Serious incident in our territorial waters. A Greek patrol boat fires a machine gun and sinks at sea the boat belonging to an Albanian owner After entering about 2 km into Albanian border waters, the Greek military patrol boat opened fire on the boat for 20 minutes straight until it sank it. The people aboard jumped into the water, and it is not known whether they survived. ON PAGE 6

Police ask Radio “Kontakt” for lists of Albanians from Kosovo ON PAGE 6

Kinkel writes to Nano that he cannot visit Germany. Advice to the prime minister: “Be careful, don’t throw foreign policy off course”

By Astrit PATOZI Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano yesterday attacked all the important political forces in Kosovo, taking a new position that appears much more advanced than that of official Moscow in siding with Belgrade. In his speech at the well-known Crans Montana Forum, Nano categorically opposed the option of Kosovo’s independence, clearly distancing himself from the demands of Albanians who follow Rugova’s political course or who fight in blood and fire under the symbols and with the weapons of the KLA. But what is most serious about this new stance by the Albanian prime minister, who has taken three different positions on the Kosovo issue in the last three days, is that he regards the KLA and its fighters, who are being killed defending their homes, as no different from Milo- [text as printed is garbled] the participants at the Crans Montana Forum, when he declared that Rugova could not meet with Milošević. Nano’s attack on Rugova, at the height of efforts to bring together the Albanians’ armed resistance with their political course, which is accepted by all sides, even the Serbs themselves, is [text as printed is garbled] a particularly vile attempt to undermine a resolution of the conflict in the interests of the Albanian cause. There is now no doubt that Nano is seeking to cut the KLA off completely from the political forces, leaving armed people to be killed without knowing why or in whose name, while leaving politicians without the support of people who are ready to give their lives for the sacred principles they defend. Even Serbia’s natural allies have not said anything like this so far. They have on many occasions called for an end to violence by both sides, thereby equating the KLA with Milošević’s police and army, but at least they have never ignored the role of Rugova’s followers in meeting with Milošević. Yesterday Nano did not say who might replace Rugova in talks with the Serbs, but it is now clear that, for the Albanian prime minister, they are the Marxists who welcomed him and saw him off in Switzerland or Germany, to whom he gave speeches about his “father” five years ago. The only good thing in this entire disgusting affair is that the Albanians of Kosovo, and all Albanians in Albania who do not see the war in which their brothers are being killed as if it were happening in some exotic country, now understand perfectly clearly that the government in Tirana is wholly against them. At least Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano has called all those fighting to defend their homes and children terrorists, and all those who have fled the flames of war to find shelter in Albania smugglers. If there is any minister or official who still has a shred of decency—because one cannot speak of nationalism in a government that goes even further than international extremists against its own nation—then he or she should publicly declare that they have nothing to do with Fatos Nano’s statements against Rugova, the KLA and Kosovo’s representation. So far, neither Milošević nor anyone else has said anything as extreme as the supporters of the Serbian Socialist Party are thought to have said, by simultaneously opposing three levels of Albanian forces involved in resolving the Kosovo issue. At least at the aforementioned meeting in the Kremlin, Yeltsin and Milošević chose very restrained language to express their opposition to meeting the Albanians’ maximum demands. Nano did this in a single statement, placing himself in opposition to the tide of Albanians who are being killed and to the efforts being made to agree to end a war that could end [?] with the loss of life, [text as printed is garbled] as an Albanian and prime minister, or to lie low and act like servants. Declaration? [?] lies in the symbols and weapons of the KLA. But the most troubling aspect of taken three different positions on the Kosovo problem over the past three days, is that he considers the KLA and its fighters, who are being killed while defending their homes, to be the same as Milošević’s soldiers and police, who have bombed entire villages and killed hundreds of Albanians in Drenica, Prekaz and Deçan. At a time when the State Department has gone a long way in its contacts with the KLA and has announced official talks with the Albanian insurgents, Fatos Nano is asking them to renounce violence, comparing them to Milošević’s special forces, which are carrying out massacres in many of Kosovo’s hot spots. The official Tirana government’s portrayal of the KLA as “terrorist” is a sharp and unprecedented knife aimed at the growing efforts of Kosovo Albanians and Western diplomacy to resolve the bloody conflict there with as few casualties as possible. But what may have surprised those present and the journalists at the well-known Swiss forum most was surely his open attack on Rugova, around whom all the efforts of Europe and the United States to resolve the Kosovo issue and shift the Albanians’ focus from the KLA’s weapons to a political solution have been concentrated. Nano yesterday expressed regret over Rugova’s role, stressing that he can no longer play a political role in Kosovo, at a time when Rugova has fulfilled the aims of all the world’s most important chancelleries, meeting, among others, the world’s most powerful men—Clinton, Blair, Chirac, Kohl, etc. This is the second time Nano has openly attacked Rugova, in an effort to diminish his role, which has been accepted by Albanians whenever elections have been held in Kosovo. Immediately after the summit in Crete, where he met Milošević, Nano spoke out against the “parallel institutions” in Kosovo, which could be interpreted as dismissing all the efforts of Kosovo Albanians to achieve statehood through the proper channels. But this attack on Rugova is a silent [?] that he carries on his shoulders? [?] It is the Albanian government’s new attempt to resolve, through the rhetoric of the clashes that Kosovo is going through, and to replace all of Albania with the rescue from war just a few centimeters from its borders. The man who met Milošević in Crete and then repeated all the letters saying that the beliefs in this government of this with more? [text cut off/unclear]

