“Everyone is free to choose” INTERVIEW/ The FRD leader, an offer to democrats who are under Berisha’s orders The former president throws down the gauntlet to his former colleagues in the party led by the prime minister: “Political rotation is needed. We will try to win over the dissatisfied with the government’s performance” News The FRD chairman Bamir Topi has spoken in harsh tones against Berisha’s nationalisms, calling on the majority to vote for the Cham resolution. He has guaranteed that in the post-2013 government FRD will play a leading role, while denying any coalition with the PD and PS. TIRANE ILIR BABARAMO The FRD chairman, and former President Bamir Topi, in an interview on the program “5 questions from Babaramo” on TV A1Report, in order to improve meritocracy in Albania, used an old phrase from 1997 by the patriarch of Albanian letters... continues on pages 2-3

Page 14 WHEN WE USED TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR... BY Evis Cerga

Nexhmije.com or Shqiptarja.com BY ANILA BASHA It seems to me, Mr. Prime Minister, that you had missed me, since you brought this up at the press conference, that is, publicly. In fact, if you haven’t heard, I was in Kabul, chosen by NATO to follow developments far from our country, where global politics is spoken, where you feel proud to be Albanian, and as I said on Facebook, (since I have learned that you too have opened a Facebook page), in Albania we are neither like Kabul nor like Kandahar. And here I am back in the homeland. With the wish to bring some European and international thoughts to my country. I open my phone and what do I see? A flood of messages and calls, because at a press conference, you, Mr. Prime Minister, had turned me personally and the newspaper shqiptarja.com into your own characters, telling the reporter from shqiptarja.com that she came from nexhmije.com. It was not the first time you had told me this. Do you remember? It happened at the ceremony for the election of Bujar Nishani as President. You came closer... continues on page 20

A total of 327 years in prison. Most are free and businesspeople in Albania PROSECUTION IN ITALY TIRANE HABJON HASANI They live freely and run businesses in Albania, but in Bari, Italy, the prosecution has requested heavy sentences for them. We are talking about 19 members of what is known as the narcotrafficking organization of “Ben Çami”. The names and the sentences requested by the Italian prosecution for the 19 members of this gang are made public. In Bari, Italy, the judicial process against a powerful gang is nearing completion... Page 8 Lutfi Shabani (Ben Çami)

Page 4 The seat in Kukës, Noka: Men are “hard workers” with women

Page 22 American visas, starting today payments are no longer made at the bank

Pages 16-17 Alfred Moisiu: The infamous meeting of Kovaleshenca in 1974

Page 13 Public debt, World Bank: Reduce it to 30 percent

Page 7 IN PHOTO: Sali Berisha (first from left) with Sokol Hoxha, Isuf Kalo and his wife in Pogradec in the 1980s Isuf Kalo, surprise 70th birthday at “Rogner”, Berisha absent Colleagues Thereska and Hysa: Under the dictatorship he only did his duty

Pages 10-11 Valentina: How I left Tirana for Kabul BY Anila Basha

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