Tropojë: Prosecutor’s Office pursuing the revenge theory Tuesday’s killing is suspected to have been retaliation for the bloodshed the previous day High tension in Fier. Çakran protests against the police TIRANA - “The two serious incidents that occurred in Tropojë may be connected to one another, and this is one of the theories being considered, but nothing has been proven,” the heads of the General Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday. The motives remain a mystery, while information about the situation has been scarce. “The investigation must not open up new conflicts, but balances must be maintained,” Agim Tirana, Director General of Investigations, told the press yesterday. According to him, “the families to which the victims belonged are powerful and have a reputation in the area, so nothing should be allowed to lead to consequences.” Two teams of specialists from the Ministry of the Interior and a prosecutor from the General Prosecutor’s Office have arrived in Tropojë. However, no one has been detained. The Democratic Party has described the incident as a political crime, while Interior Minister Ceka says that “there is evidence proving the opposite.” In any case, the first two people killed are said to have been supporters of the left, while the second two were members of the DP. Could it be political revenge...? On pages 3, 8

AFTER THE TRAGEDIES Teodor Keko Tragic events, unusual for us, have swept across Albania, from North to South, at the start of this year. Four policemen killed and others wounded in just the first six days of 1998, incidents of police wrongdoing, have made this more than just a passing moment in the period we are going through. People, bewildered, say that never before in Albania has the police been made a “shooting target.” What is happening? Politicians blame one another for every tragedy. At times, you get the impression that our politicians are like those dolls that someone winds up and makes sing the same tune—the tragedy of the policemen! Before the police have even been investigated, the deceased is said to be affiliated with a party, or to have become a gang member! In all this confusion and chaos, nobody remembers to speak up or offer solutions for the criminal… The lack of public investment is the real problem, or so it seems. Nobody wants to throw their money into the river. The level of investment is so low that, figuratively speaking, one could say that nothing has been planted in this land, while in truth even children know the saying and its proof: “What you sow today, you will reap tomorrow.” What will we have, then? One another—or will we run away in search of a piece of bread? If this question concerned our politicians, they would speak differently and unite to restore the dignity of the state in Albania. But they seem to be more criminal than the killers of the policemen, because they make “ham” whenever a couple of them go “bang.” Poor politicians! They think there’s some great prize to be had by taking power in this Albania, when in the end it is worth nothing—not even to the devil! Nevertheless, our politicians’ days are numbered too, because a people cannot go on like a dog in a vineyard, driven by a few idiotic whims! to sing the same tune — the killing of police officers? Before the police have even recovered, the deceased man is equipped with party credentials, or has become a band-member! In all this confusion and chaos, no one remembers to speak about or offer solutions for smuggling and the roads (those wretched roads!), for the children of Durrës, who dream of the water monster, or for the property problem that is holding the country hostage in misery. It is deplorable, but our politicians, across the entire political spectrum, are not only taking no serious measures to stop the slaughter of the police, they are also showing themselves to be short-sighted, failing to understand that, with things proceeding as they have, the entire Albanian people are being massacred! Albania is being massacred! The product of this situa-

Once again in the North Attack on the police: bombs explode at the police station Noise and panic in Kukës too, a day after the high-profile killings. Fortunately, only material damage KUKËS - The Kukës police station is attacked. A burst of Kalashnikov fire and the explosion of three grenades damaged its façade and wrecked a car, while also frightening the blue-uniformed officers, who have taken cover for the time being. When they got ready to fight back, the attackers sped away, taking advantage of the darkness covering the entire neighborhood where the police station building stood. On page 5

TIRANA On page 5

NOBEL PRIZE

GJIROKASTËR Lazarat investigators threatened On page 4

TIRANA Ngjela recounts the latest investigations On page 4

Parliament, too, is on alert TIRANA — The Albanian Parliament is on alert. What are we going to do in this situation? Yesterday, the chairman of the PS parliamentary group convened the heads of the parliamentary committees for an urgent meeting. An emergency effort to draw up a legal framework that will protect the blue uniforms, as well as decisive intervention by Parliament to calm the situation. These were the two main courses of action discussed at the lengthy meeting, where facts and counterfacts were heard before a joint position was reached. Pandeli Majko

ELBASAN — Dario Fo will soon be in Albania. The director of Elbasan’s “Skampa” Theatre said yesterday that, following a telephone conversation with the great Italian playwright, he had received his promise of a possible visit to the city of Elbasan. Astrit Çerma said yesterday that the invitation had been an idea of his for some time, following the successful staging of four of Dario Fo’s comedies at the “Skampa” Theatre. The exact date of the visit has not been set, but for Çerma what matters is that he has promised to visit. “Perhaps it can happen in the first months of spring,” he said, adding that preparations to welcome him had already begun. This year, Dario Fo was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His plays were first staged in Albania in the drama classes at the Academy of Arts. bl.st.

11 kg of heroin found in his home ATHENS — Viktor Zhusti, one of the outstanding actors of Albanian cinema and theatre, has been detained by Greek police on suspicion of drug trafficking. He and other Albanian actors are being questioned by investigators. Greek media reported yesterday that, during the first questioning session, Zhusti described his role in the trafficking. According to him, a luxury car had crossed the Kapshticë customs post without difficulty the previous day. Inside it were 11 kilograms of packaged heroin. The goods were taken to a house in the Ilisosozë district of Athens. Police found them in the shed of a house in the Qi-pesli district. Police sources say the Albanian actor is an intermediary in the heroin trade. “If the sale had been successful, I would have received 200,000 dollars as a reward,” Zhusti stated to investigators. Yesterday’s incident prompted Greek police to raise the possibility of drug trafficking from Turkey toward Greece, via Albania. The director of public security in Athens told the press yesterday that drug bosses had chosen a route running from Turkey through Bulgaria, Shkup and Albania. From there, the white stuff is secretly transported toward Italy or Greece. Along with Zhusti, four other Albanian citizens have been detained, one of them a woman. However, police sources emphasize that the actor had only an intermediary’s role in the operation. His statement that the goods had crossed the Kapshticë customs post without difficulty in a luxury car also leveled accusations at the Albanian customs and border authorities. Zhusti left for Greece back in 1990. A year ago he returned to Tirana, and rumors circulating in artistic circles pointed to the possibility of his appointment as dean of the Faculty of Drama. For several months he also stayed in the area around the theatre, but later chose the road to Greece once again. Zhusti has been described as one of the most popular actors in Albanian cinema in the 1980s. Greek police sources stress that the quantity of heroin was found in his ... in Athens.

REPORT Child prostitution beneath the Lana Bridge Shocking testimony from the center of the capital On page 8