The “First Lady” had promised her she would not have to worry about raising the children, because he would take care of them—the man at the head of whom is her husband, Rexhep Meidani A moving account by the mother who gave birth to five babies at once: “The government left us to the mercy of fate.” Three of the Elezi quintuplets end up in an orphanage ON PAGE 5

Fuel cargo stopped at the port of Shëngjin A ship carrying fuel on behalf of two Lezhë MPs has been detained at the port of Shëngjin. The vessel, which has been held for two days, was impounded on the prosecutor’s orders following suspicions about the documents accompanying the goods. According to accounts from the town of Shëngjin, the MPs have been battling for two days to have the cargo released, while as late as yesterday evening the ship was still being held. According to sources, one of the Lezhë MPs, Nikollë Lesi, held lengthy negotiations to bring the seized vessel ashore. While attending celebrations for the 555th anniversary of the Assembly of Lezhë, the MP and publisher of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” was anxiously awaiting news about the cargo aboard the ship held at the port of Shëngjin. ON PAGE 3

Crime attacks foreign citizens again The bandits fired a volley of Kalashnikov bullets at him and then stole the car the Italian was travelling in An Italian in the city of Vlorë was wounded and then had his car stolen. The incident took place yesterday morning near the tunnel at Uji i Ftohtë, and one of the bullets wounded him in the leg. Sources at the Vlorë police say Fartori was alone in his car. He lives in the city of Tirana and is married to an Albanian citizen. Until late yesterday, although the police pursued the perpetrators of the crime, they were unable to arrest them; they found only the Italian citizen’s car in the morning. For investigative reasons, police sources provided no further details about the motives for the wounding.

Martino: Berisha, the man who changed Albania’s face Pollo: The most sustainable and best solution for Kosovo is independence

The former chairman of the SP uses the Lezhë Assembly to attack his rivals within the party The former chairman of the SP is using the Lezhë Assembly to attack his rivals within the party. Nano: I will put an end to betrayal. In his first public appearance since resigning, Nano warned of his revenge against his former partners, whom he now considers enemies. The former chairman of the Socialist Party, Fatos Nano, showed yesterday that his ambitions to return to the helm of Albania’s former communists have not yet faded. In his first public appearance since resigning, Nano gave the impression that nothing had changed in his relations with his former partners, whom he has considered enemies for some time. The former chairman of the Socialist Party ... used the 555th anniversary of the Assembly of Lezhë to attack his opponents within the Socialist Party aggressively, in a manner reminiscent of his resignation speech. “Let the celebration of this Assembly be accompanied by the latest message about betrayal,” Nano said, implying that he himself had been a victim of his erstwhile colleagues, whom he had not spared in his resignation statement. Asked whether he felt betrayed by his rivals within the Socialist Party, Nano said that this was not an issue affecting Fatos Nano alone, but all of Albania. With a characteristic grandiosity, the former resigned chairman of the Socialist Party warned of a fierce battle before and during the Socialists’ extraordinary congress, which will be held in the coming months. Yesterday Nano appeared leaning on Gramoz Ruçi, the most fanatical of those who have remained loyal to him in his clan, trying to challenge the rival faction in the SP, which has gained considerable ground during his absence. Nano’s public appearance was in a way preceded by the press close to him, which had several times unsuccessfully announced some forays by the former SP chairman among the party base—announcements that remained only on the pages of Nikollë Lesi’s newspaper. From the time he resigned until yesterday, Nano had remained silent and had not appeared in public, giving very little hope to those who believed he would return. Firmly supported only by Gramoz Ruçi, Nano seemed to have left the political game and to be making another bid for the leadership of the Socialist Party. But yesterday he appeared once again, fiercely opposed to Majko, Meta, Hadarage, Agolli and the others, even though he did not mention anyone by name in his statement in Lezhë. Nano’s long absence has made his rivals feel stronger, but they themselves are at risk from possible clashes over who will be chosen as the new chairman. So far, all their well-known figures have been put forward as possible candidates, including the unpredictable Namik Dokle, who said yesterday in Elbasan that he too could lead the SP. Pandeli Majko, Ilir Meta, Kastrio Islami, Petro Koçi and, most recently, Namik Dokle are currently the appealing names for the position left vacant by Fatos Nano. The former resigned chairman of the Socialist Party may exploit possible rivalry among his opponents to gain ground, just when everyone had begun to think that he was leaving politics for good. But left with only Gramoz Ruçi and a few fanatics at his side, who are waiting for a return of political tensions, Fatos Nano will find it very difficult to survive and preserve his dwindling forces until the Socialist Party congress. His purported revival yesterday in Lezhë, however, may be the prelude to a savage struggle within the party, the banner of which Nano seems unwilling to surrender. Even if he cannot defeat his opponents—the people he called traitors yesterday—Nano intends to inflict as many wounds on them as possible, and this time not through Gramoz Ruçi. Yesterday the former chairman of the Socialist Party warned of major troubles for his opponents, who now hold key positions in the Socialist Party, sending sufficiently clear signals to that effect. In a few words yesterday, he showed that his thirst for revenge remains at the same level as on the day he left the Palace of Congresses, hurling mud and insults at the party’s Steering Committee, which he himself had led for twenty years. Astrit PATOZI

Pollo: The most sustainable and best solution for Kosovo is independence On the second day of the stay in Rome by the delegation of DP parliamentarians, a seminar on public security in Albania began. Senators and parliamentarians of the Politi of Freedom, as well as representatives of the Italian government, took part in the meeting. The number two of the National Alliance, Adolfo Urso, said that relations between the governments of the two countries are blocked as a result of the left-wing government in Tirana failing to respect the agreements signed concerning the fight against illegal trafficking. The chairman of the DP Parliamentary Group, Pollo, said that relations between the two opposition groups in Italy and Albania express the goodwill of the two peoples for friendly relations. “The sea should not be a factor dividing our two countries; on the contrary, it should be an opportunity to encourage closer cooperation between the two countries. Italy’s former foreign minister, Antonio Martino, who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Group... ON PAGE 3

Mallakastër. Majko’s police again use violence against innocent citizens All it takes is daring to insult Nano, Islami or the notorious rescue committees to find yourself close to death ON PAGE 2

The governing coalition splits over Kosovo. Melo rejects Ruçi’s justifications: The parties’ roundtable does not undermine the institutions Not all parties in the governing coalition “Alliance for the State” oppose a meeting of political parties in Albania. ON PAGE 3

Today, the right-wing parties’ roundtable on Kosovo. The leftists refuse to attend Bode: We will seek the Albanian delegation’s signature on the Rambouillet agreement, as well as NATO intervention in Kosovo to implement it ON PAGE 3

Today, 173 days since the murder of the December Leader 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 his successor’s government in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. 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 that of his successor in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The governments of the former communists, which have left the criminals who took the December Leader’s life free and untroubled, show Albanians that they were and remain on the side of the killers, who have identifiable names but are not touched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate the killers. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out Azem Hajdari’s murder.

Today’s government is incapable of resolving the crisis and absolute misery Karamitro: Only a new political solution that would restore a vital political balance and be free of crime, corruption and smuggling could lift Albania out of the misery it is in today. ON PAGE 5

DP Secretary for Foreign Relations Leonard Demi praises the Rambouillet agreement I am pleased that PBDNJ has joined the Democratic Party’s initiative for a roundtable of parliamentary parties ON PAGE 3

Chief Prosecutor Rakipi makes no commitment to find the killers of the December leader ON PAGE 4

Nano’s claim that he will return to the head of the party is hypocrisy ON PAGE 3

Panic over losing power rushes government officials into plundering the country’s economic assets ON PAGE 5