A symbol of Albanian nationalism, a legend of the great anti-communist resistance fighter The man who suffered 40 years in communist prisons has passed away ON PAGE 7

Messages from Kadare ahead of the 15 March conference ON PAGE 3

The fiercest attacks on the government have come from senior officials of the Socialist Party SHIK accuses the prime minister of involvement in trafficking clandestine migrants ON PAGE 3

Milošević rains bullets on the Pogaj border post. Twenty Yugoslav servicemen violate Albanian territory Milošević rains bullets on the Pogaj border post. Twenty Yugoslav servicemen violate Albanian territory Serbia attacks Albania with artillery Yugoslav servicemen, equipped with personal weapons, have penetrated more than 20 metres into Albanian territory in the area of pyramid C10 in the district of Tropojë. Near the Albania–Kosovo border, fierce fighting took place from 00:30 to 01:30 on Wednesday, with heavy artillery also being used. ON PAGE 4

A joint political document published yesterday in Rome, following meetings with the Albanian opposition and the Pole of Liberty, highlighted the negative developments that have taken place in Albania over the past two years. The document, which is the result of the findings of the Italian right-wing political movement and its monitoring of developments in Albania, especially during its cooperation with the Albanian opposition, constitutes one of the most serious and concrete assessments of two years of Socialist government. The affirmation of prisons and political prisoners, the persecution of the opposition, the [rrastet] of opposition activists, mistreatment and dismissals for political reasons, the setbacks to democracy since 29 June, the alarming scale of crime, and trafficking and smuggling encouraged to a great extent by those in power and government officials at various levels are serious concerns that extend beyond Albania’s borders. “It is not the first time that the Socialist government and its rule have been described as what they truly are: a government that persecutes the opposition and violates democracy. A number of important international non-governmental organizations, as well as many prominent figures in world politics, have long expressed concern about the negative developments in Albania, which began with the armed rebellion in March and continued with the installation in power of the ex-communists who burned and destroyed the Albanian state. The Albanians’ ordeal continued after 29 June, when 23 political murders were recorded; more than 53 political prisoners were persecuted, arrested, or held in police stations on ridiculous political charges; MPs’ immunity was revoked on political charges; opposition activists were beaten and mistreated; and independent journalists were murdered, all in order to make such ongoing human-rights violations impossible [sic]. All these acts, together with government-backed crime, trafficking and organized crime, have threatened to cause a mass exodus of Albanians from the country over these two years. This entire situation is now also a concern for the international community. The joint document not only records the violations, but notes with regret that none of the cases involving abuse of or violations against the rights of the opposition or citizens has been investigated or brought to legal accountability. The Rome document between the Albanian opposition and the Pole of Liberty is not a document of solidarity between sister parties or parties of the same political spectrum, but an expression of deep concern about the negative developments in Albania. In addition to its findings, the document also contains a series of recommendations calling for pressure to be brought to bear on Tirana’s ex-communist regime to respect the rights of the opposition, human rights and the rule of law. It has met none of these standards; indeed, it has made them worse since 29 June. The demand of the Pole of Liberty, which has also always been raised by the Albanian opposition, has less to do with the fate of the opposition than with the fate of the country, its young people, the rule of law and the future of democracy. The path chosen by the Socialists in this legislature is one of violating democracy, breaching the law and human rights, turning the state into a state of speedboats, dirty trafficking, drugs and smuggling, and encouraging every kind of crime, which is taking over every cell of Albanian life. The international community is increasingly voicing this concern, and after two years it has confronted the Tirana regime with it, though the regime has never paid it any heed. The international community’s conviction that the government in Tirana is incapable of establishing order, respecting democracy, and respecting the rights of the opposition and of people, while tolerating [të ardhur], means that the time has come for a political solution. The Rome document and the statements by the leaders of the Pole of Liberty are concrete evidence of this. SH.P.

The right-wing parties call for the signing of the Rambouillet agreement with NATO’s guarantee “We would not feel Albanian if today, and until the Albanian flag flies freely and independently in Kosovo, we did not defend the independence of millions of Albanians” ON PAGE 3 The private Galilei school has been teaching without a licence for this activity. Its first pupils are the children of ministers, including the son of Ethem Ruka

In Rome, an important document on Albania. Italian parliamentarians from the Pole of Liberty and the Albanian opposition sign the document The document presented in Rome on 2 March 1999 by the parliamentary groups of the Pole of Liberty and the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party of Albania and the Albanian opposition ON PAGE 2

The private school has continued teaching for several months, while the Ministry of Education has taken no action against it for failing to obtain a licence, and the state public television advertises the school even though it is prohibited from advertising the activities of unlicensed entities... ON PAGE 5

Today, 174 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 its failure to solve a grave crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The governments of the ex-communists, which leave free and untroubled the criminals who took the life of the December Leader, show Albanians that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who are protected by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and love Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate this under any circumstances. The government must either track down and bring the criminal perpetrators to justice, or publicly declare that it itself committed the murder of Azem Hajdari.

The chairman of the PS parliamentary group held a secret meeting with chief prosecutor Arben Rakipi about the smuggled fuel The owner of the smuggled oil seized aboard the Greek ship is Gramoz Ruçi, chairman of the PS parliamentary group and Socialist Party coordination secretary, as well as the MPs from Lezhë ON PAGE 2

Smuggling continues to reign. Taking advantage also of the distraction focused on the Kosovo issue, it proceeds unhindered, escorted by the trusted police, toward the Albanian capital, Tirana...

Italian parliamentarians alarmed by the influx of clandestine migrants A powerful organization exists in Albania that facilitates this kind of trafficking ON PAGE 3

Judges’ protests intensify : “The Minister of Justice has serious professional shortcomings” Judges oppose Kondi’s testing Protests are intensifying among judges appointed before the Tirana Court of Cassation, against the so-called testing that the Minister of Justice, Thimio Kondi, plans to conduct soon. “We will file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court, where we will ask that [they] be confronted with all the deficient or condemnatory acts of [dik as...të learta...] ON PAGE 4