Law and order and personnel The proposal to dismiss the Tirana police director has been pending for 10 days Prime Minister Meta to remove Tirana police chief Havari The order in Tirana has been due to the police officers’ commitment and work. Havari did not speak with half of Tirana’s chiefs PAGE 6

Along with her deputy, Ylli Basha. Reason: shortcomings and weaknesses at work PAGE 6

ERION BRAÇE Social solidarity is one of the traits that for years has distinguished parties of the right from those of the left. Social solidarity is the most humane trait of left-wing parties, bringing them close to society’s needy groups. Social policy has shown that it brings together values that are the purest in terms of interests. Their sole interest is to seek social and humane support, not personal gain. Parties constantly devote attention to improving their social programmes, but beyond them, the truth remains to be tested through the implementation of social policies. This also applies to the current government. In fact, the governments since 29 June have done a great deal to increase pensions, insurance benefits and unemployment payments, which have been improved by being raised several times. But this should not obscure the fact that 2,500 families in urgent need have been forgotten. They have mostly lost their homes because of natural disasters that have struck them. At the end of the year, we wrote that the Ministry of Local Government had prepared files for 500 families and that the government had a fund of 100 million lek ready. But within just a few days, this dwindled to a minimal fund of 5 million lek, with which only 8 families can be helped. This is far too little. Everything so far, everywhere, has shown that social neglect comes at a high price—not simply in votes, but in public opinion, which hits left-wing parties especially hard.

The D’Alema government takes the initiative D’Alema: Draft decree-law for rebuilding Albania ready Dedicated financial resources for the police PAGE 5

Natural deaths in the eastern part of the country Librazhd: no deaths caused by the severe flu virus Doctors refute the reports that were published PAGE 7

editor-in-chief’s page The Prime Minister should have announced the year’s objectives Public services “have shut down”, a chain of cars in Tirana We’ll get back to “Lazo” PAGE 16

BENITO MUSSOLINI WITH YOU IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM HISTORICAL CALENDAR 2000 LECCE—Italian politician Mario De Cristofaro, a member of the National Alliance Party—an ally of Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party—has produced a calendar featuring a nostalgic photograph of former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. It bears a fascist slogan: “Benito Mussolini, with you in the third millennium.” This year, the fascist dictatorship marks its 78th anniversary in Italy, while the National Alliance is one of the Italian parties most hostile to Albanian immigrants. Berisha and the criminals he released killed 1,542 people in March ’97 In ’97, Berisha released 600 criminals from prison PAGE 3 BENITO MUSSOLINI — WITH YOU IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM; HISTORICAL CALENDAR 2000

Foreign Minister Milo More than once, the positions of PD leaders and the boss in Belgrade have coin-ci-ded PAGE 2

THE PEOPLE’S VOICE — NEWS President: I signed the tariffs on 31 December 4

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