Brozi opposes the Ministry’s proposal Yesterday, for the first time, face to face at a consultative meeting on the budget “Cuts at the Court of Cassation.” The sensational announcement was confirmed yesterday by Brozi himself, who is now known for opposing this project of the Ministry of Justice. The project has reopened the controversy over the courts’ budget, even though yesterday, for the first time, Brozi and other court representatives sat opposite one another, together with the Minister of Justice, Hektor Frashëri, at a round table. According to what the head of the Court of Cassation confirmed last night to Gazeta Shqiptare, at yesterday’s consultative meeting the Ministry of Justice presented a proposal that will soon be resubmitted to the Government. A proposal accepted on only some points, while others have once again become the subject of controversy. On page 3

Many new legal professionals appointed yesterday The High Council of Justice meets On page 3

But three of them are no longer known to live where Marko sends bailiffs to his pension TIRANA - The former Communist-bloc officials agree to pay the money demanded. The Enforcement Office attached to the Tirana Court confirmed to Gazeta Shqiptare that none of all the regime’s former senior officials has contested the decision of the Directorate of Government Services. According to this list, the 16 must pay about 65,000 dollars. Alia, 1,174,167 lekë, and then the others: the former leading bloc officials are Myftiu - 424,404 lekë, Çarçani - 667,727 lekë, Marko - 275,873 lekë, Stefani - 188,860 lekë, Miska - 213,068 lekë, Murra - 269,439 lekë, Çeliku - 242,154 lekë and Çami - 202,154 lekë. Murra agreed this morning, while Marko has directed the bailiffs to his pension. Meanwhile, it is still not known where Myftiu, Stefani and Çeliku live. On page 5 Former Prime Minister Çarçani during the proceedings

Greece: 6 Albanians arrested ATHENS - A new record in the fight against drugs in Greece. This time Albania is in the spotlight, with Albanian nationals detained as members of a criminal gang caught by the Greek Anti-Drug Unit. Five kilograms of heroin, a “Scorpion” with two magazines, 30 cartridges, 2,300 dollars, 340,000 drachmas and a Mercedes car were seized by officers of the Anti-Drug Services led by the Greek chief in Athens. The sensational haul, along with the others, was seized in a joint operation by the Albanian and Greek police, disproving the initial claims that its destination had been Greece, where the people most ... it was possible to arrest four Albanians, identified by the police several days earlier. It was ultimately discovered that the Albanian nationals had daily meetings with a Greek citizen, a taxi driver, and another from Cyprus, with whom they exchanged various quantities of drugs. After the arrests, it was discovered that the drugs had been brought to Greece by the detained Albanians. Searches turned up the following quantities of drugs at the homes of the detainees: 2 kilograms belonging to Theoma Panoti and Pajtimit Yzeiri, who are also named in the main charge of trafficking the deadly drug. Meanwhile, another three kilograms were found in the homes of Bujar Shalijat and Kristo Sinajt.

Police raid, 6 detained

The Foreign Affairs Committee in Macedonia TIRANA - Albanian parliamentarians will visit Skopje. Reducing, and ultimately abolishing, the customs tariff for Albanians and Macedonians will be among the main issues to be negotiated at the meeting. Closer cooperation issues, regional problems and the Albanian factor will form the backdrop to the talks between the Albanian Foreign Affairs Committee and its Macedonian counterpart. Greek. But despite yesterday’s arrests, the Greek mafia, in cooperation with Albanians, has created a firmly established network that will be difficult to eliminate with one strike. Six Albanian nationals and others, perhaps more, are in the custody of the Anti-Drug Services. A criminal case has been opened against them. In addition to trafficking, the charges may also include premeditated murder, since high-purity heroin, like that discovered in the Greek-Albanian gang’s possession, has long been causing devastation among its Greek users. According to statistics, at least one person dies every day from consuming doses of this type of heroin.

