Shkodra, 24 hours in the hands of 30 rebels. Terror in Vlora too. Elbasan depots attacked The Shkodra tragedy began on Sunday afternoon, when 15 masked, armed people attacked the police station. The prison was attacked. Thirty-five people were freed, some of whom joined the armed gang. The Municipality, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Court, the Library, the two Savings Banks and the National Bank were subsequently destroyed and burned. The city was gripped by panic and fear. At noon on Monday, the special forces from Tirana managed to break through the blockade at Bahçallëk Bridge. The rebels left. Fourteen of them were arrested. The prefect declared a state of emergency. SHKODER — The events in Shkodra, hour by hour. The destruction of the northern city after it was attacked by the armed group, until the security forces returned and took control of the city. At lunchtime, only ten police officers were at the Shkodra police station when an armed, masked group attacked the headquarters. The police were disarmed and left the building; the “rebels” took their place. Sunday night was devastating for the northern city: its institutions were completely wrecked and looted. On Sunday evening, special forces led by Sokol Bare arrived at the entrance to Bahçallëk, but they would only make their way through on Monday at noon. In Ceka’s delayed statement, after the panic came the next part: making excuses. Taking advantage of it being Sunday, the terrorist group attacked the police station. To avoid innocent casualties, the police handed over their weapons. The statements were even worse: Ceka, in the order represented by him, lets us understand that “on a day off, crime is justified.” While the armed group—the “fearsome” [unclear]—enters the “house of law and order,” the response is: “It doesn’t count; I was off duty.” We do not know how safe we will continue to feel. Mithat Havari is no longer the director of the Shkodra police. Nano has suspended him and sent Lulzim Shumakaj to Shkodra. The special forces have the city under control, but fires continued to burn late into the day. Prefect Laçej has declared a state of emergency. We do not know how safe the people of Shkodra feel, inside, at night—or rather, in the few hours during which one state institution after another was brought down. We do not have the courage to answer: “Because it was Sunday.” Ceka had only one great advantage in the latest events in Shkodra: the group that began the attack on the police numbered about 30 and remained roughly the same size. The people of Shkodra stood behind the [unclear] and others, trying to preserve their own private order. Meanwhile, the other side, the one representing the State, did not exist on Sunday evening.

RIOTS IN SHKODRA Within a single night, the State ceased to exist in Shkodra. The institutions representing it showed how fragile they are, even when faced with an armed group of only 30 people. But this does not seem to be the saddest thing: the saddest thing is when those in power take responsibility for the innocents on whom this state is built, in a [unclear] that is troubled like a soap bubble by the threat of crime. Shkodra burned within a few hours. And while, after the attack on the police station, the situation was entirely in the hands of the armed group, which directed the looting of state institutions such as the Court, Prosecutor’s Office, Police Station, banks and Municipality, our Interior Minister, Nertian Ceka, appeared on television on Sunday evening, towards the end of the 8 p.m. news, with a statement that clearly expressed confusion. Seeking to conceal a real alarm caused by the highly tense situation in the northern city—according to Ceka, the situation at that hour was under police control—he [unclear] another bombshell: some members of the terrorist group had been armed from Montenegro. So they are attacking the lives of those with whom we are trying so hard to restore the relations that existed before the March unrest. And the aim was clear—which, according to the Interior Minister, “destabilized the situation in Shkodra and Albania, especially at a moment when Kosovo is in the foreground.” And who among the people of Shkodra on Sunday was not surprised? All afternoon they had seen and heard the armed group speaking the same language and the same dialect, hiding in the streets nearby and further away, dressed in civilian clothes. Ceka would have learned this too, had any of his police officers remained in the city. Shkodra has emerged from the unrest, in the Minister’s statement

GJIROKASTER On page 7 GJIROKASTER 300 kilograms of TNT stolen in Lazarat On page 7

KUKES On page 8 KUKES Pipes burst: 30,000 people without water On page 8

ITALIAN EMBASSY On page 9 ITALIAN EMBASSY Here is the list of people who have received a visa On page 9

TIRANA — A day of accidents in Albania. Five dead and seven injured was the toll of the tragic collisions on the roads. The most serious incident occurred in

THE GOVERNMENT TIRANA - Nano accuses Berisha over the events in Shkodër. His calls at rallies for overthrow and seizure of power, which always precede criminal events, his failure to distance himself from the criminals who burned Shkodër, and his ongoing boycott of institutions are the evidence presented by the Albanian prime minister. Prodie Vranicki, too, has stood by Nano. In telephone conversations Nano held with the Italian prime minister, Prodi said he knew very well what had happened in Albania and who was behind it all. Meanwhile, Vranicki stated that Berisha and the PD must make it clear that they will have no opportunity for revenge. Meanwhile, Parliament yesterday approved a package of anti-crime laws defining the duties of special forces units. Police officers may now shoot without warning. On page 2

