The obstacles to accession were overcome at 1 a.m. on Thursday, when Arbnori signed a protocol guaranteeing that all the Council of Europe’s observations would be remedied, with the exception of one: the Nano case... The authors of the compromise that led to Albania’s admission to the CoE speak: Pjetër Arbnori and Domeni Kolumberg Kolumberg: “The latest negative reports that reached us in recent days, concerning the dismissal of judges, restrictions on freedom of the press, the Amnesty International report, and police interventions that caused five deaths in custody, led us to seek a postponement of Albania’s admission to the CoE. Here is how Arbnori himself comments on the assurances Kolumberg gave him before the vote: ‘The main problems raised there were all resolvable. Kolumberg said that the prosecutor’s office had to be reformed, and I agreed that it should be reformed, provided that it was not included in the amendment, since we agreed. As for the Fatos Nano case, we agreed that it should be considered in the spirit of the new Penal Code, as for any other citizen of Albania.’ page 3 Two in Strasbourg. Lambert Kelchtermans (left) and Jorđi Finsberg voting for Albania’s membership of the CoE Photo: Reuters (especially for Koha Jonë)

—Exchange of fire for more than two hours Chief of the General Staff arrives by helicopter LEZHË — According to well-informed sources at this unit, numerous exchanges of fire took place continuously for two hours from 2:00 a.m. yesterday between unidentified individuals and soldiers on duty. The serious incident occurred at the site on Mount Kakarriq overlooking the unit. Yesterday’s incident is the second, following the one four nights earlier, when unidentified individuals attacked the bachelor officers’ quarters at the Aviation Unit with automatic weapons. Special police forces arrived at the scene urgently. At around 10:00 a.m., Army Chief of the General Staff Major General Sheme Kosova also arrived by helicopter. At around 4:00 a.m. yesterday, the unit’s military personnel were put on alert. According to Yesterday at Gjadër airfield hypotheses, those involved in the incident—which caused no casualties—may have been the owners of the houses on the mountain, which was declared a military zone in 1974. Some of the 6–7 displaced families were compensated at the time with 30–40 dollars for expenses and lived next to the unit. No shell casings from weapons fired from outside were found at the incident site, near the location that controls the air routes. It is thought that shotguns and pistols may have been used, while it is reported that no one has been detained by the police. A.RR Spy planes and 100 American military personnel arrive in Gjadër next week Read on page 6

Association warns of escalation of the protest page 2

The former minister starts work at “Alb-Transport” TIRANA — “The ‘Bitincka’ case is closed.” This was confirmed yesterday by Tirana Chief Prosecutor Arben Qeleshi regarding the investigation into Fatos Bitincka, the former Minister of Transport. After a long period of inactivity, his file is being archived. The investigation of the former minister was to begin several months earlier over a tender by the Albanian TELEKOM worth around 30,000 dollars. But, as confirmed by the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office, Bitincka’s position and actions in this matter were not found to be unlawful. Bitincka, who was dismissed from his post in the wake of the “magnitude-7 earthquake” that shook the Meksi government at the end of last year, has had another “event” in recent days, in addition to the welcome news that the case against him has been dropped: employment with the Albanian-German company “Albtransport”. Z.D

The new Code of Criminal Procedure requires a judge, not an assistant judge (p. 2)