Open polemics in the official talks between the two counterparts Yesterday in Athens, the Prime Minister opposed Simitis’s statement, leading to a cooling of relations on the Greek side page 5

The issue of the property of the Çam population in Greece was not absent from the talks that Albanian Prime Minister Meta held yesterday with his Greek counterpart, Simitis. What matters in this case is that this is the first time in the history of Greek-Albanian relations that a left-wing prime minister has openly challenged the Greek dismissive stance toward the lawful property of the Çams, property that was blocked at the end of the war by the Greek state on the absurd pretext of classifying the entire Çam population as “collaborators” of the Nazi occupier. In fact, in the past, various problems linked to Greece’s role in Albania’s economic development during these years of pluralism—foremost among them the issue of the stay in Greece of several hundred thousand Albanian refugees—have influenced some servile attitudes on the part of our officials toward their Greek counterparts. In this respect, there have also been cases in which representatives of the Greek state suggested to Albanian politicians that, if possible, they avoid the Çam issue in talks with Greek officials. This happened during Mitsotakis’s first visit to Albania, and again more recently during the visit of the current prime minister, Simitis, when the request not to discuss the Çam issue was addressed to opposition leader Berisha. Most of the time, the Albanian side has taken care not to “upset” its Greek friends. But yesterday Prime Minister Meta did not hesitate to challenge Mr. Simitis’s Greek position of refusing to recognize the property of the Çam population. Simitis stated that “the Greek government definitively does not recognize the Çam property issue.” Meta, taking a mature position and remaining very calm, responded to his counterpart by invoking international legislation and conventions to which Greece itself is a party. The position taken yesterday by the Albanian prime minister regarding the property of the Çams should be considered a realistic one. It is a well-known fact that the more than 300,000 Albanian refugees who have lived in Greece for several years often find themselves in difficult circumstances; the problems they face arise from time to time in Greek-Albanian relations. But defending the legitimate rights of the Çam population in talks with more powerful neighbors is undoubtedly a realistic position to bear in mind now that we are engaged in friendly Albanian-Greek dialogue. Ultimately, ensuring that the Çams’ lawful rights to their property are upheld must be a concern of official Albanian policy, especially in view of current international trends, where human rights occupy a leading place.

The jury’s mistake: Aurela wins after the festival. Special feature, pages 16–17

Machine guns, anti-tank weapons and bombs against the armored vehicle The police squad was patrolling the Kakavija road page 9

You have one day left to make amends for the way you treated 62 Albanian tourists. Let your irony in celebrating Christ’s birth in February, at the time of Buddha’s birth, and the arrival of the millennium at the time of the Chinese New Year be the last irony that a representative of a country like Italy directs at Albanians. ATHS