The new Parliament convenes: PS and the others are absent

Reconfirms Meksi and Arbnori U.S. representatives are not in the chamber The first session of the new Parliament (photo: H. Pustina) Albanians learned yesterday who their new prime minister would be. Aleksandër Meksi once again takes the seat he held during his four years in government. With this vote, 87 in favor and [?] against, Meksi passed the test of the PD National Council to soon ascend to the highest post in the executive. Another beginning in Albanian politics: the new Parliament raised its curtain yesterday in a ceremonial afternoon with many guests and journalists. There were various comments and reactions about the absence from the proceedings of representatives of the American embassy. “We cannot take part in a parliament that emerged from irregular elections,” officials commented during the ceremony, later. Today, just a few hours later. Today [?] the 30 parliamentarians would meet again in the chamber to pave the way for the first committee voted on yesterday: the committee for the verification of mandates.

Nuclear trafficking from Russia?

Osmium was produced in Soviet plants Strong suspicions of links between Albanians and eastern organizations TIRANË - The radioactive ampoules seized in Tiranë came from Russia. The two [?] traffickers caught with ampoules containing the element Osmium were in court. Radioactive materials trafficking in Albania and Russia? There is still no clear trail, but preliminary investigations have uncovered leads linked to foreign traffickers. Along with the ampoules, each containing 1 gram, a certificate of origin and production for the radioactive chemical element was also seized. It stated that Osmium had been produced at the Central Laboratory of Nuclear Physics in Moscow in 1954. The traffickers had bought it in Macedonia for 5,000 dollars per ampoule and planned to sell it on foreign markets for 30,000 dollars per ampoule. For now, Osmium is suspected of being used in nuclear weapons, but the military encyclopedia indicates that this element, invented by Soviet scientists specifically for use in warfare, is used in chemical weapons of mass destruction. It was produced in 1952 and is the product of alloys of several elements, as yet unidentified by scientists, and is very rare. While the court yesterday ordered the traffickers’ arrest, experiments have begun at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Tiranë to determine whether this really is such an element, with which the Soviets kept scientists in half the world occupied for years. The radioactive enigma A remarkable substance: Here is the whole story On page 3

“ARBERIA” IS DETAINED

The ship’s attempted escape fails Port of Durrës The ocean liner “Arberia” has been detained at the Turkish port of Çanakkale. On Thursday the ship attempted to escape, but was stopped by the Turkish authorities. A warship is now anchored alongside it. On page 5

“This is how we avoided a conflict with NATO”

1967. An Albanian submarine ventures into Sicily INTERVIEW / Aleko Pojani speaks, former submarine commander at the Pasha Liman base VLORË - A conflict with NATO and the Warsaw Pact was happily avoided thanks to the awareness of the crew of an Albanian submarine. It really risked becoming a conflict that would have changed the fate of the Mediterranean; fortunately, it was avoided, but all the structures had been put on a war footing, ready for war, everything was prepared, but the conflict between us and NATO forces ... THE STORY Three weeks beneath the depths [the remainder of the headline is cut off] Many years have now passed—the event took place 29 years ago, in 1967, when Albania was still in the Warsaw Pact—and the man who commanded all four Albanian submarines for a long time is now retired. In the house where he has lived recently, in Vlorë, the usual quiet that follows retirement has settled in. The conversation proceeds slowly, very slowly, as though the story he tells had nothing to do with this world, but with another, a world whose rhythm was different from today’s. As we talk with Aleko Pojani, he is the very hero of our story, the former commander of the only four submarines Albania possessed. On page 7 Aleko Pojani at the submarine’s controls

