The history of the leaders, from Hysni Milloshi to Agim Xheka TIRANA - Four new parties aim to overturn the communist electorate. With names that differ from one another only for licensing purposes, but with leaders who have lived through the Party of Labour, they find themselves at a crossroads presented by Albanian politics. But who are the people leading these parties? Hysni Milloshi is the only one with a legalized party in his hands, but at the same time the only one who has been put out of the running by his competitors. He should be most wary of the group of Timoshenko Pekmezi and Kristaq Moska, two men who experienced Berisha’s prison. Another party is getting ready to enter the fray, led by a former member of the debate group, Selman Vaqari. On page 11 Enver Hoxha

The account of the man who arrested Ivan in Tirana TIRANA - Ivan Cello, the Italian robber of the Turin bank, was caught in Albania a year ago together with his girlfriend. Nallbati, head of the crimes unit at Police Station Three, recounts the full story of the robber’s arrival from Italy and his arrest in the capital, at a time when the Albanian police and the Italian Interpol had lost all hope. The billionaire worked for a construction company as a plumber and had managed to dispel all suspicions by presenting himself as a man down on his luck. But how did our criminal investigators manage to uncover the man who killed two of his accomplices to obtain five billion lire? On page 10

Serbian shells hit Albania. Milo: The war has begun Clashes between Junik and Tropoja. Refugees massacred in a minefield. KLA soldiers at Tirana Hospital Serbian shells hit Albania. Milo: The war has begun Around 100 wounded on the northern border. At midnight on Friday, a KLA brigade entered a minefield, a few metres from the dividing line with Tropoja. The Albanian fighters found themselves within minutes under sustained Serbian fire. The fighting continued throughout the night, until the guerrillas withdrew toward Albania in the morning. Angered by their heavy losses, the Serbs continued the bombardment on Albanian soil as well. Their shells landed about 500 metres inside the border. By midday, the number of wounded who had arrived had reached 20. Another tragedy occurred in the area, when around 80 refugees were wounded in a minefield as they attempted to cross the border. Dozens killed yesterday at the border and bombs falling inside Albanian territory appear to have put an end to the options for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Kosovo. Foreign Minister Paskal Milo confirms the same. In an interview given to the Gazette, while news from the war zone continues to arrive, the chief diplomat acknowledges that Kosovo has definitively entered a state of war. According to him, the official position of the Albanian state is to support “their just war.” After yesterday, the most dramatic day for Albanians in recent weeks, Milo appeals to Kosovo’s political forces to put an end to their differences. “Serbian aggression is not confronted in cafés, but through unified political action,” Milo says. On page 2 UÇK soldiers wounded yesterday in Tirana. (Photo: Hektor Pustina)

FATOS ÇOÇOLI In the hot summer of 1995, securities for 2.5 million Albanians came out of the government’s fast-track furnace of interests. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, citizens found themselves holding coloured cards that could immediately be turned into cash at 25–30%, or could be invested profitably by handing them over to entrepreneurial enterprises. A considerable number of individuals entrusted these securities to such enterprises, which promised a great deal and seemed ready to buy all the remaining state property. They claimed that over time they would produce hefty returns, thanks to the freedom to choose whether a factory was good or whether some capable fellow was involved. In reality, people are now getting bitter disappointments through the sale of Greek calendars for paying interest. Thus a deceptive financial system was formed, based on empty promises but concrete investments. People, the true owners of the bonds, are worried about their fate, although at first few believed in them; they would have believed that their exchange value on the market was laughable. In any case, the similarity between the events surrounding interest payments and the collapse of the fraudulent pyramids not much more than a year and a half ago is exasperating. The companies and enterprises that have collected securities must disclose to the public as soon as possible their situation, the financial funds at their disposal, and the projects they have. And most importantly, when they actually intend to pay their creditors. Otherwise, the spectre of a parallel pyramid financial system is drawing ever closer in people’s minds, prompting the relevant state structures to act as well.

INTERVIEW / The Prime Minister fires his arrows TIRANA - “Meidani should exercise his responsibilities in the service of the country, using the institutions of the Presidency for their balancing and unifying role, and not in the service of political clans.” Prime Minister Nano has launched an unexpected attack on Meidani, accusing him—or at the very least implying—that the head of state supports various clans. At the very least, Nano’s view seems connected to Meidani’s publication of customs-clearance figures, which also sparked a fierce political debate about smuggling within the Socialist Party and the governing majority, all at Nano’s and several of his ministers’ expense. Speaking about this issue, the head of government added that investigations had now begun at the Prosecutor’s Office into several files involving not only customs but also the police. On page 2

Berisha gives figures on the pyramid-scheme scandal “Malaj, Fino, Gjinushi and others received millions of dollars...” On page 4

UÇK soldiers wounded yesterday in Tirana. (Photo: Hektor Pustina)

GAZETA of Vlora Turks at Pasha Liman On page 7 GAZETA of Durrës Kabashi denied the award On page 8 GAZETA of Shkodër Hospital begins repairs On page 6