Gunfire against Albanians: 1 dead TETOVO UNIVERSITY / Bloody incidents TIRANA - Once again, a “freeze” in relations between Albania and Macedonia. Yesterday Macedonian police fired at thousands of Albanians who were chanting and protesting in front of two faculties in Reçicë e Vogël, near Tetovo. A young man, Avdulla Selimi from Bozova, was killed at the scene; five other Albanians ended up in hospital wounded. All six victims were hit by police bullets. The official authorities in Skopje reacted harshly, placing part of the blame on Albania as well. Berisha’s statement welcoming the opening of the Albanian University of Tetovo was described by the Macedonian government spokesperson as “interference in Macedonia’s internal affairs.” The tensions between Albanians and Macedonian police had begun on Wednesday, when Albanian students sought, for the first time in Macedonia’s history, to enter the lecture halls of an Albanian university. The Albanians’ initiative was immediately condemned by the authorities in Skopje; on both days, the Albanians’ first university classes were accompanied by the presence of a large number of Macedonian police officers. Their commanders handed the Albanians ultimatum documents demanding the immediate suspension of classes, which were considered illegal. Yesterday was the day on which the violent reaction of the Macedonian police was confirmed. Reports arriving from Tetovo still bear the marks of the contradictions between Albanians and the Macedonian authorities. According to Albanian sources, police began shooting at the crowd gathered in Reçicë e Vogël, which was determined to protect the Faculties of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Macedonian sources, by contrast, say that the Albanians had allegedly begun throwing stones at the Macedonian police. In the early afternoon, at around 18:00, the first casualties were also reported. A young man was killed immediately and rushed to a hospital in Skopje to be treated for wounds caused by Macedonian police gunfire. Several hours later, the Macedonian government also responded. According to official Skopje—as the official Skopje spokesperson put it—the Albanians were to blame. “We had stated,” said the Skopje spokesperson, “that we would put a stop to this initiative by every means at our disposal. In our view, Berisha’s statement yesterday was interference in Macedonia’s internal affairs.” Throughout the night, the situation remained tense, and police set up roadblocks along the Tetovo–Skopje road. An official response from Albanian diplomacy is expected today. f.b. Threatening ... ultimat[?] documents in which the immediate suspension of classes was demanded, as they were considered illegal. The day on which the violent response of the Macedonian police was confirmed was the day of [?]

Bridge collapse DURRËS - A section of asphalt collapsed in the middle of the Sukth bridge, blocking traffic on the Durrës–Tirana national road. Yesterday morning, the Durrës Road Police Section closed the road to vehicle traffic to prevent possible accidents. Police patrols have been stationed at the Shijak crossroads and at the exit from Tirana to direct Durrës–Tirana traffic via the Ndroq route. Meanwhile, it is reported that employees of the Road-and-Bridge Enterprise are working intensively to repair the Shijak Bridge as quickly as possible. According to statements by some Road Police officials, this will happen if vehicles and traffic in this direction resume. In any case, having only one lane remains a major concern, since—given the increase in vehicle traffic, especially heavy vehicles—it makes rapid travel on this national road difficult; it remains one of the busiest in the country. Specialists also say that the damage to the Shijak Bridge is a consequence of the heavy burden being borne by Albania’s road network amid the rapid growth of road transport. Yet, to date, this burden has not been matched by the necessary investment in road maintenance. [?] of drugs from Asia to Europe,” says “Little Friend.”

