Another episode after the Greek plane’s flight over the Riviera Tirana: three distributors arrested TIRANA — The enforced silence in southern Albania since the Greek airplane flew over on Sunday morning can hardly be dismissed as mere rumor or an “isolated incident.” Only a few days earlier—on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.—Albanian Public Order authorities had managed to intercept a tourist plane south of Tirana. Along with its three “passengers,” it was carrying a large quantity of leaflets printed in Greece. When caught red-handed, the men initially told investigators that “the aircraft had been taken from the Vlora Research Institute to the center in Ioannina and that the leaflets were to be distributed in the Albanian capital.” But while the highest Greek authorities—as confirmed by highly informed official sources—“intervened immediately,” even arresting the pilot Vrakos Tamos, there has still been no response to the other incident and nobody has accepted responsibility. In any case, the identical text of the leaflets distributed in Albania within a short time of one another, by land and by air, is no longer grounds for arguing that this very “old-fashioned” act was merely the private initiative of a pilot or aircraft operator. And although the Greek government has denied any possible connection—at least with the “Grumman” plane incident—the fact is that the leaflets’ content echoes almost exactly the demands that senior Greek diplomats have recently expressed publicly. “The Vorëpreferiotët are not alone, but will fly and live in freedom”: freedom for the six Omonia officials; these words, along with others, had “arrived” through statements by Greece’s principal leaders just a few hours before they landed in Albania to defend the leaflets. In any case, the conclusion of the investigation into the three people who were to distribute the leaflets in Tirana and southern Albania will finally shed light on the mystery of who was behind the initiative. As the Ministry of Public Order announced, one of the three people caught red-handed at midday on Thursday—Gjergj Rrapo, 52—works in Athens as a hydraulic engineer, while another, Vangjel Meniku, 44, was a representative of the Institute of Aid for Himara. The only one of the three accused who was of Albanian ethnicity and citizenship was Edmond Kutulla, a 38-year-old man from Himara, who—as the Public Order Ministry’s announcement confirmed—had distributed the leaflets brought from Greece, which were to be spread in various parts of Albania. Meanwhile, investigations have also begun in Greece, and on Monday afternoon various Greek media outlets reported the arrest of Greek pilot Vrakas, who had entered Albanian territory a few days earlier and dropped leaflets “on his own initiative and in full awareness of the illegal nature of his act,” as Greece’s Ministry of National Defence put it. Edmond Laçi The prelude to the “sweep” TIRANA — Greece is once again seeking revenge by targeting Albanian emigrants. In retaliation for the trial of five Omonia figures, increasing numbers of refugees are arriving at the Albanian border crossing, many of them having been expelled. Thus, in just the last few days, from Saturday until Monday morning, the number of people returned by Greek police has approached 5,000. Most—over 3,000 people—were deported by bus through the Kakavija crossing. Another 1,300 or more, caught by police in the Thessaloniki area, were returned through the Kapshtica crossing. Greek military authorities have also tightened controls along the border with Albania to prevent the influx of their emigrants. The mass return of Albanians is also accompanied by violence against them. Many refugees have arrived on Albanian soil with serious injuries, while others report being beaten and mistreated by Greek police. Among those returned are also people holding valid visas, some for as long as a year. The Albanian authorities, for their part, have in recent days also deployed army vehicles to help transport the deported emigrants. ... [text cut off and partly illegible] ... “The program of the Islamic revolutionaries will save the world from the Western epidemic. Islam now leads the history of change, while the West defends the status quo of the colonial and imperial legacy of plunder.” The ideologues of the Iranian revolution have even specified when the conflict that will lead to their “clash with Western civilization, which is misery and masonry,” will grow fiercer: in the 21st century. It seems far off, but it is only a few years away. The only question left is where the ideologues of the 1979 revolution place Albania, in whose language this magazine is written: in the “decadent West” or in “glorious Islam”? Fatos Baxhaku A Greek border guard at Kapshtica (Photo A. Babani)

