Bullets in Athens hit the former SHIK chief in his home He had headed the Information Service at the start of the protests. On 28 February, he suddenly left for Greece The body left Athens yesterday, bound for his hometown, Korçë. Relatives are alarmed but shrug: “Maybe he killed himself.” On page 5. Mysterious incident on the outskirts of the Greek capital. The victim, Agolli, was a witness to the tragic events that… [text cut] The turn with the Serbs causes a storm

SPECIALIST Pyramid schemes: let’s wind them down slowly TIRANA - “The dismantling of the companies is unavoidable, regardless of who does it and when.” Zef Preçi, Director of the Center for Economic Research, says that these companies were distortions of the economy. “The only way to save the formal economy is formalization, but ordinary businesses have not been seen as partners.” Preçi is in favor of neither rushing nor dragging out the solution to the problem. “If we try to force the companies to close, we will go backwards. If we rush, we will increase the disintegration of what remains.” He argues that the concrete steps to repair the companies’ financial positions, at a time when VAT and inflation have risen, as well as political tension in the country, constituted a bad economic combination. Preçi says that the pyramid-scheme problem is just as complicated now as it was 7–8 months ago, because of a complex mix of legal, economic and social factors. “From a legal point of view, progress has been made, so it is complete-[text cut] …instrumentalization through media shows; social tensions will hardly be prevented, and the physical destruction of what remains would reach unprecedented, unforeseen proportions.” Regarding the resistance VEFA is putting up against the Government, Preçi says it is difficult to understand the companies’ lack of willingness to cooperate with the Government, given that they too are likely in financial difficulty. Preçi says that if the companies have even a small capacity to pay, then they should participate in the staff that will carry out the administration; if they become insolvent, they should be liquidated. According to Preçi, the challenge in achieving transparency will be the valuation of capital. “The way the companies’ capital is valued, at its current or potential value, is very important, because at present there is no market of buyers for the companies’ properties,” Preçi says. “It is very popular to create space for the method… [text cut] …and the public is stirred up by the statements of the parties.” Regarding Fandun Arapi’s assessments that VEFA and SILVA could be saved, Preçi says they are unclear and that preliminary statements should not be made. “I would like to trust VEFA, but I am concerned by unconfirmed statements,” Preçi says. “The creditors’ associations continue to manipulate in various ways. I do not see creditors who have put in over 200 thousand dollars gathering to become shareholders.” “Informal sources of income have increased, such as trafficking by the destin clans, prostitution and fuel. If this state is not accompanied by legitimate sources, there will be major social tensions in a country where unemployment is 50 percent.” Linda Spahia TVSH and inflation have increased, as has political tension in the country, forming a peculiar economic combination. It is noted that the problem of the [unclear] remains just as complicated as it was 7–8 months ago, or is a complex of view, progress has been made; the legal framework has been completed. Now I don’t think there is an obstacle, and that either side is doing this to gain time.” Economically, Preçi says that the firms are mixed, partly a scheme and partly a business. “Their current situation has been made more difficult by prices and the high cost of energy, just to maintain a good level of ownership. The difficulties are compounded by the inability to produce, export and import.” For Preçi, socially, the compromise reached after the elections can be considered a solution to a complicated compromise. “The phenomenon of pyramid schemes remains far more important, on every side. They are reluctant to take administrative steps to inform the public, creditors and non-creditors transparently. If it continues…

The body left Athens yesterday, bound for his hometown, Korçë.

TIRANA The VEFA case: the right-wing parties against Nano: Think carefully before closing it Four parties react sharply: PDK, PLL, PBD and PBSD On page 2

LEZHË Smuggled cigarettes: A Bulgarian ship runs aground in the shallows of Shëngjin Police: Impossible to get close

Yesterday, the Council of Europe’s resolution on Albania STRASBOURG - The Council of Europe is arbitrating Albanian politics. The recommendations it has decided to give Tirana are for the DP to return to Parliament and for the opposition not to rush the approval of the Constitution. Albania will be left without aid from the international community if the opposition and the opposition do not show signs of a visible reconciliation, it was stressed in the report presented by Van der Linden. The report was approved with no votes against and just one abstention. The debate on Albania has included both aggressive tones and positions in favor of the proposal. Reconciliation between the parties is also the problem that the Albanian political class must resolve; this was one of the main imperatives voiced in the Parliamentary Assembly chamber. “The DP is seeking to amend laws that it itself approved just a few months ago. The Mazreku crime is a personal and ordinary act. The DP must not exploit this act to destabilize Albania again,” Dokle declared during the debate. On page 2

The SP softens its tone TIRANA - The SP promises to tone down the political warfare. Majko urges the major opposition party to end its boycott of Parliament. “DP, return to Parliament. We will be tolerant,” Majko declared yesterday at midday. “We will offer a new culture for dealing with the opposition,” Majko assured. On page 3

The disease of the century “shows its claws” TIRANA—AIDS. It, too, can kill people. After the long months of suffering and the din of gunfire, Albanians had become unaccustomed to deaths in other forms. And yet AIDS reminds us that it knows how to kill. Just as effectively as a Kalashnikov bullet. A slow death, without blood but with great suffering, awaits those who fall into its clutches. There are 31 Albanians who, according to official figures, make up the number of people infected with the HIV virus. In fact, the number of infected people should be multiplied by ten. On page 4

TIRANA - At the entrance to the “Skënderbej” Military Academy of the Ground Forces, a green tanker can be seen every day. Everyone, from the armed guard at the main gate to the last of the cadets in the barracks, follows this vehicle with their eyes, and their imagination fills in what its interior might contain. This is the daily adventure of getting a drink at the military academy. Hundreds of students, officers, family members and soldiers have not been able to enjoy running water for some time, and this tanker does not… …make its rounds with its presence at the Academy’s [unclear]. “Water is currently the most precious thing for us,” say two or three students sitting in the shade of the courtyard trees. The Academy’s high walls have led them to compare it to a fortress surrounded by a foreign army, which, among other things, has also left them without water. Still, perhaps this is part of the program, another of them continues. Who wouldn’t envy such “enterprising” military cadres as us? But thirst is not the only thing troubling the Academy’s students. They also complain about the frequent armed duties they are required to perform every day after classes. “As soon as classes are over, they hang an automatic rifle around our necks like [unclear], and we march off for duty. We don’t understand whether we’re students or soldiers in Unit 7007.” Some officers asked about this say that they are both students and soldiers. But in reality, they seem to be neither students nor soldiers, since each aspect is lacking something. “The compulsory service has not been carried out for some time; this has meant that the Academy’s movement from the point of responsibility has declined…,” says an officer. We also learn from the students that mathematics is not among the subjects in their curriculum, nor is physics. “We study only vocational subjects; as for the others, don’t even ask—only foreign languages,” concludes the young cadet. Sokol Shamani

On page 3

Police: Impossible to approach the smugglers; the sea is rough On page 6