Gunfight at the Arab man’s home; commander wounded. Page 2 Gunfight at the Arab man’s home; commander wounded Page 2

On Tuesday, NATO’s ultimatum to Millosheviç expires, and the entire international community will try to answer the question of whether or not the Serbian president has complied with the agreement he signed with American envoy Ričard Holbruk. Although the answer is negative, it is likely that the West will forget its threat and declare that the international demands on Millosheviç should be reviewed or changed, setting a second deadline. By Tuesday, the peace envoys will have spread the harrowing images of the five Albanians killed last Thursday, including two young children, brutally massacred. The OSCE declared yesterday that it was opposed to NATO attacks on Serbian army bases. For this organization, it seems that the employment of 2,000 people, who will write endless reports on human-rights violations, is more important than the lives of a few Albanians. The OSCE went even further, accusing the US of “openly behaving as if they were the only ones entitled to make important decisions about war and peace.” By openly disregarding the Albanian factor, the West is now openly thinking about who will claim the “glory” if peace is established in the region. But both glory and peace still seem far away. The Holbruk agreement can rightly be called a failure, while there is talk of his possible withdrawal as negotiator and a greater role for ambassador Cristopher Hill, who also sounded out the new Albanian government on Friday. The Holbruk agreement was also described as a failure by Republican Bob Doll, who called it “a blow to the prestige and interests of the United States and a tragedy for millions of Kosovars who had pinned their hopes on American promises.” Meanwhile, two days before the ultimatum expires, NATO seemed to be taking steps to justify its failure to intervene. Two of its highest-ranking officials arrived in Belgrade yesterday; according to Brussels, they would seek the immediate implementation of the UN demands concerning Kosovo, “which are not negotiable.” In fact, Millosheviçi has another event to see through, since he has understood that with the West everything is negotiable—even the fate of two million Albanians.

Yesterday in Gërçinë, during the funeral procession for the Symetaj family, massacred by Serbian soldiers Photo REUTERS MUHARREM SYLMETAJ RAMIZ SYLMETAJ AZILLOM SYLMETAJ

BY FRON NAZI I’m not entirely sure who was more desperate: the editor-in-chief who asked me to write this piece, or me, having just arrived from New York. It seemed somewhat absurd to me that a person coming from abroad, like me, would have the right nerves—or, better put, the necessary courage—to come to Albania and claim to understand the situation. In the end, my Albanian piece of mind tells me: the editor-in-chief has the right to do whatever he wants with the article. Not that I think what I have to say after a week in Albania—sorry, in Tirana—could have any meaning for the country’s future. Absolutely not!!! But what I have written, or what I will write, aims to tell the world (those who want to listen, of course) that Albania—sorry, Tirana—is not in a state of chaos, as foreigners write in the Western press. In fact, Albania—I mean Tirana—is in a state of transition out of transition. What I see in today’s Tirana has less to do with politics and more with the laws of nature. Because if people’s opinions could be stronger than the laws of nature, Tirana would have broken away from Albania and drifted somewhere into the middle of the Adriatic Sea. Meanwhile, after a week in Tirana, I can say that what I have learned, or more accurately perceived, can be summed up in this list: 1. The mobile phone has replaced women. An Albanian man never leaves home without taking his mobile phone. This also applies to how the phone is carried: with a case, without a case, in a pocket, out of a pocket, on the table, off the table—and all of this gives me a sort of chilling feeling. 2. Mount Everest. Before coming to Albania, I thought Mount Everest was in the Himalayas. Now I was delighted to see that Albania has its own Mount Everest. 3. Corruption. There are two types of corrupt people: those who openly admit they are corrupt and those who deny it. As for the rest, some say they know someone who is corrupt and some do not. 4. Newspapers: As long as people keep buying them, who cares what they write? 5. The government. See point 3. 6. The Internet. Can someone please explain to me why Moldova and Siberia have Internet access while Albania does not? 7. Foreigners. See points 2 and 3. 8. Political parties and their leaders: See point 1. 9. Construction. Does urban planning exist? Oh yes, I understand—see point 3. 10. Albania: Sometimes [bottom part of the text cut off]

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What you will read tomorrow By Nikollë Lesi

Yesterday in Gërçinë, during the funeral procession for the Symetaj family, massacred by Serbian soldiers. Photo REUTERS