The first decision after the upheaval at the Prosecutor’s Office The two deputy prosecutors of the capital are swapped again. The official announcement was made yesterday Gjokutaj: “It is only an internal move” TIRANA—Qeleshi transfers Gjokutaj. Just a few hours after the sensational meeting about the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office, its leader has taken the first measures. In fact, they are only organizational measures, changing or swapping the offices and premises of the two Deputy Prosecutors of Tirana—Gjokutaj and Kokoshi—who until now had jointly handled the judicial and investigative sections of the capital’s Prosecutor’s Office. The organizational changes—announced yesterday morning by Qeleshi himself—were also accompanied by the transfer of two of the youngest investigators from the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office to its Investigation Department. On page 3 On the right, the two chief prosecutors of Tirana: starting Monday, following Arben Qelesh’s decision, Genc Gjokutaj will move to the offices of the head of the Tirana Investigation Department. Above, the Prosecutor’s Office headquarters (photos by H. Pustina)

Yesterday the school-leaving exams began TIRANA - Thousands upon thousands of young people are crossing the threshold of adolescence. The clearest proof of this is the school-leaving exams being held in secondary schools throughout Albania. Naturally, most high-school students have been preoccupied for many months with this period, and fear about the final result has left them anything but calm. Perhaps that is why the essay has long been the first exam—and, moreover, a creative one—that education specialists have chosen as the most suitable way to overcome the nerves. You have to write what is inside you, not what you have learned from books throughout the year. And for this year’s graduating students, the most popular choice has been the free-topic essay. Specifically, “Throughout life...”. Some have chosen two other topics: “Human virtue” and “Towards a greener world.” But, as was evidently apparent from the Ministry of Education, the high-school students’ inspiration has spread its wings precisely with the free topic. The subjects are very varied: someone is waiting for a beloved who is far away, someone for a little one who is taking a long time to arrive, another for a lottery win that will henceforth make them rich, and there are also those who have waited in their dreams for mothers they have never seen. In any case, the essays have been quite heartfelt, and being able to choose according to their wishes has helped considerably. The exact number of high-school students who sat down to take the school-leaving exams is not yet known. The Ministry of Education will take some time to provide statistics on this rather curious matter, because reports from schools in the country’s districts have not yet arrived on the ministry’s desks. Some students have not fulfilled all their school requirements; exceeding the permitted number of absences in various subjects prevents them from taking the exam. It is not at all desirable to have to repeat the exams or the entire fourth year. (ar.a)

Statement by Telecommunications Minister Brojka TIRANA - “The number of telephones will double, “The number of telephones will double; there are currently 50,000. By 1997, another 55,000 will be installed, while Tirana alone will have 33,000 telephone numbers.” This was the forecast for the telecommunications sector, confirmed by the Minister of Industry and Transport, Albert Brojka, at yesterday’s press conference. Naturally, the news will be of considerable interest to households hoping to install the important telephone device in their homes. Minister Brojka On page 3

They had penetrated as far as five kilometers Authorities investigate another violation of the airspace HAS - Serbian planes over Albania. The afternoon before yesterday was a frightening one, as another violation of Albanian airspace by Serbian planes was confirmed. According to residents living in the Has border area—just a few meters above their heads—the outlines of two foreign planes appeared at around 3:00 p.m.; they then apparently turned back quickly towards their point of departure. Even the Albanian official sources remained extremely reticent until late yesterday. It is learned that at precisely 3:15 p.m. two planes violated Albanian airspace at an altitude of around 2,000 meters, penetrating as far as five kilometers into it. Sources from the border service in northern Albania say that—although it lasted only a few moments—the violation of Albanian airspace was immediately confirmed yesterday, as were the altitude and type of the planes that had chosen to pass through or had strayed from their destination. Although an official response from the Albanian authorities is still lacking, it should be stressed that yesterday’s incident, confirmed above a place known as Maja e Zezë in Has, was not the first between Albania and Serbia and Montenegro, the two states that now bear the name Yugoslavia and have long been set apart from the international community by the prefix “former.” Some time ago, a similar violation of Albanian airspace was confirmed over the heights of the Shkodër district, an act that immediately prompted a response from the senior Albanian authorities. Edmond Laçi

Gjinushi speaks: “I have evidence” On page 5

On page 5

Shkodër Bloody ambush: shot with an automatic rifle On page 3

Czech minister meets Berisha The Czech foreign minister TIRANA - Official talks between the Albanian delegation, headed by Minister Alfred Serreqi, and the Czech delegation, headed by Minister Josef Zieleniec, have been successfully held. He also met with President Berisha. On page 2

When weakness prevails, when courage prevails... BERAT - Being buried in debt can even drive someone to suicide. That is what happened to N. Sh. from the Qafa e Shën Tolit neighborhood in Poliçan, who decided to end his troubles by hanging himself. Since he left nothing written before taking this step, all the hypotheses point to—according to the experts as well—a moment of depression caused by the anxiety he had long felt over the millions in debts he had to repay. N. Sh., the father of four children—three girls and one boy—chose the shed where he kept his livestock to take his own life. He tied the rope to one of the roof beams and, a few moments later, hanged himself. His dire financial situation has led the experts to believe that this was the reason for his tragic decision. N. Sh. had taken out a 600-thousand-lek loan from the bank and now had no way to pay it back. Meanwhile, he had also borrowed large sums of money from many of his friends. Thus, unable to return the money, death was the only way out of his tragedy. Ha.Ta

When weakness prevails, when courage prevails... LEZHË - Peace has returned to the school of Ishull-Lezhë. Its principal, Gazmir Kodra, through his careful persistence, managed to reconcile the five students involved in the school’s bitter dispute, as well as their families, who had immediately become involved in the “revenge” the children had taken against one another. It had started simply as an argument over a football, but later turned into a real clash between the five school students. They had begun hitting one another with fists and whatever objects were at hand, and their quarrel had gone so far that they no longer came to school. Their families were also caught up in the matter: they took their children’s side and had joined in the decision not to send them back to class, in order to avoid an even fiercer clash—a vendetta rooted in the Ancient Kanun. Just when it seemed the Kanun’s supporters had the upper hand, the peacemaker principal appeared. After speaking with all the students’ families, he finally brought them together, putting an end to the pointless quarrel and restoring peace to his school. ir.ra.

Today, proceedings at the Constitutional Court Gjimushi speaks:

On page 7