“Behind every ship there is a senior official”

BY TEODOR KEKO Earl of Cildare (the Earl of Kildare) is remembered for his endless exploits, which turned Ireland upside down in his day. He really made a mess of things when he also burned Cashel Cathedral, and then, with everyone horrified, they decided to take the Earl to trial before the king, Henry VII. At the trial the king asked the Earl: —What did you have against the Cathedral?! —I thought it was the castle inside the cathedral! —the Earl defended himself. The king had to pass sentence. —Listen, —he began his historic sentence, —since all Ireland cannot keep the Earl in check, let Ireland’s Earl keep Ireland in check! This story reminded me of Berisha. Everyone blames the former President for the irresponsibility taking place in Albania and beyond. A few days ago at the Rogner I heard some bigwigs offering the solution to the Albanian riddle. —But if Berisha doesn’t leave, this won’t work! He won’t let you work!... I encounter this message in every televised debate involving the government as well. Even the great Agolli has written about Berisha: One madman is driving us mad!... But when a Government cannot keep one man in check, isn’t it more rational for that man to keep this Government in check? It is clear that he is stronger than an entire administration, lock, stock and barrel! And we don’t need some lousy Government that can’t keep even one man in check?! A Government that has set up the bogeyman with his back turned to us, because even when he filled a few holes, he seized power! For his pretty eyes? Or because he barks and takes bribes only when he is inside the sheepfold? Do you know what they say about this kind of government in Karnevalesh? The dog barks in the sheepfold, the wolf farts on the mountain! That is why Henry VIII’s sarcastic poem came to mind.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and Albania’s Prime Minister Pandeli Majko yesterday in Athens. Photo REUTERS

“I opposed holding a tender for donated railcars” Former Transport Minister reveals Ilir Meta’s falsification “The railcars are free; that cannot be denied.” Former Minister of Public Works and Transport Gaqo Apostoli makes this statement. Now that a criminal case has been opened against former director Ilia Çili, who was under the minister’s supervision, Apostoli can no longer remain silent. “It was not possible to reach an agreement that a number of railcars would be provided free of charge, because legal procedures would be required, and these would have to go through all the state authorities of the Austrian state,” Apostoli told “KJ” yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister on the verge of resignation After the press published the “Meta-Monika” tender for railway railcars, after the Deputy Prime Minister’s clashes over escaping the financial scandal, after Minister Ingrit Suli’s review of the “Meta” tender and the disclosure of facts showing that Meta’s wife, the late lady, had financial interests in this tender, and after criminal proceedings were initiated against the Tirana prosecutor over the “Meta-Monika” tender, the idea of admitting guilt and returning the donated tender has reportedly gained ground, according to sources that are not yet entirely reliable. To confirm Meta, his office accepts blame, and thus he, for a first destruction of the ... Until late evening, the Deputy Prime Minister was wavering between a public resignation and the possibility of a quiet withdrawal from political life, so that he could return later of his own volition and free from the burden of the railcar tender. In any case, at the last moment of the deliberations, there remained a Socialist secretary, two MPs seeking to benefit from some privatization, as well as the wife, who had decided that Meta should not resign before first dealing with several officials of the enterprise and the appointments of directors in ... After that, ...

Evers interview Elections if the constitution is defeated “Parliament must accept that if the constitution is not approved, there must be consequences” page 5