“Mejdani President, Nano Prime Minister and Fino Deputy” “Last night Dini’s plane arrived in Rinas. ‘Fino, I want us to travel together to Madrid’” The meeting of Socialist leaders. The highest state offices are divided up; the new ministers will be chosen soon Albania’s new seats of power “Mejdani President, Nano Prime Minister and Fino Deputy” Last night Dini’s plane arrived in Rinas. “Fino, I want us to travel together to Madrid” TIRANA - Just one day after the runoff vote, the Socialists are rushing to choose the Trio that will lead Albania. Rexhep Mejdani as President, Fatos Nano as Prime Minister, while the Speaker of Parliament’s chair will be “given” to the PSD or PAD. Bashkim Fino, the man who managed to take the country to elections, will be number 2 in the next government. Deputy Prime Minister? Perhaps this news came as a surprise to Fino, although he modestly said yesterday to the Gazette that his mission had ended. “I had to take the country to elections, and I achieved that,” said the head of the Government. Thus, yesterday the highest state offices were divided up at a lengthy meeting of Socialist leaders. For several days, the PS leader had been telling only foreign journalists that European practice requires the party leader to automatically also be the head of the executive. Rexhep Mejdani is currently the PS Secretary-General. He is nearly 60 years old and an academic. In 1990, Mejdani was a member of the Presidential Council of former Communist President Ramiz Alia. He has always been regarded as an intellectual who stayed away from entering politics. Fatos Nano, who, as he himself has stated, will certainly be the country’s next Prime Minister, said yesterday that Bashkim Fino would be “his right-hand man.” Nano did not mention a specific office, but according to reliable government sources, Fino will take the Deputy Prime Minister’s post. Fino told the Gazette yesterday that he would really like to run for Mayor of Tropojë in the next local elections. “I would truly like to have this responsibility. It is a job I know well and, moreover, it would suit me very well in light of my work so far as someone who has led and advocated National Reconciliation. I would feel very good in Tropojë,” Fino said, just moments before his flight to Madrid, where on Wednesday he will meet US President Bill Clinton. And in the evening, the plane of Italian Foreign Minister Dini arrived at Rinas airport to pick up Prime Minister Fino. The head of Italian diplomacy himself confirmed yesterday to Fino’s secretariat that he wanted to travel together with the Albanian prime minister to Madrid. Fino did not want to talk about his future position in the government, but says that his party cannot take all the important jobs in the state. Many rumors have circulated about Fino’s position, remaining unconfirmed for as many as nine days in the press. Many have said that Fino will continue to be Prime Minister. Another said he would be Speaker of Parliament, but all of this has amounted to the usual rumors now circulating on the streets of the capital. Fino himself said a few days ago that he still knew nothing about his future post, and insisted that, more than his career, he was interested in the second round of elections. “My mission is to take the country to the polls; other matters can come later,” the Prime Minister of Albania declared. Meanwhile, the names of the other people who will take the ministerial seats are still being kept under wraps. But according to sources from the left-wing parties’ headquarters, Gjinushi is expected to “take over” the Foreign Ministry as well. Among the rumors circulating, Skënder Gjinushi is said to become Albania’s chief diplomat or the country’s number-one ambassador to the world. Meanwhile, talks, debates and discussions are taking place behind closed doors over the delicate and extremely important post of Minister of the Interior. Neritan Ceka appears to be one of the leading candidates at this point, but according to Nano, everything is still being negotiated. Four other government posts have also been under discussion for several days at the headquarters of the winning parties, but everything has been changing from hour to hour. The current ministers in the Fino Government seem to be more anxious than anyone else at this moment. Although many of them have already secured seats as MPs, they have not hidden their desire to keep their government posts. And after the meeting of the PS leadership, many ministers immediately rushed from one office to another to find out what their future would hold. At this point, the party that appears set to gain the most seats in the government is Gjinushi’s, which, despite ranking below PAD and Ceka in the overall order, is expected to receive several important ministries. Fatos Nano on Sunday at Durrës beach

