Prime Minister: It is a pyramid scheme. Alimuçaj: He doesn’t know us well From Hong Kong, the head of government launches the attack: “VEFA continues to deceive poor Albanians” Government officials ready for checks. Detailed verifications from investments to tax payments TIRANA - “We want to close VEFA first.” Prime Minister Nano says that VEFA is still continuing to deceive Albanians. The joint agreements reached with the IMF also include the liquidation of pyramid schemes. Nano says the Government will overcome all the difficulties that may be raised by the courts or by the prosecutor’s office and other corrupt bodies. The Executive Director of the IMF, Michel Camdessus, said: “Albania must finally close the chapter of rentier companies, which were one of the centers of danger. The government will be assured close cooperation with the IMF and the World Bank.” On the other hand, a team of ministers and experts is dealing with drawing a lesson. VEFA will be inspected by the tax office and by the Mortgage office. According to experts, VEFA, in order to approve the capital, has declared a much higher value than what it actually paid. The Government will also verify VEFA’s debt; part of the signed invoices and Alimuçaj’s declarations for many of the state intermediaries are contradictory and incompatible [?].

Creditors at a crossroads: What will happen to the money TIRANA - VEFA will be closed. VEFA will not be closed. It is a game of who knows who, one that is not at all to the liking of its tens of thousands of creditors. These are the people who have sold their houses and do not know whom to trust. Alimuçaj’s declarations, in which he says his wealth amounts to billions of dollars, or the official figures stating that VEFA is insolvent. Whoever wins the second round of the battle, the same thing still remains. Will they get the money or not? Alimuçaj says he will start returning the money from October 1 for those who have not received the interest rate. The Government, according to the transparency law, says it will reimburse creditors in proportion to the capital the company has. No matter how things turn out, one thing is certain. Until the moment the division of the money is dissolved or the money is destroyed, time will be needed. If the fund remains, it will need time to resolve the matter in court. The experts will need time to reassess the capital and find the sources of the money. If VEFA wins and has the ability to pay, it will need time to move from one cross to another. Meanwhile, creditors will be with one side and then with the other. It depends on who appears more hopeful; those who have been bribed are inclined to believe them. It also depends on who will have the greater persuasive power. For them it does not matter much who will give them the money. They only want to get it and know when they will get it. They say that when the world changes, another world comes. Creditors hope that the third parties will be the spoiled ones. Linda Spahia

GENOCIDE IN CASH DESK From the genocide trials TIRANA - The charges against former high-ranking officials of the Political Bureau, Pali Miska, Hysen Shahu, Foto Çami, Prokop Murra, Muho Asllani, are being dropped; they have been considered innocent by the Prosecution. It is expected that the previously sentenced to death by the court of fact, Aranit Çela, Zylyfari Ramizi and Rrapi Mino, will soon be headed toward freedom. On page 3

Berisha, Pollo, Cela and Starova during the latest rallies On page 4

STRASBOURG / CoE against boycotting the Assembly “Accept the posts that have been offered to you” STRASBOURG / CoE against boycotting the Assembly “PD, return to Parliament” “Accept the posts that have been offered to you” STRASBOURG - A thunderbolt for the largest opposition party, “PD, return to Parliament.” The “order” came from one of the institutions where the Albanian democrats had the strongest support. At the meeting yesterday with the Albanian parliamentary delegation in the Political Committee of the Council of Europe, the representatives of the Democratic Party were asked to return to the Parliament they are boycotting, just one day before. Delegation members Pollo and Minarolli should have realized, when they received the message, “that they must take full part in the parliamentary structures. To begin work in the Albanian Parliament, the leading positions in the parliamentary committees, meanwhile the deputy speaker of Parliament, the PD representative, Jozefina Topalli, has not taken part in any session. For Strasbourg, it was decided to ask the PD to end the boycott. European parliamentarians have condemned the outrage that occurred in Parliament. The Political Committee of the CoE also approved, with only two abstentions, the report drawn up on the situation in Albania and the latest parliamentary elections, which will be debated today in the Parliamentary Assembly. In meetings with the CoE staff, the Albanian delegation also represented participation with this institution. The organization of the legal system, drafting of the constitution, these are some of the expected forms of assistance from the CoE.

“We are for dialogue” TIRANA - Milo shakes hands with Milutinoviç. The Foreign Minister met his Serbian counterpart yesterday at UN headquarters. Normalizing relations between the two countries was the subject of the talks. Both sides agreed to prepare soon the agenda of talks for the signing of several agreements of mutual interest. The elimination of double taxation was, among the most interesting points, an issue on which the two Foreign Ministers were in agreement. Milo expressed concern about the grave situation in which the Albanians of Kosovo find themselves and asked Milutinoviç to respect their legitimate rights. Milo called for the implementation of the education agreement signed by Milo Sheviç and Rugova. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue further talks, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said.

MIRDITË - He had stayed in school with a mediocre grade because he wanted to study in Tiranë, but he had not achieved high results. The unusual incident happened in the village of Dllinisht in Lac and has a 15-year-old as its protagonist. He showed up early in the morning at the school where he had studied for eight years, but this time in a completely different way; he was carrying a rifle. He stood at the entrance and loudly warned the students: “Nobody come near, there will be no classes until the principal fulfills one of my wishes.” No one dared approach the young aggressor, because when a teacher tried to intervene, he fired once into the air. The boy did not have any particularly dangerous weapon in eighth grade, but people familiar with the matter say he very much wanted to receive a scholarship to study in Tiranë. “It doesn’t matter what I will study, the boy had told the school principal, Dashi - but I need a certificate with high grades so that I can get a scholarship to Tiranë.” Of course, Dashi did not accept the 15-year-old’s proposal, after which it turned into a real search. While the students were sitting outside the school yard, the teachers from afar tried to persuade their former pupil, telling him they would help him realize his wish. Nevertheless, the boy insisted that no one would enter the school that day. The Lac police had to intervene to take the weapon from the 15-year-old, who after several hours at the police station was escorted home. The principal advised him to repeat the eighth grade for another year, promising that with his help the “rebel” student would achieve high results and could go study in Tiranë quite easily. Ab.

KUKËS Fear at the border: The Serbs came On page 5 VLORË Speedboat smugglers against the Italians On page 5 FIER War between the police and the gang On page 6

THE STRANGE BLACKMAIL OF A 15-YEAR-OLD Lottery date: 30 September ’97 live on TV First prize 1 million lek

MAGIC BINGO JOB OFFER The company “MAGIC BINGO ALBANIA” is looking to hire several boys and girls aged 18 to 25 in its hall at the Great Palace of Culture, Tiranë. Those interested may appear every day from 10:00 to 11:00 in the offices of “MBA” on the first floor of the Great Palace of Culture and must bring a passport, a document form, as well as a photocopy of the completed certificate. Those preferred will be those who are familiar with subjects living in the city’s main urban areas.

BALKAN BULGARIAN AIRLINES Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Offers you special prices for travel on 29 September For America and other destinations. In just 9 hours you are on another continent for only 399 USD one-way and 490 USD round trip Hurry and book your seats in our offices at: Bl. Dede Gjon Luli, near the municipal stadium 34432 and 39807