Yesterday, an urgent meeting was held at the Ministry of Public Order regarding Berisha’s visit PD leader Berisha: “I will go to Vlora without the help of the thieves in power” page 2-4 Yesterday, an urgent meeting was held at the Ministry of Public Order regarding Berisha’s visit Tension in Vlora, police on alert PD leader Berisha: “I will go to Vlora without the help of the thieves in power” page 2-4

The secret scandal The Presidency denies: We did not give the letter to Berisha page 5

Agreement yesterday Billions from Italy so Tirana can have enough water page 15

Protest at the municipality Gabi on hunger strike: We’ll leave you naked page 13

From the Vlora residents’ rallies against Berisha in 1997

By Frrok Çupi Only last night did things happen differently: We, its workers, went to “Koha” to celebrate the newspaper’s ninth birthday. It never happens any other time. “Koha Jonë,” an independent daily, does not allow itself even the human vice of laziness, nor does it ever lie sick, waiting for people. It always comes, every day. Someone may think I will say that “Koha Jonë” came into our difficult times, when politics and politicians were this and that... In fact, “Koha,” like a good worker, has often been compelled to shoulder the sack of politics and go from person to person: “You wanted politics? Here, have a little of it.” The biggest product on the market—politics. Nine years ago, when it set out from the northern city of Lezhë to come here, “Koha” sensed that a place in the free press had been left vacant. As soon as the first opposition newspaper and pioneer of free speech, “RD,” was occupied by the Bolshevik democrats in the summer of 1991, “Koha” came and opened a platform for “the forbidden.” From that day on, without pause, “Koha” became a medicine: some needed it like poison, while others needed it like a remedy. The newspaper’s merit is that it came to everyone’s aid, even those who “didn’t like it” and set fire to its nest. It is not “Koha’s” fault that it was forced, early in the morning, to shoulder the sack of bitter news; it had to come and tell us about our dreadful “Otranto,” about the hooded men in the streets at night, about the imprisonment of its own journalists and opposition politicians, about the gang and the victim, about Europe and our poor country. It is not to blame, but blessed for telling the truth produced on this soil. If “Koha” and its sister papers (which came after it) had not existed, we would have fallen into the dark pit of ignorance; worse still. Just let us try to “plant” good things in our garden, Albania! “Koha” will be the happiest porter of good news; it will harvest it and bring it to us. Every morning, along with our cup of coffee, we wait for “Koha” to arrive. Freedom of speech and a free press in Albania are, at least, a reality. “Koha” itself has worked all these years to build this edifice of our civil society. Yesterday was the day it also remembered its birthday and gathered congratulations. Today “Koha” is back at work, just as always.