- 150 football specialists predict how the World Cup will unfold. - Brazil–Yugoslavia and Italy–Argentina in the semifinals. - Anti-terrorism agents with the Italian squad. - Interview with Jurgen Klinsman: “We are the generation of phenomena.” - “Spain will win the World Cup.” Coach Klemente speaks. - USA defender Lalas: “We will surprise the world.” - Polster ends Cameroon’s brief joy. Austria equalizes SPECIAL SECTION ON PAGES 10–11

The PD Chairman, Berisha, invited to the Élysée. On 15 June, a senior PD delegation goes to France From 15 to 19 June, a Democratic Party delegation led by the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, will make an official visit to France at the invitation of the President of the French Senate, Mr Rene Monory. The Chairman of the Democratic Party, Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha, and the delegation accompanying him will be received in separate meetings and hold talks with the President of the Republic of France, Mr Zhak Shirak, and the President of the Senate of the Republic of France, Mr Rene Monory, who, according to the Constitution, is also France’s second-highest-ranking figure. Mr Berisha will meet with other senior officials of the French Republic, leading figures of France’s main political forces, and heads of Parliament, the media and the French press. At these meetings, the Chairman of the Democratic Party will discuss the political situation in Albania, the issue of Kosovo and ways of resolving it, as well as cooperation between the Democratic Party and political forces in France allied with the Democratic Party. For the Democratic Party, this visit is of great importance beyond party politics; it represents strong, friendly support from France for Albanian democracy and continues the dialogue and cooperation with Albania’s great friends.

Greshicë, “Union for Democracy” continues its election campaign ON PAGE 2

Hundreds of Lazarati residents welcomed the “Union for Democracy” candidacy Islam Gjolloshi, candidate for municipal council chairman, a sure victory for the Democrats ON PAGE 2

Ben Blushi’s and the newspaper “KJ”’s ties to the VEFA Company are being concealed The Nano dynasty, the “meritocracy” of selection Ben Blushi’s and the newspaper “KJ”’s ties to the VEFA Company are being concealed Blushi’s father-in-law, VEFA’s lawyer The Nano dynasty, the “meritocracy” of selection Abaz Brati, the father-in-law of the deputy minister to the Albanian Prime Minister, has been appointed lawyer for the VEFA Company. The reason? Not merely to understand why Ben Blushi appointed his father-in-law as VEFA’s lawyer. Blushi was the managing editor of the daily “KJ” for a long time. This newspaper ranks among the first in terms of the monetary sums it secured from the VEFA Company during its heyday. The company’s ties with the newspaper in question were close, and Blushi himself signed contracts several times to receive money from VEFA. Under these contracts, Blushi withdrew a sum of 300 thousand dollars from the VEFA Company on behalf of the newspaper “KJ”. By appointing his father-in-law as VEFA’s lawyer, Blushi avoids the publication of reports that would disclose the amount of money he and the newspaper “KJ” withdrew from the Company. In this way, the relationships and interests concealed within these ties would remain hidden. Blushi and the newspaper to which he contributed will emerge untainted by the VEFA Company’s money. Besides the personal reasons, appointing the Deputy Prime Minister’s father-in-law as the Company VEFA’s lawyer also compromises the position that has been affected in this country of justice by a lawyer unfamiliar with the truth about this firm. The placing of the VEFA Company under the complete control of the families and in-laws of people around Nano demonstrates once again that today everything happening in government is done only by the people and relatives of the family that Nano himself leads. The Prime Minister’s circle of favorites and in-laws has long moved on from being promoted to numerous high and key political posts to also directing and managing illegal businesses known as trafficking. The writer, Director of the Agency, understood this better than anyone; knowing these connections firsthand, he described Nano’s “meritocracy” as “servility.” The much-discussed “meritocracy” touted by the Prime Minister is being exposed every day, and it is becoming clear that it consists only of the Prime Minister’s own family and in-laws. T.H

