MILITARY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE: Former minister organized illegal special forces units He risks a 10-year sentence. He is also being investigated for the Cërrik massacre Page 7

BY BLENDI FEVZIU Having stayed in Tirana for only a few hours, Ambassador Gelbard, President Clinton’s envoy to the Balkans, has hinted at what is taking shape as the American position for resolving the crisis in Kosovo. In diplomatic language, he stated that “the Americans are against independence, and in favor of broad autonomy within the framework of the Yugoslav Federation, not Serbia.” He went on to add that, in any case, “the United States cannot prejudge the Albanian-Serbian talks.” Anyone who has followed diplomatic developments closely over the past three weeks can understand that such a statement represents an evolution in the American position. It is a fact that the sudden outbreak of violence in Kosovo caught the international community unprepared. Sensing the lack of a ready-made formula for a solution, they first tried to stop the violence there and then to adopt the best possible solution to rid the region of the threat of a new war. The Americans were the first to react in this case, and that was no coincidence. First, American diplomacy may have many questions about why the violence in Drenica erupted now, and only now. A mysterious coincidence links developments in the Balkans with the American stance in the Iraqi crisis and the resolve they showed there, while at the same time ignoring Russian mediation and its advice. The very open support the official authorities in Moscow gave Belgrade further intensifies this suspicion. Second, the United States understands better than anyone that the radicalization of the situation in Kosovo could fuel nationalism in Albania. In such a situation, no Albanian government, regardless of international advice, could prevent involvement in a war. A fatal involvement that would draw in Macedonia, Bulgaria, and perhaps Greece and Turkey, destroying NATO’s balance in Europe. The United States knows better than anyone that, in a new Balkan war, Albanians are the only ones who cannot lose more than they lost in the war 85 years ago: over 60% of their ethnic territory and over 60% of their population living outside the official borders. The Americans can see that recent developments go beyond the formula of a return to the 1974 Constitution. The idea of broad autonomy within Serbia means nothing. No diplomat in the world can give concrete substance to such a term. The idea put forward of broad autonomy within the framework of the Federation is undoubtedly a major step. It is nothing less than the idea of creating a Republic of Kosovo within the Yugoslav Federation, with a status similar to the one Montenegro already has. This solution, which can be inferred from U.S. statements and will undoubtedly also be adopted by the international community, now depends on the persistence of the leaders of Prishtina and Tirana and on the continuation of demonstrations in Kosovo.

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Pages 2–3 Yesterday Prime Minister Nano meets Gelbart in Tirana Photo GENT SHKULLAKU Yesterday Prime Minister Nano meets Gelbart in Tirana. Photo GENT SHKULLAKU

Armed men take revenge for the arrest of one of their own. Four rebels are arrested Tepelenë—The police station building is fired upon . The reason is said to have been the removal of a detainee from his cell. All the perpetrators have ended up in handcuffs. This is what happened during the night at the Police Station in Tepelenë, while it is said that the aim was to break open the cells, although this is only a conclusion drawn from the preliminary investigations by the anti-crime unit; the conclusion of the investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office in this town is still awaited. F 11

F 5 Cassation does not change the measure for Alimuca VEFA boss under arrest F 6 Berat, ruling on the 38-year-old Another death sentence F 13 The former prime minister responds to the accusations Meksi, a war waged by the Sigurimi F 5 A bar near Café “Europa” is burned to ashes Luca 2 burns down F 9