Last night after the Pollo - Islami meeting, the former president withdraws from the government delegation Islami: We were sincere; unfortunately the opposition responded negatively Page 5

Cigarette smuggling in the prosecutor’s office P 9

The prosecution’s request for the usury firm P 6

Despite the wide range of bilateral issues they discussed yesterday at their meeting, the prime ministers of Greece and Albania gave no less important a place to the Balkans and its future. Yet, while speaking of a “Europeanized” Balkans, Simitis, Nano and other politicians are aware of the extremely difficult problems inherited from the creation of the states of this region before the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It is clear that such a Balkans can neither be imagined without finding solutions to these problems, which condition bilateral relations. Aware of this, but also encouraged by the statements of his counterpart Nano and by the new trends in Albanian foreign policy, Prime Minister Simitis, according to sources close to him, has discussed with the Albanian prime minister a bilateral meeting with Yugoslav President Milošević at the Crete summit, which will be held at the beginning of next month. The same seems to be happening in the Yugoslav capital, where former prime minister Micotaqis, who today, in his meeting with Milošević, may raise the idea of such a meeting with Nano. However, regarding such a meeting, Nano is said to have raised reservations, which, more than with the reasons he gave, are linked to the situation in Kosovo. In fact, the Albanian side, even before the Milo - Milutinović meeting, had declared that it linked the future of the Albanian-Serbian dialogue to the steps Belgrade would take in Kosovo. But the demonstrations of Albanian students and the Serbian police violence used against them, the lack of results in the bilateral talks on education, and, as if that were not enough, the latest attack on several Serbian police posts by the “mysterious” KLA and the retaliation by the Serbian authorities against Albanian inhabitants of the villages, are signs of a pessimistic prognosis for the normalization of the situation in Kosovo. Above all, however, Belgrade finds it very difficult to take steps in favor of Albanians because this would benefit the Serbian extremist circles in the presidential elections that will be repeated after two months. The result in the first round that brought to the fore Shesheli makes the reluctance to make concessions even more justified. Nevertheless, Nano needs to accompany his statements about the desire for understanding and cooperation in the region or for dialogue with Belgrade to solve the problems with concrete steps. In addition, he must also offer a satisfaction to his friend Simitis, who, as is known, has launched the initiative for a Balkan Council. But more important is the fact that if the present moment is not exploited, then a relatively long time will have to pass before the Tirana-Belgrade dialogue can resume, which would delay the much-desired “Europeanizing” processes of the Balkans. G. LEVONJA

Prime Minister Nano welcomes his Greek counterpart Simitis yesterday in Rinas Photo GENT SHKULLAKU

Usury, today the fate of transparency is decided P 11

A grenade explodes, they miraculously survive P 7

After the accusations and the request of the PD faction members The Minister of Justice Thimio Kondi sends a letter to the chairman of the Commission for the Purity of Figures: The files of the PD leadership must be verified Yesterday, according to information given to the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, the Minister of Justice Thimio Kondi reopened, with a simple letter, the debate of the figures verification commission. On the basis of this official document, Kondi asks the chairman of the Commission, Nafiz Bezhani, for “the verification of the figures that make up the leadership of the Albanian Democratic Party”. P 5

Exclusively with Adi Kraste[n], Ardit Gjebrea. Interview and one of the songs from the new album. Listen to Radio KOHA tonight at 22:00

“Projekt Jon” concert First collaboration: Ardit Gjebrea with “Koha Jonë” READ PAGE 18

New season of TELEBINGO Read on page 7