HISTORY / Why they sought political asylum and how they “escaped” The eldest brother had fled to Yugoslavia around the 1950s, and from then on the ordeals of internment began for the Popa family. They came from what seemed to be a bourgeois background; before liberation, they had apparently traded with Italy. All the children—Akili, Nikolla, Liliana, Zhaneta, Teano—and their mother, Maria, spoke foreign languages fluently, especially Italian, and had also tied their dreams to Italy. After their eldest brother’s escape, they were transferred to the village of Qendër in Sukth, where they would live until that cold day in December 1985, when they decided to enter the Italian embassy. From then on, they would be at the center of attention of two states that for years had maintained a policy of good neighborly relations, but nothing more. On page 11

A day with the police officers who became co-stars For more than a month, the Anti-Drug Unit has been cracking down. “We won’t leave a single Cannabis plant standing!” It—the thing that, among many other evils, has brought Albania notoriety, with people calling us a crossroads for traffickers and many other names—is being razed day by day. So far, around 8,000 narcotic plants have been destroyed, and criminal proceedings for their cultivation have been initiated against 39 people. Nevertheless, so far only two people have been arrested. In this chaos, with the fields full and the cells empty, the anti-drug police complain that they lack the people, equipment and funds to do their job properly. On page 10

Senior Socialist Party official: That is why we changed the law Fatos Klosi: The Egyptians had gone too far After the explosions in Kenya and Tanzania, the embassy in Tirana is under heightened surveillance TIRANA—“Albania has to confront Islamic terrorism, smuggling and corruption; that is why a law like this was needed for SHIK,” declared one of the senior officials of the governing majority. The Islamic bombs against the US and the link between revenge and the arrests of Arabs in Albania have led people to view the law on the secret service somewhat differently. A politician from the ruling party has revealed for the first time some of the priorities of the Albanian secret service set out in the new law. “And this is also what SHIK’s cooperation with citizens on national security is for,” he continued. On the other hand, SHIK chief Klosi, rejecting these interpretations, told “Gazeta”: “They are not the main focus of our work; we have other problems.” Klosi then said that he had no information about any connection between the bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the arrest of the Egyptians, as had been reported. “The Arabs we caught had pushed things too far, but we didn’t do it for fun,” he said. The Albanian Parliament

CARLO BOLLINO When “Gazeta Shqiptare” was founded in 1927, I, who am now 36 years old, had not yet been born; nor was I born 12 years later, when the fascists occupied Albania. I cannot be held responsible for the history of a newspaper from almost a century ago. I do not know whether the newspaper was fascist, but I know that the fascists censored and arrested people, as did the secret services of that time; I am neither a fascist nor a communist, I hate racism and I hate anti-Albanians, against whom—as best I can—I fight every day. I live and feel deeply, like every civilized person, the tragedy unfolding in Kosovo, but unlike those who exploit this tragedy to win a few more votes, I try to ... was not yet born, and I was not born until 12 years later, when the fascists invaded the fascists censored it and ordered its closure, just as some people from the Democratic Party tried to do 56 years later (in 1995!!!) with the new newspaper “Gazeta Shqiptare”. The only difference is that at that time Mussolini had a dictatorship. I am not responsible either for the fact that I was born in Italy. That happened without my choosing, and therefore I do not believe I am guilty of it. As an Italian, I came to work in Albania because I had heard that this country, after 45 years of isolation, was opening up to foreigners. And the Albanian people truly welcomed me from the very first day, with the kind of hospitality that makes them unique in the Balkans. The Albanian people themselves and their finest intellectuals have recognized and accepted that “Gazeta Shqiptare” is an independent newspaper. It does not matter that a minority thinks otherwise. I cannot respond to the many accusations that the Democratic Party press has begun to hurl against me, just as happened in the summer three years ago, when Agim Shehu’s police carried out orders from above to expel me from Albania. I could not defend myself against the organized slander. I would feel ridiculous writing that I am not a Mafioso, that I do not work for

OPINION IRAKLI KOÇOLLARI Governing a state is an art—indeed, the most difficult art among the great missions entrusted to human beings. It is so difficult that, although people have worked on it and its structures for centuries, it is still thought that little has been achieved. Work continues on more appropriate forms and more rational applications, to guide major and rapid developments of modern times successfully and propel them toward progress. The concepts of Aristotle and Pericles, Bonaparte and Kant, Washington and Locke seem both rational and necessary to develop further. People seek to perfect this mechanism that makes their efforts rational and effective, and their projects, presentation and prospects dignified and serious. They want this instrument, in every detail, not only to represent them worthily, but also to protect their national, economic, political and even ethical identity and interests, at home and in the international arena. But how well does our present-day state do this? What are the seriousness, culture, ethics, patriotism or protocol of our statesmen, and what are their demands for building such a serious state? It seems that we still do not know what our state policy is, a policy that should stem from a scientific (not dilettantish) national strategy for

The new director of RTSH describes the changes from the book table to the director’s desk On page 10

INTERVIEW / Sabri Godo: “We gave up the Senate, but won the article on property” “The Constitution, the Commission’s secrets” Godo recounts the compromises made with PD and PS TIRANA – Godo gave up the Senate and won the article on property. This is one of the compromises that prevented the failure of the Constitutional Drafting Commission. “The Socialists knew that we would leave the Commission if they did not accept our proposal. With the departure of the right-wing representatives from the Commission, the Socialists would be left alone. That would make the whole process fail,” Godo recounts in an interview with the newspaper.

GAZETA SPORT Footballers’ contracts threaten the start of the Cup Football is under the strain of registrations and contracts. Although they have received an Albanian team from FSHF, no team has so far managed to submit any list to it. Under the rules in force, Albanian teams had to submit, by August 10, all valid contracts for the players who would compete in the Albanian Cup. However, none has arrived. As a result, no one knows who will represent these teams in this competition. According to Besnik Çela, staff member for the First Division, any player who has not submitted a contract will not be entitled to play, at least in the Cup matches. On pages 14–15

GAZETA of Tirana Bathoria, or the town that lives without laws On page 5 GAZETA of Durrës How the city’s last gardens were ruined On page 7 GAZETA of Shkodër A storm of dismissals by the State Audit Office On page 6