A long meeting of MPs last night: Government reviewed Socialist MPs hold an extensive discussion on the government’s performance to date. Sharp criticism of several ministers. Malaj of Finance, Sherifi of Labour and Vukaj of Tourism have been singled out. The PS group has called for parliamentary oversight of the government. (Left) Prime Minister Fatos Nano (Right) Pandeli Majko, Chairman of the Socialist Parliamentary Group The PS is dissatisfied with its own government. Malaj, Sherifi and Vukaj are the first three Socialist ministers awaiting Nano’s “axe”. They were given the signal yesterday at a meeting of the PS parliamentary group. “Changes must be made. There are ministers who are vegetating, and things can no longer go on like this.” Majko’s strong statement was also backed by the other PS MPs. They even criticized other government officials for keeping their distance and failing to coordinate their work with Parliament. The Socialists therefore believe that, through their parliamentary committees, they should also oversee the government’s work, perhaps even seeking a motion of no confidence against specific ministers. Yesterday’s meeting called for the PS MPs to improve their professional skills. It also called for speeding up preparations for the local by-elections, which are expected to take place very soon. On page 2

TIRANA / Police identify the perpetrators Workers’ wages stolen TIRANA - The Italian from the shoe factory in Kombinat was killed shortly after midnight. Twenty-four-year-old Stefano Rossi was killed by a hail of bullets. Together with his two brothers, he had been running his business in Albania for several years. As he was returning from the Banka Italia Shqiptare, where he had withdrawn 20 million lire for the workers’ wages, two people had ambushed him not far from the enterprise. The gun barrels spat fire when the owner failed to obey the signal to stop. Robbery is the lead being pursued by the investigative authorities for now, although the perpetrators of Rossi’s murder and robbery have been identified. On page 12 The victim’s car moments after the murder (Photo: Plator Ilo)

BURREL Frost causes tragedy: Two dead, eight injured On page 5

Islami denies it; the other side goes on the attack TIRANA - The Brojka-Shehu-Islami debate flares up again. Angry Democrats have threatened the administration of the institution... [text continues beyond the edge of the photo]

Prosecutor’s Office launches new investigations TIRANA - “The pyramid schemes will be reopened.” The Prosecutor’s Office will once again open investigations into two foundations, “Populli” and “Xha-xha ferri”, as well as the company “Fitorja”, and specifically into Sude. “A comprehensive investigation has been carried out so far, and several facts demonstrate this. The investigations will be reopened to find out where the money from these foundations went,” sources at the district prosecutor’s office said yesterday. What is known is that the court proceedings that... [text continues beyond the edge of the photo] “Who did these foundations finance during their heyday? How much money was spent on advertisements in their preferred newspapers, and were these payments made in accordance with all the rules?” Prosecutors say that some new information points specifically to irregularities, which will be investigated in the future. On page 6

TIRANË - The Brojka-Shehu-Islami debate has flared up again. The Democratic leaders have harshly threatened the state minister, one with an eye [?], the other with a motion of no confidence. Meanwhile, Islami has described the conversations recorded on tapes merely as media misinterpretations. Brojka has requested that criminal proceedings be opened for the offense of defamation and violation of privacy. Sources from the Prosecutor’s Office said that wiretapping is punishable under the Albanian Penal Code. On page 3 Kastriot Islami

CHANGE THE ROUTE [?] TIRANË - Long waits in the morning cold, pushing, insults, and fear of some [?]. This is the scene repeated every morning at the bus stops on the Kombinat-Kinostudio route. Workers rushing to arrive on time or students who have already missed too many classes and do not want to miss the first lesson have to exercise a great deal of patience. An observant eye would notice that in the early morning hours the buses on this route are less frequent. “Workers and students have passes. We really do get paid for the torn tickets,” says one of the conductors on this route. A young man, who by now has got the knack of dealing with all kinds of passengers, agrees to tell the truth. “The drivers reach an agreement with the conductors and change the route in the morning. The village routes are full of people at these hours. The villagers pay only a little,” says the conductor. In this way, the calculation at the end of the month works out much better than on the regular route. Of course, part of the profit also goes to the bus drivers. Although he knows he has broken the rules, the young conductor is not afraid of being fired. “The supervisors know about it. And even if they fired me, it wouldn’t be a big deal, this isn’t [?],” he says, laughing. Nevertheless, after telling everything, the conductor does not forget to ask that his name not be mentioned. The conductor says he has a difficult job. “Nowadays nobody pays money willingly. 100 lekë is a lot for the unemployed. Some even threaten you when you ask them for the money,” he says, mentioning many cases in which his colleagues have got into trouble with unruly passengers. In these times, getting into a fight is no joke. He recalls the case of a conductor in Durrës who was killed after such an altercation. After nine o’clock, the bus returns to the route for pass holders. The next morning, the conductor and driver will change the route again. “It’s the end of the month. They’ll get their wages,” he says.

DE NIRO AND HOFFMANN AS LEAD ACTORS On page 4 Two American soldiers in the field.

ECONOMY On page 9

HOROSCOPE SPECIAL

DURRËS — On page 5 DURRËS Peshkagënët attack the Adriatic coast On page 5

Capricorn: Everything about the sign throughout 1998 in every area On page 8

[?] can help contribute toward reaching this amount. Donations may be delivered every day to Gazeta Shqiptare, Rruga e Dibrës 370, tel. 62646, daily from 14:00 to 18:00. An auction featuring the painter’s best-known works will also be organized very soon. The money raised will be used for his treatment as soon as possible. Contributions received yesterday 1- FATMIR MEDIU 2- BASHKIM DRINI 3- FATMIR KUÇI 4- ORITAN KABA AGIM XHAFA (Published) 5- DHURATA NISHANI 6- VILSON KLICA 7- K. KSEJON? DILO 8- GAZETA SHQIPTARE 9- ALBA ... 10- DHIMITER ANAGNOSTI 11- ROZA ANAGNOSTI 12- KRISTA RAMA 13- TR?NA THOMA 14- AGIM NEZIRI 15- ADNAN PESHEKPIA 16- FLORIAN ÇUFA The amount collected is close to 1.5 million lekë Jukniu TIRANË - Danish Jukniu, the renowned painter, the man who with his talent and kindness has shaped generations of painters, continues to suffer. No longer as before in Albania, but in a foreign hospital, in Italy, where he is forced to wait alone, confined to hospital beds for surgery and in miserable conditions. To save the life of such a man, only 10 million lire are needed. We, a group of friends and well-wishers of Danish, all creative people, have appealed to Albanian public opinion, state institutions, foundations and all individuals who have ... Portrait of Jukniu