Nano on the campaign trail: 6 dead and 14 wounded ON PAGE 4

Berat. Attack on a police armored vehicle. 3 dead ON PAGE 4

Mejdani’s “assassination attempt” is a crude Socialist fabrication ON PAGE 4

. For the past two days, Fatos Nano has been a thief in two countries. Italy’s State Audit Office has reopened the criminal case concerning the aid scandal involving assistance that the EU had allocated to Albania in 1991, precisely when Fatos Nano was prime minister. Everything has become clear after lengthy work by Italian institutions, which are highly respected in Italy. The investigations lasted about five years, while the results across the sea are only now beginning to emerge. For the second time, Italy’s former foreign minister, Xhani de Mikelis, has been summoned to the dock; he technically sponsored the theft he carried out together with Fatos Nano. The initial figures, relating only to the infrastructure for the aid, are enormous. The Italian State Audit Office has established that about 90,000 dollars were stolen through misappropriation alone, not counting theft through fictitious increases in the prices of goods, as well as the many other schemes devised at the expense of the hungry people of those days. Conscious of the damage he suffered at the hands of Albanian justice in 1993, Nano thanked the bandits and thieves who got him out of prison a week ago. On this occasion, he kicked aside everything his colleagues in the SP had done in the political struggle, through international organizations, to improve even slightly the image of a thief in the eyes of European politics. After a long odyssey, Albanian justice has once again been vindicated. Now Nano is no longer ... free to do as he pleases in Italy. It will be very difficult for him to set foot on the other shore of the Adriatic if Interpol does not issue a wanted notice for him in the coming days, so that he can be placed alongside Xhani de Mikelis. With his theft, Nano has now insulted not only Albania and the Albanians, but also the Italians who contributed from their own wealth to overcome hunger in the neighboring country. He has likewise insulted the philanthropy of the European Union and all those people who gave of themselves to reduce the suffering of Albanians as much as possible. If the former Italian minister is guilty before his people once, Nano is guilty several times over and, moreover, a despicable thief, a pilferer of gifts. His trial lasted about three months, and he never had the strength to face the charge. Two very young prosecutors confronted him, while he himself was unable—or lacked the courage—to engage in even the most minimal debate against what was being said about him. He has repeatedly evaded phone calls, but the fact is that these are stronger than all his ... and irresponsibility. As a thief, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while it is now being confirmed even more strongly that the repeated offenses committed by the President of the Republic were well-founded. He should not have been pardoned. A prime minister who robs his own people is even more of a thief than an ordinary thief, even one who robs banks. Now his attempt to obtain acquittal is definitively over as well. He believed he could achieve this as soon as he came to power. Through his diktat, he hoped he would manage to subdue Albanian justice and escape the stigma of being a thief. Now his stigma has spread beyond Albania too. His road to the West is closed. Albanians have no intention of letting one of their thieves and plunderers stay in a country where honesty is valued above everything else. Socialist leader Nano can no longer go to Italy for a holiday. He cannot do so with a forged passport, or as a clanocrat. In other words, not even with the supports that got him out of prison and for which he expressed more gratitude than for anything else.

Postponing the elections would further worsen the situation in the country. Europe and the USA will strongly assist Albania after the vote. The elections are the first step toward resolving the crisis OSCE envoy: Albanians must not allow gangs to threaten the elections

President Berisha makes his final appeal to the Prime Minister President Berisha makes his final appeal to Prime Minister Fino: Be transparent about the pyramid schemes! Minister Malaj, for party and personal reasons, has opposed the implementation of the legal obligation, President Berisha writes in his letter to Prime Minister Fino, and I will support you if you propose any concrete measure in response to his irresponsible stance on transparency regarding the pyramid firms. ON PAGE 3

Criminal act by Kastriot Islami’s gangs, in Ballsh An armed PS gang fired on Monday at participants in an election rally held by two Democratic Party leaders in Ballsh. While Genc Pollo and Azem Hajdari were introducing the Democratic Party’s parliamentary candidate in the area, Gëzim Osmani, Kastriot Islami’s communists fired weapons over the heads of the people attending and at the platform, while threatening to throw bombs, “terrorizing people in order to disrupt the election rally.” The Democratic Party said that Ballsh residents know the armed individuals as the armed wing of Kastriot Islami. The Democratic Party emphasized that it condemns and denounces all acts of violence and terror being carried out against the leaders of political parties participating in the election campaign. The Democratic Party publicly denounced the repetition of these acts of terror, violence and pressure against the leaders, members and supporters of the PD. The PDSH stressed that it strongly condemns all acts of violence against all political forces, including the incident involving Socialist Party Secretary General Rexhep Mejdani while he was on his way to Pukë. The Democratic Party also emphasized that it has declared its commitment to conducting a calm and peaceful campaign. Attacks by armed groups against the President of the Republic and the leaders of political parties have heightened tensions in the country ahead of the general elections of June 29. While Genc Pollo and Azem Hajdari were introducing the Democratic Party’s parliamentary candidate in the area, Gëzim Osmani, PS thugs fired weapons over the heads of the people attending the rally and threatened to throw bombs, “terrorizing people in order to disrupt the election rally.”

From literary Albania, often only one name is remembered: Ismail Kadare. A new name reaches us today, that of Fatos Kongoli. Fatos KONGOLI on the front page of France’s best-known newspaper, “Le Monde” The writer of great confessions Literary Albania is often remembered by just one name: Ismail Kadare. A new name reaches us today: that of Fatos Kongoli. ON PAGE 7

Shehu’s election meetings in the district of Pukë “We,” said the chairman of the PDSH, “have spent five years fighting to put the country on the path of democracy and integration, while the socialist leaders have undermined our work over these five years with the ultimate aim of proletarian revolution— “We,” said the chairman of the PDSH, “have spent five years fighting to put the country on the path of democracy and integration, while over these five years the socialist leaders have undermined our work with the ultimate aim of proletarian revolution. It is no coincidence that Nano and Fino boldly declare that they will integrate Albania through Partnership for Peace, when it is known that we joined four years ago. ON PAGE 2

Berisha meets with the residents of Vorë PD guarantees freedoms, property and integration The President greeted all those political forces “of the Union for Democracy and opponents of the PD, newspaper journalists, economists and intellectuals who denounced the socialists’ deception about the return of the money on June 9” ON PAGE 3

Free economic zones and the socialist venom directed at them Socialists are seized by “anti-zone fever” Nano’s game is intended to throw the moderate socialist economists in the trash ON PAGE 5