The prime minister strengthens the position of his mafia clan . on page 2

The wife of the Chief of the General Staff throws herself from the 11th floor on page 10

The PD’s activists’ meeting is held in Vlorë, Elbasan, Laç, Librazhd and Peqin on page 4

Slovenian police seize 3 tons of narcotic plants in a Cooper, property of the Durrës commissioner on page 11 Bardhyl Londo The hypocrisy of the changes The warning to American citizens has not been renewed. On June 27 of this year, the State Department

By Astrit PATOZI More than four months after Mrs. Ollbrajt’s visit to Tirana, the opponents of American policy in Albania can be pointed out one by one. They are precisely the people who pretended to applaud in the Parliament chamber during the speech by the American Secretary of State, but who later put all their energies to work to [??] Mrs. Ollbrajt’s clear messages. Now that so much time has passed, there may be very few who can remember entire phrases from the speech by the head of the State Department, but in the meantime no one has forgotten that she called for equality in the electoral law. Meidani, Nano, Meta and the others Mrs. Ollbrajt said on February 19 of this year that “another key test for Albania will be achieving political consensus on an equal electoral framework.” When the head of the

Today, 666 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 his successor in the crime that shook the entire Albanian world. The governments of the former 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, whose identities are known but who are untouched by those in power. Democrats and all Albanians who loved and honored Azem Hajdari can never tolerate this fact. The government must either capture the criminals and bring them to justice, or publicly declare that it itself committed the murder of Azem Hajdari.

The warning for American citizens has not been renewed. On June 27 of this year, the Department of State described the grave security situation in Albania The warning for this year, the Department of State described the grave security situation in Albania USA: There is no security anywhere in Albania on page 3 Albania: Consular Information Sheet June 27, 2000 Travel Warning (Issued June 12, 2000): The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the potential dangers of travel to Albania. The security situation throughout Albania remains unstable. During the political and economic unrest in 1997, many weapons were looted from government arms depots and remain in unauthorized hands. All travel should be avoided, particularly travel involving political gatherings or at night. The crime rate is high throughout Albania, with instances of armed robberies, assaults, bombings and carjackings. Armed crime is rampant in Shkoder and other towns in northern Albania. Throughout the country, street crime is fairly common and occurs particularly at night. COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Albania is the poorest and least developed country in Europe. Facilities for tourism are not well developed, and many hotels and services do not meet the standards found in other European countries and are not available. Hotel accommodations are limited outside Tirana and the capital. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A passport is required. American citizens will be issued one at the point of entry. U.S. citizens who intend to stay up to 30 days are required to have a passport. A visa is required for stays over 30 days. An extension of up to 30 days may be obtained at the local police station. The Ministry of Interior accepts extension requests. There is a departure fee of $10.00 (U.S.) payable at the airport or other border crossing. For additional information, please contact the U.S. Embassy in Tirana at Rruga e Elbasanit at 14, N.W. Washington D.C. 20521-4030, telephone (202) 223-8177. DUAL NATIONALITY: Dual nationals may be subject to Albanian laws that impose special obligations. The Albanian government considers any person born in Albania an Albanian citizen no matter where born. When leaving the country, dual nationals must obtain consular assistance. or visit the Consular Affairs home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. On page 3

On February 19 of this year, Mrs. Ollbrajt said that “another key test for Albania will be achieving a political consensus on an equitable electoral framework.” When the head of American diplomacy set a deadline of only eight weeks to reach consensus on the Electoral Commission, few thought there would be politicians in Albania who would not take this call seriously. The deadline, inserted “innocently” into Mrs. Ollbrajt’s speech, was regarded as a genuine ultimatum to those holding up the achievement of pre-election consensus, the first condition for moving toward free and fair elections. But the time for the test has now expired, and it is unfortunate to note that the requested consensus has been systematically destroyed, resulting in a bastardized electoral law that ends with a Central Election Commission far more fanatical than the most extreme wing of the Socialist Party. And the people who ignored Mrs. Ollbrajt’s messages are easy to identify. They began with the President of the Republic, who, with a fake smile frozen on his lips, never misses an opportunity to present himself as a meek sheep who never strays from the prefabricated scripts handed to him from outside Albanian politics. In fact, however, he is quite the opposite of the mask he wears. President Meidani is the chief protagonist in undermining consensus on the electoral law, or, in other words, Mrs. Ollbrajt’s foremost opponent in Albanian politics. If a government newspaper wrote a year ago that he was the head of the Russian lobby in Albania, it certainly could not have imagined Meidani’s role in the electoral process. The man whose most successful visit abroad was to Beijing has appointed a commission that will announce the final election results, one even less credible than the armed gang of Cër-rik, which secured votes for him during the elections—votes that were acceptable only for the time being—on June 29. Continued on page 5

Year IX of publication  No. (2581)  SUNDAY, 9 JULY 2000  Price: 20 lekë (250 drachmas) ADDRESS: Near the PD headquarters Tel.: 323 55 and 323 57 Tel&Fax: 303 29 Account No.: 5092/116 - BKT No. 1, Tirana Internet address: www.rilindjademokratike.com and E-mail: gazetard@albaniaonline.net Editor-in-Chief Astrit PATOZI Deputy Editors-in-Chief Sami NEZA, Shemsi PEPOSHI

Bardhyl Londo The hypocrisy of the changes to Meta’s cabinet on page 7

Mitro Çela Gentlemen, lie, but don’t go too far on page 9

Visar Zhiti Baudelaire as a great sorrow on pages 12–13

Continued on page 5