Elbasan: an appeal from the girls ELBASAN - “Young men, you who deceive girls, supposedly in order to marry them, and then send them to Italy and Greece, forcing them to work as prostitutes, have mercy on us, who have only just begun our lives.” A plea, apparently written on Wednesday and posted at one of the capital’s intersections, is signed simply “Elbasan Girls’ Association.” It is not yet known whether such an association has been officially established in the city; in any case, the appeal, certainly written by a group of girls, is addressed to all citizens and especially to young people who deceive girls by luring them with promises of marriage and a modern life in Europe. They then force them into prostitution. For the first time, the girls at the center of dozens of tragedies are publicly appealing to the young men who deceive them for mercy. For the first time, residents wake up in the morning to hear witnesses to one of the most painful events, one that has shaken thousands of hearts. An attempt at such a horrific act just a few months ago had led to the death of a young man and, later, the sensational court case had sent three others to prison. So it seems that punishment has begun for those who have abducted a generation, left an indelible stain on it, and wounded a soul that had not yet been destroyed. “We want to build our lives, wherever that may be. But when we learn the truth, it is too late; this life has been destroyed.” This is how the girls’ public appeal ends, and perhaps it will prompt a moment of reflection and clarity among decent, honest people—or perhaps it will be followed by other notices posted in the streets of Albania’s cities. Mentor Kikia

VLORË — An entire village planted with narcotic plants was discovered early yesterday morning by the Vlorë police. A large-scale operation brought the lands of Armeni, in the Vlorë River area, 25 kilometers from the city, under control. More than 1,800 cannabis sativa plants were harvested by special police forces—the largest quantity seized to date—and six villagers ended up at the police station.

The owner imposes an embargo on the workers BERAT — He has bought the only part of the factory that had not been privatized, but with it he has brought all work to a standstill. H Sh. won at auction the corridor, bathroom and a basement corridor in one of the buildings belonging to the metalworks enterprise in Berat, and does not allow anyone to cross his property. The workers, although they now own most of the site, cannot use it because they have no way to get in. H.Sh. had spent just 34 thousand lek to buy the corridor, bathroom and other parts, amounting to a display of [?] of the working class. It seemed like a pointless business—the building’s own owners had undervalued the auction for these premises—but it turns out that just a few meters of space have blocked all the other areas. To get into the production rooms, the workers have to pass through the corridor. But an “embargo” is in force here. “No one will pass through here, because this is my territory,” the owner told them. So they have no choice but to enter through the windows. Ha.Ta.

“Please don’t call me Rexhep anymore...” SOKOL BALLA TIRANË — From Rexhep to Rexhinald, from Mit to Dhimitri, from Naje to Athina, from Agron to Polikron. A new trend of changing names has taken off in Tirana. More than seventy people have officially petitioned the Municipality of Tirana to change the names they have lived with since the day they were born. The civil status office has historically received such requests, including in the past, but in recent years they have spread as if they were a natural thing under the circumstances. The former fee was enticing. Just 50 new lek—about the price of a packet of cigarettes today—was enough for anyone to enjoy the privilege of changing a name, or even several names in succession. But things have changed now. A name change can mean a share of an inheritance, a share in returned properties, and a regular, “official” job in Greece or elsewhere. For this reason, the Municipality has now decided to centralize the authority to approve name changes. This, too, has strong reasons behind it. Following the heavy flow of emigrants to Greece, the number of people who want to change their names legally has increased. But the reason must be compelling. The Municipal Council’s committees now have matters such as property and the preservation of national identity before them. These make it difficult to move simply from one name to another. It is even harder today to ask the Municipality to change your surname. This is because, at its latest meeting, the Council decided to standardize and protect the nation’s surnames. But what are the reasons people add to, or are compelled to request a change of, their names? Is a property, a job, or simply the desire for change a sufficient reason to renew one’s name? Is it worth losing, for this, all your memories, all the greeting cards, all the dedications—in short, your entire past, summed up in a few letters? There are many questions. Not many answers. Perhaps our people are right when they say, as they used to tell us: “It is better to know some of the questions than all the answers” ...

“The parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee has been negotiating for a long time to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the border-crossing tax. The Macedonian government promised us this at a meeting two months ago with the Macedonian ambassador in Tirana.” On page 5

On page 7

On page 2

Buying with securities begins On page 3 Dibër: now the Kurds are in the North On page 5 Kukës: dies while fishing On page 3