TIRANA - A treaty of friendship that will enshrine lasting peace and the borders between Albania and Greece; compensation for regularizing the status of Albanian refugees—most of whom continue to wander without the appropriate documents; a joint bank between Tirana and Athens; and perhaps also the beginning of work on a highway linking Ioannina with Albanian cities: these are the main points on which Albanian and Greek diplomats will try to hold talks today in Athens. Only a few months ago this seemed impossible, but dialogue has had its effect: at last, a joint Albanian-Greek Committee will begin addressing the main issues that still stand between the two countries. A high-level Albanian delegation will fly today to the Hellenic capital. It is headed by the Albanian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arjan Starova. The meeting of the Joint Committee is one of the main achievements of Papulias’s visit to Tirana, after months of frozen relations. In talks with his Albanian counterpart, the head of Greek diplomacy had proposed that political issues be resolved through talks between experts, following preliminary preparations by both delegations, although both had in principle agreed that every possibility existed for reaching a more concrete agreement. The visit by the Albanian experts immediately follows that of a group of members of the Albanian Parliament, headed by Eduard Selami, chairman of the Commission. The Albanian MPs had also been engaged in talks, though not very concrete ones, which had further increased hopes that a tangible improvement in relations between the two Balkan neighbors now seemed irreversible. The outcome of the talks on all points of the Albanian-Greek agreements is eagerly awaited, but the greatest interest has been aroused by the determination of the status of Albanian refugees in Greece, whose number has continued to rise despite the Greek police’s clearance operations. Greece has now announced that a special draft law has been drawn up by the Greeks. On the eve of Papulias’s visit, the Greek press had written that its passage through Parliament was awaiting precisely the conclusion of the Minister’s visit to Tirana. Now that the outcome seems to have been positive for everyone, the time appears to have come for the draft to be approved, after consultation with the Albanian authorities and, of course, if it passes the test of the Greek opposition, which nevertheless—as often happens in such matters—is expected to react very strongly. P.re. Serreqi and Papulias

A trafficking ring from Albania to Italy uncovered A major operation in northern Italy. The organizer of the illegal trade was an engineer. Each tape sold on the international market for three hundred thousand lire. The footage also included scenes from Albanian locations Scenes of violence against Albanian girls on the tapes TIRANA - Young Albanian girls abused in front of a camera to fuel the trade in pornographic tapes. This latest business venture by Italians in Albania has been uncovered by investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office in Salò, near Brescia, in northern Italy. One person has been arrested and 14 others reported on charges of “rape of minors” and pornographic filming. All those accused are Italian; investigators have discovered that part of this shameful production came from Albania, and the rest from Thailand. Few details of the case are known so far. Even the names of the accused are still being kept secret, because of fears that the investigation could be compromised. The only certain fact is that among those investigated is an engineer from Udine, who also partly acts as an “actor” in the making of pornographic videos. In one of them—among the many confiscated by the Italian police—a man can be seen brutally raping a child and another girl. In the same tape, scenes from cities appear here and there, and it was precisely from these that it was discovered that the filming also came from Albania. Among the participants in this pornographic trade are reportedly citizens, «dyfiner-? well and later…», traders and a student, all living in northern Italy. The video tapes were traded for «dukë me vajzare tusthën» 300 thousand lireta «rinj»; photographs showing the same scenes were sold for 50 thousand lireta. This is the first time Albania has been mentioned in connection with the market in pornographic materials, although young Albanian women have very often been found to be linked to the prostitution trade between Albania and Italy. This phenomenon is constantly growing, and the police are able to do very little to combat it. Frequent reports of missing girls show that the phenomenon has now reached worrying proportions. The latest news «të bë në dysho-?» that many of them may also be connected with the trafficking of pornographic videotapes. The investigations begun in Italy have not yet established in which Albanian cities the pornographic filming took place. Investigators from Salò have not ruled out a possible connection of theirs in Albania during the days of the «ar-?» witness. After this appears the following headline: «Still no results from the frantic searches».

TIRANA - Signs of peace between Ibrahim Rugova and the Socialists. At last, both sides have returned to dialogue and talks between them. At midday, the President of Kosovo met with the leaders of the Socialist Party at their headquarters. At the center of the discussions—he was received by Pëllumbi, Dokle and Meta—were the pressing problems in Kosovo and Albania, and how to find ways to resolve them. The need to deal with the unsettled situation has prompted calls for the involvement of all Albanian political forces. This marks a return to dialogue and talks, which had been absent for months and had even grown strained. In an interview with the BBC several months ago, Bashkim Zeneli criticized Rugova’s stance regarding a statement the latter had made about the Socialists.

Still no results from the frantic searches Three missing in the lake Tragedy near the hydroelectric power station SHKODËR - They set out on an ordinary fishing trip, but never returned home. A serious tragedy has occurred on the artificial Lake Fierza, where

GJIROKASTËR - Another bloody incident involving Albanian refugees in Greece. A young Albanian man—the 25-year-old Kadri Jukaj—has tragically lost his life, and 18 others have been robbed and beaten by unidentified individuals while traveling illegally through Greek territory. The incident occurred at midnight on Friday in Florina. The group of Albanians was attacked completely by surprise as it traveled through the darkness of night to make its way into the interior of Greek territory.

