Rugova's personal guard is allowed to leave for Skopje. Interview with Adnan Merovci, Chief of Protocol to the President of the Republic of Kosovo - Mr. Rugova is in Kosovo and his political stance is stronger than ever before, and no one should be concerned about this - The Serbs stationed at the residence belong to the special police; they are in uniform and armed to the teeth - I could neither accept nor reject the meetings with Milošević and Milutinović... These meetings were simply more or less for show, meetings for public opinion; there was no substantial topic in the talks - President Rugova and the others present at the residence were not physically mistreated ON PAGE 3

By Sami NEZA While thousands of tons of aid for arrivals from Kosovo have reached Albania, the Parliamentary Emergency Commission admitted yesterday that 70 percent of it has been stolen at reception and distribution points. In hundreds of markets around the country, one can now easily identify aid goods put up for sale at lower prices, while thousands of families in towns and villages throughout the country are living on the edge of poverty because the aid is going into the pockets of people in the government. More than 45 cargo planes are unloaded at Rinas during the day, while dozens of ships are handled at the country's ports, all destined for the arrivals. The luckiest goods so far seem to be the tents, which are not stolen. This entire shameful story of theft at the expense of these tragic people, victims of Milošević's massacres and ethnic cleansing, must come to an end, even though the Albanian government is making no effort to ensure that the theft is at least reduced. There are many reasons to say that the state administration, from the prefectures to the highest levels of government, is behind the plundering of millions of dollars' worth of goods. Throughout the period in which the flow of refugees has continued, there has been a persistent lack of transparency about the arrival of aid, while figures on the number of Kosovo Albanians who have crossed the borders have always been available. The Ministry of Information, which oversees government emergency data, has never reported in detail on the quantity of aid, its destination, the amount distributed or the amount stored. The government emergency commission has never explained its role and has not produced even a simple report on what is delivered at Rinas or Durrës, or on what reaches the arrivals. Local authorities have received no support from the government's local appointees, such as the prefects; on the contrary, the latter, by siphoning off and monopolizing aid distribution and other infrastructure for the arrivals, have been accused more than once of directly stealing aid. All levels of the Albanian state administration are known worldwide to be corrupt even in normal times, let alone in an emergency such as this, when around 350,000 Kosovo Albanians have been expelled to Albania. During the days when Albania's population is about 10 percent higher than it was before March 25, there has been no fluctuation in the value of foreign currency, and likewise no price increases have been observed in the goods market—only decreases. Simple financial logic would point to a deterioration in macroeconomic indicators, whereas no such thing has been observed so far. This means that the government had no need to ask international institutions for around 220 million dollars in aid to cover the state budget. The government's encouragement of aid theft and its use in the market as fictitious goods, so as to prevent social unrest caused by the crisis, is quite transparent. The money requested as aid could be an initial barrier if anyone were able to stop the appalling looting of aid. The fact that Macedonia has been granted more aid to receive the arrivals, even though it has fewer Kosovo Albanians, means that the West does not intend to subsidize the corrupt Albanian administration and further increase the level of state-backed theft in Albania. But if the Minister of Finance is balancing his figures by taking millions of dollars from the tables of the suffering, and if the goods belonging to others are filling the pockets of the Socialist Party's electoral activities, today in Albania there are more than 300,000 people who eat only bread and cheese, or only pasta, or just dry bread. Likewise, more than thirty thousand Albanian families who have provided shelter to a third of the arrivals are further victims of the cycle of aid theft. Everyone knows that the Albanian government cannot help anyone, but they also know that it is capable of converting other people's aid into personal wealth for itself, starting with the emergency commission and, it seems, the commission as a whole, all those NGOs that are products of the corrupt left, and even the escort vehicles of the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Public Order, which, instead of travelling to Kukës in their convoys, block the customs posts of our southern neighbours, as happened three days ago.

Northern Albania is again hit by Serbian artillery shells. Local authorities call for a state of emergency to be declared in the northeast The extremely large number of arrivals makes civil protection and the saving of human lives impossible From our correspondent in Kukës, Shemsi PEPOSHI ON PAGE 2

The coalition quarrels over the telephones as an answer to the opposition's proposals is awaited A minister has recently set up a foundation in the name of his wife and an Arab, through which almost 90 percent of the quantity of expensive aid intended to address his catastrophe is moved ON PAGE 3 Hunger and epidemics are attacking Kosovo Albanians settled in the Fier district. Deputy Prime Minister Meta refutes the local authorities, but promises no government assistance

Hunger and epidemics are attacking Kosovo Albanians settled in the Fier district. The government suspends economic assistance Fier district. The government suspends economic assistance Fier Municipality: There is no bread today ON PAGE 5

Deputy Prime Minister Meta contradicts the local authorities, but promises no government assistance ON PAGE 4

The U.S. Senate seeks “all necessary force” against Serbia American senators, Republicans and Democrats, want to authorize President Bill Clinton to use “all necessary force” in conducting the war in Yugoslavia, in a draft resolution published on Tuesday. This draft, which will soon be discussed by the Senate, does not directly refer to sending ground troops to Kosovo, but gives the president a blank check to make such a decision. “The President is authorized to use all necessary force and other means, together with the allies of the United States, to achieve the objectives of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” according to the text of the resolution. “Congress, no less than the government, must demonstrate the resolve and confidence of a superpower whose cause is just and necessary,” emphasized one of the resolution’s authors, Senator John McCain.

Albanians cannot tolerate the brutality of the Macedonian state The shocking reports coming from what Albanians are enduring as they travel on their unsuitable journey toward their homeland are truly harrowing and horrifying in their process; they are truly terrible and indescribable. The shocking reports coming from what Albanians are enduring as they travel on their unsuitable journey toward their homeland are truly harrowing and horrifying in their process; they are truly indescribable and terrifying because of their expulsion from their lands, and truly beyond every measure of pain or human imagination. By Bardhyl LONDO ON PAGE 8

Albanians cannot tolerate the brutality of the Macedonian state By Lazër STANI ON PAGE 2

Customs — 95% of vehicles carrying humanitarian aid ON PAGE 5

Yesterday in Kukës, the newcomers looking for bread

If you wish to contribute money for the expelled families of Kosovo, you can send your donation to account number 34220/00/0376 at “Dardania Bank” in the name of the association: “The Children of Kosovo, Our Children”.

To help those expelled from Kosovo, the newspaper “Rilindja Demokratike” is making its pages available free of charge for various notices, such as requests and offers for accommodation, messages from arrivals from Kosovo to members of their families, and so on. You are welcome to visit the editorial office or contact us by calling the numbers provided: 303 29 and 323 55. THE EDITORIAL OFFICE