17 Serbian shells one kilometer inside the Albanian border. Women, the elderly, and children flee Padesh. Villagers respond to Serbian military artillery. The government is safe in Tirana ON PAGE 3 1. A view of the NATO forces’ exercise in Bizë 2. Arrivals from Kosovo in the village of Padesh in Tropojë REUTERS

USAID, ORT, the American Information Center, under lock and key In addition to restricting diplomatic activity, the United States in Tirana has also suspended a number of assistance and aid programs. USAID, ORT, the American Information Center, etc., which have a number of aid and assistance projects in our country, are reported to be closed. Albanian networks that maintain these institutions provide no answer as to whether the aid programs have been suspended indefinitely or cancelled. During the unrest in March 1997, many of these projects were not stopped or were suspended only for a period. The various assistance and aid programs for Albania run by a number of US institutions and organizations, funded by the US government or the US Congress, have been very important for our country because they have directly helped in adopting the concepts and rules of a free society and a market economy, training state administrators, etc. The sums spent by the US government on all aid and assistance programs are estimated at millions of US dollars.

Albania is on the brink of a new isolation that could grip the country in all its aspects. The closure of the American embassy and the suspension of all its programs in the country constitute the heaviest blow to the Albanian government, while all Albanians, whether non-governmental or anti-government, are feeling part of its impact. The American example may be followed by other diplomatic offices in Tirana, while a similar reduction is also taking place at the Greek embassy’s counters. Naturally, diplomatic etiquette prevails in such cases, but it cannot conceal the responsibility of the Albanian government, which is evident not only in its responsibility to preserve the state’s credibility in the eyes of foreigners, but also in the responsibility a government should have toward its citizens. The history of the American embassy in Albania—the first in our country to be closed in this way—cannot be dismissed on the grounds that something similar has also happened in Sudan, the center of world terrorism, or in Kabul. Albania’s isolation is complete in its scope, stemming from the Albanian government’s foreign policy, whether in economic or military cooperation programs with other countries, and especially with those in the West. So far, no money from the EU has arrived in Albania for the inclusion of special cases, which is supported by agreements or programs of the democratic government dating back to 1996. The sums announced by Minister Meksi have not only failed to arrive; it will also take a long time before people can be found in Nano’s administration who know how to write and draw up programs, and before this administration is free of smugglers, corrupt officials, mafiosi, and even ordinary criminals brought in by the communist rebellion. No one in the West or elsewhere can invest money or send their people into the Albanian jungle, into the hands of an irresponsible prime minister and a government or administration that is bound hand and foot to Albanian and regional organized crime. Crime figures in the country remain at the same levels as a year ago; residents, to put it again, are masters of the streets, while Albanian government officials are masters of trafficking. So far, Albania has received only criminal labels: a smuggling country, a corrupt government, a drug paradise, a haven for terrorists, and so on. These are too many labels for one year of Socialist rule, just as they are too many for a small country still in transition that needs to be rebuilt by the West. While our great friends have called us these names, Albanians themselves know the Nano government as a government of murderers, persecution, and so on—as a government of crime and criminals, the opposition, gangs, and criminals. Under these conditions and circumstances, a major isolation is imminent. It will be very difficult if it happens. This isolation will come because those imposing it will be even more powerful than they are today. If government-connected families are becoming billionaires with the money of ordinary people, one million Albanians are officially living in poverty, more than 300,000 are unemployed, and just as many have no social assistance or means of subsistence. Albania’s location in a conflict zone further increases the possibility that it will be left alone or placed under the care of humanitarian organizations rather than major financial institutions or big business.

Market situation over the three-month summer period Fruit and vegetable prices rose significantly in August, which farmers attribute to declining production at the end of the season, while many traders take advantage of supply and demand in the market ON PAGE 5

According to the statute, the Socialists are awaiting new elections for the party leadership for the party leadership Nano has 10 more days at the helm of the PS ON PAGE 3

Only those who moved after June 29 will receive economic assistance. Residents of Kamza protest on the national highway According to the government’s latest decision and the relevant instruction from Angjeli’s department, newcomers from the six years of PD rule will not receive economic assistance ON PAGE 2

PD condemns the Serbian attack on Albanian territory PD denounces the irresponsible, anti-national and capitulatory stance of the Tirana government ON PAGE 3

Gjirokastër PD branch denounces the government’s irresponsibility The Gjirokastër branch of the PD, deeply concerned by the ever-worsening political and security situation in the country, denounces the irresponsibility of the Nano government and expresses regret over the justified departure of the American Diplomatic Corps. The Democratic Party in Gjirokastër has repeatedly stressed that this government... ON PAGE 2

The member of the Alliance threatens the officer with death to stop him from filing a complaint with the prosecutor’s office ON PAGE 4

Çeka’s promises to create jobs went nowhere ON PAGE 5

The traders appeal to the country’s police chief: ON PAGE 4

Market situation over the three-month summer period

According to the statute, the Socialists are awaiting new elections for

Anyone who sees these front-page headlines in an Albanian daily newspaper immediately thinks it is Nano’s newspaper, “Zëri i Popullit.” On the front page alone, the leader of the Socialists and of the government appears in four headlines and just as many photographs. The affection between this newspaper and the prime minister seems to run even deeper than that. This is the front page of the “independent” newspaper called “Gazeta Shqiptare,” directed by a man who entered Albania clandestinely. Every day, phone calls about SHIK’s connections and “housepeople” “Pulushi” How Prime Minister Nano ran the government from... The “official of the Nano empire” tells his story A German MP reconciled Nano and