Aid will shift from the economic sector to electoral education The EC has decided to help Albania. This news was given great prominence by the official information media. This is understandable if we consider the difficult situation in which the state finds itself, both vis-à-vis domestic opinion and vis-à-vis the outside world. But whereas until now the discussion was mainly about economic aid, which our country needs most urgently, the EC’s aid to Albania, announced yesterday by the official media, sets out Europe’s contribution to the development of democracy and, in particular, to electoral education. The fact that aid in this area is being discussed clearly shows that the EC, like all international institutions, has been deeply shaken by the irregularities observed by monitors during the May 26 elections. When aid for the “electoral education” of Albanians is mentioned, first of all this amounts to a kind of slight against our people, who apparently are not able to express their will freely, but need to be taught how to do so properly. Secondly, now that the emergency period, despite the government’s declarations, has not yet completely ended, Europe’s financial contributions will instead of going toward building roads and infrastructure in general, now be transferred to the “democratic education” sector. This means that our appetites [?]

Whatever happens in resolving the problems created during and after the elections for the new Albanian Parliament, one thing is certain: establishing a constitution for the country is imperative. P. 2

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Within the month of June 1996, 26 Albanian prisoners from Greek prisons will be repatriated. There is no doubt that this is a positive step and an achievement for the Ministry of Justice in implementing the agreement reached in June 1995 with its Greek counterpart concerning the extradition of prisoners. The prisoners’ files have arrived, along with their confirmations that they wish to continue serving their sentences in Albanian rehabilitation camps. This wish of the prisoners is now one of the principal requests provided for in the international convention on human rights and freedoms, signed by both states. It is reported that, of 27 prisoners, only one has asked to complete his sentence in a Greek prison, owing to the short time remaining until its completion. However, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson, Agim Neza, explains that every effort will be made to repatriate the prisoners and that all necessary arrangements have been made to receive them. But the difficulty in this matter remains bringing in the files of prisoners who have completed their judicial proceedings, numbering 800 people. Progress is slower at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which has been unable to identify the detainees (numbering 1,200) and then intervene so that they can go to trial within the deadlines set by the Greek penal code.

The Hague: On Thursday, witnesses will appear before the Hague court to testify against the Bosnian Serb separatist leaders, Karaxhiç and Mlladiç, accused of crimes against humanity during the war in Bosnia. However, neither of the two extremist leaders will be present during this session of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. As is known, these two Serb leaders, who are the most wanted by the Hague court, are today considered the main obstacle to implementing the peace agreement in the former Yugoslavia.

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