After the minister’s order to dismiss three Court of Cassation employees The President of the Court of Cassation states for “Zerin e Popullit”: “I cannot become complicit in the violation of the constitution and the law together with Minister Frashëri, whom I publicly ask to resign.” The minister’s order will remain just as the president’s decree on declaring politicians’ assets has remained. In other words, it will be covered by a dusting of oblivion. These three employees will continue to work at the Court of Cassation. This latest event makes it evident that the political attack being carried out against the Court of Cassation is, for the first time, also being extended to the administrative staff of this court. Page 3

We highlight: During these years of PD rule, the press has increasingly often spoken about the involvement of the Mafia in various activities in post-dictatorship Albania. This has also been influenced by the confusion of the transition, the extraordinary openness experienced by our country, the lack of legislation, and the failure of the relevant bodies to enforce the laws. In this case, we are referring to all those covert and unlawful acts affecting Albania, such as trafficking in narcotic substances or drugs, weapons, human beings, overcoming customs and border obstacles for the movement of goods and other fields, such as facilities for investments where dirty money is laundered, etc. The Mafia does not have only one address—Italy—but all neighboring countries, and even more distant areas. It is worth noting that even the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, has publicly mentioned the Mafia at least twice, once in Vlora and later at the last press conference he gave. The last time he said: “The truth is that this very [?]a la is that the government of Mr. Meksi has denounced many illegal acts of selling Albanian coasts to the mafia of others...” After these statements by the President, public opinion wants to know, not out of curiosity but for the transparency that should characterize every public official: what are these denunciations, about which no one to this day knows anything precise, when and by whom these properties were exploited, what do these facts concretely represent, to whom were these coasts given, when the law on the sale of land could not have come into force until some time ago. If the President says these words without making them concrete, simply as a component part of the political field and to keep it heated, then this declaration is of no use, but only sparks fantasies. The damage that mafiosi cause in order to create transparency must be countered by transparency. The President must be clear and specific when revealing a truth, all the more so when he denounces the alleged involvement of the Mafia in Albania. By trying to pin the so-called mafia activity on others, even on the party in power, nothing else is achieved except showing that mafia practices have entered the methods of governance. And it is known that an integral part of these practices is manipulation, even blackmail, of public opinion. Here is how, after a statement, a very serious problem arises. For the first time, the sale of Albanian land, even a single span of it, is denounced as an openly unconstitutional act, but the authors of this act remain hidden. The fight against the Mafia is not waged with generalities, nor with day-to-day propaganda.

A question for those in power The two days, 25 and 26 August ’95, saw severe flooding caused by heavy and torrential rain. Some districts were affected more than others, such as Lezha, Laçi, Shkodra, Mati, Kruja, etc. In particular, the districts of Lezha and Kurbin suffered damage with serious, even tragic consequences, including the loss of life of 5 citizens in the Lezha district. The economic damage in the Lezha district caused by the floods amounts to around 300 million lek, while in the Kurbin district it reaches 136 million lek. Let the residents of these two districts hear this, but our entire public opinion has lived through and survived these consequences. These are damages caused by a natural disaster. But not only by that. Page 7

Today: challenge for the Albanian national team Toward a possible victory today for Bajko’s boys, in addition to their play or their desire, encouragement from our sports fans would also help, and today we believe they will fill the stands of the “Qemal Stafa” national stadium. On page 13: a special interview for "Zërin e Popullit" from Stoickov Yesterday in training Photo: Lika Roçi On page 13: a special interview for "Zërin e Popullit" from Stoickov Yesterday in training Photo: Lika Roçi

Our debate Instead of transparency, we have proclamations about the final solution to the debt. These proclamations remind one only of that “old man with some of the ancient virtues of the Albanians and full of an unknown love for the country, a kind of immobilizing patriotism that the French call” amour du sol natal”, but “patriotisme conscient”. In the old man’s mind, everything. In Albania, everything was the best anywhere: the prettiest girls, the most honest women, the calmest waters, the finest trees, the healthiest climate, and, surprisingly, the most prosperous livestock,” as Konica so accurately stigmatized. Page 4