INTERVIEW — “Heroin, cocaine: this is how they pass through Albania” INTERVIEW “Heroin, cocaine: this is how they pass through Albania” The secrets of the drug trade A former police agent tells his story “From Turkey by bus to Tirana: from here the drugs are distributed for sale. The Italians pick them up at Kabarun” Each kilogram of heroin costs no less than 27,000 dollars. A hashish cigarette costs 2,000 lekë ARMAND MERO TIRANA - “The latest drug shipment was a [?] … it was 7 kilos of heroin, which an Italian came and collected by motorboat near Kabarun.” For the first time, a former police informant speaks about the trade in heroin, cocaine and other drugs in Albania; a former police informant speaks, the man whose code name was “Little Friend.” He tells the Gazeta Shqiptare the whole story and about his short life as an agent among smuggling groups, and the mechanisms that drive this phenomenon, which has spread its tentacles into Albania too. Now, having been away from this activity for a year, he stays hidden from the threats of his violent enemies. According to his testimony, various groups have been arrested for illegal trafficking and are still in prison. During the early period of his cooperation, the police even gave him a weapon, and he now shows the document recording the handover of the revolver as proof of his connection with the police. It is precisely thanks to this experience that he knows many things that remain a mystery to most Albanians. “Our country is a bridge for drugs from Asia to Europe,” says “Little Friend.” How is this transit organized, and how do Albanian groups operate? “The drugs—heroin, cocaine, or opium—come by several routes. During the period when I worked for the police and was caught up in smuggling, I was involved in several routes and shipments that came to Albania. One of them came from Turkey. It passed through Turkey, from where it reached, now. It went through Turkey to Tirana ... It was always done in cash. The moment the goods were handed over, payment was made.” Agent “Little Friend” is holding the document for the pistol he received from the police (photo: H.Pustina) were handed over, payment was made.” “Heroin, which was 35 percent pure, and pure cocaine? [?] and a mixture with opium, which was sold to foreigners in the squares for 27,000 dollars per kilogram. Opium is at this level too; it comes in sterilized bottles. Naturally, prices are lower for soft drugs such as hashish and marijuana, which are distributed for 350,000 [?]” amounts to around 350,000 dirhams per kilogram. The latter is mainly used in the form of cigarettes, by inhaling the smoke. One cigarette costs about 2,000 lekë.” Were the drug shipments intended for foreign markets or for the Albanian market as well? “Almost all of it goes abroad. There are very few people here who can use heroin and cocaine, because they are expensive. I know only a few people who take them. They did this in Italy, then in Switzerland, and now that they have returned, they need them. Soft drugs are used more. They are produced here. In fact, this is now the planting season, while the harvest takes place in October.” How did you manage to get into the drug and smuggling network? “‘Necessity drove me to it. I had collected some money from friends and relatives, which I had lent out at interest. After some time, the person who had borrowed it disappeared, and I was left drowning in debt. I had to repay 700,000 lekë. To get the money, I got into smuggling. But I couldn’t find customers for selling the goods—drugs and weapons—either. So I went to the Police and offered myself as an informant. They accepted me and promised they would help me pay off my debts. For this, they began to drain me. A mistake that nearly cost me my life.” “Little Friend” also tells [?] they cost me my life.” How is this passage organized, and how do the Albanian groups operate? when I worked for the police and was in the midst of smuggling, I knew of several Turkey by a route it reached via scheduled buses to Tirana. The central base was here, and from there it was connected to other groups in the districts. Each made a request according to what they could afford.” Was Turkey the source of supply? “No. Heroin often came from Macedonia as well. In that case, it did not pass through customs but came illegally across the border. Otherwise, it went to Korçë and was distributed from there. News of the arrival of shipments was sent by telegrams containing a specific phrase, for example: ‘I bought the new house.’ At that point, communication took place and contacts were established.” How was the sale carried out? “It was necessary for anyone working as an intermediary to find their own customers. Generally, they were their own customers and Kosovars who sent it to Switzerland. Italians came and picked it up themselves on their motor scooters. Generally, the meeting point was arranged at Karaburun. However, there were also those who picked it up directly in Vlorë. I myself was present when an Italian bought one kilogram of heroin. We were in a club—we gathered there to make deals—when the package was handed over; they put it in a bag and took it to Italy by ferry.” How was payment made?

Gjirokastër, the Mayor responds GJIROKASTËR - The National Folklore Festival will be held in Berat. This was the latest decision by the Ministry of Culture. Moving this major national folk celebration has prompted murmurs and a reaction in Gjirokastër, which has long been accustomed to hosting the great folk “dance.” The first to respond was the Mayor of the “city of stone” himself, Bashkim Fino. How do you assess the Ministry of Culture’s latest decision? “They have their own reasons, but I think that in this case the issue is being politicized—more than it should be. It is true that in the past the tradition was associated with the dictator Hoxha, but I do not see this as an obstacle to holding the festival of folk groups in Gjirokastër this year as well.” So what would your proposal be? “I think that organizing the Festival [?] in Gjirokastër, but at a time far from October—to avoid any kind of misunderstanding or politicization—would be a perfectly feasible idea. That way the tradition is preserved, while avoiding politicization that could be harmful in this case.” What will you do in the future to make this idea of yours a reality? “I—and this of course depends on the extension of my term as Mayor—will not stop my efforts with the Ministry of Culture to have the Festival held in Gjirokastër, at least this year.”

Librazhd, seized in a train wagon LIBRAZHD - Smuggled cigarettes have begun targeting the Montenegrin market. There are 9,000 packets of “Bond” brand cigarettes that were seized by the financial police after being found in a train wagon in Librazhd. Their two owners—a citizen from Shkodra and another from Pogradec—did not have proper documents to justify the shipment of cigarettes. It is thought that the cigarettes, after being found during checks by passengers, were set in motion following the incident, according to Fatmir Venetiku, head of the Librazhd Financial Police branch. The main supplier of “Bond” cigarettes for smuggling is the Macedonian Free-shop agency. This brand of cigarettes has not found many buyers because of its very high price: on the Albanian train, the soft [?] is quite dominant [?] in the Montenegrin market. In Shëngjin Fishing boat rescued after accident LEZHË - An engine failure at sea, and many anxious moments over the fate of the fishing boat; fortunately, the captain [?] and the sailor [?] were rescued [?] for everyone [?] involved, after [?] from Italy following a [?] that had its cargo of fish. The incident happened in Shëngjin; [?] eventually, the fishing boat suffered an engine failure and had [?] to be rescued with assistance [?]. The captain “was suffering” from a [?] in [?] for [?] of [?]. According to [?], in this [?] the captain [?] in [?] [?] that is [?].

