PS leader’s prison sentence reduced by only 1 year Yesterday afternoon, the unexpected Appeals Court ruling. The chronicle of a day the Socialists will not easily forget ... Nano loses to the Justice system for the fifth time. Just when it seemed he had won—for the first time, a prosecutor had asked for the release of the imprisoned Socialist leader—the Appeals Court judges dashed all hope: “Nano must remain in prison for another 2 years, 11 months and 28 days.” Although for four hours the prevailing view in the Albanian capital—and perhaps further afield—was that after 721 days Nano would return to his home, at 4:30 p.m. yesterday the process’s protagonist was granted only one year less in prison cells. On page 3

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Durrës, another accusation against the billionaire trader After customs and Albpetrol, third scandal for “Epidamn” He has not only cheated the state, but also his business partners. Another superfraud involving an Albanian ...

Inside the electronic heart of the base REPORTAGE . One of the spy planes landing in Gjadër (photo: Hektor Pustina) FROM GJADËR Merita Dhimgjoka On page 5 From Kakavija: 33 [unclear] in 40 days On page 3

LDSH convenes TIRANA: “We will organize our own rallies.” Kurt Kola, Chairman of the LDSH, has said

Durrës, another accusation against the billionaire trader Defrauds his partner for partners. Another major fraud by Shqipët Dom, president of the company Epidamn—following the use of forged bank guarantees for customs and Alpetrol payments in Ballsh—has come to light in Durrës in recent days. He has failed to return USD 544,000 to the company “Alkosmaq” after selling a shipment of fuel. The lawsuit filed by the managers of the defrauded company, seeking legal action, has now reached the Durrës Court. FROM DURRËS | ARMAND MERO On page 5

TIRANA - “We will organize our own rallies.” This statement was made to Gazeta Shqiptare after a lengthy meeting, which reached this decision under the project on the buying and selling of land. Yesterday, until late in the evening, the six organizations of the League opposed the authorities’ first initiative to approve this draft law. They also decided to hold a press conference, which, in addition to journalists, will be attended by diplomats from foreign embassies in Tirana. During the extraordinary meeting, the Right-Wing League appointed six working groups which, as Kola said, would be sent to six different regions of Albania to collect signatures for the petition against the buying and selling of land. “We now know that 250,000 people have signed this petition,” he continued. As for the rallies, Kurt Kola explained that they would be held indoors and in many districts of Albania. The League’s chairman said that “the rallies will be organized by the National Front Party, one of its six organizations. LDSH, it was also said at the meeting, has decided that after collecting the signatures, it will submit the petition to parliament. A.Ç

Infectious Diseases Hospital TIRANA - The reappearance of syphilis has mobilized Albania’s health services. Yesterday, specialists met at the ministry and decided to establish an entire network to combat and treat sexually transmitted diseases. Within a few days, a special circular and the necessary guidelines will be drawn up, along with information required for treatment of the infectious disease, and distributed throughout all the districts. The medical network for preventing sexually transmitted diseases will extend across the entire country. On page 3

The dream of a new network takes its first steps TIRANA - A television network for Eastern and Central Europe? “Not a bad idea” — and the first dreams have already begun to take shape. A group of intellectuals and associations, after two years of preparatory work, are very close to realizing a major project. Albania will not be left out: it is an integral part of the region in question and will also provide concrete support for these ambitious plans. Television for Eastern and Central Europe has thus taken its first steps. Representatives of 25 countries in the region, including Albania, have gathered in Budapest and laid the project’s first foundations. Through this television network, images and more will enable a broader cultural exchange, strengthen relations between states, and increase information about and interest in these countries and their resources. Reducing tensions and easing any potential disagreements will also be a moral obligation for this network, which, despite its shortcomings, is a private initiative. To facilitate distribution and the extensive work involved, a foundation has also been established: the “ALFA International Fund for Cooperation.” Its headquarters will remain in Budapest, the capital of a country (Hungary) situated in the heart of Europe. The first discussions were held precisely there, and today they will be broadcast for about four hours on the “EutelSat” satellite channel, on the frequency where “Art TV” is usually watched, from 15:00 to 19:00. Anyone interested who has an ordinary “satellite dish” will also be able to follow live the first efforts to create a “transition” TV channel. The Albanian representatives are also there.

DIPLOMACY The Great Powers in London: “We will strike to protect the Gorazde enclave” Yesterday, UNPROFOR’s position in Bosnia was confirmed On page 2

Meets Berisha On page 3

The story of an elderly man who has spent his life on the streets A protest and appeal by a 65-year-old from Fushë-Kruja The story of an elderly man who has spent his life on the streets “Either give me a home or get me out of Albania” A protest and appeal by a 65-year-old from Fushë-Kruja KRUJA - His whole life has been spent in hardship: prison cells, wandering the streets, and no work. Haxhi Qerimi is 65 and once again has been left without shelter, a pension, or a single penny to live on. Despair and pain are the only emblems that accompany him. Old and experienced, with a daughter and two children, [the sentence is unclear in the original] Qerimi has been left alone. Two years ago he could… Tragedy has followed the 65-year-old from Fushë-Kruja at every step. It began when, in the 1950s, during a forced displacement, he was evicted from his home. Since then he has not had the chance, like everyone else, to know the comfort of a home whose door he could open and where his own name was written. One blow followed another. He fled Albania, only for something even worse to await him. Captured by the authorities, he was forced to spend two years in the prisons of Shkup. His return to his homeland was not at all happier. As soon as he set foot on Albanian soil, he faced a difficult period; after several years he emerged and regained his freedom, but even this time it was curtailed. The shadow of being a convict followed him everywhere, and persecution never left him. It seemed that peace would [the original sentence is incomplete]… “We must know,” the tormented 65-year-old said [the preceding words are unclear in the original]. The family’s resistance and protests sought [unclear in the original]. He spent two years [unclear in the original], and then disappeared mysteriously. “From that day on, he never came back home, and now we are homeless,” Qerimi says through clenched teeth, unable to contain himself as he bursts into a painful appeal: “Either solve my problems or, better still, expel me from Albania, where I can no longer live happily.”