The Socialists and several minor parties aligned with them have chosen the path of opposing everything, making a complete rerun of the elections their condition. However, regardless of the fact that the manipulations carried out on May 26 have been confirmed to a very great extent, judging by developments so far, as well as precedents in various countries around the world, it is difficult to see the insistence of the Socialists or of the front they lead being crowned with success. At the very least, past experience should have taught them that unless certain necessary conditions are established, beginning with the legal framework under which these elections will be held, the result will be more or less similar to that of May 26. The road to general elections is not as short as some think. First of all, if we are claiming to hold free and democratic elections, these cannot even be contemplated under an electoral law like the current one, in which the party in power is conspicuously favored and enjoys a range of privileges that rule out the expression “free and equal elections.” Second, those charged with conducting the elections in accordance with all the rules must carry out their duties under the established laws. Specifically, beginning with the abandonment of the commissions and polling stations by representatives and observers from the PS and several political forces close to it, action was taken without carefully considering what the gains would be and what the damage. On Sunday, the imprisoned Socialist leader Fatos Nano expressed himself for the first time in “ZP,” through an analysis concerning the May 26 elections and the line adopted by his party, as well as those now known as the “Red Front.” Although Nano’s analysis was imbued with a critical spirit directed against Berisha and the government, at some points it also included criticism of the party that he has been leading remotely from prison for three years. Speaking about the struggle of the group of parties that chose to boycott the elections, which they had described as an electoral farce and even a coup d’état, Nano expressed the view that, despite the imposed boycott, the withdrawal of opposition members and observers from the commissions may have been... results. This criticism by Nano shows that there will be no sunny days in the PS. The Socialist leader’s statement could cause problems among the PS leadership. Conflicts within a political force usually arise either after a victory, as a result of dissatisfaction over the distribution of the “trophy,” or in moments of defeat, when conditions are created for putting the people responsible for the loss “before the firing squad.” But N. Ceka, leader of one of the political forces allied with Nano’s party, disagrees with the Socialist leader. This may be seen as the beginning of the division that could emerge within the “Red Front,” and even within the PS itself. In an interview with the BBC, Ceka declared that “Nano, being far away, does not know the situation that has developed very well,” and on this occasion he did not fail to blame the “isolation” and “despair” that are dominating the Socialist leader’s state of mind. So discussions began over just one move of this kind—but what, then, will happen later, when the “front” has to make its way through a thicket of

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, has sent—

Central Europe has been hit by a heat wave unprecedented in human memory, at least for the first days of June. Moreover, according to forecasts, temperatures will not fall in the coming days. Since Friday, the mercury has reached 30 degrees in Amsterdam, 31 in Brussels, and exceeded 32 degrees in Bonn. Paris holds the record at 33 degrees. Meanwhile, in London and Milan the thermometer has settled at 31 degrees. What is most bothersome is not so much the high temperature as the high humidity, which causes an unpleasant sensation of breathlessness. To find some relief from the heat in Paris and London, people have flocked to the fountains. In the French capital, boys and girls have bathed in the Trocadero basin, while in London older gentlemen have used the cascades in Trafalgar Square to treat themselves to a refreshing shower from time to time. Paradoxically, the high temperatures recorded in the center of Europe have had no equivalent in the south of the continent or in Mediterranean Africa. Only 17 degrees have been recorded in Tunisia, while in the Canary Islands, at midday, the highest temperatures do not exceed 25 degrees. Far too cold for swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. The sea has also proved “cold” in southern Spain (in Gibraltar the temperature has reached 25 degrees, compared with 31 degrees in Madrid). Meanwhile, Athens has recorded 32 degrees. The heat wave has also hit Albania. In recent days, temperatures have reached 32–34 degrees Celsius.

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, has sent a letter to the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. has sent a letter to the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Through this letter, Mr. Rugova thanks the American president for his ongoing efforts to establish peace in the Balkans and in Kosovo. The opening of the American Information Office in Prishtina prompted the letter. “June 5, 1996, is a historic date for the people of Kosovo,” President Rugova writes in the letter. He states that “the United States Information Agency office in Prishtina has become a symbol of trust and hope that freedom, peace and democracy will be established for all the inhabitants of Kosovo and in the Balkan region, among other things, the letter says.” The President of the Republic of Kosovo has also sent the letter, whose contents are given here, to other prominent American figures.

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