TIRANA - After reporting drug smuggling, he is now accusing the Police. “I served them by providing a series of pieces of information [?], but they paid me only scraps and then abandoned and betrayed me. Now, many of those whom I reported to the police anonymously. Me and my whole family.” “Little Friend” speaks and sets off for his new secret location. A remote village where, for a year now—the time since he broke with the police—he has left his home in Vlorë and lives in hiding with his family. “The purpose is closed unemployed. He doesn’t hear or see [?].” He does not even send his 8-year-old child to school. He has written to the President and the Minister of Public Order, but has received no reply. He is not asking for money; he is asking only for protection. To be able to leave somewhere abroad, work, and return to Albania with the money he owes. “They had promised me from the start that they would help me pay off my debts. They said they would give me a substantial amount for every piece of information. But nothing. From December ’93 to March ’94 I worked for them; they gave me only a salary of 6,000 lekë, and 10,000 lekë in June—after I had left—for the work I had done. The Police sold my life. Since they dismissed me, I have been the victim of several private individuals. ‘However many years others have spent in prison, you and your family will get that many bullets,’ they threatened me. I don’t want to know who made the criminal deal over my life. I worked for the State. Why should they repay me like this?” Ar.Me

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The “Lika” trial nears its end The judicial investigation into the case against former MP Lika, accused of the criminal offense of smuggling, has concluded. At yesterday’s hearing, the prosecutor submitted numerous documents, such as police records and expert reports. The defense, for its part, sought to present as documentary evidence a letter in which the defendant Sali Rabi-i laruardërgim [?] për ditur - takes responsibility for bringing in the smuggled cigarettes. Musaraj returns from Russia Interior Minister Agron Musaraj returned from a visit to Russia. During his stay in Russia, he stayed in [?] Musaraj signed a bilateral cooperation agreement between Russia and Albania to combat crime, international terrorism, trafficking in drugs, weapons, money and foreign refugees, particularly those from countries of [?]

Today is a day of reckoning for Albanian football “Teuta’s” threat On page 3 Italian Championship: referees and lineups On page 3

OF THE TENDER COMMISSION FOR THE PURCHASE OF MATERIALS Notifies all state and private entities, within and outside the country, of the announcement of a tender for the purchase of: 1. Materials required: Clothing and footwear for employees: low-cut shoes 2,050 pairs, high-top shoes 1,900 pairs, rubber boots 1,700 pairs, canvas suits 2,100 pairs, canvas aprons 400 pieces. Consumable materials: carbide 24 tons, electrodes 19 tons, enamel paint 20 tons, babbitt 83 tons. Other consumables: 100W lamps, 4,400 pieces; 500W lamps, 1,700 pieces; electrical sockets and switches 400 pieces; portable lamps 500 pieces; fuses 400 pieces; secret door locks 100 pieces; railway-carriage lanterns 300 pieces; brooms 3,000 pieces; laundry soap 900 pieces; washing powder 300 boxes; bulbs [?] 1,500 pieces; floodlights 150 pieces. Office equipment: desks 185 pieces, chairs 300 pieces, and various stationery supplies. 2. The funding source is the General Directorate of Railways, Durrës. 3. Quality specifications for the materials: Low-cut and high-top shoes must be made of black leather and have rubber soles. Boots must be made of rubber, lined inside, with a cuff, long tops, polished, and preferably black; suits and aprons must be made of blue canvas. The carbide must be in large-grain form. It must be newly manufactured, with an acetylene rope for carbide. Electrodes must have a basic coating and be accompanied by information on their mechanical properties. Babbitt must be accompanied by its mechanical specifications. 100W lamps - 200V, 100W, E 27 - 500W lamps - 220V, 500W, E 42. - Floodlights must be protected against moisture and be 500W. - Electrical sockets and switches must be standard. - Lamp holders must be standard. - The laundry soap must be for washing clothes, 125 g. - Fuses 500W - 25A and 63A - Office desks varnished, with five-seater wooden chairs. - Varnished chairs. 4. Bid documents, together with samples, catalogues or brochures, must be submitted to the General Directorate of Railways, to the secretariat office. Bids must be accompanied by samples, catalogues or brochures; those without them will not be considered by the commission. 5. The deadline for submission of bids is 27 February 1996 at 10:00. 6. Interested parties should contact the Supply and Sales Department for further information at telephone number 0035/52/3278 and fax 0035/52/22037. TENDER COMMISSION OF THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF RAILWAYS, DURRËS.