Foreign Minister Tritan Shehu in Rome Dini: We will send a special envoy to promote dialogue between the government and the parties Lamberto Dini, Italy’s Foreign Minister, yesterday called on Albania to open a dialogue with opposition parties and to call new general elections following the 26 May elections, which were criticized throughout the Western world. This statement was made by the Italian Foreign Minister during a meeting with the newly appointed Albanian Foreign Minister, Tritan Shehu. Dini said Italy wanted to see “a fully fledged, dynamic democracy in Albanian politics and the opening of a dialogue between the government and the opposition.” During Italy’s presidency of the European Union, Lamberto Dini cancelled a planned visit to Albania as a sign of the European Union’s opposition to the irregularities identified in the general parliamentary elections in our country. According to the Rojter news agency, Dini told Shehu that talks of this kind “should create a political and electoral situation that makes it possible to return to the conditions of a full democracy and constitutional normality, including the possibility of calling new elections as soon as possible.” After a brief hesitation, Italy found an opportunity to make its view known to the Albanian government: the general elections of 26 May and those of 2 June, in which Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party won 87% of the vote, had provoked international disapproval and condemnation of the irregularities in those elections. For a long time, Rome tried not to create misunderstandings with its Albanian neighbour. As is known, Italy is our country’s most important Western partner, and the Italian government has tried to avoid any ambiguity in relations with Albania. But Rome apparently cannot forgive the statement Berisha made after the West called for new elections: that the next parliamentary elections in Albania would be held in spring 2000—a claim he repeated yesterday. It seemed like a challenge directed at Italian Foreign Minister Dini. The Italian Foreign Minister told his Albanian counterpart that Italy wished to send a special envoy (Luigi Vittorio Ferraris) to Tirana to speak with the government and opposition parties. Italian official sources did not wish to comment on Dini’s proposal and declined to provide details about when this Italian mediation would take place. After the United States of America, Italy is the second country to openly oppose President Berisha and his Democratic Party team’s ambition to reject the Western recommendation to hold general parliamentary elections. So far, Berisha has claimed that opposition to the 26 May elections was the result of a campaign organised by the Greek lobby and American politicians. But the new Foreign Minister Shehu’s first visit was enough to show that not only Washington, but Brussels too, is firmly convinced that new general parliamentary elections must absolutely be held in Albania. V. PRELA in Albania. V. PRELA

Statement by the Greek government spokesperson Athens is unhappy with the Albanian president’s electoral victory Statement by the Greek government spokesperson Athens: Beware, Berisha The Albanian president’s electoral victory does not please Greece page 3

Strict rules for the Socialist leader in Bënçë Conversations with guards and food restrictions Strict rules for the Socialist leader in Bënçë Nano: one hour a month with his family Conversations with guards and food restrictions page 2

. Inamti: The PS-PD meetings are a slap in the face to the motion cards. page 4 Çeka: Successful visit to the USA. page 9 After an hour and a half, she fulfills her three-year-old dream “Hello” Hillary Clinton, I’m calling you from Tirana An Albanian woman spoke on the phone with the US First Lady The Hague Tribunal: “Experts in Albania for war crimes” page 5 Pogradec: The commissioner’s killer is killed page 7

281 passengers and crew lose their lives This is a 1996 photograph of high-school students from the French and German schools in Montours Ville, USA. Sixteen of the French students in this photograph lost their lives in the air disaster involving a TWA airliner that exploded over the Atlantic, very close to New York City. The cause of this tragic accident, a rare event in the history of civil aviation, is still unknown. REUTER page 13

Yesterday, parties met with Berisha Local elections in October Parties in full agreement with the President pages 3, 9