WITHIN JANUARY On page 7

KOSOVO On page 4

The ice breaks: Kosovo, Parliament, face-to-face talks Lino has dinner with Berisha on the eve of the New Year. Perhaps this is the first time since arriving in Albania that the United States ambassador, while staying at the Tirana International Hotel, has celebrated together with journalists. On page 3 Coming soon, together with Roberto Benigni

EDITORIAL Andi Bejtja The Berisha-Majko meeting seems to have inspired politicians in Kosovo as well. At last, the political wing of the KLA, Adem Demaçi, declared that, for the sake of the national cause, he agrees to meet President Rugova after a long period of estrangement. If this happens and the views of the two sides are brought into alignment, it will be the first time that the internal factor in Kosovo presents itself as a single body, both to the Serbs and to the international community. And not only that. The promising signs in Albania following the Majko-Berisha meeting, where it was agreed that both sides would speak with one voice on Kosovo, mean that for the first time in the history of the Albanian nation, Albanians are thinking the same thing about the national cause. After the Holbrooke-Milošević agreement, Albanians found themselves somewhat scattered, presenting different factions. The discord was caused not only by the various factions within the ranks of the KLA, but also by the general lack of consistency between Rugova and the KLA. After the KLA appeared on the scene and the Serbian offensive began, Rugova was steadily losing ground internally, while the international community continued to regard him as the leader of Kosovo’s Albanians. The question was: who would henceforth be the legitimate representative of the Albanians, the KLA or Rugova? The Americans and some Western circles insisted that Rugova take control of the KLA, becoming its political wing, but this was not achieved. The same situation is emerging again now. The international community has called for elections to be held in Kosovo within a few months. Meanwhile, all diplomats believe that the Milošević-Holbrooke agreement has failed and that the war will start again in the spring. Cooperation among Albanian representatives would benefit Albanians wherever they are, not only in Kosovo but also in Albania. Albania has long been suffering because of the situation in Kosovo, just as Kosovo, in turn, has suffered from the amateurism of politicians in Albania and from the brutal, primitive conflict. Aligning views on both sides of the border will make the international community take the Albanian cause in the Balkans more seriously.

A film with Roberto Benigni, too . Tom Cruise filming in Albania. On page 21

RARE Electricity can be unavailable not only because a [lapë], the [trull] on the high-voltage pole, freezes, but also because the transformer is stolen. This has now happened to a ... in Puka, who ... all ... On page 5

Majko reconciles with Klosi. In the final days of ’98, the head of the Government agreed for the first time to face the first head of SHIK, after the disputes that had lasted for over two months and had even called into question the personal relationship between Majko and ... On page 3

Vlora, clash between tough guys Revenge massacres two young men in the center of Vlora, also killing a passerby. A total of two automatic rifles and a pistol were emptied into the bodies of the two young men, who were killed yesterday at around 9:50, very close to “Flag Square.” According to the police, the masked men had been lying in wait for 25-year-old Arben Koka for a long time, with weapons hidden in a car. He was killed in the car together with the other young man, Aurel Pashaj. On page 18