Berisha renews call for dialogue TIRANA — The presidents, the figures at the apex of the two states, have now also intervened in the bitter Albanian-Greek dispute ignited by the trial of five citizens of Greek origin. It was Albanian President Berisha who, in a statement, described the violation of his country’s airspace by a Greek military aircraft and the dropping of leaflets calling for the overthrow of the Albanian Government as “a serious and highly shameful provocation, premeditated and organized, as well as an adoption by Greece of Cold War methods against Albania.” Almost at the same time, the terse statement by Greek President Karamanlis was broadcast through the mass media. “Albania is acting irresponsibly and in a reckless and provocative manner, and the time is not far off when they will regret this,” he threatened immediately after returning from vacation. Meanwhile, alongside the determination expressed in the Albanian president’s statement to confront any further possible provocation, there was also an appeal to Greece’s senior authorities to enter into dialogue with the Albanian side in order to bring relations out of crisis. (Anste) Kalaja clarifies his position TIRANA — Albanian trade unionist Gëzim Kalaja has publicly clarified his position regarding Andrea Zarabkulla, Head of the Secret Services in Ioannina. “Only when the meeting was over did I find out that he was the Head of Asfalia, Zarabkulla,” Kalaja wrote before the judges, having been called as a witness, thereby finally dispelling the shadow of suspicion cast over him by the accusations of two of the defendants in the “Omonia” trial. Clarification of this mystery—which for several days weighed not only on the Chairman of the Independent Union of Geologists, Miners and Beneficiators, but also on the BSPSH, whose leader he had been during his visit to Greece—also confirms several other details that only hours earlier had been mere hypotheses. “Kosta and Irakliu told me he wanted you to meet some prominent person in Ioannina,” Kalaja testified, identifying them as responsible for the “suspicious” meeting. But that is not all: Kalaja’s detailed account of his conversation with Zarabkulla also confirmed the other hypothesis—that the Greek secret services had been interested even in Albanian trade unions, going so far as to tell them that “communism must be overthrown in Albania, even by force of arms.”

A magazine by the mujahideen “The decadent West will finally be defeated in the 21st century” TIRANA — Some of the “teachings” of the Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini have now been published in Albanian. An Islamic cultural magazine addresses Albanians in their own language, telling them how the world is understood by Allah’s victorious mujahideen, accused from all sides of being the main instigators of fundamentalism. The publishing initiative was taken by the cultural section of the Iranian Embassy in Serbia. “Nuri”—that is the magazine’s name—is printed periodically in Skopje and then distributed in areas inhabited by Muslim Albanians. The publishers have stated that all proceeds from its sale will be used for ... “Indeed, they are wild beasts, who do not hesitate to commit any crime or treachery in order to achieve their base and criminal aims ... At the head of these b[?]asts stands America, characterized by state terror.” Selman Razhdie, author of “The Satanic Verses,” sentenced to death while Imam Khomeini was still alive, is another traitor who must no longer exist: “In condemning The Satanic Verses,” writes Dr. Kalim Sëdikki in an article published in issue 3 of “Nuri,” “Imam was absolutely right, because he believed that this work was part of the open conspiracy against Islam and the Prophet of Islam...” Illustrative photo of a crowd at a rally; the person pictured is unidentified.

Mat: two villages in conflict MAT — A peasant “war” is on the verge of breaking out in the Mat area. Facing one another almost like two hostile sides locked in an age-old feud are the residents of the villages of Shkallë and Petralbë, and in this case—as befits a war—the “apple of discord” is land. The people of Petralbë complain that those of Shkallë have forcibly seized part of their village’s land. They sent a complaint about this to the People’s Assembly in February of this year, and the latter notified the District Council to resolve the conflict. But unfortunately, nothing came of it, and the land remains “occupied.” In a letter recently addressed to the Council of Ministers, the people of Petralbë are demanding that the boundary be restored on the ground; otherwise, they stress, it is quite possible that conflicts between the two villages could have tragic consequences. (Aneste)

Parents misled ELBASAN — The adventure of two girls from Elbasan, A.M., 15, and S.K., 18, triggered alarm and the launch of a large-scale police operation in several districts of the country. Having left home without telling anyone to go for an outing by the sea in Durrës with two male friends, they worried their parents, who immediately reported to the police that their daughters had been kidnapped. The alarm raised by the family quickly mobilized the Public Order forces, who blocked all possible routes the kidnappers might have taken. An operation spanning several districts managed to find the girls on Durrës beach, quietly and romantically enjoying the evening by the sea in the company of two young men. And although the two girls nevertheless told their parents that they had been kidnapped, they did not betray their companions in this summer adventure to the police. Me. Ki.

