The Prime Minister explains his four-year “adventure”
INTERVIEW / Achievements, hopes, friends and ... his family life
The government will change its face. Confirmation came yesterday from the newly elected prime minister himself, Aleksandër Meksi. In his central office, the head of the executive agreed to talk about his life as prime minister, the difficulties of the previous cabinet, and the objectives of the next government. Elected for a second time to the country’s highest office, Meksi does not hesitate to describe his second life—that of a man separated from his friends and relatives. “I spend very little time with my family and children,” the prime minister says regretfully, explaining that this relationship with his family is likely to continue for a long time. But although divorced from the normal life of someone who wants both family and friends, Meksi is optimistic about the post he has just taken up.
On page 3
The new Parliament (dart) Prime Minister Meksi
Assembly: Arbnori back at the helm
He was elected by the deputies
TIRANA - The Albanian Parliament chose its speaker. Pjetër Arbnori was once again elected to the same seat as Speaker of Parliament.
Yesterday, his deputy, Margarita Qirko, also took her place beside him; she was appointed the first female deputy speaker of parliament since 1990. The man who led the previous legislature for four years said that “I will use the Speaker’s mandate to take the debate further in the temple of law.” Yesterday, the parliamentary parties also sat down at the first round of talks to determine the basic structure on which the new parliamentary edifice will operate.
On page 3
“There were also elements of revanchism in the Socialist Party”
Socialist Party Deputy Chairman Ilir Meta speaks
TIRANA - “If during the campaign we had avoided some campaigns of revanchism by certain elements, we would not have made political life as tense and polarized as Berisha wants.”
TIRANA - “If during the campaign we had avoided some campaigns of revanchism by certain elements, we would not have made political life as tense and polarized as Berisha wants,” said the new Socialist deputy chairman Ilir Meta. Yesterday, for the first time in public, the Socialist Party leader confidently put forward the idea of rapid reform within the Socialist Party. This reform, according to the leader of the largest opposition party, would “make it possible for this party to take power.” Meta sees reform within the Socialist Party as taking place in two areas. “Changes to the Socialist Party’s program and leadership,” said the party’s deputy chairman.
On page 3
Socialist Party headquarters
The radioactive-substance mystery
Chemists: “We don’t believe it”
Osmium, physicists will respond on Friday
Sofia dismisses its ambassador in Tirana: “He threatened and embezzled”
An uproar in Bulgaria. President Zheliu Zhelev intervenes personally
Tirana
Ceka at the Embassy
TIRANA - “He embezzled funds and threatened the Embassy staff with death”—these words do not belong to just anyone, but to the Bulgarian Ambassador in Tirana himself, Stefan Naumov, who has been dismissed in a manner
Russians elect their President today
From around the world
MOSCOW - Today the two leading presidential candidates, Jeltsin and Zhuganí, will face each other for the second time. The latest polls have favored the current leader of the Kremlin.
On page 2
Chemists: “We don’t believe it
TIRANA - Mystery surrounds the radioactive substance seized by police in Tirana. Albanian scientific laboratories still have no precise answer about the chemical element called Osmium. In the other city, police had seized ampoules being transported by the traffickers; it was said that the element found in nature, Osmium, is an extremely rare metal. The substance seized by police in Tirana could be a product obtained using Osmium as a base material. In any case, the specialists at the Institute of Nuclear Physics will answer whether the seized element is radioactive, at least establishing whether or not it emits radiation. chemical element called Osmium. Since experiments have been conducted on this rare element in various laboratories, the question is whether the substance really emits radioactive radiation. Meanwhile, chemists do not believe that it is all pure Osmium. According to the heads of the Chemistry Department at the Faculty of Sciences.
On page 5
[cut off]
[Former Ambassador Stefan Naumov]
TIRANA - demonstratively dismissed from all the official and diplomatic posts he held in Tirana. The incident has made a great impression, not only in Tirana, but especially in the press and diplomatic circles of Sofia, where irregularities attributed to Naumov had been heard about for some time. On page 5
Ceka at the U.S. Embassy
Tirana
Ceka crosses the threshold of the American embassy in the capital once again. Handshakes and a long conversation—that was the scene at yesterday’s meeting between liberal-democratic leader Neritan Ceka and the top American diplomat in the Albanian capital, Smith. “We are concerned about the slow pace in making dialogue a reality, as a result of the DP’s lack of desire for such a thing,” Ceka told Smith.
On page 3
Weah in a concert for Liberia
The Milan player will sing alongside Zucchero
MILAN - George Weah in front of his fans, but this time as a... singer. He will no longer run across the green field accompanied by the fervent chants of Milan fans; instead, he will take to a stage to sing for Liberia. With a microphone in his hand, the famous striker will change “profession” for just one night, and he will do it for his homeland.
For Liberia, the group putting on the long-awaited show will be an extraordinary one. Alongside Weah—or, as he is also known, the “Golden Ball”—the twins Epee & Koum will perform with the Balalaea International orchestra. But the anticipation of thousands of people for this concert dedicated to Liberia has grown because of the unprecedented duet between George Weah and Zucchero.
This is not the first time the famous footballer has helped his country. Six months ago, at the African championship held in South Africa, the Milan player sponsored Liberia’s national team for the finals, contributing money of his own. “They should stand alongside the representatives of their fellow African countries,” George said, while a large sum of money went into the national team’s coffers. It was only thanks to the passionate contribution of the Milan supporters that the Liberian team was able to take part in this championship.
FOOTBALL EURO ’96
FOOTBALL
EURO ’96
Was it a penalty-kick championship?
Bierhoff
EURO 96 has just ended, and discussions have begun about whether it was “a championship of collective play or of individual talent, a beautiful or average championship.” In the end, everyone concluded: “EURO 96 was the penalty-kick championship.”
On page 5
ECONOMY
Here is how the privatization mechanism works
83 large commercial companies have been put up for auction. This has been accompanied by the purchase of shares by 18,000 shareholders.
On page 7
ENTERTAINMENT
New songs from “Djemtë e Detit”
Pogradec, the first stop on the summer tour of the rock group from Lezhë.
On page 4
