Charges against the former police chief For the murder of Rustem Charges against the former police chief Agim Shehu under investigation over Vlora’s bloody spring For the murder of Rustem Agim Shehu, former police director Suspected of bearing serious responsibility for commanding the police during the unrest in Vlora TIRANË - “The former Deputy Minister of the Interior, Agim Shehu, is implicated in the events in Vlora, specifically in the murder of Artur Rustemi,” sources from the General Prosecutor’s Office said. The general, who fled Albania, is one of those believed to bear direct responsibility for the events in Vlora in March of last year, when the police special forces were commanded directly by Agim Shehu. But the accusation will not fall solely on the number two of the Albanian police. According to Prosecutor’s Office sources, several others are also expected to be charged in this case. Sources said yesterday that “the investigation has made considerable progress and the events are being brought to light.” In fact, the investigation began in the early days of autumn, when a firm order was issued from Tiranë to the local Prosecutor’s Office to carry out the initial steps and give the case priority. The Prosecutor’s Office has discovered the place from which Rustemi was shot. On page 3

Prosecutor’s Office: Suspicion hangs over former senior officials TIRANË - “Some of the police station chiefs who have since been dismissed and are under investigation by us collaborated with real criminals,” senior investigators at the General Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday. The serious accusation follows a review of 15 complaints filed by the Ministry of the Interior. “In one case, it has been established that the chief of a police station in a major city collaborated with people who had committed murders, jointly carrying out smuggling,” the sources specified. According to them, this is a genuine scandal that shows the extent to which police officers are involved in crime. “We have evidence for what we are saying; indeed, we are still gathering further proof to support the charge,” the prosecutors said. The former chiefs took part directly and actively in smuggling operations. The sources specified that the former police chiefs were involved mainly in cigarette smuggling. On page 3

FOOTBALL On page 11

Yesterday, Greece’s unexpected proposal: The mediator ... Athens mediates on Kosovo Nano, Rugova, Milosheviç at the table TIRANË - A Prishtinë-Beograd-Tiranë meeting. The proposal was unexpectedly put forward yesterday by the alternative Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorgos Papandreu. The senior official also specified the location of this meeting. It seems the Greek capital, Athens, will be the venue for the meeting of the three Balkan leaders. Papandreu announced this yesterday during a speech in the Greek Parliament. The Greek official’s unexpected statement also reached Tiranë yesterday.

INTERVIEW WITH LAWYER BETI TIRANË - The second-instance trial has begun in the case of Sude, the moneylender. After receiving the maximum sentence in the Court of First Instance, the borrower may escape it if the ruling is changed. Following harsh criticism of the procedures followed by the court, lawyer B. Keta left the courtroom in protest. The Court of Appeal will deliver its verdict in a few days. On page 10

TIRANA - Fatos Nano, continuing his push for European integration, concludes his visit to Macedonia and returns with a measure of optimism. “The talks with officials in Skopje also covered all issues of interest to all Albanians.” The Albanian prime minister said this yesterday at a meeting with representatives of the political and cultural life of the Albanians of Macedonia. Setting out the government’s commitment to European integration, the prime minister said that problems must be resolved step by step, since Albanian diplomacy also enjoys the unreserved support of the European community. The outcome of this philosophy, according to the Albanian prime minister, and of this new practice and the reality being created by this policy, is that today, in the talks with Macedonian partners, no issue is considered taboo or untouchable. On page 2

ELBASAN Child hangs himself: He had just watched a film ELBASAN - A thirteen-year-old from Elbasan hanged himself in the yard of his home. The reasons for his death remain a mystery, while his family only say that he was a sensitive boy. The boy Tafani was found by his parents hanging from one of the branches of a tree in their yard. He lived in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Kala. His parents found him just 40 minutes after he had left his room, where he had been watching a film. The reasons that led to the child’s death are still unknown; moreover, his parents are unwilling to comment on the tragedy that has befallen them. Police sources, too, report only the fact of the hanging. Neighbors and people who knew him say the boy was very sensitive to events or subjects that saddened him. It is thought that one of the reasons that led the boy to the tree branch was the film he had been watching on television. An identical incident to yesterday’s occurred years ago in Koplik. A boy watching a film on television with his father is struck by a scene in which an actor is hanged. When he asks his father whether the scene is real, his father replies that it is all staged and the actor does not really die. Excessive curiosity prompts the child to try hanging himself with a rope. The next day, he takes the fatal rope and reenacts what he had seen the previous night on the small screen. When his parents return home at lunchtime, they find him dead. The boy from Koplik was four years younger than the one from Elbasan, but the possibility that Tafani, too, died for the same reason cannot be ruled out. Yesterday’s incident was widely discussed in the city of Elbasan. The sudden death made an impression, in contrast with the many child killings this year. In all those cases, guns and fire were involved, while the boy from Elbasan ended his life with a rope. b.l.st.

VOLLEYBALL / The two sides face off on Sunday Journalists against artists But in a charity match TIRANA - Journalists and artists are getting together once again. Not for football this time, but, for the first time in their history, they will play with their hands. In other words, it will be a volleyball match conceived by the well-known artist Ardit Gjebrea together with the Koka&Duka company. “It won’t be an ordinary match, but a charity challenge.” During training in Tirana, the artists, thanks to Gjebrea’s wonderful form, Mimoza Ibrahimuti’s talent at setting, Agron Llakaj’s humor, and under the direction of Deputy Minister of Sport Kreshnik Tartari, played on court 3.0 in the previous months. Martin Leka’s appallingly poor reception of the first ball, the weak, unimaginative hits by Doshi and Sinemati, and Ela Tase’s failure to adapt sufficiently to the new volleyball court have led the journalists to accept defeat. Naturally, this defeat was also influenced by Leonard Tase’s direction, which was no more than [unclear]. But this was only the first half, since those who have never been accustomed to giving up have decided to hold another training session today. “We are not giving up; we’ll be a different team on the court. Besides, we still haven’t brought out our secret weapon, the [unclear], which we’ll reveal only on the court so that we can [unclear] our opponents and attack Gjebrea,” Kokona declared. Met Bega, Gjebrea and Tartari during yesterday’s training (P. Ilo)

HOROSCOPE SPECIAL On page 7

POLITICS SP: Local elections should be held On page 2

PROSECUTION The return sends Leka to prison On page 12