PEDOPHILIA / Shocking statement from the Belgian investigators. In Kavajë, a young Albanian man is arrested: he tried to assault a minor Albania, a “paradise” for sex with minors Maniacs come as tourists, men of God and representatives of foundations TIRANA - Belgian investigators sound the alarm about Tirana: “Albania has become a paradise for sex maniacs who prey on minors.” They compare it with Asian countries—known for their shameful industry—and with Romania. Belgian investigators say sex maniacs come to Albania disguised as tourists, as members of various foundations and as representatives of religious sects. So far this year, two such cases have appeared in the press: an Australian who had lived in Tirana as a “teacher” for three years, while wanted by Interpol as a suspect in homosexual activity with minors; and an Englishman arrested on Sunday on charges of committing indecent acts with minors. But the monsters who prey on children also have Albanian names: yesterday, a young man from Kavajë was arrested for allegedly attempting to rape, in the middle of the day, an eight-year-old girl in the village of Mengaj, 11 kilometres from the town. He was first caught by villagers who ran to the little girl’s aid, and was then handed over to the police. The young man from Kavajë, who has been convicted before, is charged with attempted rape by force of a minor. He faces up to 15 years in prison. On page 5 Filip Bell, the Australian pedophile who worked as a teacher in Albania

The pretrial security measure will be considered today Tirana, caught red-handed in a private house TIRANA - Today, the Tirana court will decide on the security measure for the group of prostitutes detained on Monday by the police of Police Station No. 3. Along with them, the “owner” of the brothel and several clients have also been detained in the remand cells. They face three articles of the Penal Code, which provide for punishments ranging from fines to ten years’ imprisonment. It is still unclear what will happen to the detained clients: will they be arrested or released in court? The law does not explicitly address them in any article, but according to legal experts they could end up behind bars for engaging in prostitution. The group of “illegals” was caught on Monday in a private house in Tirana, on Siri Kodra Street. On page 5

The Americans bring politicians to the table TIRANA - A “closed-door” discussion about local elections among political parties. At the round table [?]

The counterfeit banknotes are in denominations of 20 and 100 USD Counterfeit dollars “Made in Switzerland” Experts: “They are extremely sophisticated” Witness money

TIRANA - A drug courier at the age of 12. [They] offered to take [him] to Italy for free. The distressing episode has been uncovered

TIRANA - A “closed-door” discussion about local elections among political parties. A round table organized by the Institute of the Republic brought together 7 political forces, which were kept away from the eyes of journalists. “No statement to the press until the meeting is over.” The issues of the Central Commission, the time limit for the administration elections, voter registration, and the identity document were among the matters raised at the American round table, where were present Vëziu of the PD of Kosovo, of local government, Gpnu-shi, Apostol Milo of the PSD, Ceka, Imami, Zefi of the PAD, Ruka, Laçori and Çaka of the PS, Meloi of the PBDNJ, Bushati of the PDK and Laço of the PBSD. The role of the media—the distribution of propaganda on state television and its control—and many other aspects were discussed in the afternoon. Uljani and Caka before the meeting on the local elections

Fraud involving money: young men accused of not repaying usurious loans TIRANA - They borrow money at usurious interest rates but then do not repay it. Two young men from Tirana appeared before judges yesterday, accused of having committed fraud in collusion with one another. The amount they owe their creditors is around 300,000 dollars. Both young men are being investigated while at liberty. The prosecution has requested that Sude Kadenës, the famous female usurer, also testify in the trial, believing she may shed light on the defendants’ financial operation. The defense has also asked that a large number of other witnesses testify before the court. On page 5

Experts: “They are extremely sophisticated” BERAT - Counterfeit dollars from an extremely sophisticated factory are circulating in Albania. The claim was made by police experts, who stated that, based on observations so far, they are in denominations of 20 and 100 dollars. “They are Swiss-made or come from there, while the distribution center is in Tirana and Shkodër,” the experts say, appealing to currency exchangers to notify the police whenever they have any suspicions. It was a currency exchanger who had fallen victim to a scam. He had collected large sums in 100-dollar bills, which later turned out to be counterfeit. On page 5

TIRANA - He carried drugs at the age of 12 just so he could travel to Italy for free. The heartbreaking episode came to light on Monday evening in Bari, Italy, when an Albanian child was found at the train station with a bag containing 5 kilograms of marijuana. The little boy was waiting for the train to Milan, where his brother had left shortly before. It was his tired, undernourished face that caught the attention of the Albanian family. The police, who became suspicious as soon as they saw him at the station, approached him and, after the first questions, learned that he was a seven-year-old [?] Albanian. A search of his bag—which he was dragging along—also uncovered the drugs. The 12-year-old child immediately told the whole story. He had set out from Vlora on a motorboat together with his brother. In exchange for making the trip for free and then receiving a guarantee that he would be settled in Italy, he had been given the bag containing the drugs. When he landed on the shores of Puglia, he and his brother headed for the train station. His older brother had left for Milan and was supposed to meet him there on the next train. That was the little boy’s account; afterwards, he fell asleep in the police headquarters offices. It seems that the exploitation of minors by mafia networks knows no bounds. After using them for begging and theft, mafia organizations—Albanian and Italian—have now begun using them as drug couriers as well. The incident is heartbreaking, but also extremely troubling. Children like these, drawn into drug-trafficking networks, are a major cause for alarm. Without closing [?] attention to this doubt, this is a clear confirmation, since they are consequently capable of distributing drugs and entering the networks and dark world of drug trafficking. If we cannot manage to stop the criminals and traffickers from taking [?] children, at least let us not allow a generation to form that coexists with crime.

SPORT Football: here is the Italian fixture draw All the matches, week by week TIRANA - After many difficulties, the Italian football championship fixture draw has finally been completed. Following the first ten weeks, drawn up on July 31, seven more have also been scheduled. There have been various comments about it, but the most interesting will be week 15, which will feature three matches between title contenders: Inter - Roma, Lacio - Milan and Parma - Juventus. After Sunday’s victory in Belgium, all of Italy is euphoric about its Formula 1 idol, Michael Schumacher. Who is greater, he or Senna? Comparisons with Schumacher, but in the end both of them are very great. Aleksander Popov is out of danger. He will start swimming again in two months. “My condition has improved and now I am out of danger. I hope to swim and achieve my best results,” he said. The Bundesliga is in its fourth week. Stuttgart played a great match in Hamburg against the home side, winning 4-0. Elber, Balaköe and Hagner were the best on the field. Dortmund won 3-1 against Freiburg and now lead alone with 10 points. Today Bayern Munich will play at home against Leverkusen, along with the five remaining matches of the fourth week. On page 6

Albanian art opens the Athens autumn season In the Greek capital, Ramazan Kokolini is also among the prominent names in the study of our tradition. On page 4

Chicago: Macarena opens the Convention CHICAGO - The Democratic Party Convention of the United States of America began yesterday. On page 2 BOWLING GREEN WELC PRESIDENT CLINTO Clinton

Trade with the world widens the ’96 deficit In the second quarter of this year, the export curve fell while the import curve rose sharply. And this hyper-involvement [?], together with the decline of Albanian industry, leads to paralysis and remains one of the state’s most acute balance-of-payments problems. On page 7