Exclusive interview for “KJ” from Paris with the great writer Kadare about the political situation in Albania and Kosovo Does Rugova have the face to appear before his people when he himself is sunbathing on the Italian coast? pages 16–17

The reports from yesterday’s meeting of the “Friends of Albania” held in Brussels were a warning bell for the Albanian government. The few positive assessments of the situation in Albania mainly concerned the Albanian government’s stance during NATO’s campaign against Yugoslavia. But this cannot be counted among the government’s “merits,” since it was impossible to take any position other than supporting NATO and the USA or sheltering our compatriots expelled by Millosheviçi. Yesterday the “Friends” expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation in Albania and their disappointment at the government’s inability to fulfil its obligations to the electorate and to the international community. The friends’ criticisms cover a very broad range of problems, starting with delays in implementing reform, the privatization process, transparency regarding the pyramid schemes, illegal trafficking and smuggling, crime in general and the scandalous state of the justice system, inability to administer foreign aid, and finally the cancer of the Albanian state: corruption and the lack of order. Given the negative assessments in the areas affected by the problems mentioned above—which will be a serious concern for the “Friends”—who would be right to ask: What can the government be proud of in its work? The truth is that not only the “Friends of Albania,” but anyone with even the slightest connection to Albania, have quite openly pointed out all these negative phenomena, whose flourishing has had one thing in common: the absence of the state. Perhaps what matters more to Albanians are the consequences of such a situation, since nobody has any reason to pay attention to an Albania without a state. Specifically, unlike its neighbours, our country, owing to the government’s incompetence, seems not to be benefiting from the “window of historic opportunity” that opened with the war for Kosovo. Specifically, the signals from Brussels yesterday amount to an open ultimatum to Majko and his team. If the government does not move beyond words and take concrete action in an effort to remedy the deeply troubling situation, it faces the risk of being definitively abandoned by the international community, and therefore by the “Friends of Albania” as well. In light of yesterday’s assessments by the “Friends,” the reduction of funds for Albania or the departure of most NATO personnel are now seen in a different light. In any case, the time has come for the members of the “Majko” cabinet to account for themselves. Now more than ever, Majko must break the silence on the “Alliance for the State” plan, while also seeking the opposition’s help. Indeed, this step would also be a response to the opposition’s decision to return to parliament. Albania and the people living in this country are not obliged to remain hostages to the coalitions or clans that dominate Albanian politics. There is no reason why Prime Minister Majko, who is not involved in dirty games, should burn his career because of his failure to carry out strong operations in the government. Otherwise, he and his cabinet will be swept away, and it will be difficult for anyone to save them. Yesterday Majko received his first public warning. He should not wait for the second to come from the new American ambassador, who is due to arrive in Tirana around 8 September.

The verification commission accuses senior officials — page 16 The Presidency and the government do not declare their assets