Zhulali attacks in Parliament: “I will report Teta”; Imami also accuses. Arms for Serbia? Zhulali attacks in Parliament: “I will report Teta” Shadow of scandal over Defense And Imami accuses. Arms for Serbia? TIRANA - “Albanian weapons have ended up with the Bosnian Serbs.” The serious accusation against the Ministry of Defense was made yesterday by Democratic Alliance deputy Arben Imami, following a meeting of particular interest with Defense Minister Zhulali. Imami, who will speak in detail to reporters today, said he intends to pursue the matter to the end, perhaps even reporting Zhulali to the Prosecutor’s Office. Zhulali himself had earlier threatened to take action over what he called irresponsible conduct in some of his predecessor Teta’s actions. “At the appropriate time I will submit it to the relevant bodies so that explanations can be given,” Minister Zhulali said. The reverberations of yesterday’s debate overshadowed the Prime Minister’s interpellation held on Tuesday evening. The Commission and the measures taken by the Government he heads against this phenomenon were the subject of Meksi’s speech. Immediately after him, Zhulali spoke, answering questions about several cases of violations of Albanian territorial airspace. This was supposed to be the subject of his interpellation, but it was almost as if the Albanian Ministry of Defense had been taken to task and responsibility assigned to it. Imami put this question to the many deputies present. Zhulali, who after several years as a deputy briefly described the army and the state, said that the Albanian state had not had one; “there is something,” Zhulali said, later adding that it was impossible for it to be in the very first house. Zhulali then, in a statement of his own, denounced the barring of the Albanian press from Parliament. He was immediately answered on Teta’s behalf as well. Arben Imami—who had not been allowed to reply to Zhulali and whose session had ended—told reporters that Imami had declared: “I have Bosnian documents, I have documents that prove this.” But in that case, what did “the weapons ended up” mean? “Military goods produced by the Defense Ministry have ended up with the Bosnian Serbs”; that, according to Imami, was the explanation. What would their next step be? “We will use all the legal means at our disposal. I have not yet decided completely, but even a report to the Prosecutor’s Office may be possible,” he said. Fatos Bakhaxhi Safet Zhulali (photo: H.Pustina); Imami during a parliamentary debate (photo: G.Xhengo)

Banquet after the night of judgment in Parliament TIRANA - A banquet to celebrate victory. Brozi chose this way to host a gala in the halls of the Court of Cassation for journalists. They had been invited at midday to a conference by European judges, and were treated to food and refreshments. Just a few hours after Parliament decided to reject the Prosecutor’s request to lift his immunity, Brozi appeared smiling and said: “I want this not to be an ordinary conference, but a friendly gathering of people who fought together for an ideal that had come before the courts in 1990.” The speech by the President of the Court of Cassation was quite brief and filled with thanks to journalists and deputies “who, at midnight on February 1, showed that the time of voting by command is over.” For the President of the Court of Cassation, Parliament’s decision was not merely Brozi’s personal victory, but a victory for Justice and its independence from political power. “I believe that all those who entered this legal dance should finally abandon these methods,” he declared. Brozi would have been sent among all the prisoners if he had not received the support and goodwill of the deputies. Afterwards, the conversation continued with various jokes exchanged between the journalists and the President of the Court of Cassation—with his seated guest also present—who did not forget to make clear that the banquet he had laid on had been paid for with the allowance he received for that post. In fact, Brozi had already begun celebrating his victory immediately after Parliament’s favorable decision late the previous evening. Surrounded by close friends, he had stayed up until the early hours of the morning in one of the venues in the center of the capital. Ar.Me. Yesterday at the press conference (photo: H.Pustina)

The story SHKODER - He leaps to protect his wife and a bullet pierces his chest. A bloody family quarrel that ended in death. A brother killed his brother. They wanted to protect their wives but ended up killing each other. The extraordinary incident—a Cain-like feud—took place four days ago in Malësia e Madhe. The tragedy began with a quarrel between two sisters-in-law—the wives of two brothers—who lived in the same house. Amid the whirlwind of insults and mutual outbursts, one of the women grabbed a pistol to fire at her sister-in-law. Meanwhile, the two men, arming themselves after hearing the commotion, entered the house with weapons. The elder brother, seeing death aimed at his wife, grabbed another pistol and fired. But the younger brother was just as impulsive. He stepped in front of his wife to protect her, but the bullet killed him in her arms. His burial—a compromise between the families—was held in secret. Only a hodja was present at the ceremony; the victim’s son was at the very end. But there were wounded and dead, and they could not make the family compromise settle the blood feud. Together with the police, for five days they searched for their brother, who had by then fled the home. Only on Wednesday evening was he apprehended. The case has been referred to the investigators, who have called all the family’s relatives as witnesses to the incident. Reliable sources say the body will be exhumed and examined. Meanwhile, the hodja’s removal [wording unclear] has confirmed that the victim’s body had been struck by a firearm, something visible to the naked eye. The doctors in Malësia e Madhe are focused on the shocking events involving this family. Arinda Çusholli

Yesterday in Albania The winners have been drawn in the Red Cross lottery, held on January 31 and organized by the Red Cross. The official list of winning ticket numbers was announced yesterday. The ticket winning the largest amount, 300,000 lekë, is number 6/1858, sold in Elbasan; tickets number 9/4665, sold in Korçë, and 9/7045, sold in Tirana, win 100,000 lekë. Three tickets have won 50,000 lekë: number 6/8402, sold in Sarandë; 2/0028, sold in Berat; and 5/1467, sold in Dibër. Shkodër: Man wounded in his home He was at home with the person who shot him. The incident took place in Shkodër, in the city’s main neighborhood. After an argument, Alban Rahmani, 30, was wounded by C.H., an acquaintance of his from a residence in Tirana. The police are searching for him; he fled in an unknown direction.

