As part of the uncompromising fight against corruption, incompetence and mediocrity, the current prime minister is preparing further purges in his government cabinet, in order to remain true to his oath before the Constitution . Meta to dismiss four more ministers. PAD heading for departure from the governing coalition. Ceka and Zogaj oppose Meta, while Pashko, Teta and Jaku support the prime minister’s heavy-handed approach. Page 3

It can be said without hesitation that Tirana is outdoing even the cities best known as centers of crime. Yesterday’s massacre on one of the capital’s streets was yet another example showing that the capital’s police have been overwhelmed by crime. Daytime killings have by now become a routine that darkens life in Tirana. While criminals’ guns spew bursts of bullets at their next victims, the police seem not to exist. Thus, in addition to the usual macabre murder scenarios, the residents of the capital have also memorized the police’s part in these scenarios, which begins with their late arrival at the crime scene and ends with the statement, “the perpetrators fled in an unknown direction.” The assurances by local police chiefs that “the killers have been identified” or “the perpetrators will soon be caught,” and so on, are likewise unconvincing, as the killers have ever-greater room to operate. Indeed, even when the police have identified the perpetrator, they have proved incapable of putting him behind bars. This disturbing situation has greatly increased the sense of insecurity, and the once-held belief that “the state is felt only in Tirana” now belongs entirely to a past that seems impossible to recover, in the face of repeated events such as yesterday’s. Over the past two years, police chiefs have resorted to changes in various parts of the law-enforcement structures as their only solution, but they still seem not to have understood that this alone is insufficient. In a way, frequent changes and the desire for [unclear in source] after crimes have even had the opposite effect. Police effectiveness cannot be improved by ultimatums either. Apart from some structural changes, what could bring the much-desired turnaround in the work of Tirana’s police is a change in working methods—first and foremost in mentality—as well as an increase in their low salaries. Alongside giving greater importance to intelligence work, in such a situation [unclear in source] only if the police apply the principle of a “firm hand,” without being overly constrained by respect for human rights, at a time when criminals deny their innocent victims the right to live. Last year, according to official reports, nearly 100 police officers were killed, but it is hard to believe that the police eliminated more criminals than that. This fact alone should prompt police chiefs to apply harsh methods. If such a course is not pursued, Tirana and all of Albania will be ruled by the world of crime.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister at Meidani’s yesterday

Deputy Minister of Public Economy and Privatization Mr. Viktor Doda comments on the accusation made by the government against former minister Zef Preçi Deputy Minister of Public Economy and Privatization, Mr. Viktor Doda, comments on the accusation made by the government against former minister Zef Preçi. Minister falsified the “KASTPETROL” license. What is the truth about your memorandum concerning an invalid license granted to the company “Kastpetrol” by former minister Zef Preçi? I declare, under legal responsibility, that the note I entered in my capacity as deputy minister on the memorandum submitted by the Ministry’s Legal Directorate concerning the file of the entity “KASTPETROL” on 23 November 1999 had the sole purpose of resolving the issue through legal means. I publicly declare, under my legal responsibility, that I had no knowledge whatsoever of this private entity’s license, and that its file contained no license signed by minister Zef Preçi on the day I made the relevant note, namely 23 November 1999, although a later inspection by the Prime Minister’s Office revealed that on 22 November 1999 the minister had issued a license in violation of all legal criteria. So I repeat: on 23 November, the private company’s file contained no license, whereas it now appears that the documents were manipulated, making it seem as though the company had obtained a license on 22 November 1999. Prosecutor’s Office begins investigation of former minister dismissed by Meta Yesterday, Prime Minister Meta first asked President of the Republic Mr. Meidani to dismiss the minister, and then also asked the Republic’s Prosecutor General, Mr. Rakipi, to investigate violations of the law by the former minister dismissed from his cabinet, Zef Preçi. According to sources in the Prosecutor’s Office, the minister’s complete case file has reached a group of prosecutors, who are investigating whether the minister should be arrested or whether the investigation can continue while he remains at liberty. This is the first case in which a prime minister has sought criminal punishment for one of his ministers, although in this matter and in the case of two other ministers, investigations were initiated by the Meta cabinet and then by the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office. The Prime Minister’s Office is keeping the names of the other two ministers secret.