University of Shkodër, University of Kamëz, Polytechnic University, Institute of Physical Education, “Fan Noli” University of Korçë, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law, University of Gjirokastër, “Eqrem Çabej” and other university centers continued the strike yesterday ON PAGE 2

ON PAGE 4

The strikers of Shkodër are attacked the Gruda clan attacks the students ON PAGE 4

By Sali NEZA The students’ strike has once again reopened the old wound of our education system, the miserable state of the universities and of the teaching staff. The professors of what is happening in Albania can without fear call it “a national student demonstration,” not only because today the students’ strike has spread to Tirana and its surrounding districts, but because students from all over Albania are taking part in it. If we cannot make comparisons with the students’ strike of December 1990, neither in the number of participants nor in the weight it had on subsequent political developments, it is quite clear that today the students are no longer fighting “to bring democracy,” but are fighting against a society that has disappointed them. And if in 1990 the students came out in protest because it was being propagated all over the world that we were a “luminous beacon” and that “Albania flourished like a flower garden,” while people lived in misery, today they are reacting against an equally absurd reality. Professors and students are confronting a government that calls the country “the second in the world for reforms” and a “state of law,” while the universities lack books, electricity, water, heating and urban transport. As a student from the Polytechnic Faculty states, “The Prime Minister, when asked what he would do if he were a student, replied that he would go work as a waiter.” This answer can be taken as a classic example of how today’s government conceives of students. The government may tolerate their silence, but not their protest. The students are not asking for anything extraordinary; they are asking for minimum conditions to study and live. And precisely this requested normality frightens the authorities, because it exposes their failure. ON PAGE 7

Alois Mock

The vice president of parliament, Ylber Zeqiri i Topalli, denounces orders to detain students ON PAGE 3

Skënder of public agreements, Vili Minarolli: The people are coming out of the crisis Skënder of public agreements, Vili Minarolli: The people are coming out of the crisis ON PAGE 3

Today, 82 days since the murder of the leader of December ON PAGE 3

ON PAGE 3

The same democrats close to partners in the West of VYPP ON PAGE 3

The government guarantees amnesty while [ ? ] goods [ ? ] ON PAGE 4

ON PAGE 7 The missing consensus of socialist governance and the urgent need for clear political standards have encouraged in opposition circles and in public opinion the idea of a technical government that would administer new parliamentary elections. This argument, now turned into a refrain, arose as the students of Tirana’s universities protested against the poor conditions in dormitories and lecture halls, but also against the policy of a government that is failing to restore normality. Against this backdrop, new elections are presented as a possible way out of the crisis. Bearing in mind the strong political clash, the lack of trust in institutions and the ongoing boycott by the opposition, a temporary government with a limited mandate for organizing elections is seen by many as a reasonable solution. The main problem remains balance: how to create a cabinet that will be acceptable to the parties and that will guarantee a fair process. This means choosing figures with integrity, impartiality and public credibility, while avoiding politically worn-out names. At the same time, the opposition must present serious alternatives and not just rejection of the government. Only on the basis of a clear institutional agreement, with a defined role for the president, parliament and the political forces, can a formula be built that takes the country out of deadlock. New elections are not an end in themselves; they are valuable only if they serve to restore legitimacy and stability. Otherwise, an uncertain process would deepen the crisis. This is why any discussion of a technical government must begin with criteria and guarantees, not just names.

It is expected that 10-12 thousand extremist were reached in the north of the country. ON PAGE 5 Too much in debt, no economic decision '99 budget, the government starts with pessimism ON PAGE 5 Thousands of armed gangs attack people Masked men kill in one and tie up eight ON PAGE 4

After the meeting with Melani, the police and SHIK arrest the leaders of the student council. The strike continues throughout Albania

Breaking news: Is the SP giving our government a [ ? ]? for dialogue with the opposition while having problems in Parliament. The head of the Socialist Party parliamentary group Pandeli Majko [ ? ] that [ ? ] the government has accepted the option of [ ? ] for the vote on the candidacy of [ ? ]