All of Librazhd in the square with Berisha

An extraordinary rally on the anniversary of the DP branch Librazhd’s square was filled yesterday with thousands of residents, who had gathered to share the joy of nine years of democracy and nine years of the DP with DP chairman Sali Berisha. Yesterday, the mountains and the people bore witness to the grand welcome reserved for the Democratic leader Year IX of publication No. (2464) TUESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2000 Price: 20 lekë (250 drachmas) EDITORIAL OFFICE ADDRESS: 10 "Xhorxhi Martini" St. - Tel.: 323 55/ Tel&Fax: 303 29/ (Marketing) 323 57 E-mail: gazetard@albaniaonline.net Account No.: 5092/116 - BKT No. 1, Tirana Editor-in-chief Astrit PATOZI Deputy editors-in-chief Sami NEZA, Shemsi PEPOSHI On page 3

Meidani opens the file on Meta

Klosi’s people deliver to the President compromising facts about the Prime Minister’s villa The Prime Minister’s irregularities and violations in the Presidency’s drawer Ilir Meta’s villa

CEC set up to steal votes

By Sami NEZA Albanian Parliament Speaker Skënder Gjinushi categorically denied last night that any moves were being made by Albanian state institutions toward a solution or political consensus on the Central Election Commission. In an interview with VOA, he said that amendments to the law on the CEC could not be made under any circumstances, since this had been stipulated by the Constitution, and that this

US concerned about the electoral process

on page 5 Even parties in the governing coalition call for a change in the composition of the CEC US concerned about the electoral process

The government protects Azem Hajdari’s killers

Today, 515 days since Azem’s murder 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 successor in the crime that has shaken the entire Albanian world. The government of the former communists, which leaves free and unpunished the criminals who took the life of the December Leader, shows Albanians that it has been and remains on the side of the killers, who have names and faces but are untouched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who cannot tolerate this and who honored Azem Hajdari can never accept this fact. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself carried out the murder of Azem Hajdari.

RD journalist, deputy minister

A delegation of flood victims showed up at our newsroom yesterday and asked to meet the deputy minister of local government, Bledi Kasmi! The newspaper’s doorman, Pirto, told them that Bledi Kasmi is a journalist, not a government official. But the delegation of flood victims produced a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office, signed by the spokesperson, which stated verbatim: “Deputy Minister of Local Government Bledi Kasmi.” The RD doorman told the delegation that the deputy minister’s name is Bledi Klosi, while Bledi Kasmi is an RD journalist, but they insisted that this was not so. “Bashkim Fino also told us that Bledi Kasmi is a deputy minister, since the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Mesi Doda, has decided so.” The delegation became very angry with the spokesperson, but the doorman calmed them down by telling them that, a few days earlier, she had appointed Massimo Ranieri, the famous Italian singer, as Italy’s undersecretary for foreign affairs, thus astonishing Prime Minister D’Alema as well.

Çupi: September 14, Lovers’ Day

Yesterday, in the reports about “Lovers’ Day,” Errok Çupi decided to change its date. For our state news agency, Lovers’ Day is September 14! September 14 bothers Çupi so much that every 14th of the month seems to him to be September 14, even if it is a holiday such as Lovers’ Day.

Rice tenders: small fish caught in the net

[Part of a text cut off at the upper edge:] that the latter could not be changed on page 5 Rice tenders: small fish caught in the net The rice tenders at the Ministry of Defense are being brought to a close by the Prosecutor’s Office and, after it, the Court, in a very undignified manner. Some officers, or small fish, some of whom have already fled abroad, have been chosen as scapegoats to cover up the tender scandal at the Ministry of Defense. When the tender scandal broke, the press wrote about the involvement of the heads of the Ministry of Defense, Luan Hajdaraga on page 5

about the electoral process

on page 2

Italians: “Beware of the billions of the Albanian mafia”

The mafia clans are supported by the ruling clans in Parliament, the Government and the Presidency. There are 758 Albanians wanted by the Italian police on page 6

The health of the hunger strikers is worsening

Former persecuted people on the seventh day of the strike on page 2 Former persecuted people on the seventh day of the strike The health of the hunger strikers is worsening on page 2