The PD Council will decide TIRANA - Selami’s idea has not passed the test before the PD Presidium. At the end of a meeting that continued until the late hours of Friday, the PD Presidium decided: “The National Council will decide this matter. The draft constitution must be approved again by referendum and then ratified in Parliament. Chairman Selami’s proposal to take the parliamentary route is not accepted.” Selami will therefore have to wait for the upcoming meeting of the National Council, the date of which has now been set: tomorrow at the Palace of Congresses. A scenario similar to the one at the PD Presidium meeting held just a few days ago has been repeated within the space of a few days. Selami’s position at the time had attracted public attention over his opposition to the leadership and the other parties on the country’s most important political issue. In the days following the first Presidium meeting, Selami had said: “The Presidium has no reason to reject the tourist project and therefore the parliament ...” [The remainder of the passage is garbled in the source.] PD headquarters and Eduart Selami

The UN is concerned and appeals for dialogue Tirana: “The bloodshed in Tetovo is a crime” Tensions between Macedonia and Albania TIRANA - Albanian diplomacy reacted sharply just one day after the bloody incident near Tetovo. The Albanian government issued a statement yesterday in which it strongly protested. The Democratic Party and the Albanian Helsinki Committee also reacted forcefully. The UN mission in Macedonia also expressed its concern yesterday. UNPROFOR appealed to both sides to remain calm if they wished to prevent yesterday’s incident from turning into an even greater tragedy. The bloodshed surrounding the Albanian University of Tetovo thus risks taking on worrying international dimensions. The Albanian government’s protest was issued yesterday, just one day after the victims in Reçicë e Vogël. Tirana called the serious incident “a criminal act of violence, provoked and with destabilizing consequences.” Despite the harsh tone apparent in Tirana’s latest statement, Albanian diplomacy nevertheless acted cautiously, speaking only of “elements of anti-Albanian police repression” and reminding Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov of the promises he had made to Albanians to meet their demands. “President Gligorov has not spared promises to improve the situation regarding the rights of Albanians, including their right not to be assimilated and to use their mother tongue,” the statement says. Tirana reminds Skopje that it does not intend to withdraw from defending the rights of Albanians in Macedonia; on the contrary, it considers this “an indisputable right” that will affect stability in this far from quiet part of the troubled Balkans. Activists of the Albanian Helsinki Committee also reacted strongly. “It is a barbaric act,” KSHH activists said. “Through such criminal acts, Macedonia may cause further inter-Balkan tensions, with consequences that could further unravel relations.” Yesterday, Anson, a former UNPROFOR official in Skopje, said: “The UN expresses its deep regret over these acts of violence,” and “calls on all sides to engage in dialogue, in a spirit of goodwill, compromise and restraint.” Anson recalled that the leadership of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had pledged to uphold the country’s sovereignty, for which the UN had also stood guarantor. “All the inhabitants of this republic should feel first and foremost that they are citizens, and only then members of ethnic groups,” the UNPROFOR representative concluded. Tetovo’s response: as of yesterday afternoon, the situation had continued to be tense, and the Macedonian police had not relinquished their tight control over the area where the unrest occurred. Fighter planes and tanks for 10 Eastern countries

TIRANA - America is ready to expand military relations with Albania. F-16 fighter planes, tanks and other technologically advanced weapons are being offered by the United States, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, not only to Tirana but also to other countries of the former Soviet bloc. Fighter planes and tanks for 10 Eastern countries US to sell arms to Albania TIRANA - America is ready to expand military relations with Albania. F-16 fighter planes, tanks and other technologically advanced weapons are being offered by the United States, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, not only to Tirana but also to other countries of the former Soviet bloc, “to facilitate the fight against threats through the Pentagon ... according to Pentagon sources ... my interest in this country marks a ‘NATO’.” A senior representative of the US Department of Defense made clear this change in its military policy toward Eastern countries. The countries of the East will soon be ready to make these purchases. As for Tirana, it is clear that most of them cannot afford to acquire the expensive F-16s used by ...; but the new American policy is considered a move that removes the barrier which had until now prevented the sale of equipment. Besides Albania, the list of countries benefiting from the US offer includes Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Football Police guard the pitches Very few goals; Tirana wins in Shkodër too TIRANA - Fair play has won, but not football. Once again, few goals: only eight. And still, a full nine teams failed to score. An anti-spectacle status quo that does not convince. Tirana, the league leaders, continued their positive run. This time they inflicted on Vllaznia its first home defeat of the championship. But that is not all. Fortuzi’s goal—making him the leading scorer with 12—is also a record ... [passage garbled in the source]. Shkumbini was also among this week’s record-setters. Six whole weeks without a defeat and ... [passage garbled]. They also managed this time to hold out on the “opponents’ pitch,” drawing with Fieri in nearby Lushnjë. Partizani have also gone six weeks without a win; they appear to have beaten Elbasan. The latter had not been very productive on its own pitch. Albpetrol has risen to fourth place after beating Dinamo in Patos. Sejdini’s boys remain unbeaten in this championship ... [passage garbled]. By beating Laçi in Shkodër, they climbed two places in the standings. A fine win, with two goals by Vuthi against their cousins from Fushë-Krujë, takes Laçi to 12th place. Flamurtari managed a narrow win over their opponent Tomori, despite missing a penalty in the first half. Also interesting was the match in Kavajë: the master Duro’s first goal of the season was immediately answered by a very valuable equalizer from the Gjirokastër visitors. Meanwhile, for week 23 of the football pool, the total prize money for the winners is around 3.3 million lekë. Gjergj Pilika Week 23 Albanet-Dinamo 1-0 Besa-Shqiponja 1-1 Besëlidhja-Teuta 0-0 Flamurtari-Tomori 1-0 Laçi-Ili ria 2-0 Partizani-Albasani 1-0 Shkumbin-Apolon 0-0 Vllaznia-Tirana 0-1 GO, TIRANA!

