SCANDAL IN COURT A FEMALE JUDGE IS BEATEN IN THE COURTROOM The assistant judge slaps her and knocks her to the floor P. 7

Exclusively for “KJ”, Rexhep Qosja P. 3

Reactions from MPs and citizens P. 4

P. 9

P. 17

The Ministry of Public Order in total chaos The serious and sincere efforts of Public Order Minister Petro Koçi to restore order throughout the territory of the Republic are well known, although his good intentions have been opposed by Prime Minister Majko, Deputy Prime Minister Meta, Deputy Minister Yzeiri and, most recently, the acting Director General of Police, Veli Myftari. Surrounded by such a scorching fire, the minister is left with a titanic determination to challenge crime, as well as his powerful political opponents—especially since Minister Koçi may recently be proposed as chairman of the PS at the socialists’ congress. Minister Koçi does not sleep even with his sole deputy, because he does not trust him and considers him a man of Berisha; he refuses to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Meta, while he does not communicate freely with Veli Myftari, Director General of Police, appointed against his wishes, since he too sees himself as a “de facto minister”. Thus Petro Koçi needs the sincere support of parliamentarians and President Meidani himself. If the socialists want to restore order once and for all and justify the trust shown by the votes of 29 June, they must support the current minister, who was criticized at the Vienna meeting by the “Group of Friends of Albania”. If the minister declares every day that he cannot work with the deputy minister, then why do the prime minister and the PS leadership not grant his request? If he knocks on Majko’s office door over the Director General, saying, “I don’t know him and I’m not sure of his abilities,” why does the prime minister, or someone behind him, force the untainted Minister Koçi into conflict?! Is there perhaps a strategy to disillusion him, or is he preparing his “sacrificial victim” by appointing someone from their own clan? How can the police function as a unified whole when the deputy minister sees himself as “minister” and the Director General of Police puffs himself up as if he were the minister’s superior? If you have entrusted the minister politically with maintaining order, give him all the legal powers so that tomorrow he cannot excuse himself by saying, “What could I do, when I had publicly declared that all the appointments were made against my wishes?” Either give the minister authority, or stop playing games with him in order to ruin his political career. Although surrounded by “friend-opponents”, Minister Koçi has managed to carry out a non-political reform and maintain a somewhat stable order, but challenges may arise unexpectedly during March and April, before the socialist congress convenes in June, where Koçi remains a serious candidate who threatens Majko, Meta and Islami. Nikollë Lesi

Special report By our correspondent in the North Anila Basha “We will all fight for Kosovo. We have not forgiven one another for the bloodshed, let alone forgive the Serb.” “Why does America want to collect the UÇK’s weapons? So it can sell them back again in two years?” P. 12–13