The former president, Isai and Stefani are being left until autumn The Prosecutor’s Office has concluded investigations into the seven Ministry of Interior files TIRANA - Ramiz Alia will be the last to close the series of former senior communist officials who will go to court. A few days ago, the prosecutors investigating the genocide concluded the investigative files on seven former senior officials of the Ministry of Interior. Seven deputy ministers and former heads of Internal Affairs branches in various districts will be the next group to take the defendants’ bench in court, charged with crimes against humanity. Marash Kola, Enver Halili, Raqi Iftica, Qemal Bregasi, Hysen Shehu and Jorgaq Mihali will soon be sent to court, although some of them will be tried in absentia because they have fled Albania. After dealing with the first secretaries and officials of the Ministry of Interior, the justice system has left until last the former First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PPSH, Ramiz Alia, the two former Ministers of Interior, Hekuran Isai and Simon Stefani, as well as the former Head of the General Investigation Directorate, Qemal Lame. On page 5

He is considered the favorite TIRANA - Reviewing two years of work, elections to the branch’s senior bodies and setting objectives for the future: these will be the foundations of tomorrow’s Socialist Party Conference for the capital. But what is expected to be the conference of the capital’s Socialists’ most sensitive point is the election of the branch’s “leadership seats.” Musa Ulqini—the current head of the PS branch for Tirana—Spartak Poçi, Enver Reçi and Kastriot Islami are, according to information available so far, the strongest candidates proposed by the party’s grassroots organizations and the capital’s Socialist councils. Sources within the Tirana PS leadership told the Albanian Gazette that “so far, based on the nominations received by the senior leadership, Ulqini is closest to retaking the post of chairman, followed by deputy chairman Spartak Poçi, Enver Reçi and Kastriot Islami.” However, these four candidates, along with others, will be voted on by the 460 participants in the Conference. On page 3

TIRANA - “We carried out the actions against Serbian targets at the beginning of the month.” The KLA has once again returned to the scene, taking responsibility for several actions in a statement signed by one of its Central Headquarters. “We will continue like this until Serbia withdraws from our lands,” insist the underground members of the Kosovo Liberation Army. “We are freedom fighters, not terrorists, as the Serbs consider us”: this is the message the KLA wanted to send to international diplomacy. The actions claimed by the KLA caused significant material damage, but fortunately no casualties. On page 3 KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY Pristina, 04.08.1996 COMMUNIQUÉ No. 22 On 2 August, in Operational Zone No. 1, our guerrilla unit carried out several actions against Serbian special police posts. The attacks were carried out openly with the aim of destroying Serbian police facilities and causing material damage. The target was completely paralyzed on the basis of the decision taken by the KLA Central Headquarters. The Albanian people of Kosovo must not be deceived by fabrications and false reports from Belgrade, which deliberately misinform and manipulate public opinion and compel it to abandon its freedom and its efforts for independence. Through this communiqué, we wish to make it clear to public opinion as a whole that month were ours, and we take full responsibility for them. We are not terrorists, but fighters for the freedom and independence of Kosovo. Our firm stance, which we consider just, in our actions is based on the responsibility to protect our people, our land and its future. We are duty-bound to do everything to protect the people from these attacks and to help in the struggle for freedom and independence. KLA CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS KLA communiqué

SHKODËR A gang is caught

Yesterday, the seven held consultations at the PSD

BERAT The dangerous butterfly arrives On page 5

Ramiz Alia SHKODËR A gang of robbers is arrested SHKODËR - A gang of robbers was free for only a few hours. According to official announcements from the Ministry of the Interior, three people from Shkodra ended up in prison on Wednesday after an operation by the northern city's police. They were charged with “kidnapping a person in collaboration.” The victim of their operation—a 21-year-old, S.Q. from Shkodra—was locked up by the three and ended up in Italy. On Wednesday morning, following a swift police operation, those who had been pursued for some time fell into police hands. Two of them—Fran Shullani, 40, from Shkodra, and Shpend Koleka, 35, from the same city—had previously been convicted for various reasons. The third person arrested is from the capital. No other prior offense has been officially reported for Xhevdet Mehmeti.

Four cases KUKËS - The disease of the century, AIDS, is striking hard even in the mountains. Kukës now has four people who have been infected with the AIDS virus. They are two girls and a young couple who were infected in circumstances that are still unknown. The news is confirmed by doctors at Kukës Hospital, who state that there is no doubt about the presence of the virus—this has also been confirmed by tests conducted in the Tirana laboratory. On page 5

Yesterday, consultations among the seven at the PSD TIRANË - The opposition decides to say “no” to the roundtables proposed by the Democratic Party. “We will not participate in the coordinated roundtables of the PD and we do not recognize their decisions,” seven opposition parties wrote in a joint statement after their consultative meeting at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party. A few days earlier, invitations to a roundtable had “flown” from the PD’s offices to the headquarters of parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties. But yesterday the parliamentary parties, as well as PAD and PDD, the non-parliamentary parties, refused to sit down with the PD at a roundtable today. PS, PSD and others likewise chose to do the same, declaring that they would not take part in Monday’s roundtable, also organized by the PD. “The Democratic Party’s invitations are a new maneuver to deceive domestic and foreign public opinion and an attempt to divide the opposition,” the opposition parties said in describing their action. On page 3 Yesterday’s opposition meeting (photo: P. Ilo)

KORÇË On page 5

TIRANË On page 5

ABUSED HIS DUTIES Fier: policeman robs robbers Judges sign an arrest warrant in absentia for him FIER - Even police officers can fall victim to robbers. In fact, a worker at the Fier police station had the crane he was going to use to tow his vehicle stolen from him. Another police officer has become embroiled in livestock theft, but in the role of the robber. And at the Fier court, the suspects have been remanded in custody. He was able to find very quickly the perpetrator who had stolen a calf he had bought for slaughter. A police officer reported his neighbor as the perpetrator of the theft. Mehmet Kocia, from the village of Varibop, in Fier, was detained by police while he was selling the stolen animal. He denied the accusation, but had offered the injured officer the cash value of the stolen animal in exchange for withdrawing the complaint. The judges accepted the charge of theft in collaboration against Kociaj and signed an order remanding him in custody until the investigation is concluded. The civil judges have sought to have police officers put in handcuffs as well. Petrit Buzi was reported by a group of villagers from Libofshë and Ndërmësat for allegedly using his position to rob them of a number of livestock. The method he had chosen had been effective for a while: after professionally catching livestock thieves, he would confiscate the animals on behalf of his own state account. But Buzi, on learning that he was wanted by the police, left for an unknown destination together with his personal weapon. Yesterday the judges signed an order remanding him in custody. Hurma Redhi

Klinsman TIRANË - The European Champion Clubs’ Cup has changed its format. In the 1997–1998 season, its final stage will be played by 24 teams. In this way, all the champions will have the opportunity to take part, and, in addition to them, eight runners-up selected according to the UEFA coefficient will test their strength in this cup. The Bundesliga starts today, and the English football league starts tomorrow. The former glory of Ajax Amsterdam has also come to an end. The legendary stadium of this team, the abandoned De Myuer, could no longer “bear” the loneliness and caught fire, as if foreseeing a bad fate for Ajax’s future. On page 7

Song Festival: admissions soon On page 4 Irma Libohova

Moscow forms the new government On page 2 Çernomerdin