and friends called him repeatedly to ask about his condition and reassure themselves that he was safe. But he was not the only one. Through television images that stirred concern about the tragic consequences of Tuesday’s earthquake, news of the fate of other Albanians in Japan for various reasons also reached their families in Albania. According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are currently 13 Albanians on the Japanese island, mainly there for studies. However, despite reports to the contrary, the number of Albanians there may be even higher. Along with the high standards of modern life, they have also had to experience the anxiety caused by the earth’s devastating movements. That anxiety has now reached Albania too. A young woman tried for two days in a row, by every means, to get in touch with him; the secretary witnessed the anxiety with which she used the telephone, clutching a scrap of paper on which the number was written. But on the paper the secretary also read a chilling word: Kobe. So the person in question lived in Kobe, the city where there had been [unclear] deaths. Perhaps it was only a few telephone-line faults, and many Albanians will have found a way to get in touch. Something [unclear] for everyone. for everyone.

Photograph from the activity shown on the page.

Interview “Yes, I turned my husband in. I notified the prison myself and they came and took him away. He came home on Monday morning. He didn’t stay at all, not even to see the children. We both left immediately, and for three nights in a row we stayed hidden by the Çekrezë River. We didn’t move at all. Only this morning did they come here to my mother’s house, when we decided that he should return to prison.” ARMAND MERO on page 3

YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA Families hand over the aid Police are looking for the fourth Shkodër Alarm raised over food supplies The freeze continues in the North

Families return the aid They had falsified documents for social assistance and were exposed. In Kukës, 138 families who, according to the documents, were to receive a sum of money as economic aid were forced to return the amount they had received. It was the Social Assistance Section at Kukës Municipality whose members uncovered this fraud in more than [unclear] homes in Kukës. “6 out of 45” lottery, one winner There were no winners with all 6 numbers drawn in the “6 out of 45” lottery. There was only one person from Tirana who matched five numbers, on ticket number 1366294. He receives 438,712 lekë. Thus, 658,688 lekë will still be at stake next week. Gjirokastër, neighborhood wants its ambulance The appeal by residents of Gjirokastër’s “Pllakto” neighborhood to have their ambulance returned has now reached the Court of Appeal’s files. The doctors from this ambulance mostly go around to private homes, some of which have nothing to do with medical visits. In any case, the neighborhood urgently needs this institution, and the decision to return it to its former state is eagerly awaited. New exchange in Fier 4,000 telephone numbers will be installed for the people of Fier. An electronic exchange, whereas until now there was only an electromechanical one, is being implemented, thus completing part of the modernization Master Plan funded by the European Bank and Finland.

The trial resumed yesterday ON PAGE 3 New Year’s forecast: today, the SCORPIO horoscope The special initiative continues ON PAGE 4

Currency Commercial Bank Buying Selling Albakredjt shpk Buying Selling Free market Buying Selling Dollars 93.20 95.20 93.50 95.00 94.02 94.50 Marks 60.00 61.36 60.40 61.30 60.50 60.70 Lire 67.40 68.80 67.30 68.00 57.50 57.70 Drachmas 37.86 38.80 38.50 39.00 38.80 39.00