Major rift in the “Alliance for the Pocket” coalition. Majko: “Gjinushi is making us lose the elections in Vorë. No Socialist will vote for the pyramid-scheme candidate Kujtim Mema” ON PAGE 3

Berisha: Cooperation among all Albanian actors serves the resolution of the Kosovo issue “Two months ago, the Democratic Party was the first to call on the KLA to recognize the political mandate of President Rugova and Kosovo’s other institutions. This public appeal represents its clearly defined position, which it continues to uphold today.” Reuters. Rugova and Holbrooke yesterday in Prishtina

Albanian left-wing political forces organized the armed uprising to overthrow the government by force “Investigations into the tragic events of the unrest in March last year have opened a new line of inquiry. To this end, around 30 people are being investigated who held no state positions during the rebellion, but some of whom now hold high-ranking official posts,” a senior official at the General Prosecutor’s Office says. ON PAGE 2

Seven CEC members write to the President of the Republic, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, IFES, the parties and the diplomatic corps. The commission is being sabotaged by the “Alliance for the State” The CEC has suspended its activities. A letter from seven CEC members, including Deputy Chair Pëllumb Çela, addressed to President Meidani, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, political parties, IFES and the diplomatic corps, states that representatives of the governing coalition on the CEC halted the CEC’s work at midday on June 25. The letter goes on to say that, under Article 82 of the law “On the Election of Local Government Bodies,” the CEC was working according to an agenda that included reviewing the documentation received from the Zone Commissions where elections were held on 21.06.1998, as well as complaints and objections from electoral entities, with the aim of preparing and issuing the final results of the elections nationwide. We inform you that the work of the CEC was deliberately halted by CEC Chair Dav[e?] Çano and the representatives of the governing coalition, who, in violation of the law—Article 30—do not wish all complaints and objections submitted to the CEC to be examined. This will make it impossible to review the objections and carry out the corresponding verifications within the legal deadline, setting a serious precedent for failure to announce the final election results nationwide, concludes the letter from the seven CEC members. ON PAGE 3

Whoever has the artists on their side also has the future The country’s best-known artists bring the Democrats’ campaign in Shijak to a close Songs and applause brought the election campaign of the Democratic Party and the political formation “Union for Democracy” to a close ... ON PAGE 2

Two people are killed and a teenager is seriously injured Two people lost their lives and a teenager was seriously injured on Thursday evening in neighborhood no. 23 in Tirana. At around 20:00 on Thursday, on “H. Begaj” Street in Tirana’s neighborhood 23, citizens lefter Hamit Shkalla, 28, a resident of Sauk, Tirana, and Besnik Sherif Shkalla, 30, a resident of Selitë, Tirana, were shot dead with automatic weapons. The 16-year-old Leonard Çimi was also wounded at the scene; his condition remains serious despite receiving medical treatment. It is not clear whether the injured youth was accompanying the victims at the scene or happened to be there when the crime was committed. According to information from the investigative team, the killing was carried out for trivial reasons. Z.M

Today, the World Cup “begins” -The English Lions show their teeth. Colombia is eliminated; Romania secures first place -Today, the World Cup “begins.” A “journey” through the camps of the four teams that will play to stay in France -Brazil: poor atmosphere ahead of the match against the Chileans. No training, no team -Zico continues to look for a different Ronaldo -The Phenomenon expects his team to act like Inter. “I’ve sacrificed a lot for the team; now the team must sacrifice for me” -From Pelé to Falkao, everyone criticizes Zagallo. “You can’t play with forwards instead of midfielders” -Chile calmly awaits the big match. No serious problems for Zamorano and his teammates -Norway, Cesare Maldini’s “black” team. The Nordic side beat the team he coached 6-1 -An Italian team hero. Vieri like Rosi and Sku[l]aci -Bergomi: “Words are of no use to anyone.” The legendary defender speaks SPECIAL SECTION ON PAGES 10–11