INTERVIEW Shehu: “Why I left the leadership of the PD” The former chairman explains the reasons for his resignation TIRANA - “I feel the burden of the defeat; I am stepping down.” Tritan Shehu “surprised” everyone and public opinion yesterday with his resignation, submitted in the early hours of the day. A statement issued from his office announced his sudden departure from the PD. The Democratic leader is convinced that “the PD needs to make way for further and profound changes, and that many issues need to be corrected and improved.” Having taken over as head of the PD one year and four months earlier, after its third congress, Shehu filled the vacant position left by his predecessor Selami. A seasoned politician and Democrat, he led his party through three election campaigns, watched groups and individuals leave the party, and then suffered the blow he had not expected in the “expulsion of democracy” in the city of Kavajë. “I will remain part of the PD structures,” Shehu says, without specifying which ones, but is quick to add that “he will be very active and will put his experience to use.”

Two members of the commission killed SHKODËR - Blood was spilled at a polling station in Shkodër. Four election commissioners were hit by bullets, and the shots were fatal for two of them. They were shot inside the polling station, while the attacker fled in an unknown direction. In the constituency that included this polling station, PD candidate Ali Spahia and Socialist candidate Lekë Çuka were competing. The voting process was suspended, and an investigation into the bloody incident has begun. On page 5

GJIROKASTËR - In- GJIROKASTËR - Serious incident on the Albanian-Greek border. Greek civilian workers, also equipped with heavy machinery, have targeted the border in the sector of the border police post at Sopik, in the district of Gjirokastër, and penetrated as far as 800 metres into Albanian territory. They have opened a road track close to the village of Sopik, without any authorization from the Albanian side. On page 8

After the recent events TIRANA - The PD is considering its new leader. Just a few hours after Shehu’s resignation, the first reports from party headquarters offered interesting possibilities and options for the post-Shehu period in the PD. President Berisha appears to be the strongest candidate. On page 2

ITALY One Albanian, 300,000 lire Money for refugees in exchange for repatriation BARI - An Albanian refugee? Worth 300,000 lire. At least, a minor is worth 150,000 lire. This is the amount provided by the Italian government for every refugee who agrees to return voluntarily to Albania. This sensational announcement was made by Italian Undersecretary of the Interior Nicola Sinisi on television on Sunday, but he later tried to “soften” it. “We will not offer them money,” he wanted to clarify, “but an opportunity! That is, they will be given preferential access to seasonal work in Italy.” As for the payments, Nicola Sinisi stressed that the funds would go to the repatriation organization, which would be overseen by non-governmental and humanitarian associations. The reaction from Italian anti-racist associations was immediate; they consider this measure by the Italian government “the scandal of monetizing repatriation.” In fact, this method was also used in the repatriation of Bosnian refugees, who, in numbers far greater than the Albanians (around 60,000), took refuge in Italy during the war in Bosnia. The payment of 500,000 lire for every Bosnian refugee who agrees to return voluntarily to their country therefore remains in force. “No amount would be acceptable,” Pjetër Mejdani, a refugee living with his family in a camp in Bologna, told the Albanian Gazette. “The Italian government should know very well that we have spent millions and even risked our lives to come here, and we view with distrust the money they are offering.” Albanian refugees who arrived in Italy with the outbreak of the Albanian crisis are also highly skeptical about the promise of seasonal work in Italy afterward. “For several years,” Mejdani adds, “we have heard requests from the Albanian government for seasonal employment and promises from the Italian side, but so far I have not heard of any concrete action on any of these fronts. The Italians must stop telling these lies.” Meanwhile, frightened by the Italian government’s recent decisions, rights associations report the number of Albanians leaving the camps. But this kind of alarm is also being raised by the Archbishop of Lecce, Monsignor Cosimo Ruppi, over the escape of 54 minors from a religious center. The Archbishop expresses his sorrow for these children, who “fall victim to organized crime.” After a meeting in Rome of various migration associations, a letter was drawn up for the ministers and parliament dealing with this issue, calling for the government’s decision to repatriate Albanians to be immediately withdrawn. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Napolitano declares: “There is no reason to be scandalized or to make a fuss about any measure we take—as we have done in the past—to encourage the repatriation of refugees.” Alba Malteli

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