Guardia di Finanza seizes 150 tons of smuggled tobacco ON PAGE 6

Ruçi opposes Nano: NATO should be deployed in Kosovo ON PAGE 3

Investigations begin into the PAD trafficker ON PAGE 6

Arben Malaj with an 18-thousand-dollar watch: Where did Nano get the money for the gift? ON PAGE 3

OSCE mediates so that the PS can campaign OSCE Ambassador Daan Everts and Daniel J. Blessington, Director of the IFES Project, yesterday asked state television to make 20 minutes available to the DP to cover its activities. This time was irregularly granted to the PS, in consideration of a reservation it had made, in violation of the law on local government elections... ON PAGE 3

Berisha and the DP delegation meet the Deputy President of the French Senate Berisha: Albanians in Kosovo are ready to line up alongside NATO. The problems in Albania are grave because the authorities politically exclude the opposition and pursue a policy of its liquidation France recognizes the important role of the Albanian opposition in the country’s political life and supports its positions on the Kosovo issue, seeing them as highly capable of offering options for aligning forces to resolve the conflict. The chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, and the senior DP delegation accompanying him on his visit to Paris were received yesterday at a working lunch by the Deputy President of the French Senate, Jean Delaneau, with whom they discussed the problems of political life in Albania and the situation in Kosovo. The French side expressed great interest in the positions of the Albanian opposition, one of the most important factors in the country’s political life, regarding the situation in Kosovo. Berisha expressed his views on the need to strengthen the Albanian factor in Kosovo, as a means of strengthening the Albanian factor in the efforts in the Balkans to balance forces and help the International Community make it easier to resolve the conflict, whose spread poses a great risk of a wider regional war. Berisha said that Albanians in Kosovo are ready to line up alongside NATO to prevent the further escalation of the situation in Kosovo and move toward a final political solution, coordinating their activity with Western forces and the Atlantic Alliance. Berisha said that the opposition is working to stabilize the situation in the country, strengthen the cohesion of the Albanian factor, stabilize the situation in Albania, and prevent the weakening of the Albanian factor in the Balkans. The DP chairman went on to say that the problems in Albania are grave because the state is politically excluding the opposition and because of the policy of its physical liquidation. Berisha cited several assassination attempts against Democratic Party deputies, activists and supporters. He focused especially on the grave incident in Tropojë, where an attempt was made to kill DP deputy Hajdari and Minarolli; the incident at Parliament; the Levan massacre, in which Bujari Suli was killed; and others. Giving a brief overview of the political situation in Albania, Berisha emphasized that the current government has become a systematic violator of freedoms and rights—not only those of the opposition, but of Albanian citizens in general. Meanwhile, he stressed the Democratic Party’s determination to resist and withstand all the pressure and attacks of the former communists in power, and to lead the country toward genuine elections—that is, free and fair elections. The Deputy President of the French Senate promised Berisha direct support for the opposition in Albania, for its concerns about domestic political life, and for recognition of the situation and the opposition’s efforts on issues important to the country and the region. He expressed confidence that the Democratic Party would continue to play a decisive role in the future of Albanian democracy, despite the serious problems the country is experiencing. This was the first official meeting on the French tour of Democratic Party chairman Sali Berisha and the delegation he leads.

