Foreign intelligence services: UDB, unrest in Albania to divert attention from Kosovo Ceka: “We are on the trail of some people connected to them” Page 7

It was more than clear that developments in Kosovo, whose starting point was Drenica, would be exploited by the Albanian opposition, first and foremost Berisha, not only to take up the banner of “defending national interests” by brandishing the standard of patriotic rhetoric, but above all to crucify Nano’s policy of “Europeanization.” In the fury of the attacks against such a political line, the idea that “Drenica began in Crete” was also floated. And, in the electrified atmosphere that dominated Albanian public opinion at first, when people forgot the problems of the day, it seemed that Berisha was gaining ground. Among other things, with its return to parliament, the PD had a chance to regain lost ground by speaking of sympathy and support from external players. But Nano benefited more from the crisis in Kosovo. First, by dealing with Kosovo a little more than he had been concerned with electricity, water, roads, prices, etc.—issues that Nano himself had raised just days earlier, while also warning of a storm of changes in his cabinet. Nevertheless, the socialist prime minister would gain more in another respect. Subsequent developments would show that the international community, and the West above all, would value, above everything else, whatever is encompassed by the term “Europeanization.” Thus, by continuing along the path already begun, one of whose stages is Crete, Nano would not only strengthen his position in the international community, but, thanks to the positions taken on this occasion, “the big players” would for the first time see Albania as a factor that could effectively influence the resolution of the Kosovo knot while avoiding a conflict in the Balkans. The successive visits of the protagonists involved in resolving the problems of the Balkans, for whom Tirana became a place of pilgrimage, speak louder than anything else in this regard. But taking on such a role presupposes a stable Albania, with as few problems as possible, which means even greater support from external players in every field. Thus, with the card of “Europeanization” in foreign policy, Nano is securing support of a kind that would require far more evidence if pursued by other means. Finally, the support given to such moderate positions of the Albanian government by Western politicians, who arrived in Tirana in recent days, has also prompted Berisha to show greater restraint, relegating nationalist rhetoric and claims for solutions that find no support abroad to the background. Specifically, alongside the government, the visitors of recent days also praised the opposition’s positions on the Kosovo issue. GAVROSH LEVONJA

Page 9 Singer Bleona Qerreti at the latest festival, which is being investigated for corruption. Photo: G. SHKULLAKU

PS and PAD, extreme accusations over the Constitution roundtable Zefi: The Socialists cannot direct AD. Majko flirted with Berisha on 9 March ’97. Majko: They are insignificant The roundtable proposed by two parliamentary groups, the PD and the Centre-Right, to discuss procedures for reaching a consensus on the Constitution Commission, has set two parties in the governing coalition against each other. Two days ago, PAD decided to respond positively to the invitation from the right-wing parties. P. 5

Fear of flight. At the prosecutor’s office every Thursday P. 6

Kosovo like Montenegro or the Serbs of Bosnia P. 3

Parliament-court dispute, now Constitutional Court-OSCE P. 5

From Greece, intelligence service alert P. 7

He had been kidnapped; body found in Dajt P. 6

The organization’s evidentiary weapons were used P. 9