TIRANA — Once described as ... the business whirlwind—once so astonishing to judges—has today become one of the most widespread phenomena in the market economy. Many people, because of poverty, remain frustrated and even become quite vulnerable to being deceived by others. Goods are advertised, but suddenly a case appears that has made them lose, stop, do ... [the rest of the text is unclear]. ... [next column] ... perhaps the youngest businesswoman, and not only in Albania. With a courtesy from which many shopkeepers could learn, she offers her modest goods on the capital’s main street, opposite the “Dajti” hotel: little bags of salted pumpkin seeds for 10 lekë apiece. “I’ll choose the best ones for you,” Bona promises her customers, and when they hand her the money, she says—I won’t forget it, she never skips this ritual—with a smile, “thank you.” And there is no doubt that she is one of the most successful among consumers several years older than herself. Yet this toddler of a business is at the stage of expressing the infant business that continues to develop in the city. (Aneste) CURSIVE REALITY

LEZHË — She has now ended up in the isolation cells, and criminal proceedings have begun against the perpetrator of a serious crime confirmed in the village of Tunjë, Lezhë. — She has now ended up in the isolation cells, and criminal proceedings have begun against the perpetrator of a serious crime confirmed in the village of Tunjë, Lezhë. Branda Suraj had killed Zef Dushku on August 9, striking him on the head with an axe. The blow caused Dushku’s immediate death. The incident had occurred in the middle of the day on the main road of Torova, where, immediately after the murder — Dushku was a friend of the woman — Sulli left in an unknown direction. Searches by the police forces made it possible to catch her only a few days ago. Ir. Rr.

Shaken, he attempts suicide VLORË — One person dead, one admitted to intensive care, and another detained by police: this was the tragic result of the conflict between two young men from Vlora and an elderly person who had stolen their motorcycle. On Tuesday, the two brothers Genc and Pellumb Rexhepi, while travelling by car, noticed a motorcycle that had been stolen from them some time earlier passing nearby. They immediately set off in pursuit of the thief. The chase lasted several minutes and led them through the city’s labyrinth of apartment buildings. It was precisely there that tragedy struck. As they drove at speed so as not to lose sight of the motorcycle thief, they ran over Perikli Panajoti, 70, who was sitting on the steps of an apartment building. The accident cost Panajoti one of his legs. The accident forced the two brothers to stop immediately and take the 70-year-old’s body to the hospital. But Panajoti’s life lasted only a short while there. He died from the heavy blood loss. The painful news of his death shocked the other Rexhepi, aged 37, who apparently, in his despair, was also going to ... [end of article partly unclear]. St. Ma.

YESTERDAY IN ALBANIA ELBASAN, ALBANIAN LABELS ON IMPORTED OIL — The investigation into the fraud confirmed at the Oil and Soap Enterprise in Elbasan is expected to be completed at the Prosecutor’s Office. The Public Police and the police force have seized 30 tons of food oil that did not meet standards, after it was discovered that it had been distributed with labels from this enterprise, but was not its product. The analyses are expected to clarify whether the oil is unrefined, has a burning taste, and is old; it was imported from Macedonia through the private company «Tajani». VLORË, OLD VEHICLES BLOCK TRAFFIC — Roads being blocked by old, broken-down trucks has now become an extremely annoying phenomenon for drivers. The problem has worsened further following the decision to continue abandoning other vehicles, which block the road for nearly several minutes at a time. Citizens’ complaints about this phenomenon have still not managed to get the companies to restore free-flowing traffic. SHKODËR, THE MUNICIPALITY RETURNS TO COOPERATION — The Municipality of Shkodër is returning to its traditional, old and new paths. Also at various destinations, such as the city library, ... [the remainder of the text is unclear]

Photograph of a little girl on the street, selling seeds.

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