7,000 trade unionists in the squares against poverty ON PAGE 5

BSPSH: Government officials are the biggest winners ON PAGE 5

Poverty and low scholarships drive them toward crime ON PAGE 5

Even the creditors’ last remaining money is disappearing Cameron signs the bank transfer. VEFA’s money for the head of the Saranda Rescue Committee ON PAGE 3 Cameron (left) and one of the creditors’ protests (right) A meeting at the Presidency attended by some government officials sparks disputes within the government The Foreign Affairs Committee decides on the extension of the mandate of Greek troops in Albania

The 85th anniversary of the historic battle at Macukull in Mat, fought by popular forces against the Serbian occupier, is commemorated. Opposition leader Sali Berisha takes part. Dozens of cars and residents of the Communes of Marian and Macukull accompanied yesterday the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, and other DP leaders all the way to the center of the remote commune of Macukull. Residents of this Commune and the surrounding areas took part in the commemoration organized to mark the historic battle against the Serbian occupiers 85 years ago.

A meeting at the Presidency attended by some government officials sparks disputes within the government President Meidani’s meeting with a group of government officials who were supposed to be fighting smuggling has at least revealed that the government smugglers are among those who were absent from the meeting. In fact, they were not invited to the meeting by the President, and among them was Deputy Prime Minister Bashkim Fino himself, who also chairs the government’s anti-smuggling commission. Likewise, the deputy prime minister’s statements regarding such a one-sided meeting organized by President Meidani suggest that smuggling is precisely among those who sat at the President’s table. Fino did not hesitate to accuse President Meidani of setting up structures parallel to the government, which would receive the Presidency’s blessing. But the senior government official went even further, indirectly accusing part of the coalition government of constituting a channel for smuggling in Albania. It took only this one clash for the government’s smuggling networks to become openly visible. In fact, they are never absent from within the government, while it is becoming clear that the Albanian government has not only failed to wage a fight to eliminate smuggling, as the President of the Republic himself has said, but has instead become a terrain where different sides’ rivalries play out as they seek to make ever-greater profits. This is also why an internal dispute has begun within the coalition government. It is not simply a matter of differences in position, but rather a struggle over the market and profits. In recent days, certain small circles in the coalition, particularly within the PAD, have been observed seeking to secure as much room as possible to operate in the smuggling networks covered by the police. Meanwhile, the one-sided actions of police commissioners point to precisely such a battle between different government leaders—a battle that is soon expected to have its own victims. Apparently, a balance had been maintained until now, but the meeting at the Presidency upset it, exposing part of the economic-crime network inside the government. Whatever victims there may be within the government, it will not be in the interest of removing smuggling and its elements; it will merely be a punishment intended to increase the share of maneuvering room at customs in favor of some stronger faction in the government. The complete departure of the government will be the only way to eliminate smuggling.

Foreign Affairs Committee decides to extend the mandate of Greek troops in Albania Yesterday, in the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the votes of the Socialists and Sabri Godo were used to approve the government’s proposal to extend the mandate of Greek troops in Albania by one month. Genc Pollo, a member of the Committee, expressed support for military cooperation with Greece, cooperation that began under the Democratic Party government. However, Mr. Pollo called the presence of an armed operational unit of the Greek Army in Albania unmotivated and unjustified. He proposed that the mandate of the Greek troops be terminated at this point, but his proposal received only his own vote and that of Mr. Selfo of Balli Kombëtar. Mr. Pollo called the explanations given by Minister Brokaj, who attended the committee’s proceedings, unacceptable and false. According to the minister, these troops are present with NATO’s approval. NATO troops would be deployed by decision of the North Atlantic Council, which did not happen in this case. This is a bilateral decision that is usually made by consensus with the opposition, which the government did not do.

Counterfeit dollars and interventions by the Bank of Albania are increasing uncertainty in the market. Experts: The injected currency is uncontrolled “The crisis engulfing the Albanian economy is now at its most severe. In Albania there is a degree of uncertainty about conversion, the economy as a whole, and confidence in institutions, particularly banking institutions.” ON PAGE 3

Brussels: A sharp resolution by the People’s Parties against the government and parliament European Parliament: “The independence of the judiciary must be restored and the procedures for forming the constitutional commission must be reviewed.” ON PAGE 3

Kleanthi Koçi seeks to return to head the Court Fehmi Abdiu, who had stood in the way of this project for months, has been promised the post of president of the Constitutional Court . ON PAGE 4

Prime Minister Nano attacked yesterday the prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Bujar Bukoshi, as soon as he arrived at Rinas Airport, after the vacation in Paris. Nano, who attended the Contact Group meeting as a guest, according to the press, left Bukoshi to enjoy more than a day and a half of rest in Paris with his family. After the vacation in the French capital, Nano tried to divert attention from his negative role at the Bonn meeting by lashing out at Kosovo’s prime minister with a barrage of grave insults which, more than being personal, were directed against the institutions. Bukoshi had criticized the position taken by Prime Minister Nano at the Contact Group meeting the previous day, stressing that the latter’s stance had nothing to do with the decision of the people of Kosovo. Yesterday Nano said that Bukoshi was merely an ordinary member of the delegation appointed by President Rugova to hold talks with the Serbs, ignoring the fact that he is still prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo, officially recognized by the Albanian parliament. Meanwhile, he said that Bukoshi tells only three percent of the truth, crudely mocking the portion of their income that Albanians have paid in the West to secure support for their fragile institutions in Kosovo. Nano indirectly accused Kosovo’s current prime minister, Bujar Bukoshi, of terrorism and barbarism. Yesterday at Rinas, Nano said that Albanians choose the path of counterterrorism and opposition to barbarity, implying that Kosovo’s prime minister had been one of them. Nano’s attacks on Kosovo’s prime minister appear not to be mere Byzantine maneuvering in response to Bukoshi’s well-founded criticism, but part of his consistent line against the institutions of Kosovo’s Albanians. Just two months ago, Nano directly attacked Rugova and all the other Kosovo Albanian politicians, stressing that he opposed parallel institutions. At the meeting with Sefias, of German diplomacy, Klaus Kinkel, Nano surprised everyone when he declared that Albania opposed parallel institutions, wherever they might be. Until then, even Beograd’s open allies had not considered it appropriate to voice such a position; it had remained isolated, uttered only by the Serbs. In his attacks on Bukoshi, Nano returns to his anti-Albanian position, warning that if today he is pretending to support Rugova, tomorrow he may turn on the latter with the same courage with which he is attacking the prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo today. A.P.

Mass bankruptcies threaten the private economy Gjana: Parliament’s doubling of taxes on small businesses will bring a new rise in prices . ON PAGE 3

The Ministry reports: Meat and dairy products are more expensive This week, veal and dairy products have been sold at higher prices than other food products in all the markets in the districts of our country. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, one kilogram of kashkaval cheese was sold at the price of ON PAGE 5

ON PAGE 2