DP National Council: A fierce attack on those in power DP: Farewell, Parliament Berisha: A technical government to avert chaos Debate within the opposition: We will return to Parliament if the Socialists give us guarantees TIRANA—The DP says farewell to Parliament and the Assembly. Last night, the National Council of the Democrats in Tirana finally dashed all hopes that the DP parliamentary group might take its seats in Parliament. It was all over when Berisha said in his speech that the only compromise that could make the Democrats’ return to Parliament possible was the opposition’s acceptance of a political solution. Specifically, the formation of a technical government as the first step toward holding early elections as soon as possible. No one openly challenged Berisha, but one of the DP presidium members, Vejsiu, told Gazeta that the Democrats might return to the Assembly if the necessary guarantees were given by the ruling party. On page 7 One of the latest fights in Parliament

Minister Milo Rezeаr Xhaxhiu Albanian diplomacy is seeking new allies. Paskal Milo has decided to go to Brussels and work out a strategy for a new relationship with the Benelux country. A high-level visit will take place in the Belgian capital at a time when the EU is on the verge of expanding toward political and financial Europe. Judging from the preliminary protocol and the meetings arranged for Milo and the others, Brussels too seems interested in bringing Albania closer, face to face with its representatives resident in the Benelux capital. It is said that Brussels may soon assign Tirana a new role, more diplomatic than economic. These and other matters are expected to be on the agenda of Milo’s meetings with his counterpart De Rike and also with the country’s prime minister, De Haine. Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report that a meeting has also been arranged for Milo, perhaps one-on-one, with Javier Solana himself. The head of NATO confirmed his meeting last night through diplomatic channels whose messages reached the Albanian Foreign Ministry. In any case, it is not yet known what concrete proposals Milo will bring to his meeting with the head of the North Atlantic Alliance. But the most evident urgent issue seems to be the Albanian army, for which other strategies for the Balkan region will be necessary. The Foreign Ministry confirms nothing about the meetings, contenting itself with describing the invitation that has just arrived at its offices as a success. In any case, Milo’s visit to Brussels comes just days before Milo travels to the Belgian capital to meet with the EU foreign ministers. the Benelux state. A high-level visit will ... in Brussels and among the ... of Europe, political and financial. The visit, according to the protocol, was ... by ... reserved for ... and others seem to ... Brussels is interested in ... Balkan Albania in its diplomacy. The reasons are ... But in any case, reports arriving from the Belgian capital support the idea that Brussels is carefully turning its eyes toward Tirana, even though relations between the two countries have for years been at almost normal levels. Milo will bring out of ... his diplomatic ... a ... of relations expected to be signed with the senior official levels in Brussels. But even regarding investments or transport and such matters, these relations have another side to them. The first signs of Brussels drawing closer to Tirana are believed to have arrived in recent months at the ministry headed by Mr. Milo. The talks ... Albanian diplomacy and ... the economic aspect, but the substance of another side of this signal has been interpreted differently by Milo’s close associates. Brussels wants to be present in the small Balkan capital as a point of connection between Tirana and the main institutions ... left ... and ... strategic institutions of the Balkan region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms nothing ... but is content to describe the invitation that has just arrived from ... as a success. The positions and Milo’s visits to Brussels suggest that ... days before Milo takes his seat at the table of EU foreign ministers. Perhaps by coincidence, the head of Albanian diplomacy has arranged the timing of his visit to the Belgian capital as well as meetings with his counterpart. Perhaps his visit to Brussels will be a signal Milo receives just a few days before his difficult test before the heads of European diplomacy. Perhaps the Belgian diplomatic channels will also be brought into play in this test; they appear to wield considerable influence in EU buildings, as well as in other, higher circles but, oddly enough, also lower down in the EU offices—that is, among the ... and others, those who compile the general reports for their superiors. The file is now ready at the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, containing the relevant discussions Milo will have with his Belgian counterpart, as well as the points he will put forward in support of the major meeting with Europe’s foreign ministers. It is not known what the Albanian minister’s most successful card will be, if indeed he has one.