The new “Food” bill is opposed; Health: “Control of food products belongs to us, not Agriculture” The new “Food” bill is opposed Two ministries now in a jurisdictional “war” over a law Health: “Control of food products belongs to us, not Agriculture” TIRANA - A battle over jurisdiction between ministries. This time, the cause of the clash between Health and Agriculture is the proposed “Food” bill, which has already been approved by the Government and is expected to go before Parliament soon. The delicate point underlying the claims, beyond the transfer of the Sanitary Inspectorate, is the explanation given for who controls food products. The bill limits this responsibility to one party for trade in bars and restaurants, while the relevant laboratories and other functions would belong to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. “All of this is unacceptable,” Stefan Lefteri, head of the Health Ministry’s Inspectorate office, told Gazeta Shqiptare. “No body has the right to prevent those who carry out genuine sanitary-hygiene inspections from exercising control in food-industry facilities.” According to Health Ministry representatives, in this case there is confusion between technical and technological production controls and sanitary controls. In fact, until now, under the various existing laws and government decisions, food products have been inspected by the Ministry of Health. It also has specialized laboratories for this work. “If things remain as provided in the draft, the damage would be great,” says Kujtim Zazo, director of the Hygiene Directorate in Tirana. “That would mean the Ministry of Food starting a process from scratch, at a time when our structures are complete and even effective. Goods worth millions of lekë are being inspected by our laboratories.” The Health Ministry’s objections have been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office and the People’s Assembly. The only hope now lies in amendments that may be made before the bill reaches Parliament. Ar.Me.

Lushnje, did he help a smuggling shipment? LUSHNJE - Was the head of the Financial Police involved in a smuggling affair? This is suspected by the Fier Military Prosecutor’s Office, which today ordered the arrest of Myslim Hameriz, deputy head of the directorate responsible for the Lushnje branch of the Financial Police. A person identified as Veip Përgjia, also an officer of the Financial Police, was reportedly involved as well. The news comes from the Albanian official news agency. According to this source, the case concerns the falsification of an order to open the warehouse of a financial trader in Durrës, who suspected that her colleague in Lushnje had signed it. The Durrës financial officer had been following the shipment for some time. According to her, Hameriz and Gergiani’s action constituted a genuine violation. The Financial Police personnel prosecutor then testified and filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office. The latter found the suspicions well-founded and charged the chief and Gergiani. They must remain under house arrest until the matter and the truth about the shipment of coffee sacks are clarified. p.e.

TIRANA - Financial “irregularities” at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. An inspection carried out by the State Audit Service uncovered significant deficiencies in the ministry’s financial assets. “Irregularities” Interior Ministry under scrutiny TIRANA - Financial “irregularities” at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. An inspection carried out by the State Audit Service uncovered significant deficiencies in the ministry’s financial assets over the years. Those responsible at the ministry are liable for 901,000 lekë in budget expenditures exceeding the prescribed limits. The auditors also noted purchases of large value made without tenders. The State Audit Office has proposed disciplinary measures for several officials. Ar.Me.

After Fier, now Gjirokastër GJIROKASTER - The story repeats itself. This time the unfortunate event, from the maternity hospital in Fier—where a mother abandoned a baby, Ina, who has been cared for by the staff for five months—has surfaced in Gjirokastër. In the obstetrics department, another child has been left alone in the first days after birth. But while in Fier the little girl was given a name, here nobody has remembered their child, who has been abandoned. She cries and grows weaker with every passing day. Since the day she came into the world until now, no one has come to see her. For months, no one has taken responsibility for her care. Her future continues to be unclear, and she may never experience a family life of her own. She is seen as a child. More “foreign documents.” Ra.Ko.

The attack in Durrës TIRANA - While debates continue in Albania about who was at fault in the incident that took place last Saturday at the “Olimpik” Bar in Durrës, reassuring news has come from Germany about the life of Toni Miller, the Marine who was shot with a firearm after the incident at the establishment. Semi-official sources have confirmed that the life of the 20-year-old Marine is now out of danger, following the operations performed on his injured body by American military doctors. It seems that the initial intervention by the Albanian doctors was indeed successful. The American’s survival may put his attacker, who remains under arrest in Durrës, in even greater danger. This may provide further arguments in support of all those—and lately there have been many—who have condemned the defense of the man under arrest. p.e.

Customs duty also on imported medicines ON PAGE 3 Unpaid loans paralyze SMEs ON PAGE 3

Banka Tregtare Albakrediti shpk Free market Currency Buying Selling Buying Selling Buying Selling Dollars 93,20 95,20 94,00 94,60 94,20 94,30 Marks 60,50 61,40 61,20 61,50 61,11 61,12 Lire 57,50 58,70 57,80 58,20 57,90 58,00 Drachmas 38,15 39,30 39,10 39,30 39,10 39,20

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For the second time, the U.S. Diversity Visa Program is beginning. This event will be conducted by New York attorney Giulini i Gjilinit at Hotel Dajti in Tirana, from 10:00 to 18:00, for a fee of 15 dollars for each person registered. Last year, among the four people assisted by Mr. Charles Giulini, one won. Mr. Giulini has been an attorney for citizens of Albanian nationality in the Bronx, New York, since 1968. He can help the winners with their application to go to America. You are invited to participate in this immigration visa program until February 26, 1995. Charles Giulini