Sharp accusations from the Ministry of the Interior Senior officials: They are the gangs’ second line of support, warning criminals Scandal among the blue uniforms. How do the cars reach the border? TIRANA - “The gangs that steal ‘Benz’ cars are collaborating with the police.” The serious accusation was made three days ago by senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior, during a work review with the heads of the Tirana police, concerning the most notorious phenomenon of the day. A series of reports that reached the offices of the senior officials has convinced them that “various police officers are the gangs that steal luxury cars’ second line of support.” “They deliberately avoid checks, leave various roads unguarded during night shifts, take money while serving at roadblocks, or warn criminals about police operations.” A senior official spoke in such explosive terms, truly clearing the way for other measures against these gangs. After many discussions, which referred to statistical data, complaints, and information obtained through operational channels, it was decided to launch a major, secret operation against the gangs. On page 7 Hopes fade for the big Nano-Berisha meeting. President Meidani’s wish is not supported by either side. The Prime Minister: “Do you really think that a meeting between Muji and Halili would unblock Albanian politics today?” He will not meet Berisha On page 3

“We will investigate” TIRANA - The General Prosecutor’s Office will request the material gathered by the “Ngjela” commission. “It matters little whether he considers a fact or document to be a cause or an effect; what matters to us is the criminal act, the violation of the law, and the criminal liability of specific individuals,” senior prosecutors said yesterday. While Ngjela has presented the first part of the investigations into the events before Parliament, the prosecuting authority has made it clear that “anything relating to a crime will be taken up by it for investigation.” Even if matters reach the point where the commission’s materials do not accuse specific individuals by name, the prosecuting authority confirms that “the people mentioned in the report will be investigated as a priority.” “Nevertheless, we will wait for the final report of the ‘Ngjela’ commission,” General Prosecutor Arben Rakipi said yesterday. Once that happens, the position of the prosecuting authority will be definitively established. “But we will abide by the law,” Rakipi said. On page 5

BORDER INCIDENT On page 6

Creditors will receive minimal amounts TIRANA - VEFA has only 7 million dollars in Albanian banks. According to the final report by “Deloitte & Touche,” creditors will recover only a very small portion of their money from the 5 companies they have administered. The American firm’s report was discussed by the Transparency Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Fino. The results are negative for all the companies, but CENAJ is in the worst position of all. According to the foreign administrators, the companies artificially inflated their balance-sheet figures by overvaluing their assets. The amount is many times lower than the debt owed to its 80,000 creditors, which, according to Alimucaj’s own figures, is 40 million dollars. On page 12

“The municipalities will declare them” TIRANA - PD proposes that the victims of SHIK be declared martyrs. The municipalities controlled by the Democrats will soon take the decision to declare the victims—officers of SHIK and the police during the spring of last year—martyrs. Yesterday Berisha accused the head of state, Gjinushi, Malaj, Brokaj, etc., of being the true causes of the March tragedy. According to him, PD will soon make public all the footage showing who the real organizers of the unrest were. The Democratic leader took care to distinguish between the members and the chair of the parliamentary commission investigating the events of March. Meanwhile, the Democrats have announced that they will denounce [them] before the International Courts of Justice and that it will be the “Ten tragedy.” The Oranto of March 28, ’97. Once again, PD and Berisha accused those in power of being responsible, in collaboration with Zani Çaushi, for one of the worst maritime tragedies. On page 2

CLANDESTINE MIGRANTS FIER - Migrants turn their attention to Seman. Fier police uncovered a new departure point for Albanian migrants heading to Italy during an operation the previous night. After beginning the crackdown on the migrant-smuggling phenomenon in the new capital, Vlora, two days ago, the police arrested a smuggler at another departure point, this time on the Fier coast, near Seman beach. It was 22:30 when the border patrols sounded the alarm at the police station. An unidentified group of people had been intercepted near Seman beach as they attempted to set off toward the Italian coast. On page 8

On page 6

LUSHNJE On page 8 LUSHNJE Gang war in the street, 3 victims On page 8

FOOTBALL On page 11 FOOTBALL Scandal at FSHF: Corruption allegations against referees On page 11

AMSTERDAM — Albania’s masks win an international photography award. In Amsterdam, Holland, the awards for the best photographs of 1997 were presented, in the “people-news” category. Among many black-and-white photographs from different countries around the world, depicting “people and life, human suffering,” several Albanian episodes from the winter and spring of 1997 were also captured—episodes we would never want to see repeated. The masks feature in several of the black-and-white photographs submitted to the Amsterdam competition for the best photographs of the past year. The people with their faces covered, nameless, who spread terror on Albanian streets and in Albanian homes, caught the attention of a photographer who came to Albania during those tense days and captured the phenomenon of the day here. The jury selected some of these as among the finest photographs submitted to the competition. Alongside a photograph of a masked man, there were also photographs of armed Albanians at demonstrations and protests that characterized the first half of last year. In general, the photographs that won in this competition were images of war and suffering. The photograph that won first prize and was named the best photograph in the “people-news” category was taken in Algeria. It shows an Algerian mother weeping for her children, brutally killed by Islamist rebels. There is suffering, tears, and many deaths. For security reasons, the photographer who took this picture is identified by a pseudonym rather than a name. Like Albania several months earlier, Algeria is now attracting the attention of the whole world because of the great atrocities being inflicted on the civilian population by Islamist rebels, whose horrific crimes are beyond comparison. It seems that suffering and death were the protagonists of the competition for the year’s best photograph. Albania attracted photographers because of the unusual suffering and chaos that prevailed there for month after month. Guns in the hands of the [as printed: “kurve”], masks and the faces of criminals unlike any seen before—these are images we would not want to see even in competitions of this kind, where art captures suffering in all its dimensions.

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