Merdini writes to Arbnori: Stop the sormets, what do we need words for, in Meksi and Berisha, who was supposed to leave? do the irons reveal the culprit of the Albanian pardons? Merdini writes to Arbnori: Stop the sormets, what do we need words for, in Meksi and Berisha, who was supposed to leave? do the irons reveal the culprit of the hidden Albanians? Page 2

At a time when the Kosovo issue was being handled at the PD headquarters, polemics were arising over the refugees arriving from Albania. Until now, the government in Tirana had been circulating the idea that asylum seekers from western Albania were being given temporary shelter and that, day by day, their departure from Albania was being planned for a package of payments of up to 40 dollars, allocated as a minimum by the people; it is being accused that this minimum[?] of the Albanian poor now also includes those there, as they receive what is theirs. In this regard, through a letter sent the day before to the chairman of that permanent commission by Valdo Naku, several issues that until now had been considered a fairly closed sphere by public opinion have been put up for discussion. This too, in line with the opposition draft, which became known through yesterday’s newspaper, was a basic document for implementing the closing of the refugees. The preparation of poverty by presenting many forms for their return to their country of origin is a violation of the rights declared in international conventions on asylum. Moreover, knowing that from the broadcasts of Friday and Wednesday, the cries against the refugees have not increased beyond various cases. Furthermore, it is known that immediately after the first displays in the first days of August, the government in Tirana ordered in writing that their entry into the districts be stopped and, in order to be "different", many asylum seekers were forcibly repatriated and some left illegally for these neighboring countries. Given the developments of recent days, it should be stressed that the biggest alarm in Tirana is coming from diplomatic circles and from the opposition representatives themselves. In the shadow of Albania’s crisis and its politics, a large part of public opinion has accused the Italian and Albanian authorities of treating the problem more as a public-order issue than as a case requiring a political solution. On the other hand, some government representatives have declared that they cannot accept such an influx of asylum seekers without close cooperation with the Italian side. Since the crisis is dragging on, Berisha has made it clearly understood that he is no longer interested in using this issue for political rhetoric. But the concrete difficulties are making it increasingly clear that refugees are not just a propaganda issue, but a real wound of Albanian society, linked both to poverty and to the country’s general insecurity. G/VYOSHI LIVONJA

Yesterday in Rome the two Defence ministers Andrea de Paola

Mirditë rises up in the kombinat prison Page 9

Elbasan, prayers arrive in the city Page 12

For only 50 lekë you can buy a weekend newspaper for a few coins altogether. This Sunday too, "Koha Jonë" with 32 pages For only 50 lekë you can buy a weekend newspaper for a few coins altogether This Sunday too, "Koha Jonë" with 32 pages Page 6