US special envoys for the Balkans, Holbrooke and Gelbart, meet with President Meidani and Prime Minister Nano FATOS NANO “The Government of Albania remains steadfast in its positions in favor of a political solution to the situation in Kosovo through unconditional dialogue between the parties, and is determined to keep Albania and its relations with its southern Balkan neighbors outside the conflict’s center and any possible escalation that may be provoked by others.” Read on page 2

Vlorë, criminal act against the correspondent of the newspaper “Koha Jonë”

HOLBROOKE: “We came to Tirana to show our support for a nation that only a few years ago emerged from terrible darkness, but which has now begun to face some obstacles[?] GELBART “I would like to congratulate the Albanian government, headed by Prime Minister Nano, for its successful and intensive cooperation with the American government and other countries to increase Albania’s security.”

Children of journalist Zenepe Luka and her neighbors are injured; apartments are destroyed Mrs. Luka tells “Zëri i Popullit” “I am seriously troubled by the fact that the explosion took place after Azem Hajdari’s shameful statement at the DP rally in the sports palace in the city of Vlorë. Beforehand, I had received a ‘message’ about what happened to me from a slight young man who was on guard at the entrance to the main door of the Sports Palace. ‘Don’t go in, a bullet is waiting for you,’ were the first words of the rally’s guard.”

Nano: Albanian intelligence services must be independent to the extent that they can tell the truth The National Security Policy Committee meets On Monday, the National Security Policy Committee reviewed the draft law on amending the National Intelligence Service. Prime Minister Fatos Nano said that the draft was very important precisely because, owing to the practices followed in the past, this service has a poor reputation among the public. The draft, presented by SHIK officials, has been discussed with foreign experts from partner services and meets international standards. Albanian intelligence services, Nano stressed, the truth as they see it. The existing SHIK law no longer meets the needs of the times, while the draft sets out all three forms of oversight—parliamentary, administrative and civil—and provides greater flexibility in responding to crime. This draft will be followed by other laws and regulations providing for the monitoring of the activities of Albanian or foreign criminal and terrorist entities that threaten the country’s sovereignty and integrity and damage public or private assets and property. The draft law reviewed by the National Security Policy Committee also provides for improvements to the structure of SHIK institutions and to its relations with other state institutions. Declaring the work on drafting this proposal complete, the Prime Minister called on specialists from several ministries to prepare, as soon as possible, a package of draft laws regulating and amending the existing laws for all types of intelligence, defense, law-enforcement and foreign services, and to present this complete package at the earliest suitable time for parliamentary approval. While agreeing in principle that the Intelligence Service should be civilian rather than military, as it currently is, the ministers on the Security Policy Committee made suggestions regarding its name, the form of parliamentary and political accountability, cooperation with the armed forces and law-enforcement services, budgetary oversight, and the way the institution’s leaders are selected and appointed. The draft law is expected to be submitted for review at a meeting of the Council of Ministers in the coming days.

Nano and Holbrooke during the press conference (Photo: A.Babani)