Kondi asks the Purity Commission The former president reacts immediately: Don’t concern yourselves with the Minister’s nonsense Following a request from within the DP: Investigate the leadership “Good bargaining” Nano and Simitis in Tirana yesterday On page 3 Photo: (Plator Ilo) Berisha refuses Nano’s invitation to Rome: They don’t want to hear our voice. Decision last night On page 2 Commission Chairman Bezhani: I agree, but I can’t start investigations this way. I want specific names On page 2 Nano and Simitis in Tirana yesterday. On page 3. Photo: (Plator Ilo)

ONLY TWO ARE COMING TIRANA - Only two ministers will attend the much-publicized Conference of Foreign Ministers in Rome: those of Italy and Luxembourg. “The Nano government has proved to be a good student and has passed the exam, but Albania is not our concern.” Thus, 19 of the 21 ministers from Council of Europe countries invited to the Conference had their schedules full and could not come to Rome. Apparently, the invitation was extended as an obligation to give something to Albania, and, as in a game of poker, the ministers said “pass.” Even the woman in charge of American foreign policy has not confirmed her arrival. Dini had earlier committed to bringing Albright to Rome as well, but apparently he was unable to persuade her. All the countries say that their absence is not for political reasons, but why should they care about Albania… [continues beyond the frame] in the way that countries with direct interests in it do. What makes the foreign ministers’ boycott even more incomprehensible is that they had nothing to resolve for Albania in Rome. The Conference is nothing out of the ordinary, and no major decision will be made there. Nano must report on the Government’s work before a hall filled with representatives of representatives of the Council of Europe’s member states. Berisha should not regret that he is not going to Rome, because the audience will not be at the highest level, before whom he has spoken before. The other VIPs in Rome will be Dini and IMF Managing Director Mishel Kamdesy. Perhaps because there was no other more interesting invitation, the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg has agreed to go to Rome too.

Berisha refuses Nano’s invitation to Rome: They don’t want to hear our voice.

Commission Chairman Bezhani: I agree, but I can’t start investigations this way. I want specific names

Dynamite brings down 17 poles LEZHË - An attack on 17 electricity poles. Villages in Lezhë are left in darkness after concrete poles were blown up with dynamite. “They took them to extract the iron from them,” sources at the electricity company said, “but with this act they have effectively said ‘OK’ to the lack of electricity.” The same sources report that it is not easy to find the money for such repairs, and the irresponsible actions of villagers in these areas make the work even more difficult. Seven villages in the area have been left without electricity, and the town’s supply has also been affected. Meanwhile, electrical wires, transformers, and insulators in the distribution network have also been damaged. These problems have also been compounded by the failure of the Tales hydroelectric plant, which cannot be repaired. On page 6

No reserves in the food warehouses KUKËS - The remote mountain villages have not a single gram of grain. The monthly supply needed by residents of these areas to get through the winter has not been sent by the State Reserves Directorate. Meanwhile, the first snow has begun to fall, and there is still no hope that the grain will reach at least the warehouses in Pukë. The local authorities of the North appeal to Tirana: send food, otherwise the highlanders will risk their lives this winter. No reserves in food depots FIER/ Another truckload of cigarettes seized CONTROVERSY The North is gripped… [text cut off at the bottom edge]

“They can’t accuse us; we risked our lives” FIER - “When the fight against the smugglers took place, the customs officers did not lay a hand on their weapons, while we risked our lives, so no one has the right to accuse us.” Vladimir Kotori, leader of Tuesday’s operation, seeks to defend his subordinates against the accusations made by the customs officers. “We were informed that several smuggling trucks were coming, but we did not know how many there were. I went, together with eight police officers, to the place where the cargo was expected to arrive,” Kotori says. According to him, only three customs police officers were there. One of them left a few moments before the smugglers arrived, on the pretext that he was going to notify the others. On page 5

CONTROVERSY Science and the totalitarians Feraj responds to Misha’s criticisms: Here are the explanations for the theses of my dissertation On page 8

AFTER AN ANONYMOUS PHONE CALL TIRANA - Alarm at the Italo-Albanian Bank. Suspicions of a bomb, reported in an anonymous phone call, led to the entire area near the Bank on “Barrikadave” Street being cordoned off and the Bank’s staff being evacuated. Its employees were terrified. After searches in every corner and nook, it turned out that the alarm was false. “We have planted a bomb at the Italo-Albanian Bank”—that was the entire message of an anonymous phone call received yesterday at around 13:15 by the information office of Police Station 1. Immediately, the rapid-response teams, together with the engineering specialists, set off for the Bank, which is located on “Barrikadave” Street. After people had been cleared from the Bank’s premises, along with the many customers, a search began in every corner and alcove. For about 15 minutes, all the floors were thoroughly searched by a large number of rapid-response officers. Fortunately, however, the feared object was not found. When the searches were over, police officers once again told all the Bank’s employees to return to their workplaces. Those 15 minutes were full of tension, not only for the Bank’s employees but also for the residents of the apartment buildings above it, who were reminded of the horror of the car bomb placed at the “Vefa” supermarket on February 26, ’96.

The EU Secretary from Brussels TIRANA - “A more modern Albanian police force? Agreed, but of the current 15,400 police officers, only 9,000 should remain.” This was stated yesterday by the Secretary-General of the European Union for public order, the Portuguese Jose Cutilliero. Albania currently has 15,400 police officers, and since the latest unrest in the country, such a number has seemed entirely normal. But the senior official believes that building a modern and capable police force requires a reduction of 9,000 people, and that this should be done gradually over the coming years. Since the beginning of the Albanian crisis, all police structures and commands have been dismissed. The Council of Europe deployed a multinational force in Tirana comprising 15 European countries. In recent weeks, these forces have provided various equipment and aid materials, such as weapons, to meet the needs of the Albanian state. “In the coming months,” says Cutilliero, “mobile vehicles, computers, and office supplies will be provided for the Tirana police.” Under these circumstances, the Albanian police will have to prepare for a major reduction in the not-too-distant future. This cut may be a condition imposed by international organizations, which are calling for the establishment of a modern Albanian police force with fewer officers.

On page 7

No reserves in food depots FIER/ Another truckload of cigarettes seized CONTROVERSY