From prison to house arrest. Police: The court is to blame, they were dangerous Two Egyptian men wanted by the CIA escape from Albania Page 7

BY FATOS BAXHAKU NATO landed in Albania yesterday. Solana himself arrived aboard the heavy military aircraft of the world’s most powerful alliance, at Rinas, which was buzzing with the heat and the song of cicadas. The meetings were carried out according to plan, Albanian and foreign leaders smiled at one another in front of the flashes of the many photojournalists, then the customary statements were exchanged and thus a packed political day came to a close. “We are pleased with Nano,” that is how the Spanish NATO leader reportedly put it, according to official sources. A special office will soon be opened in the Albanian capital. A step that NATO has decided to take in view of the frightening rise in bloodshed in Kosovo. Solana’s arrival, his positive words about Nano and his government, the opening of the new office — all this can only be regarded as a diplomatic success for Nano and his people. But as of yesterday, one could ask: Is that enough? The question becomes even more insistent if we recall the essence of the message NATO conveyed yesterday through its chairman: We will not intervene in Kosovo. From the places scorched by the fire of Serbian weapons, alarming reports of further killings continue to arrive. NATO will not intervene, at least not anytime soon, in Kosovo. Milošević and his people will continue to tighten the rings of violence, while the Kosovars, Rugova, the KLA, and Albanian diplomacy itself will have to keep suffering under the burden of being alone, even though NATO people will continue to watch. As if, after the first bombastic statements in favor of the Albanians and after accusations, sometimes even open ones, against the Serbian allies, the old centuries-long positions that sustain the fragile Balkan balances have insisted once again on determining the fate of the most unfortunate people on the old continent. The Albanians have once again found themselves alone. An office, a few smiles, and the repetition of a lesson everyone knows. Better peace than war — all this sounds like the repetition of an old cycle of history. Once, when left alone, the Albanians managed to save that handful of survival that was their homeland after the tragic uproars. Now, with only two years left until the new millennium, times have changed. But apparently not enough for us to feel completely optimistic. So we must be content with the satisfaction that small successes give us. Such as yesterday’s success of Nano, for example,

Two KLA fighters in a village near Pristina Photo REUTERS Page 6

Corruption, the head of state should convene the government PS Secretary: “The President has only words. If he has evidence, he should turn to justice” “President Meidani is interested in ensuring that no institutions are created in Albania to fight corruption, but that talk about corruption is shut down.” It was the coordinating secretary of the Socialist Party, Gramoz Ruçi, who yesterday launched major attacks against the head of state, following a report he had sent to members of parliament regarding customs clearances. p. 3

Deputy prime minister for the dissatisfied in the PS Fino: Brokaj is destabilizing p. 3 Parliament reacts after accusations against SHIK Find Gazidede p. 2 The infant scandal, nine more exhumations Investigations in cemeteries p. 9 Elbasan, the hot weather causes victims Now, death from the heat p. 11

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