Three intelligence-service specialists and a sophisticated laboratory arrive US takes immediate measures to detect counterfeit dollars Page 7

BY FATOS LUBONJA For some time now, political and journalistic circles have been talking about poor relations among the highest-ranking leaders. There is talk of Nano’s jealousy of the presidency; of antipathy between PAD ministers and the prime minister’s office chiefs; of deep antipathies between advisers on both sides, and so on and so on... Until now, this concealed resentment has not turned into open warfare for several reasons: first, because, all things considered, we are dealing with a more civilized group of politicians, with a rather restrained president at its head and an exceedingly flexible prime minister; second, because the Berisha threat remains a unifying factor; third, because everyone knows that an outbreak of these conflicts would be dangerous for the country’s situation; fourth, because the Socialist Party, on the one hand, has a strong majority and, on the other, suffers from the burden of its past, which it offsets through its coalition with several figures brought forward by the democratic movement of ’91, and so on and so on. Nevertheless, the more time passes, the more the gathering clouds threaten a storm. The strongest warning signal was the clash this week between the president and the deputy prime minister over smuggling, accompanied by the latter’s accusation that the president is creating parallel institutions. Since the fall of communism, Albania has been trying to establish a system with separated powers. Time has shown so far that this has been a difficult task, and that democracy, as a system of government with far greater degrees of freedom, is harder to administer than a dictatorial system. During Ramiz Alia’s brief time as president, the separation of powers led to the complete destruction of his authority and the holding of early elections. When the DP came to power, the elimination of prominent figures began, along with the accumulation of power and responsibility in the hands of a single person. The current government, with Meidani as president and Nano as prime minister, can so far be considered a step forward toward the separation of powers and cooperation. Nevertheless, it seems that much has not been working properly for some time. It is true that the separation has made things more open, but the lack of cooperation is felt increasingly often, along with a tendency toward pettiness or the ignoring of institutions. Nano has shown clear signs of disrespect for the institution of the presidency; Ceka has shown signs of disrespect toward the prime minister. Such branches of power as Parliament and the judiciary continue to carry little weight. The harm here does not lie in the hurt feelings one person or another may have. The harm lies in the disarray and dysfunction of the state, which has created the impression that, for our politicians, the state is a game with many breasts, each of which they milk for their own benefit. The time has come to put an end to this boundless disorder and to the struggle over defining hierarchy and responsibility, or to strengthen and expand cooperation within the state. And this second solution, which concerns Albanian democracy, requires far more statements; it requires much more—and greater support and mediation on the part of Albania’s political class.

The meeting of the Commission on the unrest is canceled P. 5

Foreign affairs MPs meet P. 2

Prosecution seeks to invalidate Berisha’s amnesty Here are the smuggling kingpins Investigators uncover three bosses of illegal trade. They also have the backing of government officials Albanian smuggling, an ongoing crime. Although former President Sali Berisha’s amnesty last year, “carefully worked out to the letter,” pardoned all the case files investigating the crime of smuggling, the prosecution is investigating files in which this activity is still continuing. It appears to be carried on by the very people who were pardoned, thereby committing a repeat offense. Sali Berisha, who is preparing to punish the guilty photo A.BABANI

P. 2 Sokol Mulosmani also implicated Belul Çelo at the Prosecutor’s Office P. 6 Four-hour pursuit of traffickers in women Berat, traffickers arrested P. 11 Prosecutor’s Office decision on declaring income Those who fail to declare it will have their assets seized P. 9 Vlorë, those who killed the policeman are in the crosshairs They risk death P. 11