The President is closer to the Socialist leader than the Socialists themselves Although the SP has the right to demand the release of its leader openly, this does not prevent Berisha at all from securing his release through the behind-the-scenes channels he himself is preparing. page 3

- His bag of money is also stolen - One person arrested. The assassination is being investigated TIRANA/ He was killed in front of his home while sitting in his car. The killers were in another car. From there, they fired a pistol five times. Two bullets missed, while the other three took his life. Then they stole the bag of money he had with him. He worked for the well-known “Vefa” company. The money belonged to the company and, it seems, the killers had carried out the murder according to a cold-blooded plan. But although they had carefully planned the attack, it seems they had not anticipated everything. They had forgotten to account for the unexpected, for chance. And perhaps it was the latter that betrayed them. The police have detained at the capital’s Hospital No. 2 another young man, wounded in his right leg, who had gone there for treatment. Yesterday afternoon was the last for Pirro Konia, 19, who lived near the “Dajti” cinema. He was in the driver’s seat of his car, a “Mazda” with license plate 7296, just a few metres from his apartment. But perhaps at that moment the young man did not realize that he had death itself in his car. There was a bag containing money from the “Vefa” company inside the car. Meanwhile, another car sped up and suddenly stopped beside his. Immediately, a series of bullets were fired at him through the car window. After the shots, the bandits took the money and their car sped away again. The 19-year-old, covered in blood, was rushed to the capital’s Hospital No. 2. But the bullets had rendered the doctors’ efforts futile. The victim died before reaching the hospital. The victim had been hit by two bullets in the chest and another in the head. The police then began searching for the perpetrators. It seems they received a lead from a wounded man who had gone to Hospital No. 2 to have his injury treated at around 5 p.m., just two hours after the crime. His name is Altin Fortuzi, 18, a figure not entirely unknown to the police. He had been wounded in his right leg, but the police, who were at that time around the hospital, questioned him. His apprehension has raised hopes of shedding light on the mysterious murder. One possible theory put forward immediately after his arrest is that he was involved in the attack. “Fortuzi may have been one of the killers and accidentally wounded himself while firing at the victim,” one of the investigators confirmed. But it cannot yet be said for certain whether it was him. The victim had been working for the “Vefa” company for some time, doing various jobs. “But from time to time he also transported the company’s money to the bank,” said the president of “Vefa,” Mr. Vehbi Alimuça, without hiding his sorrow. “But yesterday,” he continued, “Pirro had only a small amount of money with him.” If only the robbers had known that... ZAMIR DULE

Gjirokastër First step taken toward legalizing emigrants On 23 April, along with Easter, when Christ rose again, emigrants will celebrate their legalization too, as a resurrection of Albanian-Greek relations after a year of crucifixion. page 2

Just a few days after the inauguration The white marble has begun to crack 15 million ECU to change the facade of the capital’s largest hotel Just a few days after the inauguration Repairs at Hotel Tirana The white marble has begun to crack 15 million ECU to change the facade of the capital’s largest hotel page 8

I see no prospects ... for state-run or public television page 4