Only a few hours earlier, they had crossed the border between the two countries. The Albanians said they had been attacked at close range by three people armed with hunting rifles. The robbers fled, taking 50,000 Albanian lek and 100,000 drachmas with them. Meanwhile, the roads in the South have been bloodied by a number of incidents that have left several people injured and one dead. The victim is a 78-year-old man from a coastal village. The number of Albanians wishing to travel to Greece has increased at Kakavijë and at the Greek Consulate in Gjirokastër. The approach of Orthodox Easter has swelled the “river” of people wishing to celebrate in Greece.

SHKODËR—They had set off on an ordinary fishing trip, but never returned to their homes. A terrible tragedy has been confirmed at the artificial Lake Fierza, where large numbers of rescuers and distraught family members are now searching for the bodies of their loved ones. The three victims—now confirmed to have been missing for a year—were all residents of villages in the Pukë area around the lake. Two of them were from the village of Dardhë; the third unfortunate victim was from Legeni i Kuq. All three were between 25 and 30 years old. The sequence of events in the terrible incident that claimed the lives of the three Albanian fishermen has now also been reconstructed. They had cast their nets as they did on any ordinary day, but as they hauled in the fish they had caught, the boat rocked violently and all three ended up in the lake’s icy water. The cold temperature and the muddy lakebed caused their bodies to sink deeper and deeper. The three men’s failure to return alarmed their families, who managed to call for help, but it was too late. The exhausting search has so far yielded no results. Even the arrival of specialist divers from Vlora has not enabled them to overcome the lake’s depth of 250 metres. Ar. Ça.

Berat, police appeal: “Citizens, demolish the illegal buildings” BERAT—The Construction Police have “given up” in the face of the illegal buildings that have now taken over the city of Berat. According to Vladimir Mydni, head of this police force, it has neither equipment nor funds to demolish the illegal buildings. So far, the Construction Police have appealed to the owners of these buildings to demolish them themselves. There are currently around 300 illegal buildings in Berat, although the Territorial Adjustment Council has so far issued only 32 demolition orders for illegal buildings. The deadline for their demolition, set by the Prefect of Berat, was April 15, but it seems that carrying this out will be extremely difficult. Ha.Ta.

He rapes his sister; his brother-in-law kills him KRUJË—He had abused his sister, but was later killed by his brother-in-law. The tragic incident took place on Sunday in the village of Mulgjin in the Krujë district. Gjon Prenga, 35, had shown signs of psychological instability for some time. He returned home and began abusing his underage sister. At that moment, his brother-in-law, Nik L., 25, entered the house and stabbed Gjon in the eye and stomach. The Prosecutor’s Office immediately opened criminal proceedings against the perpetrator. m.e.

Janullatos leaves hospital TIRANË—The Orthodox Archbishop of the Albanians, Janullatos, has been discharged from hospital, but still needs to take care of his health. On Thursday he is due to return to Tirana to celebrate Orthodox Easter, which will take place on the coming April 23. Janullatos, 70, was rushed to a Greek hospital last March 30 after suffering respiratory problems caused by bronchitis. However, he will still have to undergo surgery on his eye and nose.

Well-known doctor dies in accident SHKODËR—A bitter Easter in Shkodër. —A bitter Easter in Shkodër. Behar Tula, a renowned pediatrician in Shkodër, was killed in a car accident. The tragic incident happened yesterday afternoon, when the car in which Behar Tula was travelling as a passenger with two other people collided with a rock at the entrance to the village of Bushat. Excessive speed and the slippery road caused by the rain contributed to the tragic accident. The doctor was 40 years old and the father of one child. While his family mourns their loved one, mourning has also descended on Shkodër’s hospitals over the loss of their colleague. Ar. Ça.

TIRANË—The Albanian authorities have reacted sharply toward Macedonia over the killing of a young Albanian just a few days ago inside Macedonian territory, while he was travelling with a load of food. The news was broadcast several times in the official television news bulletin, during which the Albanian side also condemned the victim’s identity and the obscurity surrounding the tragic incident. The victim was named Bashkim Tafciu, was 19 years old, and came from the village of Kllobçisht, about 80 kilometres east of Tirana. He was killed on Friday. A group of experts from the Albanian Ministry of the Interior investigated the incident at the scene and considered the killing intentional, stressing that incidents of this kind could raise tensions along the border between the two countries.

Five weeks before the end “Tirana” has the Cup tucked under its arm More tremors in the UEFA zone

Bloody Easter on the Kakavija road

Elbasan, woman found dead on the sidewalk Sixty-year-old Sh. D. was found dead on the sidewalk below her home. Her brother was the first to report it himself, according to the account that she had fallen from the balcony, but meanwhile the police authorities have also begun investigating the matter. The victim lived with her only son. Gjirokastër, University facilities are lacking The facilities needed to hold lectures are lacking at the “Eqerem Çabej” University in Gjirokastër. Meanwhile, the buildings of the new extension have been bloodied and closed. This is due to the unauthorized construction in the University courtyard. The Rector has approached the Prefecture about all these problems. Fier: The sea is devouring the land The sea is swallowing up the land. The stretch of coastline between the mouths of the Vjosa and Seman rivers, over a length of 10 kilometers, has been invaded by seawater to a depth of 10 meters, damaging this area’s beach and threatening the pine forest as well. This phenomenon, which has been present for 10 years, is the consequence of a metastatic? contraction? Four meters of water makes the second? ki i kësaj - a retreat of the sea by 200 meters - occurred in the years ‘50-’80. And, according to specialists, it will happen again in 30 years.

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