The issue reopened DURRËS - The issue of the old trains containing asbestos, which arrived in Albania at the end of 1992 as aid from the Italian government, has resurfaced. This time too, the alarm has again come from Italy: similar trains were distributed to other Eastern European countries as well. After Rome, where the matter first came to light, and Geneva, which condemned the phenomenon, the case has now moved to Florence, where a senior official of the Italian State Railways and two other employees are under investigation. Meanwhile, there have also been reactions in Albania. The Executive Director of the Railways, Ferdinand Xhaferi, told Gazeta Shqiptare that they had begun looking into the possibility of taking the 63 old asbestos-containing wagons out of service and replacing them with funds from next year’s budget. These wagons are part of the accusation now facing Italian officials, who nevertheless continue to defend themselves with two arguments: first, when they were given to Albania, asbestos had not yet been identified in Italy; second, “the Albanian representatives,” the Italian railway managers have declared, “knew that the wagons contained asbestos.” “That is true,” comes the reply from Durrës. “Even if the wagons are old and contain asbestos, ... [passage garbled] ... Italy used them itself, and so they are dangerous; they should have told us.” Meanwhile, Albanian specialists assure us that “these wagons do not pose any kind of danger to passengers. They are harmful if damaged and in need of repair. In fact, when they were brought from Italy, a clause was immediately attached stating that, in the event of a defect, their repair must under no circumstances be carried out in Albania.” It is precisely this clause that is now worrying the Albanian railway managers. While considering replacing them between 1996 and 1998, they are concerned about their future fate. “They can be taken out of service, certainly—but what will we do with them?” says Xhaferi. “The clause accompanying all 63 wagons, manufactured in ’54, prevents us from using their various parts. The only option is to bury them.” Gë. To.

Sarandë, he was 8 years old SARANDË - A stone thrown up by a car wheel kills a child. It happened in Sarandë on Thursday afternoon, when 8-year-old A. Koleci was returning from school. A city-cleaning vehicle passed beside him on the road. A stone flew off its wheel and struck little Koleci by surprise. The child’s body hit the pavement. He was seriously injured and rushed to hospital, where he received first aid. But even the doctors’ efforts could not save the 8-year-old from death. The incident caused profound grief in the town and the next day his classmates placed a large bouquet of flowers on Koleci’s desk. R.K.

In Dhërmi, concern for tourism VLORË - It is not only Vlora but also the villages of the Riviera that are expressing concern over the growing presence of undocumented migrants, who make daily attempts to travel illegally to Italy. Just a few days ago, at a general meeting in Dhërmi, residents accused them of damaging tourism. They say the efforts made by various foreigners, most of whom are staying illegally and committing serious offences against local people, are seen as a threat to the arrival of summer holidaymakers. But the elders’ protests have not managed to stop those foreigners who come ... [passage garbled], causing immeasurable damage to tourism. The residents of Dhërmi say they want to preserve the village’s image as a tourist destination. According to them, “state representatives have restricted and damaged” ... [passage garbled] ... much of the summer tourism. In Dhërmi, the undocumented migrants and ... [text ends].

Dozens of tons of smuggled kerosene TIRANA - Smuggled kerosene destined for Montenegro has been intercepted in an operation by the Financial Police. This time in Tirana, where last night the Financial Police seized seven trucks loaded with kerosene that was bound for Montenegro. The seized cargo, carried by the tankers, amounts to dozens of tons. It appears to have been an organized operation ... [passage garbled in the source] ... on the roads around the outskirts of Kërçovë, where the large tankers are now ... Further details about the latest seizure are not known, especially as of yesterday ... [passage garbled] ... Montenegro, as well as the origin of the cargo: the southern regions of Albania. No further information has been released about the other operations, nor about the owners ... [text garbled].

Krujë, telephone lines stolen Once again, telephone communication lines have fallen prey to theft. A 1,500-metre stretch of cable between the villages of Thumanë and Burizanë has been cut, interrupting communications. However, this is not an isolated case. Because of the numerous outages, lines in Laç and Mirditë are barely working properly, not to mention most villages, where telephone communications have already been reduced to a state of misery. Elbasan, accident: 2 people in hospital They were travelling on a motorcycle and collided with a car. The two young men, A. Arbana and A. Myftari, injured in the accident on the boulevard, ended up in hospital in serious condition. The car driver has also been detained by the police while the incident is investigated. School dropout: fines are not enforced Only 2 percent of the fines issued to parents who do not send their children to school have been enforced. Despite the decree issued by the President, school absenteeism continues to be a problem in the Albanian education system. This year alone, 3.5 percent of pupils have not attended school.

1994: more expensive to build in Albania On page 7 State Audit: Irregularities in the sale of heating fuels On page 7