The Albanian government is on the verge of signing the ESAF-2 agreement Finance Minister Arben Malaj in Washington PAGE 7

Further decentralization, expansion of powers, financial independence—some of the main priorities of the Ministry of Local Government Deputy Prime Minister Fino receives the ambassadors PAGE 2

PRIME MINISTER NANO WRITES TO JOURNALIST ZENEPE LUKA Dear Mrs. Luka, We are deeply shaken and I express my profound regret for the extremely difficult ordeal that you and your family went through as a result of a criminal act of cunning that did not stop even in the face of the lives of young children. In this difficult time for your family, allow me to express my feelings of sympathy for you and your family and to assure you that the competent authorities have been specifically tasked with identifying the perpetrators of this bloody attack. The attack on your home, against a representative of the independent press, is a fully-fledged terrorist attack on the free press and on the democratic values upon which we are striving to build Albanian civil society. Allow me on this occasion to once again express my full support for your work as a journalist for the free and democratic Albanian press, and to wish a speedy recovery to the children who were taken in and struck by the criminal hand. Respectfully, Fatos Nano Tirana, 12.05.1998

The chairman of the Democratic Party is back in the old trenches. Attack against politicians of friendly countries PAGE 7 Fasino alongside Italian President Scalfaro

The former chairman of the Shkodra Court writes to the newspaper’s editor-in-chief PAGE 6

Democratic Alliance President Neritan Ceka rebuts Karamirro’s attacks PAGE 5

The Secretary General of the Socialist International invites PSSH to the meeting of the SI Council PAGE 4

Statement of the summit of foreign ministers of the G-8 member countries The summit of foreign ministers of the G-8 member countries, held on May 8, 1998, was followed by a statement setting out the conclusions of the meeting. Regarding Kosovo, the statement by the G-8 foreign ministers says: “We are deeply concerned about the violence and increasing polarization in Kosovo and, in particular, about the excessive use of violence by Serbian forces. We are entirely opposed to terrorism and to the supply of weapons to terrorists, as well as to the use of violence by armed extremists as a means of achieving political aims. We firmly oppose Kosovo’s independence, as well as an unacceptable continuation of the status quo; we support a status and broad autonomy for Kosovo. It is the fundamental responsibility of Belgrade as a government to be part of a solution through negotiations, as well as to ensure respect for the rule of law, protection for all citizens, and the protection of human and civil rights. We call on the authorities in Belgrade and the Albanian leadership in Kosovo to urgently begin the process of dialogue without preconditions from either side, and on Belgrade to accept an international presence in the negotiations. (Continued on page 2)