DO YOU THINK THERE ARE DEPUTIES WHO PUT MONEY INTO AJDIN SEJDIA? Azem Hajdari The public has known my opinion of Ajdin Sejdia very well for a year now. I called him a speculator, a pseudo-merchant, brought in by the communist regime. Sejdia caused our country no small amount of harm. He was one of those people who served the old caste in transforming political power into economic power. Our authorities, on the basis of complaints they may receive from merchants, should bring Ajdin Sejdia back here, have him sentenced, and return the money to our merchants. Those politicians, at whatever level, who may have put money into Ajdin Sejdia have only one name: politically and economically corrupt. If there is a [??] concerning this matter, it must be disclosed immediately and not used as a means of pressure. Dritëro Agolli I think that the deputies who are here now did not put money in. I have noticed no sign or suspicion in my conversations about this problem. Nevertheless, in this parliament, which reflects the state of Albania, anything can happen. But in any case, I don't think so. At first glance, the deputies look calm and not well-off. These parliamentarians don't have a beard for Mecca. Abdi Baleta I consider it immoral to give an opinion to the newspaper «Koha Jonë». (continued on page 2)

At the latest meeting of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, the committee’s chairman, Mr. Arben Puto, also resigned. This resignation reflects the several-month crisis in the Helsinki mission. A few weeks ago, Mr. Puto was sharply attacked by the association of former political prisoners and the persecuted, whose statement described him as a fanatical communist who could not defend their rights. Most of the Committee members who accepted the resignation said that although they respect Mr. Puto, they were obliged to accept it because of public opinion. On the other hand, the secretary of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, former political prisoner Fatos Lubonja, considered the resignation to have been made under pressure and opposed it. For now, it is reported that new elections may be held at the end of the month.

. This was the description given last Sunday by the commander of Operation “Pelican” in Albania. In the middle of a sandy field and in the presence of almost half the government, Mr. Çaci was decorated by Prime Minister Meksi for «special merits» with the Order of Naim Frashëri, First Class. Before receiving the decoration, at the pelican commander’s ceremony—during the speech rehearsals of the past two years in Albania—he referred to the country’s harsh dictatorship and the destruction it had brought about. Then, illustrating the Pelican mission’s one-year activity in Albania with figures, the commander said that such a thing could be accomplished only by an army, not only because of its technical capabilities but also because of its discipline, sense of duty, and high morale. He was followed by the Albanian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Rexhep Uka, whose account of Pelican’s activity in Albania specified the fainting of at least one Albanian soldier and at least three Italian soldiers. According to an Italian lieutenant colonel, figures such as 204,000 tons of food aid, 130,000 medical interventions, 2 billion lire in medicines, and seven and a half million kilometres were «troppo duro» for the Italian and Albanian pelicans. The Albanian soldier himself said that perhaps he had fainted because of the strong sun, while the officer accompanying him thought the main cause was the plate of beans from yesterday morning. At the end of the event, the most important Italian in Albania, Italo Kardili, spoke and said that the aid serves no political party but the Albanian people. Everyone present at the former Qemal Stafa Pioneers’ Holiday Home noted that the most-used word during the day was «rip[o]zo». A rest for the Pelican? B.B.

Political mercenaries and political spatterers are destroying Albania

Albania is turning the political mercenary and political spatterers