Police and army will intervene by force to disarm them Ultimatum issued to 600 FARK troops stationed in several Albanian cities page 2

Albania is perhaps the only country whose leaders

Albania is perhaps the only country whose leaders prefer, wherever possible, for every activity to take place outside the legal framework. perhaps the only country whose leaders prefer, wherever possible, for every activity to take place outside the legal framework. Apart from areas where material gains are direct, the tendency to leave the way things function to spontaneity is also evident in fields that are more spiritual in nature, where business takes a back seat, such as art and culture, as well as the operation of the media, especially electronic media. Specifically, the issue is the creation of a legal framework providing for the regulation of public and private television stations, whose number has grown considerably in recent years. Alongside the introduction of a degree of state oversight, regulation of the activities of public and private audiovisual media is also essential to prevent conflicts between different entities in this field, primarily unfair competition. These were the main reasons behind the idea of establishing a Council (KKRT) to regulate the activities of this category of media, beginning with their licensing and extending to other matters, down to the smallest details. However, although several months have passed since the deadline set for appointing this nationwide council, nothing had been done so far; worse still, the proposed formula is devoid of any hint of pluralism. Specifically, under this formula the commission has been turned into a section of the Socialist Party, which, after sidelining its allies, has three representatives on the National Council of Radio and Television, not counting the presidential representative. The aim of bringing audiovisual media, public and private alike, under party control best explains why Parliament Speaker Gjinushi’s proposal for forming this commission was ignored. In fact, that proposal is clearly more pluralistic. Such contradictions explain very well the real reasons for delaying the legislation in question. Some media outlets, linked to dubious mafia circles or serving various political groups and clans, are being privileged and exploiting the legal vacuum to strengthen their position, naturally at the expense of those waiting for fair competition to begin under established rules. This makes one suspect that both the delay in setting up the public information media commission and the way it is being designed are deliberate. Nevertheless, the National Council of Radio and Television will be definitively approved within the coming week, and after that the rules governing audiovisual media will be strict—which means that part of the power will be brought under the rule of law.

Serious incident at Rinas involving President Meidani Anila Prifti “Mr. President, look how well you are protected by the State Police. I am standing in front of you with a knife in my hand and I could kill you”—this is what a Kosovar said to the President of the Republic, Rexhep Meidani, as he was climbing the aircraft stairs to travel to Germany on Sunday. Meidani, while waiting to leave the runway at Rinas, was confronted with the biggest surprise of his life. A man with a knife in his hand blocked his way while he was surrounded by dozens of police officers and bodyguards. It is not known how the Kosovar refugee got in, or how he ended up standing in front of Albania’s head of state with a knife in his hand, but he revealed a bitter truth: anyone can kill our President, whenever they want. Even with a knife, and at an airport that has by now been transformed into a military jungle. Faced with this threatening man, the President could do nothing but smile and tell him: “You are not here to attack me.” After that, the bodyguards took action, apprehended him and disarmed him. The unusual incident took place at Rinas Airport two days ago, as Meidani was leaving for Germany. The incident prompted the strictest security measures for dignitaries at Rinas Airport. Yesterday at 12:00, the Council for the Security of Dignitaries met at Rinas and discussed the incident, which had been kept completely secret because of its scandalous proportions. Perhaps for the first time in his life, President Meidani was threatened by an armed person. But perhaps for the first time, he managed to understand the level of security at the place he leads. After the incident, the police made sure that no information about it got out. It is therefore still unknown who the refugee was, where he came from, how he managed to get in front of the President, or what his purpose was. Likewise, no one can say whether he intended to kill the President. Someone from the police at Rinas describes this as the act of an adventurer, intended to show what he could do and how protected Albania’s number one is. In any case, before leaving Rinas, Mr. Meidani did not forget to instruct the police not to mistreat his “assailant.”

A KLA unit disarmed yesterday by US NATO forces in Kosovo photo REUTERS A KLA unit disarmed yesterday by US NATO forces in Kosovo — photo REUTERS