Special investigative group. Today the 14 detainees appear before the court. Pages 2–3 Special investigative group. Today the 14 detainees appear before the court Pages 2–3

BY ALFRED PEZA Over the past 48 hours, Albanians have been waiting anxiously to learn what measures the state will take against those responsible for the most serious incident to occur in the country this year. The DP deputy and leader of the December ’90 movement, Azem Hajdari, spent around 12 hours over the weekend surrounded by hundreds of police officers at the entrance to the Laç district. Many other people were with him; 14 of them, after resisting orders to allow their cars to be searched, are now behind bars. Following the diametrically opposed statements about the incident made by the police and the DP, Parliament and the Government were expected yesterday to take a position on who was truly responsible for the serious incident. Nano chose to delegate responsibility for convening the cabinet to Fino, while Ceka, shortly before ... Ceka, shortly before reporting to Parliament, met with the head of the PS parliamentary group, Pandeli Majko. This is the second time within a month that extremely serious confrontations have occurred in the Shkodër–Laç area between groups of 20 armed men and the state. In mid-January, the Prefect of Shkodër was held hostage for 25 hours over claims that are no longer remembered. Over the weekend, the scene was repeated, when another 20 people held the law-enforcement forces hostage in the northernmost part of the country. This is the second time that people’s faith in the strength of the state and its fight against crime has been seriously shaken. More than statements, they trust facts, evidence, and their own peace of mind. When they voted against the bad governance of the DP and Berisha, Albanians did not vote for “integration,” “Europeanization,” or “changing their 555-year-old mentality.” Let scholars concern themselves with that. The government elected “by a plebiscite” must show citizens every day that it knows how to rebuild the ruined state by applying its laws equally to everyone. If 20 people are capable of holding the state hostage, the person driving this vehicle must hand the keys to a more capable driver. Mediani, Nano, and Gjinushi, the most senior figures in the country’s government, spoke yesterday for around three hours in the offices of the Presidency. The details of the meeting will emerge in the coming days through the scrutiny undertaken by the state’s legislative and executive branches. In Parliament, Ceka did not mention Hajdari’s position in relation to the Laç incident, while the Prosecutor’s Office was content to state that “there is still no evidence.” Hajdari is among the 14 people in prison, while the PS has declared that “if there is evidence, we will request that his immunity be lifted.” The DP leader, Berisha, stripped Azem Hajdari of his parliamentary immunity several years ago after he shot a person from the party administration with a pistol. The Ministry of the Interior has so far stated that Hajdari himself fired a pistol at the state two days ago. The state must now either put its leader in his place or hand the leadership back to the DP leader and publicly apologize for everything that happened. Justice cannot end up on both sides at the same time.

Nano, Meidani and Gjinushi meet for three hours P. 5

Yesterday, Berisha and Hajdari made accusations over the incidents P. 5

Page 2 Azem Hajdari and Sali Berisha at a press conference yesterday. Photo GENT SHKULLAKU

No one arrested for the attacks. PS: These are acts by people who are in PD motorcades Yesterday in the early morning hours, an explosion in the city It was around 3:45 in the morning yesterday when an explosion at the foundations of the Municipality of the city of Gjirokastër shook the city and, for a moment, set the entire airspace ablaze. Luan Hajdaraga, Deputy Chair of the PS Parliamentary Group, said: “These actions in Gjirokastër were carried out by people involved in the smuggling of illegal migrants, fuel and drugs, who today are openly in PD motorcades.” P. 9

Others “unclean” from the Bezhani Commission P. 7

Police on combat alert in many cities P. 4

Alimucaj responds to the prime minister’s adviser P. 13

The blue chiefs leave in Tropojë, Lezhë and Tirana P. 4

Tuesday, 17 February 1998

by the Bezhani Commission