The Court’s resistance comes to an end TIRANA - The Constitutional Court is suspended. Parliament has decided to put an end to the long-running disputes with Gjata, the head of the Constitutional Court. “The Constitutional Court has been suspended because it did not carry out the rotation required as a constitutional legal obligation,” says the press release from the People’s Assembly. The decision by Parliament’s Presidium was prompted by another decision of the Constitutional Court to hear a civil case today. On page 6 Gjinushi Gjata

TIRANA - injured was the toll of the tragic road collisions. The most serious one occurred on the national road leading to Fier, where three people died and another was seriously injured. The driver of a car, along with the person travelling with him, died after colliding with a truck. A little earlier, they had collided with a woman, who died at the scene. In Koplik, a police officer was run over by a car, while two accidents occurred in Tirana. It was an accident-filled Sunday for drivers and pedestrians, with incidents resulting in one death and six injuries. All the latter were taken to hospital in their respective locations for treatment, and only two are in serious condition. On page 7

By the PS TIRANA - Ruci is “bombarded” in Vlorë by the city’s socialists. For the socialists of the protest capital, having several ministers from their city in the government is not enough; they are also demanding further career opportunities. “The reform should be carried out as in Berisha’s time,” the socialists of Vlorë told the organisational head of the PS. Meanwhile, the local leader, Eduart Alushi, has been forced to resign, and Niko Veizi, a member of the local steering committee, has been elected in his place. On page 5

A COMMITTEE AGAINST ARCHBISHOP ANASTAS TIRANA – Controversy among the circles of Albanian Orthodoxy. An organization called the Committee for the Salvation of Autocephaly issued a harsh statement yesterday against Archbishop Anastas. The Committee, which according to the statement is to be based at the Orthodox church in Elbasan, has called for the Albanian Orthodox Church to be truly autocephalous and not at all dependent, as it claims, on the Greek Church. They have called for the removal of the current Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, Anastas Janullatos, and for their own authority to be established. Meanwhile, the Archbishop’s position is that this Committee is described as a “phantom” and as “an association, among the thousands of associations in Albania that do not represent any part of the Albanian faithful.” Orthodox Church authorities told Gazeta yesterday that they are aware of the activities of this Committee and even know its founders and leaders, but, Church officials said, the Church’s official position will be announced after it has familiarized itself with the Committee’s statements. Other sources from the Archdiocese said that this Committee was established some time ago, disbanded, and then re-established from scratch, while its activities have always been opposed to the Autocephalous Church of Albania and its laws. The personal position of Archbishop Anastas himself is still unknown, at a time when the statement’s criticisms were directed mainly against him. The statement also presents the structures of the Committee for the Salvation of Autocephaly. It seems that another issue is being added to the turbulent landscape of Albanian unrest. Amid the general climate, religion too is now being placed at the center of statements and groups, increasingly resembling the political style. The Metropolis of Tirana

Lazio enters the title race with force On pages 11-12

LIST OF PRIZES WON IN THE 22.02.1998 NATIONAL TELEBINGO DRAW LIST OF PRIZES WON IN THE DRAW OF 22.02.1998 OF NATIONAL TELEBINGO MINI-BINGO PRIZE All tickets bearing No. 2103 win the Mini-Bingo prize worth 4,000 lekë. GRAND PRIZES The grand prize is won by: Ticket No. 2103, Series 280; Ticket No. 2103, Series 273; Ticket No. 2103, Series 206; The three winners listed above will contact one another next Sunday, on 01 March 1998, to divide among themselves: ONE APARTMENT; ONE CAR; ONE TOURIST TRIP. SUPPLEMENTARY PRIZES All tickets in Series 218 win the third supplementary prize, worth 80 lekë (identified by the ticket number). All tickets in Series 284 win the second supplementary prize, worth 180 228 win the first supplementary prize, worth 300 lekë (identified by the ticket number). Winners of the supplementary prizes and Mini-Bingo may collect them at any Tele-Bingo Futboll ticket sales outlet. Winners of the grand prizes must appear on Sunday, 01.03.1998, at 10:00, in the National Tele-Bingo hall at the Palace of Culture, Tirana. To collect their prizes, they are required to bring their identification documents.