Accusations reach the Prosecutor’s Office: “Illegal investigations” For the first time, the PS states that there is no evidence proving that the 400,000 dollars came from the state budget The “ZP” case / Dozens of agricultural machines belonging to the socialists’ company “Progresi” are seized TIRANA - A sensational counterattack by the PS in response to the accusation concerning the 400,000 dollars. This time, however, the “innocence”—always demanded by the PS for those who have so far been held criminally responsible—has also been accompanied by serious accusations against the Chairman of the State Commission, Blerim Cela, and the Tirana Prosecutor, Arben Qeleshi. Yesterday, these accusations ended up precisely in the offices of the Republic’s Prosecutor’s Office and the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office, in the form of a “criminal complaint.” Along with senior officials Cela and Qeleshi, accounting expert Shqyri Kau has also been accused of “false reporting” and “unlawful initiation of criminal proceedings.” On page 3 Calendar Here, day after day, the story of the 400,000 dollars On page 3 Parliament passes the law on people employed abroad Now emigrants instead of clandestine [routes] The PS complaint document submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office yesterday. Above: Servet Pellumbi, who signed the accusations

INTERVIEW CARLO BOLLINO, TIRANA - “The complaint filed by the Socialist Party is unlawful, because the prosecutors’ investigation is still ongoing and the accused cannot file a complaint against their own judge at this stage. The truth, in my opinion, is that the Socialists are doing this to divert attention from their own scandals and to put pressure on the bodies of Justice.” Tritan Shehu, secretary-general of the Democratic Party, speaks; he commented for Gazeta Shqiptare on the latest political event in the country. Yesterday the Socialists reported Blerim Cela, Arben Qeleshi and the accounting adviser to the General Prosecutor’s Office in connection with the “Zëri i Popullit” case: “In your view, is this an unfounded complaint?” “Yes, as I told you, they want to create tension themselves. Nevertheless, we are convinced that the competent authorities and the justice bodies will decide on this matter.” Yesterday the Helsinki Committee in Vienna criticized the Democratic Party’s request to remove two Court of Cassation judges from their posts... “Meanwhile, I want to clarify that it was not the Democratic Party that raised this issue, but all the judges of the Court of Cassation...” ... I don’t know whether it is true either. I say the DP will win, because if the DP does not win, Albania will not win...” Is this your first election slogan? “Personally, I believe that if the Socialist Party wins, economic reform will slow down and anarchy will return to the country.” For the election campaign, you have announced a clean-up within your party... “Of course. Our Statute stipulates that DP members, in addition to respecting the party’s program, must not have participated in the Sigurimi, must not have held senior positions in the old communist nomenklatura, and must have a good social reputation: that is, they must not be involved in scandals or other such things. Now we need to renew the DP’s local bodies in order to create a much stronger, more solid and more trustworthy local structure: in this sense, too, we are looking for new people, others who have the support of the people and are committed to the party. We believe that this campaign will raise its popularity throughout the country in the future; it is essential.” Have you expelled anyone from the Party in these years for dishonesty? “It is true, we have preferred not to expel anyone, but those who left in the name of the minority, we isolated them, and when they realized they no longer had credibility, they left voluntarily.” “...are discussing these issues.” The Helsinki Committee in Vienna has criticized the Democratic Party’s demand that the two judges of the Court of Cassation be dismissed... “I also want to make clear that we are not [unclear] the Democratic Party, which [unclear] these problems, but [unclear] the Court of Cassation. And it has always been they who have sent the signal that, within the Court of Cassation, [unclear] the constitutional norm. I have great respect for the Helsinki Committee, but I am not sure whether they are well informed; I do not know—and this is very important—where they get their information from. I do not know whether they understand the current situation in our country well. Respect for the constitutions of individual countries is one of the Helsinki Committee’s fundamental principles: if we are discussing this issue, it is precisely in order to respect the Constitution. Nevertheless, this is a matter on which there is still no final decision. I affirm one principle: a democratic state must demand respect for rules and laws.” “Let us talk about politics: You predicted a Democratic Party victory in the 1996 elections, but the Democratic Party’s poll and the Eurobarometer poll predict different results. How do you explain this contradiction?” “I do not trust party polls. We, too, have conducted polls and obtained results that are very optimistic for the Democratic Party, but that does not mean we should make them public. The Eurobarometer poll is not [unclear] and does not...”

