The former Minister of Defense arrived unexpectedly at midday on Sunday Brother: “Safeti was not in the USA.” State Secretary Teta: “His return, an act of courage” An unexpected return of the man accused by both sides of causing the March tragedy Former Minister of Defense Zhulali with Aleksandër Meksi TIRANA — He has returned unexpectedly. The former Minister of Defense, who fled six months ago, returned to Tirana airport at midday on Sunday. Confined to his home, Zhulali is keeping quiet, while watching Tirana from the front of his house. Instead of giving interviews, he prefers to have his brother answer reporters. “He was not in the USA. That is a fabrication,” says his brother, who also refuses to reveal which airline Zhulali took back to Rinas. The former Minister of Defense left Durrës for the Apulian coast on a merchant ship belonging to some of his relatives. Meanwhile, the army he had commanded for five years dissolved like salt in water within a few hours. Zhulali left at a time when the military plan to violently suppress the revolt in the south of the country had failed. “A good civic act, but this is a matter for the Prosecutor’s Office, not the Ministry of Defense,” commented State Secretary Perikli Teta on Zhulali’s return. On page 3

SPECIAL / THE GREAT DEATHS OF THE CENTURIES From Paris, the end of a myth Drunk driver, cause of the tragedy LONDON — The driver of the Mercedes in which Princess Diana and her companion, Al Fayed, were riding was drunk. This is the result of the autopsy and tests carried out yesterday by Parisian doctors on the driver’s body. “The blood alcohol level was three times higher than normal,” said the doctor who performed the autopsy and established that the driver had been drinking. As for the driver, it has emerged that he was not Diana’s personal chauffeur, but a newly hired employee of the Ritz Hotel, where the couple had dinner before their final journey. Meanwhile, eight photojournalists are still being detained pending trial. Among other things, they are also accused of “failing to provide immediate assistance.” On page 10 Lady Diana

KOK? / Two arrested in Elbasan Nine May...

Former Minister

Foreign mission at the table with the Prime Minister

GOVERNMENT IN SESSION On page 2

KOE / Two arrested in Elbasan . A truck breaks through the customs post. KO — A truck broke through the Gorrico customs post; it had Macedonian plates and was accompanied by around twenty armed men wearing bulletproof vests. The Albanian guards stationed there had no way to react. The Interior Ministry was informed, while ... had not been notified. Meanwhile, from a distance between the customs post and the police, ... One side ... could face armed resistance, while the police claim that this is ... merely an excuse ... for the customs post. According to them, the matter involves high-ranking officials. The incident took place on Saturday evening. It was 9:00 when nine trucks weighing 12–15 tons passed through the customs gate without stopping. Twenty armed people wearing bulletproof vests threatened the checkpoint guards. “We had no way to respond; there were many of them and they spoke in a northern dialect,” one of the guards said. On page 7

Former Minister TIRANA - “The transparency law tends to shut down firms. It is not based on legal criteria but on economic criteria,” says former Finance Minister Ridvan Bode. He was mentioned in the Meti Meksi cabinet, which warned of the danger of pyramid schemes. In his view, the law has a loophole: it does not cover all the pyramid companies. The DP economist says the Government has a moral obligation to the electorate to show where the pyramid-scheme money went and whether the state was involved in it. On page 5

Foreign mission at the table with the Prime Minister Nano signs with the IMF: Is this the end of the pyramid schemes? TIRANA - The government’s “bargaining” with the IMF has concluded. Today the Council of Ministers is expected to approve two letters of intent containing the full outcome of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. The Government commits to closing the pyramid companies and monitoring macroeconomic indicators. VAT will rise to 22%. The Government must place customs under full control. The International Monetary Fund will provide 20 million dollars. The sum will go into the foreign-currency reserves of the Bank of Albania. Part of it will be used to pay social assistance to the unemployed. If the Albanian side implements the conditions, the IMF will give the “green light” to the projects of the Conference of donor countries. The agreement will last six months. After this trial period for Tirana, a three-year agreement is expected to be signed in February. On page 2 IMF headquarters in Tirana

“THE MARSHALL PLAN” The media “forgive” Nano 60 million USD The staggering figure was hidden in the lines of a translation Mystery surrounding the 200 million dollars for an Italian “Marshall Plan” initiative? The amount announced by the Italian government differs by 60 million dollars from the figure stated by ministers in the Nano government. One might suspect speculation from the outset, but that is not actually the case. Many Albanian politicians are the victims: after first hearing the news reported by TVSh, they continued, in numerous interviews with the Albanian and foreign press, to tell Albanians that the sum was 200 million dollars—210 billion lire—which converts to approximately 140 million dollars. That is a difference of 60 million dollars. Following the trail of the “extra” money, the politicians say that they gave that figure according to Albanian Television. The latter received the information from ATSH, the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, while ATSH itself cites as its source the BBC correspondent in Rome. Thus, the 60 million dollars over and above the amount declared by the Albanian authorities are simply hidden between the lines of a translation or a hasty interpretation by the media. In fact, the amount is 210 billion lire that the Italian government will allocate to Albania in the period ’97/’98; this is the figure the Government has so far announced through the Foreign Minister, Paskal Dini. This amount will ultimately be presented at the Donors’ Conference, which will be held in Brussels in the autumn of this year. Italian aid will specifically include the development of infrastructure networks and environmental protection, and the establishment of regulations for the development of the private sector. Activities in the health, social and education sectors will also receive assistance. According to Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, the aid “package” may also include new initiatives for Italian companies operating in Albania.

THE FIRST CLASH On page 5

YESTERDAY IN PARLIAMENT On page 2

On page 12

“Gazeta Shqiptare” is looking for correspondents in the towns of Berat, Burrel, Laç, Përmet and Tropojë. Interested persons should contact us at the following telephone numbers: 626-46, 638-85, 638-55.

who was then gazing at Tirana from the veranda of his house.