German triumph at Wembley

EURO ’96 Klinsmann lifts the Cup (REUTERS) Germany reaches the summit of Olympus for the third time. They triumphed in the great Wembley final thanks to their strength of character, fighting spirit and, above all, their team spirit. Vogts: “Respect, respect for these wonderful boys. It never crossed my mind that we could lose.” Oliver Bierhoff became the protagonist of the magical night in London. “I felt as if I were dreaming. It was something magical; nevertheless, we showed that we are the best team in the European Championship.” Great disappointment in the Czech camp, but they blame their defeat entirely on the referee’s decision. “Pairetto, what you did was a disgrace. Everyone saw that the Germans’ second goal was irregular. We were the best team in the championship, but they didn’t let us win.” Euphoria in Germany. As soon as the team arrived in Frankfurt, 30,000 fans had gathered to welcome the heroes. From the stands, Berti Vogts and Jurgen Klinsmann greeted the fans, whose numbers kept growing. Later, at the city hall, the team was entered in the golden book. On page 6

Three weeks beneath the depths of the Adriatic

THE STORY VLORË - What was life like in the depths of the sea, isolated from the whole world around you? One of the protagonists of life underwater now tells his story. He has been retired for several years; he spent decades aboard a special kind of vessel called a submarine. The longest voyage was in 1969. At the time, the “leadership” wanted to test the independence capacity of the submarines that had passed the “Russian test.” On page 7

“The dotted card” robs him of his drachmas

He was going to exchange them at the money changers, but lost them in a “casino” “The dotted card” robs him of his drachmas Reports the gambling game to the police TIRANA - He had worked in Greece and left several months’ wages behind in just a few minutes in a strange “casino.” Nobody robbed or stole from him; he lost the money in the crooked gambling game with the dotted cards. This happened to citizen K. Toromani three days ago. He had returned from Greece with 100,000 drachmas and immediately headed for the currency market near the National Bank in Tirana. Alongside dozens of money changers shouting, each trying to buy foreign currency for himself, he had also seen a crowd of people watching as someone won as much as 50 or 100 thousand old lek in a second. “Here, the dotted one, here the blank one—who can guess which card has the dots?” Dozens of hands tossed banknotes onto one of the three cards laid on top of a cardboard box. And the art of the con has now become more sophisticated. At first, the owner of the “casino” had lured Toromani with a small amount of money. The same thing was happening with others nearby, whom he only later learned were accomplices in the gambling “game.” They urged him to put his money on the dotted card, reassuring the poor victim. Game after game, he had lost not just a little, but the full 100,000 drachmas, which had taken him at least two months of work in Greece to save. After that, he went to the police and reported the conman A. Baholli, whom the police subsequently detained. (me.ki)

The underage thief: “He lived like a gentleman”

KAKAVIJE - There are four families; the oldest among them is 12 years old and is also their boss; the others have been sent out to beg on his behalf. He left his parents’ home a year and a half ago—he is from a village in Fier—and has been independent ever since. They target emigrants returning from Athens, and when the flow of travelers dies down, they start begging. They earn plenty and have no intention of giving up their profession of thieving. On page 5

Aleko Pojani at the submarine’s controls

Klinsmann lifts the Cup (REUTERS)

Germany reaches the summit of Olympus for the third time. They triumphed in the great Wembley final thanks to their strength of character, fighting spirit and, above all, their team spirit.

FIER

“I stole, but I was drunk” On page 5 VLORË Hangs himself

FROM THE WORLD

Simitis takes the helm of PASOK After winning the post of Prime Minister, Simitis also wins the Socialist Party. On page 2 Kosta Simitis

SHOW BUSINESS

Jackson at the top of the Albanian Hit A competition of foreign and Albanian songs in “Gazeta Shqiptare” On page 4 Michael Jackson

ALBANIAN RED CROSS

Official list of winning prizes in draw No. 34 dated June 28, 1996, of the Albanian Red Cross Lottery Tickets ending in 86 win a prize of 500 lek Tickets ending in 705 win a prize of 2,000 lek Tickets ending in 7112 win a prize of 5,000 lek Ticket number 13/5168 wins a prize of 50,000 lek Ticket number 9/0283 wins a prize of 100,000 lek Ticket number 8/9172 wins a prize of 500,000 lek The next draw will be held on July 30, 1996.