The PS complaint document submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office yesterday. Above: Servet Pellumbi, who signed the accusations

11-year-old dies VLORË - He was playing with a shotgun with his younger cousin and suddenly killed him. This happened three days ago in the village of Tragjas, where an 11-year-old child, Mikel Trogë, lost his life from the shot pellets fired by the gun held by his paternal uncle’s son. But while the tragedy of little Mikel’s accidental death has shaken the entire family, another shadow now hangs over them: the police are searching for the 14-year-old, who has hidden in the mountains. The family’s efforts to conceal who was responsible for the incident—because they did not want the other child to be punished—failed in the face of the police’s insistence. The 11-year-old’s death happened entirely by accident. Little Mikel and his cousin approached a shotgun they had found left in the house. Ordinary childhood curiosity and their familiar desire to imitate adults in armed confrontations attracted them greatly. It was at that moment that the gun ended up in the hands of the older cousin, who pointed it at him—especially as a joke. But the game ended very badly: pellets came out of the shotgun barrel and left Mikel dead on the spot. At first, the family did not want to tell the police that the 14-year-old had fired the shot. But their secret was soon uncovered. A plainclothes policeman went to Mikel’s house and entered the room where the women were mourning the dead boy. It was there, amid the crying, that he learned the truth about what had happened. But this was not enough to catch the 14-year-old immediately. As soon as the boy learned that the police had discovered him, he fled and hid in the mountains. For several days now, the Public Order forces have been searching for him, while a case has been opened at the police station against the youngster—perhaps because he was the owner of the fatal shotgun. Stavri Marko

TIRANA - They send Albanian girls to Italy, where they were then subjected to prostitution. - They were sending Albanian girls to Italy, where they were then subjected to prostitution. This was ...

TIRANA - At long last, perhaps regular emigration of Albanians to the West will begin. After the first mass departures, which continue to damage Albania’s image, and after the wave of clandestine migrants that forced two countries, Albania and Italy, to deploy military forces along the coast, hopes are finally growing that Albanians will be able to find regular employment abroad. A law approved yesterday by Parliament has clearly established Albanians’ right to emigrate, how regular employment abroad will be arranged, what rights emigrants have, and how the system for sending people abroad legally will operate. These are all issues that have been raised for a long time but have remained unresolved precisely because such a legal framework was lacking. On page 3

TIRANA - They sent Albanian girls to Italy, where they were subsequently forced into prostitution. This was the business of two people, one from Kavaja and the other from Tirana, who are now in police custody precisely for carrying out this illegal trafficking. The two “women traffickers,” 30-year-old Zamir Kollari from Kavaja and Artan Shaqiri from Tirana, were detained by Police Station No. 2 in the capital. The charge against the two traffickers is “taking women to Italy for profit.” On page 3

Competition Poets of the North in Lezhë LEZHË - Poetry brings together creators from Albania’s northern regions in Lezhë. Forty poets from Shkodra, Malësia e Madhe, Mirdita, Rubiku and other towns gathered yesterday in the ancient city, on Poetry Day, to pit their work against one another. All the poems recited were new and had never been published. At the end of the competition, the winner was also announced. First prize was awarded to 26-year-old Elinda Marku from Fierzë e Rrëshqit for her poem dedicated to “Mother.” Ir.Ra.

TIRANA - A new storm is looming over the already beleaguered world of the Albanian press. The Tirana Municipality revokes newspaper vendors’ licenses Counter-order: the sector is nationalized From June 1, newspapers return to bookshops in the capital TIRANA - A new storm is looming over the already beleaguered world of the Albanian press: the Tirana Municipality has suddenly decided that, from June 1, newspapers may no longer be sold on the streets of the capital. As a principle, the idea is a good one, but what solution has the mayor proposed? To cancel all the licenses of private vendors, dismantle the current sales network and send newspapers (as in the past) to bookshops and a few kiosks and—by granting new licenses—to have vendors serve designated areas of the city, selling the press on the move. In this climate of general privatization, here is a decision that goes in the opposite direction: a sector that has become private is being nationalized. “They may have some problems at first,” they admit at the Tirana Municipality: but who will pay for the losses suffered by the newspapers? On top of unpaid taxes and the rising cost of paper, this is another blow to the already struggling press. We hope the order due to take effect on June 1 will be postponed: a “revolution” of this kind cannot happen in a day. A gradual transition is necessary; without it, newspapers—at least as regards sales in Tirana—risk suffering a fatal blow. Increasing the number of sales outlets is a very good thing; reducing them is a destructive decision. Why not allow private and state-run outlets to operate side by side, at least for a transitional period? And, looking ahead, why is there a desire to privatize—even rightly—basic services such as electricity, while at the same time imposing a public service for newspaper sales? c.bo.

Here is how securities are sold on the black market On page 5

NATO bombs the Serbs On page 2 Ilir Hoxha in court on June 3 On page 3 Vlora, lawyers boycott the examination On page 3 The Jesuits demand property On page 5