General Imami and Peshkëpia land from Corfu DETAILS ON PAGE 5 What does Delvinë’s black file contain? - Had lists been drawn up of the people who were to be eliminated? - Life under the rule of the gangs. Who encouraged the bandits? - How many genuinely wounded people were there in Delvinë, and how much material damage? - The gangs’ zones of influence. - The bandits, the PS electoral campaign headquarters and the governing coalition. Nano promotes the generals. - Who turned Leka Zogu back from Delvinë? - Did the democratic forces conduct an election campaign? - The bandits with the ballot boxes at their side.

The PD’s decision to leave Parliament strengthens the opposition spirit in the country. This Parliament no longer has any value. The government of crime and corruption is more isolated than ever The leaders of the right, Mehdiu, Godo, Selfo, Rroqi, Laço, Spahia, Bushati, Ndreu, support and endorse the Democratic Party’s decision

Everyone against the new dictators Today, at 19:30, the Democratic Party of Albania invites all activists and supporters to “Skënderbej” Square to protest against the killings, persecution and imprisonment of opposition members. Everyone, on Thursday, to “Skënderbej” Square, against the new dictators, offspring of the old dictatorship, against the persecution of the opposition and plots to eliminate it! Everyone to “Skënderbej” Square today at 19:30, to bring back the values of democracy and defend its freedom.

Yesterday, the Democratic Party received the support of all right-wing forces for its decision to leave Parliament. Starting with Laço’s Liberal Democrats and continuing to Spahiu’s Legalists, all representatives of the political parties, both those in the “Union for Democracy” grouping and those of the “United Right”, considered the PD’s departure from Parliament a sound decision. This is the first time the entire Albanian right has united in its statements, bringing this political spectrum together in a clear stand against the violence and crime of the left-wing government and Parliament. Naturally, this decision by the Democratic Party was neither easy nor among its first means of confronting the assault on democracy by Albania’s former communists. Leaving Parliament was the last form of protest to establish the boundaries between the opposition—which still retains its responsibilities toward the state and the country—and the government or Parliament with its red majority, which has abused the state and reduced the possibilities for communication between the opposition and the current government to a minimum. Because of the latter, the opposition no longer had any way to find even a small space in which it could put forward its alternative in the service of the state. Without this possibility, its presence in Parliament, in institutions abused or usurped by the left, took on negative connotations, exposing the extreme contradiction in the very thing the Democratic Party had been striving for by remaining in Parliament: conducting opposition through the institutions, even if Parliament was the only one available. Over the course of a year in opposition, Albania’s democrats experienced bullets, budgetary pressure, arrests and numerous deprivations. The violence and terror inflicted by Albanian officials appeared everywhere more than ever—in Parliament, on the streets, in homes. Meanwhile, a vast criminal and political-terrorist ring formed around the opposition, while the government mafia acted against all Albanians, engaging in smuggling, corruption, violence and mass theft. For a year, Albania has ranked first in the world for the level of corruption in government and the administration; during this period, more than 250 million dollars were stolen by smugglers and government officials, while the country came to have more than 300,000 unemployed people and 1 million poor people. Whereas last March the bandits were only on the streets, now they are in the streets and offices. It was precisely in this state of affairs that the left-wing MPs, who have filled the country with their Assembly, demanded that the opposition be sent to prison. The communist episode of three days ago has no precedent even in the darkest periods of the Inquisition, a history reaffirmed yesterday by the PS headquarters as well. The people fattened by theft, such as Bashkim Fino, attacked Albanian democracy like an unwashed horde of cooperatives, in the same manner as last year. Naturally, a parliament with such a makeup and mentality has no meaning or value in a society where, besides gangs, smugglers and corrupt individuals, there are also normal people. It is even less meaningful for the opposition to be physically present in the parliamentary chamber alongside such a team of political rulers. The right’s understanding and consensus regarding this decision on Parliament also facilitates the PD’s understanding with the international community. The PD remains committed to institutional opposition, but only at a time when institutions exist. Now, in Albania, there are almost none. They have been usurped and violated by the current government. So far, Albania’s institutions have created a situation found only in Albania, affecting both ordinary citizens and the opposition.

ON PAGE 7

“So far, only Greek banks are providing loans”

Parliament does not ratify the European Charter of Local Self-Government

Donors have decided not to meet in Tirana anymore to disburse that portion of the aid they promised Nano a year earlier in Brussels ON PAGE 7

The Nano government is not submitting to parliament for ratification the European Charter of Local Self-Government. This charter, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Fino... ON PAGE 4

The opposition does not need a disgraceful media outlet Yesterday, Telenano wrote another shameful page in its one-year history, since the institution fell into the hands of former communists who returned to power by force. Seeking to comment on the decision to make a definitive break between the Democratic Party and the Parliament of crime, Fatos Nano’s television made another shameless appearance before Albanian viewers. Every possible party appeared on screen except the Democratic Party, the sole protagonist of this new movement on the Albanian political stage. This latest farce by RTSH is not only another stain on the history of an institution that has been turned entirely into a blind tool of the neo-dictatorship, but also an attempt to undermine the Democratic Party’s rightful decision not to coexist in any sphere with the power of crime and corruption. This is one of the most typical examples of the degeneration of an institution that has revived the mechanisms of censorship devised by the dictator Hoxha. The Democratic Party and all those who call themselves opposition would do well to reconsider their position toward a television station that is a caricature of what it should be. Perhaps it would be better for the opposition to follow its own path of communication with its activists and supporters, while entirely ignoring Telenano, a disgrace to the Albanian press.

After 68 years, France reaches the final -France-Croatia 2–1. Defender Thuram saves the attack -Kohler explains the reasons for Germany’s elimination -Ronaldo against Kluivert, or the Phenomenon against the Phantom -Curiosities from the Brazilian camp. Leonardo the prophet; Aldair has an “allergy” to buses -Scandal. Adidas has decided Italy’s fate. Pressure to put Del Piero in the game -Tigana, Zhake’s successor? SPECIAL FEATURE ON PAGES 10–11