Some of the ministers in the Majko cabinet cannot stomach the budget Page 5 Some of the ministers in the Majko cabinet cannot stomach the budget Page 5

BY ENTON ABILEKAJ Yesterday in parliament, the star of the PD’s return shone brightly. Ylli Vejsiu, the most loyal member of the party’s leadership, defied the PD Conference decision and entered the institution for cooperation between the government and the opposition. Thus, sooner than expected, the Democratic Party signaled its return to parliament, assuring everyone that 1999 will be calmer. And perhaps it really will be. If that is the case, Albanians will stop spending their time on politics and will seek other things. They will move away from political bickering and talk more about what they lack: that they cannot find work and that the state budget is not being filled, which is reflected in every family’s budget. In a word, life will become economic, and perhaps the long-awaited change will begin here. If the PD has taken its entry into parliament and the calming of politics seriously, it will have the opportunity to attract all those voters who will begin focusing on their dissatisfaction with the government. If Berisha and the PD do not insist by every means on bringing the elections forward as soon as possible, the year 2001 will find them with many more supporters, bearing in mind that Albanian votes are more often votes of dissatisfaction than votes of support. And if the PD changes and establishes itself as a political force belonging at negotiating tables rather than in squares, there is no doubt that it will benefit most from the mistakes of the Socialist government, which have been many so far. But it is difficult for things to turn out that way. Because nobody can predict Berisha; but, more than that, nobody can predict what the disappointment of those who have followed Berisha along the path he has pursued since the beginning of his political career might bring. Yet the few thousand people who follow him to the end cannot stop demanding, at any cost, the government’s departure and the continuation of a harsh course, until they return to the highly promising positions they held when the PD was in power. This is precisely where Berisha will maneuver so as not to lose, but it is not known whether he will manage to change that part of the base whom he himself has taken care to lead to extremes.

Albanians praying during a Muslim funeral ceremony for a member of the UÇK, killed in fighting with the Serbs. Photo REUTERS

He defies the decision of the National Council and is appointed deputy chairman of the celebrations committee Page 5 The Council of Europe anniversary celebrations provide a pretext for the opposition’s return He defies the decision of the National Council and is appointed deputy chairman of the celebrations committee Page 5 The PD is closer to Parliament. This happened yesterday, when one of the members of the leadership of this party and a member of the Albanian Parliament became a member of a parliamentary committee that will organize celebratory events for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Council of Europe. Sources from the parliament’s leadership say that Ylli Vejsiu entered its premises yesterday and took part in the formation of this parliamentary committee.

Police station No. 4 chief Pirin Ndreu led the spectacular police operation Late last night, the hostage was freed from the bandits Businessman Petrit Gazheli is finally at home. He was abducted on 9 December this year in Krrabë by armed men. Since that day, Police Station No. 4, under its chief, Colonel Pirin Ndreu, had been pursuing possible leads in the kidnapping. Finally, late last night, the abductee knocked on his own door, where his loved ones were waiting; their hearts had been broken for days, but they had not lost hope. The operational work of Police Station No. 4 ensured that the abductee did not remain on the police lists as the latest missing person, although the police must now investigate other leads in the kidnappings that have shaken public opinion. Colonel Ndreu, who is renowned for his skill and courage in the fight against crime, declined to comment to “KJ,” since, according to the rules, the Ministry of Public Order’s press office is responsible for informing the media.

Zana Çela threatens TV director Mazi Yesterday, in front of journalist patrons at the “Pergola” bar in central Tirana, Zana Çela, an employee of RTV, threatened the current TV director, EDuart Mazi, saying, “I’ll kill you; you have only two days left to live,” and so on. After this, the as-yet-unnamed deputy director terrified everyone at the “Pergola” bar, mentioning various people who would carry out Mazi’s murder. Çela’s anger toward Mazi comes immediately after her candidacy for the post of TV deputy director, proposed by General Director Ardian Klosi, was rejected. The chaos that has gripped Albanian Radio and Television since Klosi took charge of the institution is now well known to the public. The atmosphere at the largest public information institution is tense, to the point that people have split into factions, spreading rumors and acting as enemies. All of this weighs on the quality of the information Albanian TV delivers to the public.

In parliament, the Finance Minister shows his teeth to lawbreakers and talks about a hard-line policy toward smugglers