The Speaker of Parliament is seeking to distort the agreement on the independent investigative group The Speaker of Parliament has in mind a Parliamentary Commission on the Hajdari case, composed of Maks Hasani and Spartak Braho. Gjinushi is counting on the support of Dokle and the Parliament’s fanatical communists ON PAGE 3

Mr. Gilman’s letter to the Albanian prime minister sparks controversy in the General Prosecutor’s Office Chief Prosecutor Arben Rakipi is among the many who, following publication in the press of the letter that American congressman Benjamin Gilman sent a few days ago to Prime Minister Majko, have reacted. Rakipi was so outraged that he described the American congressman’s letter as “something that came out of the offices of a high-level cooperative.” Extremely outraged and unable to restrain himself over the letter in question, Rakipi has decided to reply to the American congressman with a lengthy letter, while also expressing his thanks. ON PAGE 4

— By Astrit PATOZI The Berisha–Majko meeting continues to be at the center of political and press commentary, concerned in most cases by the usual Albanian emotions, which only draw attention away from the essence of what actually happened. On one side are the enthusiastic applauders, who see this meeting as “the salvation of Albania,” and the angry “radicals,” trying to work out who betrayed whom more, creating a distorted picture from this black-and-white perspective. What is missing in this new reality in Albanian politics is cool-headedness and sound judgment of events—qualities that would help the citizens of this country absorb and correctly understand the messages of dialogue between the prime minister and the opposition leader. In fact, the Berisha–Majko meeting is far too little to create the impression of an upheaval or a new era in Albanian politics, but it is enough to convince the politicians entrenched in their trenches that their time is running out. It is a gesture showing that the protagonists of the tense climate in Albanian politics, the instigators and leaders of the gangs that drenched Albania in blood in the spring of 1997 and directed the gangs in power to attack, kill, and imprison political opponents after 29 June, have no future in this country. In any case, the initial reaction of some Democratic Party militants is understandable; they have protested hundreds of times against the government over political killings, arrests, and the systematic abuse of the opposition. People who for nearly two years have seen the government as responsible for the killing of their comrades, their arrests, the country’s descent into the hands of crime and poverty, corruption on an astronomical scale, and record levels of trafficking in drugs, weapons, and clandestine migrants, have found it difficult to swallow the prime minister’s applause for the opposition leader. However, such a judgment can be accepted only if we treat Berisha’s meeting with Majko as an isolated event, without making any effort to address the issues discussed and agreed upon. Those who gathered at a whistle’s signal at protest rallies after the murder of Azem Hajdari must understand that Pandeli Majko and the others have taken upon their shoulders the burden of bringing to light the truth about the crime that shook not only Albania but the entire Albanian world. The opposition has a duty to make the government accept the fundamental condition, which is crucial not only for the very existence of the Democratic Party but also for the future of the country as a whole. The clock of Albanian politics stopped on 12 September, the day the symbol of Albanian democracy and nationalism, Azem Hajdari, was murdered; and it is precisely there that its new breathing must begin. By launching an independent investigation into the Hajdari case, Majko’s government has two choices: either clearly expose the criminality of its predecessor, or show that it does not differ one bit from Fatos Nano’s clan, in which case it will simply destroy itself. For its part, the opposition has every right to demand and fight by every means for its overthrow, even solely because of its involvement in the murder of Azem Hajdari. And Gjinushi and the first signs of their resistance have been directly linked to the crime of 12 September. He tried to interpret the demand for an independent investigative group as a request to create a parliamentary commission, seeking to put the matter in the hands of Maksim Hasanati, Spartak Brahos, or some other old hand from the Socialist Party. Gjinushi’s outburst shows the government’s real fear of acknowledging Hajdari’s murder, in which it is complicit, and of legitimizing the old political order of the former communists that persisted after the fall of the dictatorship. In this context, no one should rush to interpret the meeting as a possible rehabilitation of Majko by the Democratic Party leaders who shook his hand on Monday. The opposition has certainly never forgotten that Pandeli Majko was the chairman of the parliamentary group that accused Berisha and the other senior Party leaders of causing the unrest in March of last year, and later became prime minister of the caretaker government, whose program included striking at those who organized the coup of 14 September. By compelling the government to investigate and promise a solution to the issues involving political crime in Albania, the opposition has put it to the ultimate test, while itself remaining in a difficult position, awaiting one of its opponents’ mistaken moves. (Continued on page 3)

The U.S. Undersecretary of State urges the government and the opposition to confront serious challenges Malloy praised the conte-

The Liberals and the Democratic Union welcome the opposition-government meeting

These days, the Chairman of the Democratic Party received a letter from former Chancellor Kohl, in which he thanks Mr. Berisha for the message of appreciation sent to him after he left office, for his assistance to Albania. In this letter, former Chancellor Kohl wishes Mr. Berisha much success.

Malloy praised the substance of the talks, which “touch on several issues that are very important for the country’s future” The U.S. Undersecretary of State for European Affairs, Ajlin Malloy, said yesterday that the United States views the meeting between Prime Minister Pandeli Majko and opposition leader Sali Berisha as a positive first step. Malloy said the meeting is a positive first step toward ending the polarization that, unfortunately, characterizes the political climate in Albania. Praising the end of the students’ hunger strike as the first positive result of the talks, Malloy praised the substance of the talks, which “also touch on several very...” ON PAGE 3

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Both in Albania and in Kosovo, it is now urgent for our politicians finally to abandon those unacceptable quarrels among themselves, those petty disputes among themselves, and to think more deeply about the drama of the Albanian people. Because, after all, the international community is right to think that Albanians themselves, by showing disregard for their own fate, have no reason to demand greater consideration from others... ON PAGE 3 Writer Ismail Kadare welcomes the Berisha-Majko meeting. The Albanian question is moving in a favorable direction, despite the lack of success.

From Berisha’s “exclusion” to Majko’s “isolation” Those who until yesterday were advocating Berisha’s “physical and political exclusion” have, following the DP-PS dialogue, launched an attack to make Majko’s isolation a fait accompli ON PAGE 2

The day before, he described the agreement as “taking the General Prosecutor’s Office out of the game” ON PAGE 4

Today, 102 days since the murder of the Leader of December Every day that passes since the murder of Azem Hajdari, the symbol of democracy and pluralism, proves the involvement of Fatos Nano’s government and its successors in the crime that shocked the entire Albanian world. The government of the former communists, which leaves free and unpunished the criminals who took the life of the Leader of Pluralism, shows Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who have names and surnames but are untouched by those in power. The Democrats and all the Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate this fact under any circumstances. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

The Legalists will meet with Majko. They hope to celebrate the chairman’s release with the newspaper very soon Gjanaj: Eqrem Spahiu is serving a prison sentence because of Nano’s clan’s hatred of the opposition. We are confident that we will reach an understanding with Majko. Otherwise, we have prepared the documents for an international trial in Strasbourg. ON PAGE 2

Customers and prices are becoming unbearable Within one week, food prices rise from 10 to 100 new lek... ON PAGE 5

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Consumers: New Year’s dinner is like any other ON PAGE 5

Customs officers assigned from Tirana continue to replace those who were dismissed ON PAGE 4

What lies behind the privatization of the Metallurgical Plant run by Ylli Bufi ON PAGE 5