A witness recounts: We gave him money to go to America Zog granted him Albanian citizenship TIRANA - King Zog helped the great Einstein travel to the USA after granting him Albanian citizenship, a passport and a considerable sum of money. The operation involving the latter is the only account provided to “Gazeta Shqiptare” by Orhan Bega, son of Hajati Bega, then an employee of the National Bank—the man who came face to face with the genius of physics, the father of the Theory of Relativity, during the days of his flight from Germany to America. Hajati Bega, or one of Tirana’s most elegant men, as Robert Shvarc would describe him, worked as chief cashier at the Albanian National Bank and passed the story of this rare encounter on to his children, right up until the day he died. On page 16

ELECTIONS / DBSH: In the event of a runoff, we will remain neutral Socialist spies in the PD Mysterious office monitors the opposition’s strategy Berisha: Today we are ready to boycott the vote TIRANA - The PS is “spying on” the PD’s electoral strategies. A secret office has been set up at the Socialists’ headquarters to gather information from the field about the strategies or campaign options of the other opposition parties, as well as their plans for election day. Called the Third Department and directly headed by Pandeli Majko, the party’s secretary-general, this office has so far obtained detailed information about which candidates—and, more importantly, the strategies the PD might use on election day. “We have received detailed and excellent information from within the opposition as well about their options for election day, and we are prepared for every eventuality,” a PS official said, thereby also revealing the secret the Socialists had kept throughout this entire election campaign. According to PS members, the sole purpose of this office was to gather information about the opposition’s plans and strategies. The electoral [office] served the party, also drawing on American experience during elections and election campaigns. From the other camp, Berisha yesterday accused the Socialists in connection with the elections, calling for a partial or even complete boycott of the local elections. The Democratic leader said that the PD did not rule out a partial boycott of the elections among its options, depending on the conditions and circumstances that might arise on election day. On pages 2–3 ...electoral strategies ...

SHPETIM NAZARKO So what does he want? For Berisha to return. These words, spoken to me three weeks ago by a “gjinovnik” who moves around the Prime Minister’s cabinet, in fact became the general slogan of the local elections. The nature [of the situation] was also reflected in the debate about Berisha, which fell into a small tactical trap. This will be clarified below. Where should we look for examples? More than a century ago, the genius Balzak said that no war for power gender is being ... [?] its struggle for power to take on completely the form we find in Vlora these days. After the settling of scores with rival candidates, the Sultan would announce that under his rule the townspeople were ... [?] the Sultan, because of the candidate’s dangerousness, etc. The government in Tirana, whose power extends no farther than Zogu i Zi, has entangled all three blocs fighting for supremacy in the local elections. “We could not enter Lazarat. A 12.7 mm [heavy anti-aircraft machine gun] had been set up there, which ... made any kind of attempt impossible. Besides, one of our leaders, Mr Ruçi, no longer preferred incursions into the former First Operational Zone of Vlora-Gjirokastër.” This is how one of the participants in the Alliance for the State’s adventure in the south of the country commented on the incident two days ago. There may be two or three such islands where municipalities or villages have declared independence from the central government. This situation leads ... [?] Continued on page 3

HISTORY How Enver Hoxha eliminated 20 Greek communists They lived in the Block, but after Moscow’s betrayal they were locked up in prison On page 12

FRANCE ’98 SPECIAL HOLLAND FIRST GOAL-FEST Holland after the third goal (Photo: ANSA) On pages 13–15 Holland after the third goal (Photo: ANSA)

Dogs dug bones from operations out of the pits TIRANA — Horror at the Military Hospital. Patients’ severed limbs are buried here in the courtyard and later dug up by stray dogs. The nurses who distribute food continuously push the wheeled tables over the corridor tiles. There is also a schedule for changing wounds. But the courtyard of the patients’ suffering has long been disturbed by what can be heard at night from the field behind the hospital. Residents of the houses on the other side of the fence had long been sleeping uneasily. On page 5

On page 11

DURRËS — The Prefecture of Durrës seems to have set its priorities and is now dealing with the four main problems: supplying the population with drinking water, dealing with sewage or areas without electricity, repairing roads, and increasing the number of telephone lines in the city. On page 8

VLORË — Emigrants from last year are left with empty pockets. The money for 150 Albanians who returned from Italy during March–April ’97 has still not arrived in Albania. Everything will become clear only after June 30, when the Albanian lists are compared with those that will arrive from Italy. On page 7

SHKODËR — The district court ordered the detention of two people who had been arrested. Nikolin Shkambi is accused of kidnapping, theft, and illegal possession of a weapon. All these charges are marked with the clause “in collaboration.” On page 6

ago, the journalist Balzac wrote that when central power is weak, it tries to regulate things according to the principles of taxes, marriages, clans, etc. Anyone who does not fit this rule is mercilessly cast out of the game. This golden rule, typical of the age of French feudalism and of the period of Hoxha’s rule in the ’70s and ’80s, has taken forms that seem to be changing, at least in Albania. The examples should be sought in the Ottoman Empire. The weakening of central power in the Turkish Empire made it possible for the provinces to ... [?]