“Sabiti would never betray me” Taking care of yourself BY EMIN BARÇI The saying “when you have nothing to do, you fiddle with the door” has, in today’s politics, been replaced by the practice “when we have no enemy, we pick at ourselves.” Until a few months ago, from the presidency to the smallest party in the governing coalition, Berisha’s former government and the opposition he had built were at the centre of political criticism and action. Now, all the structures of power are occupied with themselves. For several months, the “bogeyman” Berisha has changed direction and gears in his opposition vehicle. In recent weeks, he has accompanied his march south with a retreat towards political and institutional normality. For months there have been no more illegal rallies, no more calls to bear arms, no Shkodër or Milot... On the contrary, Berisha has begun to acknowledge some of the mistakes he made while in government, such as the pyramid schemes, corruption, etc. This retreat by Berisha seems to be making him fade from the sight and memory of today’s government. On the other hand, just as Berisha began his metamorphosis from attacker to self-critic, the government began turning its attention to itself. Berisha’s change of attitude should normally have opened the way for the government to gradually address all the problems inherited from the PD government. Unemployment, inflation, crime, low wages, electricity, water, roads, compensation for losses in the pyramid schemes, etc., all demanded—and still demand—immediate solutions. But apparently the path to resolving problems among Albanians is written to pass through Washington, even when Berisha is not involved at all. US Deputy Secretary of State Talbott came to ask Tirana to mediate between the LDK and the UÇK in Kosovo, but finding Nano half-hearted, he managed only half the discussions, while also issuing an appeal for reconciliation among Albania’s leaders. Talbott’s statement came after US ambassadors had mediated in the conflict between the factions of Albania’s political leadership. These two episodes brought home the fact that national reconciliation does not exist even among people of the same kind, let alone beyond it. It seems that even American intervention failed to produce the expected results, so normally today or tomorrow we should expect OSCE’s Everts to take his test as a mediator among Albanians. God willing, the problems will not reach the point of Dr. Vranicki’s return. The peaks of Albanian politics are competing to set records in the current crisis, while Berisha, taking advantage of this contest, is expanding his reach geographically, going as far as the country’s southernmost edges. Here, everyone seems to be forgetting him, because being occupied with themselves essentially means being occupied with nothing.

Prime Minister Nano and Sabit Brokaj, now definitively separated Photo: A. ABABANI

Machinery is arriving from Italy. Alarm at the ministry: Vast tracts of land have been planted with cannabis The police eradication operation will begin soon Traffickers are rubbing their hands, as this year’s drug crop looks promising. According to information from the anti-drug police at the ministry, at least in the south of the country cannabis has spread thickly among all agricultural crops. Vast areas have been planted with it, and to the investigative authorities this no longer seems to constitute a criminal offence. It makes no difference whether you call this place Colombia or Pakistan; what the police have at least found last night is a plan to launch the harvesting campaign before the plants reach biological maturity. P. 7

Nano: Tirana, self-government P. 2

Ilir Zela replaces Meta P. 2

Legisi like Hajdaraga P. 3

PD goes to Meidani P. 5

There is no UÇK in Kukës P. 10

Another death sentence P. 11

Counterfeit USD from the East P. 6