INTERVIEW / For the first time, would-be assassin Çeta speaks from prison “How I failed to kill Berisha” “Berisha was lucky. I pulled the grenade pin, but the safety remained in place. The tests I had carried out along the way had loosened the ring, and it remained in my hand without activating the grenade.” TIRANA - “Berisha was lucky.” The former President’s would-be assassin explains why the grenade he threw on the staircase did not explode. Sentenced to nine years in prison, Ilir Çeta sits remorseful in one of the cells at Prison 313. “Berisha has forgiven me, but, according to him, it is the Socialists who are keeping me in prison. They are afraid to release me because they would be accused of having incited me. I am a victim of politics,” says Çeta. On page 4 Ilir Çeta in his cell (Photo: Hektor Pustina)

Controversy within the PS over relations between the party and the Nano government Limoz Dizdari I read carefully the article by Dritero Agolli published in your newspaper a few days ago. I have followed all the written and spoken commentary about it. Before returning to Parliament, a passionate debate took place between the two of us, with both sides arguing, and once again I came to my earlier conclusion that we are both builders on the same river, which quite often temporarily branches into separate streams. I am pleased to acknowledge that many of the concerns Dritëroi raises in his article are true, but they were not unknown to me or many others. They have also been voiced by many other MPs; they simply have not made them the subject of press coverage—not because they do not know how to express them, but because they hope that debate within the parliamentary group or the Party’s structures will help correct the government’s mistakes and shortcomings, or those of other state institutions. Resolving society’s difficulties and major problems cannot be achieved through newspaper articles or press conferences Continued on page 3 Limoz Dizdari and Dritëro Agolli

They include judges, foreigners, politicians... The government will seize the property of illegal beneficiaries The mysteries in Arapi’s documents. Important names are being kept hidden VIP NAMES IN THE GUILT PAPERS Skifter TIRANA - Today the pyramid schemes are revealing their secrets. Everyone who dipped into the money bags of the five firms now under the administration of “Deloitte & Touche” will lose that money. The chief supervisor of the transparency process, Farudin Arapi, says that today the government will make a decision to transfer [the firms] to the administration of “Deloitte & Touche”.

Conflicting views within the opposition Pollo: They are more sincere than the PS Arbnori: You have them in Parliament Conflicting views within the opposition Communists’ return splits the PD in two Pollo: They are more sincere than the PS Arbnori: You have them in Parliament TIRANA - The Communists are splitting the PD. For or against the hammer and sickle. This appears to be the major dilemma that has begun to take over the Democrats’ blue headquarters. “The Communist Party exists,” said yesterday Genc Pollo, one of the highest-ranking Democratic officials. It seems that a Communist Party more, an unworthy copy of the first one, which is considered perfect, is no longer a problem for the Democrats. But the greatest mystery...

SHKODRA GAZETTE Three children mangled by shells Three children were mangled by shells at midday on Thursday in the village of Mjedë, only 16 kilometres from Shkodra. They had been playing in the yard of a house, but accidentally came upon the stash of anti-tank shells that the father of one of them had kept in the yard for some time. On page 6

Skifter! Albania’s pyramid schemes will open some of their hidden doors to bring out the “mummies” they conceal. The millions lost, along with the names of those who benefited directly or indirectly, are beginning to surface. To begin with, the government will start with 42 former employees of the country’s five largest firms, who were directly involved with the creditors’ money. The government decision to administer and confiscate their property, if it is proven to have been acquired from illegal sources, is expected to be followed by similar measures. Judges will be targeted—those who have often ruled in favour of the pyramid schemes—as well as customs and tax officials. Politicians are also implicated in the pyramid-scheme firms and in them [the schemes], and there are even foreign diplomats. Many politicians have often put up a “devil’s” opposition to protect the firms. But this will be the most difficult part of uncovering the truth. What is talked about and known by many may perhaps never be said out loud. The threads of interest they conceal are far-reaching and tangled, just like the rates they once offered and the schemes according to which they operated. If transparency means closing the pyramid firms to the IMF, for politicians it means revealing names and hidden accounts. The first is something the government must do because it is a condition set by the international community. But revealing the names of all those involved is a double-edged sword that nobody would want to hold. After almost eight months, the current government has still not revealed the name of a single politician from the former ruling side. It seems there is an unspoken pact to leave that part of the past behind. Perhaps the list of people who unscrupulously profited from the pyramid schemes will never be published uncensored. And in this, time is transparency’s best ally. After thousands of years, the pyramids of Egypt still have undiscovered chambers. A year later, Albania’s pyramid schemes are still much as they were then. Only 1/8 of them has come to the surface.

After rumours of changes in the government TIRANA - Yesterday the Presidency received several ministers from the government cabinet, while the one who was seen more than the others in the corridors of Meidani’s palace was Interior Minister Neritan Ceka. At midday, Meidani officially received members of the Nano cabinet to prepare for his forthcoming visit to Berat, but it seems the meeting also discussed other issues, such as government changes. According to [the source] with the minister, following rumours that describe the PS’s “attack” on Ceka’s stronghold as having failed. On page 2

GAZETA e Tiranës TIRANA - People live on the outskirts of Tirana [het]. The cars, people, kiosks and single-storey houses with plastic sheeting instead of windows all seem to float in an atmosphere straight out of old black-and-white films. Everything is cooked in the cauldron of transience. On the roads, most cars roam loaded with building materials, and all the buildings look as though they have sprouted there by chance. On page 5

GAZETA e Vlorës VLORA - The Cement Factory in Vlora has been abandoned, along with its 250 workers. The latter have not received a single lek for three months, while the state is not giving the O.K. for the factory to be privatized through vouchers. On page 7

GAZETA e Durrësit DURRËS - Durrës rises to its feet to save the life of the wounded policeman. The 25-year-old, Bashkim Gjoni, was in very serious condition after being hit by several bullets in his internal organs. Through the local media, many citizens appealed to our state and the Italian state to take the policeman to Italy, as he [the sea?] set off for Bari, where he underwent surgery in serious condition. On page 3

WHO recognizes Greater Albania TIRANA - Albanians in Albania and those across the border will be vaccinated together. This has been decided while the era of their division by however many borders still continues. On page 12 Berat, attackers of the van arrested BERAT - The seven assailants involved in Wednesday’s attack in the village of Drobonik have been identified, and two of them arrested. After 48 hours of searching, in an operation involving 60 police officers... On page 7 Fier, battling the flames in the Seman forest FIER - Fire in the large pine forest on the Seman coast. On Thursday afternoon, at around 18:00, the flames engulfed a considerable area. On page 6

TIRANA - The millions belonging to Test have been found. Stolen three days ago several kilometres outside Tirana, they were discovered hidden in a pit in Mullet. After intensive investigations, the police managed to uncover the group in whose hiding place the stolen “treasure” had been concealed and, at the same time, detain the perpetrators. Three days ago, employees of the company that produces laundry detergent, based in Sauk, were returning after selling a large quantity of goods in another city. About 27 kilometres before reaching Tirana, the Mercedes they were travelling in was stopped by four armed men, who, at gunpoint, managed to take around 35 million lek from them and disappeared. Immediately after the report was made to the police, an intensive investigation into the case began, making maximum use of all possible leads. Meanwhile, the most suspicious individuals were also detained. And after 72 hours, the money was found buried in the ground. Police during an operation in Mullet yesterday