CHANGES IN THE ADMINISTRATION / Unexpected reaction from a member of the new cabinet Minister opposes Nano The Health Minister, Solis, disagrees with the purges “I have no authority to dismiss directors. The old law does not allow me to. The decision came from above.” TIRANA - A minister opposing Nano? Unexpected, but it does happen. Health Minister Leonard Solis disagrees with the way the old hands who still occupy political posts in the new government are supposed to leave. “I have no authority to dismiss anyone; I only have the right to propose new appointments to the Prime Minister.” This is what the man who has just taken charge of the department responsible for public health said yesterday. In his view, such a position has put him out of the game. Solis believes that his directors cannot all be political appointees, given the very nature of the department of the white coats. The representative of the Human Rights Party in the Nano government has gone further in stating his position, saying that he will defend many of them and fight to prevent them from being removed. Caught between two fires, with the directors standing firm and declaring that they will not leave, Solis says he has no authority to decide and that he will not abandon his post defending his subordinates in the department. Leonard Solis, (above) Fatos Nano But the former director reacts angrily: “They removed me by force” On page 3

Alarm at the Ministry. Ceka: Special forces urgently QAFË THANË - The barrier at Qafë Thanë has been broken. Armed individuals fired at the customs police, bypassing the obstruction. Four trucks then headed towards Tirana, but one was stopped by the Elbasan police. The trucks that crossed the barrier had Albanian license plates, while the one found in Elbasan—which, according to the customs officers, was one of the protagonists of the revolt—had Tirana plates. Crates of Partner cigarette packs were found in it. The truck has been impounded at the police station and is awaiting verification. The Ministry was alarmed following a notification from the Customs Directorate as well. Minister Ceka sent a special forces unit, which arrived at the scene. The Albanian-Macedonian border On page 8

FIER Tragedy at the city market FIER - A gunfight at the city market: one person killed and four wounded, including a child, while the tragedy could have been even worse. Police arrived at the scene, but the market chaos allowed the killer to escape. The incident took place yesterday morning at Fier’s industrial market. It was seven in the morning, and the second-hand goods sellers had just begun bringing in their first merchandise. Two people—according to eyewitnesses to the incident—had argued over a place to sell, but nobody had thought that the petty quarrel would end in gunfire. Tare had been arguing with another person, who then left for a few moments. It seemed that calm had been restored, but he came back, this time with an automatic weapon. He said nothing, but pointed the weapon at Tare, who at that moment had his back turned. The burst of fire was long, and most of the bullets struck Tare’s body, but some scattered and hit people who were near the scene. Three people were wounded, with a child nearby. In the commotion, people tried to hide while others attempted to help the wounded. Taking advantage of the chaos, the killer fled in an unknown direction. The victim, covered in blood, was left in the middle of the square, while the wounded were taken straight to hospital. As soon as the police arrived, they immediately cleared the entire area of the incident. They began questioning the witnesses who had been nearby at the time, and also started taking measurements for the forensic examination. “We were sitting in our usual place, waiting for customers,” said a couple who sold flowers, a man and a woman. “We’re usually the first to arrive at the market. Then our colleagues were coming in when, very close to us, we saw some young men arguing. They stopped fighting and we thought it had all ended there, but one of them came back and fired an automatic weapon. We saw it all with our own eyes; we had never seen someone killed so close by. We immediately went over to look at the wounded, putting them into cars. What happened today was a real ‘disaster.’” Meanwhile, four people arrived at the hospital. Among them was a child who, thank God, had suffered a minor wound and was soon discharged from the hospital. The others are in more serious condition; two of them are in comas, with serious lung injuries. Police have begun investigating the incident, but the actual motive for the crime has not yet been established. (pre)

force” The battle for RTSH: Minga wins The new director: “I want professionals” TIRANA - Albert Minga is catapulted into the top job of director-general of RTV. Yesterday, after a secret ballot, the institution’s new governing council elected Minga, a 51-year-old film director, to head RTV. The procedure for Minga’s election was fiercely contested by former RTV chief Bardhyl Pollo. Having abstained from the vote, Pollo declared that “the procedures for electing the director have been violated.” RTV’s number two, Malja, also sided with him, saying that the law had not been taken into consideration. The RTV duo then left the hall to give their first comments to the press. “I will appeal to the Constitutional Court,” Pollo declared, leaving the newly elected Minga behind. On page 2 Minga Pollo Minga; Pollo

TIRANA - “The death penalty is essential for Albania.” The head of the Tirana Court, Qazim Gjonaj, enters the debate concerning the abolition of the death penalty. “Given the situation our country is in, this law absolutely must exist. Tolerating crime leads to its flourishing. We must respect the commitments undertaken at the Council of Europe, but not only politicians—all of us must also explain to Europeans why this law is needed in Albania. Trials must be conducted with great care, taking into account the danger posed by the offence committed. Tolerating the crime that is challenging law and order also means endangering Albania’s future. Order cannot be established without the obligation imposed on the courts, because Europe cannot impose order.” On page 3

TIRANA - The police are beginning to search for weapons in homes, too. The “black” lists have begun to be revealed. People whose names have been mentioned as protagonists in crimes that have occurred, or as suspects in them, are prepared to open their homes to the blue-uniformed officers. A few days ago, the police stated that weapons may be kept at home after being registered, but there are also people in whose hands a weapon poses a serious risk. The police have therefore begun strict searches targeting the latter, in order to reduce the number of deadly gunshots, even if only slightly. Searches are being conducted at all homes where people with criminal backgrounds live, or whose names appear on police lists. According to sources within the police, these searches will be ongoing, and citizens can often inform their local police stations about any problem. Scenes from the police operation in Tirana

Often victims of fraud TIRANA—Phantom managers have contacted Albanian footballers and then left them stranded. The attempt to sell Diamanti and Çipi abroad ended this way, unsuccessfully; after wandering around Greece, they returned to Albania. Olimpik and Elbasani secured their first wins in Group C. Kosova Gashi for Olimpik and two Elbasani defenders were the protagonists in these matches. Politicians and sports journalists have been pretending to be together for days in preparation for Saturday’s big show. Trapajoni’s Bayern earned its first point in the Bundesliga. The other contender, Dortmund, won convincingly against Köln. Saka put only one striker into the game, and his philosophy triumphed. More medals at the Athletics World Championships. On page 7

… by the police, taking…

Leonard Solis, (Top) Photos Nano