The Prime Minister of Albania is trying to undermine NATO’s resolve. Nano writes to Solana: Protect me, forget Kosovo Fatos Nano’s ninth option By Sami NEZA A letter sent by the Prime Minister of Albania, Fatos Nano, must have caused a stir yesterday at NATO headquarters in Brussels. A message from an Albanian heading the Albanian government to Solana is much clearer than anything the generals of this powerful international organization have been discussing for more than a month. Fatos Nano is seeking to shift priorities, and instead of Europe or the USA, he has called for NATO forces to be deployed in Albania to preserve the country’s internal stability—or, more clearly, as Nano himself put it, to protect the influx of Albanians who have left Kosovo. A government that has so far failed to establish even a state in Albania now portrays itself as gravely threatened by a future in which people are mostly asking for bread and some kind of shelter. It is also clear that this is the best moment to declare that, during a year in government, its only achievement has been the occupation of the Prime Minister’s office and the government apparatus. Yesterday, international news agencies reported the outcome of the meeting of NATO defence ministers, at which it was considered that there are now eight military options, developed at a high level, and that one would be implemented as necessary, depending on how the situation evolves. None of these options concerns Albania or Nano’s residence, and they all envisage bringing NATO forces or military assets into Kosovo to prevent massacres and the further displacement of our compatriots—who, for Nano, are simply crowds that may rebel as soon as they enter Albania and attack even the arms depots. While the option of deploying NATO troops in Albania was rejected more than a month ago and the option of NATO in Kosovo prevailed, thousands of citizens protested the day before yesterday in favor of precisely such an option, not far from Nano’s office. Thousands of other Albanians also protested in the main cities of Kosovo, Macedonia and many other cities in the West. They protested for what Nano did not ask for in his letter to Solana, and the letter he sent to Solana condemns Nano. It seems that these days the Albanians have also been joined by Germany’s Defence Minister, Ruhi, who has called for NATO to intervene quickly in Kosovo and spoken against deploying its forces on Albanian territory; Italy’s Defence Minister, Andreatta, who likewise called for swift military action; the US Defence Minister, Cohen; and Spain’s defence minister, all of whom spoke yesterday in favor of NATO action and a UN Security Council mandate for military intervention in Kosovo. The entire West, the USA, and dozens of politicians and analysts of the war that has begun in Kosovo are on the side of NATO’s eight options. Nano’s option, meanwhile, is among the most absurd. People know that Kosovo is at risk every day, and that the aim is to seek its destruction; as they say, those who have been seeking to remove it for a year are rubbing their hands in Serbia. They view the arrivals from Kosovo as a problem for Nano, while the Serbian people and Serbia, with Russia’s crime of vetoing a Security Council resolution that would allow NATO military intervention in Kosovo, are part of the picture. In other words, everyone is waiting for the letter to make the request they hope will resolve the Kosovo crisis and ease the burden that, in fact, is not spreading from Tirana: the crisis in Kosovo needs to be resolved in Albanian territory. The Albanian Prime Minister’s act of diversion against all American and European diplomacy, against the protests of Albanians and Kosovo’s aspirations for independence, has no parallel. For a prime minister of a country to accept the destruction of his compatriots on the grounds that his own seat is threatened would be illogical even if it concerned the lands of the block where Nano’s own line is located—not to mention two million Albanians. This is Fatos Nano’s blind patriotism and the Albanian Prime Minister’s outright anti-Albanianism.

REUTERS

The Parliament of Kalashnikovs “washes its hands” with the edits and amendments to the report that conceal the leaders and crimes of the communist rebellion ON PAGE 3

PAD and PBDNJ distance themselves from the failure of the left-wing coalition government ON PAGE 2

Institute of Labour of the Trade Unions: Subsistence minimum, 19,400 lekë Institute Director Ilia Telo: “80% of the subsistence minimum, 19,400 new lekë, goes only on food. This indicates a life of extreme poverty.” ON PAGE 5

Five days have passed since the mysterious disappearance of the chairman of the Businessmen’s Association The government’s mysterious abduction of the chairman of the Businessmen’s Association has shaken not only his relatives but public opinion as a whole. ON PAGE 4

The opposition is concerned about the unequal election campaign ON PAGE 3

Prime Minister Nano deceived the UN Under-Secretary-General, Yuantha Dhanapala, yesterday, telling him that the government had so far collected 20% of the weapons. Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence told the senior UN representative that the Albanian government had so far collected only 10% of the weapons. The contradictory statements by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence about the collection of weapons in the country meant that the UN Under-Secretary-General was not reassured, but was able to recognize Nano’s deception. According to sources at the Ministry of the Interior, only 20,000 weapons have been collected so far, equivalent to 3% of the weapons held by the population of our country.