In Pristina, 300,000 people take to the streets. Rubber batons disperse the protest War breaks out in Kosovo, dozens killed Serbian reprisals against UÇK fighters. Terror in Drenica Official Tirana is alarmed: “Lay down your arms and begin dialogue; tomorrow it will be too late” Violence rages in Pristina TIRANA - Kosovo is confronting Belgrade and mourning. Winds of war have begun to blow over Pristina and other areas. In the last 48 hours, around 24 people have been killed in Drenica and other villages. Meanwhile, yesterday people took to the streets in Pristina to face tanks and armored vehicles. The language of diplomacy continues to stammer, as if to give way to the language of war and bloodshed. What will happen tomorrow and the day after to the 2 million Albanians? This is the question that has been turning over for two days in every sphere, in Rome and Moscow as well as in Pristina and Tirana. Kosovo is now on the verge of an explosion. Over the past two days, events have been unfolding with lightning speed. Yesterday, 300,000 Albanians took to the streets of Pristina, protesting with stones and slogans in the face of tank treads and tear gas. Then Podujeva rose up, with its 20,000 protesters. … walks in Belgrade and … in mourning. The winds of war have begun to blow over Prishtina people have been killed in Drenica and other villages. Drenica and Prishtina took to the streets yesterday, … … and chains of armored vehicles. The voice of diplomacy continues to stammer, as if to make way for … its walks and throws … in Rome and Moscow, as well as in Prishtina explosion. Over these past two days, events have … … arrives in Gjirokastër On page 2 … took to the streets with all 300 thousand Albanians who … threw stones and held up slogans, facing tank tracks and tear gas. Then it was Podujeva, with its 20 thousand protesters, that … … for murder and several other offenses committed in complicity; for some time she had unable to apprehend her. On page 9 … plays near a bar after a long pursuit. Treplum… a citizen from Berat, who was not stopped even by police roadblocks, but he denies having any connection with Saturday’s incident. (Photo: REUTERS)

NANO On page 3

BERISHA On page 3

POLITICS On page 2

MEIDANI On page 2

TIRANA - The notorious man from Berat is killed in Greece. Altin Dardha was shot in the city of Ioannina on Saturday evening. Directly accused of 35 murders and several others committed in collaboration, he had long been declared wanted by the police, but they had been unable to arrest him. This had not happened even last Wednesday, when he had led a gang in an attack carried out near the Berat stadium, in which, reportedly, four people were killed. Dardha was shot near a café after a long pursuit. Three bullets caused his death, while the others struck the windows of six cars. His horrified mother urgently identified her son’s body from a photograph and at the city morgue. For the moment, a resident of Berat has been detained; he failed to stop at police checkpoints, but denies having any connection with Saturday’s incident. On page 9

TIRANE - “Vefa Holding” will be investigated for money laundering. “We are waiting for the final report before opening a specific case,” said yesterday the heads of the General Prosecutor’s Office. For now, they have only the first report from the foreign administrators of “Deloitte & Touche”, which has also provided grounds for an investigative effort in the near future. “One part of the report refers to sums of income whose source is unknown. These are not small sums, so we want to know where this money originated. The preliminary task of solving this mystery has been taken on by the firm “Deloitte & Touche”, in the second phase of its work. Once the report arrives, we will begin concrete investigations,” the heads of the central prosecution body stressed yesterday. On page 6

DURRES - A wave of dismissals at the Durrës police station. The past has dealt a blow to the careers of five officers, accusing them of taking part in vote-rigging in the May ’96 elections. Thus, five Durrës police officers who took part in the May 1996 elections have been fired. Sources at the police directorate in this city confirmed this. Over the past two days, at least five officers have been notified of their release from duty on the grounds that they were implicated in the elections for the Albanian Parliament held in May ’96. At the same time, these same sources say that several others are expected to be released for the same reason. On page 7

TIRANE - Land will also be sold to foreigners so that we can secure investment in the countryside. ” The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lufter Xhuveli, at his first press conference for journalists, presented the package of draft laws that passed in the Government last Friday. Of the four draft laws and decisions approved, the one likely to generate the most debate is the law on the sale and purchase of land. In response to concerns that under the new law Albania would be taken over by foreigners, Xhuveli objected as follows. On page 12

BERAT - Police put the home of deputy Maks Hasani under scrutiny. BERAT - The home of deputy Maks Hasani under police scrutiny. A wave of searches and police troop movements in the city of Berat, over the course of a day. The highly wanted Altin Dardha, perpetrator of the massacre a few days ago at a local venue, has triggered a police storm in the Çelepie neighborhood. Police forces did not hesitate to search thoroughly the home of independent deputy Maks Hasani as well; the search was planned and carried out in accordance with all the rules. Although police put an entire neighborhood of thousands of residents under scrutiny, nothing suspicious was found, apart from some weapons lying on the ground, left by unknown people. “Altin Dardha is not hiding here,” the police forces concluded, as they embarked on operations in several other areas of the city. On page 9

TIRANA — The first edition of the Eurofestival of Film will arrive in Albania. If everything goes according to plan, it will take place on April 3–8 in the Dea Hall of the Palace of Culture. This festival is being organized after the one in Saint-Etien, with broad participation by Albanian filmmakers as well. It is expected to bring some of the finest works of contemporary European cinema. Its creator and driving force is Jaromir Knittel, who is in Tirana to conclude talks with the Ministry of Culture. On page 4