. The two ministers inspected army and police troops yesterday.

. Bovilla remains the capital’s great safeguard.

Detergents are outside the emergency aid package .

A rapid upsurge in crime In recent days, as you have seen, there has been a surge in criminal acts, especially violent crime, to which our entire public is very sensitive. In Durrës, Shkodër, Kukës and Tropojë, not to mention other districts, there has been a sudden leap in the level of crime, from a situation that seemed to be under control to one showing that it is getting beyond the ability of the police and its various structures to bring it to heel. How can this be explained? To answer this question, one must consider that when tens of thousands of people expelled from Kosovo arrived at the end of March, the police were placed on high alert as never before. Their contribution was essential for our state and its institutions to cope with the unusual situation they found themselves in. The police faced a difficult test. And it turned out that when the police are in their proper role, crime and criminals crawl into their holes. But as the days went by, it became apparent that certain police structures seemed to have grown accustomed to the new situation, neglecting their duties because they regarded the extraordinary days our people and country were going through as entirely ordinary. We believe this was the basis of a certain carelessness that became apparent. On the other hand, instead of being analyzed responsibly, the decline in crime was in some cases understood simply and solely as the police’s achievement. Therefore, the rise in crime should not be presented as the main feature of this situation! We seek, and want to find, its causes within the work and commitment of the various police structures. This is not about making petty judgments or handing out grades to say whether a particular commissioner or chief is doing a good job or not. That is not the job of a newspaper, but of the police authorities, from headquarters down to the local level. But one thing must be said forcefully: the police have never been less capable than they are today, with fewer resources and less tactical skill. They have never had such support and motivation, when practically all the roads throughout the country are covered by contingents of NATO troops who have been in Albania for days. Bringing crime to heel is an entirely legitimate demand, and citizens are making it of the police more strongly than ever before. The police cannot afford to rest, by day or by night. Police and criminals are irreconcilable enemies, even unto death. This is why this sensitive sector requires a high degree of professionalism, honesty and dedication—qualities that, unfortunately, are often absent or neglected in its work.

. A forum arrives in panim: Discussion of an effective international presence and security in Kosovo. Clinton: We must not stop the bombing BONN.—U.S. President Bill Clinton described the agreement by the eight G8 countries on a solution for Kosovo as “an important step forward,” stressing the need to continue NATO’s strikes against Yugoslavia vigorously. “The G8 agreement is an important step forward, and that is encouraging,” President Clinton said during a joint press conference with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the end of their talks in Bonn. “I think a real peace process is taking shape, but we will have no chance of achieving a satisfactory solution unless we maintain unity and determination within the Alliance,” he added. “I do not believe the process will be long, but we must not become discouraged or show impatience. We must maintain the strategy we have and continue the air strikes vigorously, and pursue diplomatic initiatives just as vigorously, so that we can achieve the conditions necessary for peace in Kosovo,” Clinton said. “I think we will arrive at a solution that works,” Clinton said. The U.S. president stressed that support from the United Nations in the form of a Security Council resolution would be “very useful if it supports a plan that works, that allows refugees to return in complete safety and with their autonomy, the withdrawal of Serbian forces, and the presence of a multinational security force with NATO as its strong core.” He judged that if Russia agrees to these points in the UN Security Council, “China will do the same.” So far, China has been highly critical of NATO’s strikes against Yugoslavia. Schröder called the G8 agreement “substantial progress.” But he also stressed, as Clinton did, that at this stage there is “no reason to change NATO’s strategy, especially when this strategy appears to be working; I mean both its military element and its political one, with the initiatives being undertaken.” President Clinton at a meeting yesterday with Kosovar refugees in Germany (REUTERS)

. Skender Gjinushi speaks.

. Archbishop Anastas speaks.

. Elmas Sherifi, member of the PSSH leadership, speaks.