Can Albanians still live with Serbs? ON PAGE 2 By Mero BAZE, Pristina, 22 June Filip Smocker, the well-known American journalist, has been the owner of a well-known club in Pristina called shop “Shiroqera” for a year. Filip took over the club approximately in the autumn of last year, together with a colleague of his and two citizens of Pristina.

By Edi PALOKA The war for Kosovo is the war for a new Balkans. Until now, we have had many conjectures not only about the future of the war in Kosovo, but also about the future of the Balkans itself, which was directly linked to the war in Kosovo. Today all doubts have been dispelled. NATO, or more precisely the USA, won the war in Kosovo while simultaneously winning a greater war, that of the Balkans. Now a different future has been prepared for the world’s most problematic region, and it is clear that this future is linked only to the USA itself. Unlike what history has shown us until now, the end of the century did not need a world war to change the facts of geopolitics. With the new war, the force shaping the course of history has changed, just as it did with the two world wars, but this time things changed. This time, those who for years drew the world into “entanglements” became entangled themselves, clearing the way for others. Nevertheless, focusing on Albania’s interests, we can say that this time, unlike before, fortune is smiling on Albania. [Lajta shpita] was the last point of our misfortune. It was precisely there that the great powers of that time decided that Albania should become part of the Communist Bloc, whereas today everything has changed. Russia, one of the former superpowers, which has never pursued Albania’s interests, is no longer a superpower. On the other hand, the fall of the Berlin Wall also marked the end of Albania’s other enemy, communism. That is why Albania now has its fate in its own hands. But we must know how to make use of this opportunity, because otherwise we will lose everything and will have to struggle again. But how should we act? What is in our hands? Those who have finally decided to give us Albanians a chance expect us to make a move. And the answer is in our hands. It now depends on us what we can offer in order to succeed. Currently, the communists and their allies are in power in Albania. Regardless of the changes they have made in appearance and the statements they make, the current rulers, the PS and its allies, are merely remnants of the left with pronounced sympathies for the Slavs, the symbol of communism in Europe. We are not talking here at all about this year’s events, because [e urse], which have infiltrated the highest levels of the current government, but simply about the sympathies and nostalgia that extend down to the grassroots of these parties. It is known that the PS has its base among Stalinist communist nostalgics. And its leadership is made up of figures who, regardless of whether they put on Western suits, cannot hide what they have inside. In practice, people such as Fatos Nano, former official of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism and prime minister during Ramiz Alia’s time; Gramoz Ruçi, former interior minister during that same period, after having been secretary of the Communist Party; Skënder Gjinushi, former minister under Ramiz Alia; Rexhep Meidani, member of Ramiz Alia’s presidency; and others, cannot pretend to be acceptable in the current situation. They have been given all the responsibilities they have held, and so on, for shared responsibilities. They are all like Fino, Islami, Koci, Braçe, Kufa, Bajrami, Alia, and others, if not worse than them, since they made their “careers” during the dictatorship, while the period of neocommunism in power binds them together with clear threads, like those of crime. All these figures are connected in various ways either with the period of the dictatorship, or with ’91, when communism fell in Albania and with the empire “imperialism, [nisët ndërmjetësuese] for anti-communist power,” and with all the activities of these rulers during the period when all the energies of political and revolutionary crimes were directed toward obtaining this economic power. Crimes that continued afterward, including in ’97. But why should we act? What is in our hands? Those who have finally decided to give us Albanians a chance expect us to respond. And the answer is in our hands. It now depends on us what we can offer in order to succeed. Currently, those in power in Albania are ... (continued on page 3)

Socialist rulers enrich themselves with money from arrivals from Kosovo ON PAGE 4

German Foreign Minister Fischer at the mass grave of Krusha e Madhe

The Albanian opposition seeks European support for Kosovo’s independence in Strasbourg. Duke does not join the Albanians’ aspiration The DP deputy chairman praised the good relations between Albania and Macedonia as essential for the region’s stability, but sharply criticized Skopje for the tragedy of Bllacë, where tens of thousands of Kosovars were left in the open air for several days ON PAGE 3

Nano’s clan puts Majko’s three secretaries at the center of its attacks Dade, Legisi, Zela are more exposed than all the rest of the leadership in the confidence vote requested for the three members of the General Steering Committee ON PAGE 3

He is expected to meet with many of those expelled from Kosovo ON PAGE 3

Following abuses and thefts by the managers ON PAGE 5

The EDU meeting concluded. The DP Secretary General, Rivan Bode, also took part ON PAGE 3

The Telekom cash office robbed in broad daylight ON PAGE 4

Poverty grips 80% of the population ON PAGE 5

The Cambridge International Biographical Centre recognizes the deputy speaker of parliament The Cambridge International Biographical Centre selected Mrs. Jozefina Topalli, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Albania, as International Woman of the Year. In its announcement, the Centre’s Director General, Mr. Lionel Nelson, states that her biography was selected by the Board of the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge during this year, from among several dozen such biographies from around the world. This year, Mrs. Topalli has also been given the title “For Achievement in the 20th Century” in the Encyclopedia of International Biographies, as one of the individuals selected by this Centre among the 2,000 most outstanding intellectuals of the 20th century.

Today, 285 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 rulers in the terrible crime that took the young man’s life. The criminal former-communist government took the life of this December Leader; they showed that they are not oppositionists, that they have been and remain on the side of the killers, who have specific names, but are not all government officials. There are no Albanians who want and accept a government that protects such a person. The government must either resign and bring the criminals to justice, or publicly declare that it was the one that carried out Azem Hajdari’s murder.

Year IX of publication No. 147 (2266) THURSDAY 24 JUNE 1999 Price: 20 lekë 1000 lireta 250 drachmas

On Monday, 28.06.1999, at 11:00, a meeting of the National Council of the Democratic Party will be held. Members of the National Council and Members of Parliament are invited to attend.

301 million 27 JUNE