“Meta,” the anti-dialogue government

Yesterday, the Meta government made clear that it is determined to disregard the artists’ demands and definitively put an end to dialogue. At a meeting with the striking artists, the Prime Minister did not take any of their key demands into consideration. Not only that, but by putting the government media outlets TVA and TV Klan to use, Meta and Rama tried to mislead public opinion about the supposed consensus among artists on the theatre bill. on page 5

Tirana, in the square on Saturday

On the 17th month anniversary of Azem Hajdari’s murder on page 5

Nano, gambling and women in New York

The head of the Socialist Party like Zhirinovski; partying at Ceaser Palace Casino, in Atlantic City Customs young woman speaks/Italy-Albania conflict. Maneuvers against the Italians. Angjeli, the minister under scrutiny. Billion-dollar businesses. Visco will retaliate on page 2

No Albanian association is welcoming Fatos Nano

The PS chairman in the company of Gaz Demi causes a backlash in the US Among Albanians in America, the fact that Socialist Party chairman Fatos Nano has been accompanied during his visit to the US by the much-talked-about Gaz Demi, known for smuggling and drug trafficking, has provoked a strong reaction. One of the most powerful people during Nano’s time as Prime Minister, while maintaining his cartel power even after his boss fell from the tree, Gaz Demi was Nano’s traveling companion for a whole week in the United States. Meanwhile, what stands out about Nano’s visit is that he has not met with any Albanian-American association, and this is not only because he is accompanied by people with a tainted reputation. None of the well-known Albanian associations in the promised land has deigned to invite Nano to a reception, since such a thing has long been considered an anti-national act. The chairman of the Socialist Party has for a long time been classified as an enemy of the Albanian national cause, which is why all the doors of the anti-communist diaspora have been closed to him.

Candidate for Ceas’s post arrives from Athens

The DP condemns officials’ threats, which forced the head of the EU customs mission to leave Albania on page 7

Bode: The state and crime are unified

on page 3

Today, former political prisoners on hunger strike

The protest by former persecuted people is becoming more radical on page 6

Artists: There was no compromise

Artists’ unions and strikers call for the protest to be stepped up on page 5

Bezhani: Fatos Klosi destroyed the secret files

The ministers in the “Meta” cabinet turn out to be compromised on page 10

Year IX of publication No. (2459) WEDNESDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2000 Price: 20 lek (250 drachmas) EDITORIAL ADDRESS: 10 “Xhorxhi Martini” St. - Tel.: 323 55/ Tel&Fax: 303 29/ (Marketing) 323 57 E-mail: gazetard@albaniionline.net Account No.: 5092/116 - BKT No. 1, Tirana Editor-in-chief Astrit PATOZI Deputy editors-in-chief Sami NEZA, Shemsi PEPOSHI

Today, 510 days since Azem’s murder The government protects Azem Hajdari’s killers 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 leave the criminals who took the life of the December Leader free and undisturbed, show Albanians that they are still in the clutches of a gang of criminals—gangsters who are on the side of those in power. Democrats in particular cannot tolerate the government’s maneuvers, while those who wanted and honored Azem Hajdari cannot tolerate them either: the government must either apprehend the criminals and publicly bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out Azem Hajdari’s murder.