The chief customs smuggler campaigns with cigarettes ON PAGE 3

By Lazër STANI On June 21, partial local elections will be held in Albania. Judging by their geographical scope and the number of voters who will take part in the voting to elect their local authorities, one might say that they are not of primary importance. Nevertheless, it is precisely the moment and the context in which these elections are taking place that make them of primary importance in the hierarchy of national concerns and achievements in the country’s democracy. All the more so because this is the first electoral process to take place after the tragic accident that befell Albanians in the ill-fated spring of last year. Will Albanians be able, through this important electoral process, to demonstrate their civic responsibility, their civic-mindedness toward democracy, democratic culture and social capacity? A definitive answer to this question can be given accurately only after June 21. In any case, the moment is one that every voter should reflect on before heading to the ballot boxes on June 21, regardless of political orientation or conviction. Because a free vote is civic-mindedness. A free vote is the essence. Through a citizen’s responsibility for their vote, respect for oneself is first expressed, but an individual’s cultural and political awareness is also expressed. The citizen’s free vote is what connects the individual and the state, both individually and collectively; it is an expression of responsibility and mutual respect. For it is precisely this vote on which the building of the state rests, or, in other words, every vote is a brick in the great edifice of the state. A citizen’s first contribution to building the state is therefore their free vote and, undoubtedly, the quality of that vote. A responsible, uninfluenced, sound—in short, a normal—vote leads to the creation of a more democratic state, which ensures civic well-being and economic prosperity. The free vote is the only means by which a person, holding their life in their hands, feels the weight of responsibility for their own future and that of their fellow citizens, the safety of their family’s life, the security of their property and the possibility of expanding that property, and human and national dignity. In fact, experience shows that this is closely connected with democratization and, after all these years, with the formalization of the citizen’s vote and its impartial administration. Even during the years of dictatorship, Albanians went to vote, choosing their representatives with their bodies lined up and dropping a written ballot into a box. In that electoral process, over decades, the vote lost its sanctity, its meaning and its real content. People voted with their eyes on them, forced to vote, just as they were forced to do many other things, but their vote had no value and changed nothing in their lives as slaves. Power was born of violent revolution and neither depended on nor was determined by the citizen’s formal vote. This legacy of dictatorship, in which every value was turned into a lifeless formula, could not be overcome without a change in people’s mentality, concepts and convictions. Even seven years of the post-dictatorship period were not enough to restore to people’s consciousness the values that had been violated and badly crippled. The past year should have taught Albanians at least two things: first, that they must permanently abandon violent revolutionary practices for seizing power; and second, that the state is indispensable. From the recent year, Albanians should also have understood other things: first, that they must permanently break with revolutionary parties; and second, that the state cannot be built by bandits, by people who rule with the club, who, over a morsel, a parliament or a government, burn municipal buildings, attack military units, and use violence and fear to seize power from the citizens, in order to destroy it.

Police terror, violations of the law and manipulation of voter lists continue in Rroskovec The opposition warns the Clique If the violence is not abandoned, we will withdraw the candidate ON PAGE 2 Bode, Hajdari, Spahia, Starova, Mani, Mandri in Bujaras, Elbasan Nano—the cause of misery The June 21 vote against those who put black veils on mothers, wives and sisters with the return of armed rebellion ON PAGE 2 Nano blocks the DP rally in Vlorë on Thursday Police obstruct the opposition’s campaign ON PAGE 2

The opposition’s visit to Paris aroused the interest of the French media Mustafaj is interviewed for around 30 minutes by TV5, one of France’s most important channels The French media have shown broad interest in the visit to Paris by the Albanian opposition delegation, led by Democratic Party chairman Sali Berisha. Paris’s leading newspapers and television stations have shown unusual interest in learning the Albanian opposition’s positions on developments in democracy in Albania, and especially on the explosive situation in the Balkans, following the war that Millosheviç declared on the Albanians of Kosovo. The well-known newspaper “Le monde,” in an article on the latest developments in Kosovo, quotes Berisha, who says, among other things, that “The Kosovo Liberation Army must obey its political leader, Ibrahim Rugova, and the Albanian factor must be consolidated.” France’s most important channel, TV5, interviewed the well-known Albanian writer Besnik Mustafaj live in the studio on Tuesday afternoon. The former Albanian ambassador to France and former representative of the opposition delegation answered questions for around 30 minutes about the Albanian opposition’s visit to France and expressed its views on the Kosovo problem. During the interview, Mustafaj said that the meeting between Millosheviç and Jelcin would not produce the result sought to stop the bloodshed and withdraw military and police forces from Kosovo. He said that the Albanian opposition is the only constructive factor in the Balkan crisis and that it has called on Rugova to discipline and strengthen the Kosovo Liberation Army, as a force fighting for popular resistance. He said there is no army in Kosovo, but its fighters are Albanians defending their homes and lands.

The Phenomenon brings a fearsome Brazil - Scotland - Norway 1:1. The tradition continues - Brazil - Morocco 3:0. Ronaldo brings a fearsome Brazil - Milutinoviç now untouchable. Nigeria’s “wizard” speaks: “We are powerful” - Cameroon player mocks the Azzurri. “We lions will eat them” - Capello: “Italy must not underestimate its opponents” - With the team it has, Germany will go very far - Bierhoff: “I will score a goal in the final” - Hasler injured, Germany concerned - Romania warns England SPECIAL SECTION ON PAGES 10–11