A marathon trial in Tirana over the Milot incident. Kazazi remains in jail Ramiz Alia’s lawyer defends the accused members of the DP. Kleanthi Koçi is among the five defense lawyers TIRANA - Hours of anxiety and tension at the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Court of Cassation, the District Court and the Police Directorate. The whole issue revolved around transferring the Milot case from Kurbin to Tirana. The Court of Cassation’s ruling was needed for this; it issued its decision just minutes before the deadline, which would have kept the 14 people arrested two days earlier in the detention cells. “We have only followed the legal procedures,” Shehu said very formally, although there may have been other services involved in transferring the case. But before the case reached this point, one of the accused had been taken to the police station, while the others had left their homes. The request by the General Prosecutor’s Office was presented to the Court of Cassation. Shehu appointed a female judge to hold the hearing and issue a ruling, but she refused. “Let it be decided by drawing lots,” he said, delegating the matter to another judge, that is, to another court. Yesterday morning, the General Prosecutor’s Office had made a clear request for a decision on the transfer. This would also have put at risk the review of the security measure, which had to take place at 3 p.m. At around 11 a.m., the Court of Cassation notified them that no decision had yet been made; there were phone calls, and so the Court of Cassation reached a decision. But this decision was made only a few hours later, so that the trial could go ahead.

SHKODËR - TNT in the northern city. The explosion also shook the Socialist Party building, but caused no damage. It is thought that the explosive device was placed in a private house near the building to settle scores, and that it had no connection to the Socialists. The PS spokesperson in Tirana has denied the report published by ATSH and asked it to issue a correction. On page 9

They caught the first three TIRANA - Peqin police have arrested three people belonging to a network linked to a sophisticated prostitution ring. During a routine check of a car with Kuçovë license plates, officers discovered that two members of the organization were travelling in it with an underage girl from Kuçovë whom they were attempting to take to Greece. From statements made immediately after the arrests, it was concluded that a powerful network is now operating in Albania, organizing the illegal trafficking of underage girls to other countries. Possibly also to Macedonia. The network was perfectly organized and operated through several links extending across the entire territory, including Tirana. On page 5

BERAT On page 9

TROPOJË On page 6

SHKODËR On page 9

TIRANA - Enough with the DP now. Socialist MPs were harsh yesterday at the leadership meeting of their parliamentary group. What should we do now about the Democratic MPs? That was the central question raised at yesterday’s meeting. But rather than focusing on concrete measures, the Socialists concentrated on the law and how it is enforced. “Above all, the law must be upheld.” The PS MPs agreed on this demand and called for the state to punish severely everyone who breaks the law and undermines the democratic state. Yesterday’s meeting also discussed the Hajdari case, although no specific action was requested. On page 2

GJIROKASTER / Special forces are in control GJIROKASTER - Yesterday Gjirokastra once again found itself gripped by anxiety over the possibility of an attack in the city. The city was engulfed in fear and, according to accounts from the city, the movement of people and vehicles throughout the day yesterday was very limited. Hundreds of men and women in the South wandered the streets until the early afternoon, after which everyone hurried to shut themselves inside their homes, terrorized by the ever-present fear of bombs and weapons being used. All the resistance was at the scene. On page 7 The PS headquarters destroyed

TIRANA - “Vefa Holding” has reported “Deloitte & Touche”. The administrators’ names, already known to creditors who have expressed concern, Robert Carmonde and Hugo Green, appear as defendants in a case involving the alleged forgery and use of a seal. The company’s complaint concerns a hearing at which the administrators allegedly took illegal actions involving Vefa; according to the company’s lawyers, this was unlawful and constituted forgery. The Prosecutor’s Office has decided to carry out the relevant checks, although economic-crime experts suggest that the state has already confirmed the decision concerning the “administration of other companies”. In view of the complaint, it is quite likely that a decision not to initiate proceedings will be issued; the company’s lawsuit is expected to be pursued shortly. On page 12

YESTERDAY IN THESSALONIKI Ramiz Alia escapes death The former president’s heart operated on without a scalpel TIRANA - Former president Ramiz Alia is out of danger. A coronary procedure has brought the 72-year-old heart of Albania’s last communist president back to a normal rhythm. The operation was performed by a leading specialist, the Greek professor Spiros, at his hospital. The alternatives were either no intervention at all, or a bypass, which would have been risky given the patient’s age, or balloon angioplasty to widen the blood vessels. Professor Spiros chose the third option, which does not involve surgery with a knife. The procedure on Alia’s blood vessels took about three hours, but everything was successfully completed. In fact, this operation can also be performed in Albania, but the equipment was not working. The health of the former Albanian president, who for a week had been treated as an ordinary patient at the hospital in Tirana, improved thanks to the Greek professor, who came specially from Thessaloniki, examined him and then undertook to perform the operation himself. Alia will remain in the Greek hospital for as long as necessary, medical sources say. In Thessaloniki, the former Albanian president has received care that was not afforded to him in his own country. Meanwhile, the Albanian authorities have remained completely silent, and there has been no statement—one that, in this case, would have been humanitarian rather than political. The only state official who has shown concern for Alia is the Greek Minister of Health. He sent a telegram of good wishes to the man who once led Albania. The greeting was exchanged with relief. Many Albanian refugees in Greece have also asked after the former president. Security measures at the hospital where the operation was performed were much stricter. p. 8