Football Totocalcio / Il Picchetto Contest no. 24 of 18 January 1998 1 ATALANTA-UDINESE 21 23 56 2 BOLOGNA-JUVENTUS 31 48 21 3 FIORENTINA-LAZIO 49 31 20 4 INTER-BARI 51 34 15 5 LECCE-SAMPDORIA 17 34 49 6 NAPOLI-BRESCIA 44 37 19 7 PARMA-MILAN 20,30 42 36 22 8 ROMA-PIACENZA 36 46 18 9 VICENZA-EMPOLI 47 32 21 10 F. ANDRIA-VENEZIA 32 45 23 11 FOGGIA-SALERNITANA 25 25 50 12 SIENA-COMO C1/A 36 33 31 13 PALERMO-AVELLINO C1/B 23 38 39 Prepared by TOTO PARI FC Odds expressed as percentages Gëzim Kasmi punches Enver Shehu, the Biancoblù coach On pages 9–10

One of the latest fights in Parliament

The final word from the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Yesterday in Parliament

The first meeting in years

TIRANA - Only strong and strict laws will bring about disarmament. With this idea, the top officials and best experts at the Ministry of the Interior have begun the final phase that will lead to the collection of weapons and their storage in depots. “We want to create a law that gives us the right to search homes,” senior ministry officials said yesterday. The first step, according to them, would be a call to surrender the weapon, while in the event of refusal, a search would be carried out at the suspected residence, regardless of the court. On page 2

Yesterday in Parliament Fino: Here's how I fought smuggling TIRANA - Bashkim Fino brings smuggling before Parliament. “We have given it an outlet,” said the optimistic man who heads the government commission against smuggling. Fino presented deputies with lists and figures, achievements and optimism. But the head of the Socialist group, Pandeli Majko, was not nearly as optimistic. “Smuggling is run by cells,” he said, convinced that the battle is not nearly as easy as the second-in-command of the executive had made it out to be. Deputy Gramoz Ruçi shared the same view, saying it was difficult to claim that the fight against smuggling had been all but won. Although Deputy Lesi strongly challenged Fino, he held his ground to the end. On page 3

The first meeting in years TIRANA - Nano signs a mountain of agreements and bilateral accords in Skopje but achieves nothing for the education of Macedonia's Albanians. The omission of such an agreement from among those signed yesterday in Skopje appears to have been met with skepticism by Macedonia's Albanians, even though they welcomed the visit by Tirana's leader with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, yesterday's visit ... that high-level reception and the meetings with Çervenovski and Gligorov have opened a new path in bilateral relations. On page 7

TIRANA / DURING FIREWORKS CHECKS A pistol instead of books Armed high school student detained TIRANA - They had set out to buy fireworks and came out of school with a gun. This was the result of a police search carried out at one of the capital's high schools. A teenager was arrested, and a pistol was found on him during the search. After being taken to the police station, it was decided that the detainee would not be released. Books at home, weapons at school. It seems high school students have long since left the idea of schoolbooks in a drawer, and now not only do they not bring them, but they have replaced them with something else. Although the year-end holiday atmosphere has long since passed, fireworks continue to be set off in the corridors of many schools. Their use has become a source of concern for those who come to school to learn, as well as for the teachers themselves. Their concerns have also been brought to the attention of law-enforcement authorities, who on Wednesday organized a search at several of the capital's high schools. Thus, according to a plan by the Tirana Police Directorate, a search was also carried out at “Petro Nini Luarasi” School, which had been experiencing this kind of problem for some time. But during the classroom searches, instead of catching a student with fireworks, the police found a pistol. It was somewhat unexpected for the blue uniforms, but it was true. In one of the school's third-year classes, a student had arrived armed—not just with a gun, but also with a spare magazine. EP, 19, from Tirana, was arrested. He was immediately taken to Police Station 2, where a preliminary investigation against him began. The weapon, along with 13 bullets, was also seized, and an examination was initiated to determine whether it had been used in a crime. But after the initial investigative steps in the case, the police closed the file and released him. The possession of weapons has brought the core issue of the new measures to the fore, measures whose concept and ... of the weapon are unclear. Although this is one of many flagrant cases of suspected illegal possession of weapons, it is also distinctive in its details, since the sensational arrest took place on school premises—an environment where the age of the detainee alone suggests the possibility of victims, perhaps even over a completely trivial quarrel.

NGJELA COMMISSION On page 3

DURRËS On page 5

SPECIAL HOROSCOPE On page 11

On page 12