A section of the Durrës-Kavajë road will have to be built from scratch. The asphalt has begun to crumble. The Fushë Krujë-Milot superhighway has problems with its height and unfinished bridges The Prime Minister lashes out: Greek company “Sarandopulos” and Italian company “Falcione”, as well as French supervisor “Shetaru”, must cover the costs. Open theft of highway funds page 19

MENTOR KIKIA Yesterday, the Director General of KESH, Farudin Hoxha, a man who grew up with hydroelectric plants and power pylons, nearly fainted when he learned that some people in the villages of Korçë had taken their saws and were cutting the metal off the pylons of the power transmission line between Albania and Greece. “This is the greatest damage that can be done to this country.” He recalls that a month ago a pylon was blown up in Mirditë, but he did not want it made public, because in Albania the syndrome of evil spreads immediately. Meanwhile, in Shijak, the wires were taken from a line during the night, leaving a village in darkness. The next day, rumors—which had also reached his office—said this was revenge because the village had voted for the PS. The time when explosives knocked down one giant pylon after another every night seemed to be behind us. But now, with political fever rising in the country, it seems the same places are becoming victims once more. It is normal, in an abnormal country, not to pay for the energy you consume. It is also normal in a country like ours for elections to be held whenever one party or another wants them. And it is just as normal for politicians to curse and rage against each other. They even take to the streets and smash office windows, simply because their opponents are there. But it is just as normal for all of us to ask: What on earth have you got against the power pylons? For the PS to come to power three years ago, half of Albania had to be wrecked. We are still paying the price for that madness. Just as we paid for what was burned and destroyed on 14 September, when the PD tried to seize power with a brigade of tank crews. Now that the PD has taken to the streets again and is demanding early elections, in the name of the corruption that has engulfed the current Government—and thanks to this has won the people’s support—those frightening consequences are appearing on the scene once more: the destruction of national wealth. NATO destroyed airports and bridges in order to weaken Millosheviç. Our politicians do the same whenever they feel like taking power. This people may forgive those who have climbed to the top of the heap almost anything: theft, shouting and insults. But not this. There are the power pylons: knock them down and put them back up as often as you like. Curse and insult one another whenever you like. But national wealth belongs to everyone. Everyone’s energy and wealth have been invested in building it, whether under a monarchy, communism or democracy.

STABILITY PACT page 3 The West pours billions into the Balkans

Structural components are being removed from the giant pylons of the Albania-Greece line The high-voltage pylons of the international electricity transmission line are at risk of collapsing. Residents of villages along its route are removing the iron structures from the giant pylons. Korçë police identified and detained one of them two days ago in the village of Shengjergj. He was caught in the act of cutting the metal structures of the 400 kW high-voltage pylons on the international electricity transmission line between Albania and Greece. Although the police bulletin says nothing about the incident, the news was reported to the Energy Branch Directorate of the Korçë Prefecture. Electrical engineer Dhimitër Sharenami, who is responsible for maintaining this line and the electrical substations, confirms that the damage is becoming an epidemic, creating a real danger to the international electricity export-import line. page 7