Because while everyone is concerned about the level of participation by foreign observers, nobody asks what role Albanian observers will play . A report circulated in the Albanian press about President Berisha’s refusal to complete the OSCE observation mission has prompted not only protests from Albanian public opinion, some harsh and some more articulate, but also fears and doubts about whether the elections will be conducted normally. The absence of civic confirmation of the report’s veracity, and also the “No Comment” from those said to have refused—at least hypothetically, since this does not “legitimize” the skeptics—cannot at the same time be said to substantiate the optimists. Perhaps the inability of the Albanian media (also for objective reasons) to dig into the origins of this report, and the strict adherence to ethical principles regarding the secrecy that continually afflicts the declarative complex of many Albanian politicians, have failed to pierce the fog that at least one irresponsible statement has spread through public opinion. Nevertheless, its presentation brought the issue of election observation back onto the stage of pre-election debates, this time in even stronger tones. Not that this issue had previously been absent from warnings or assessments framed according to party preferences. Its idolization went so far that constant references to it imposed themselves on Albanians’ everyday vocabulary, to the point of using terms that more than half of those who use them do not even know how to spell, such as “monitorizim” [monitoring], and so on. There can be no question about the immeasurable value that the observation process brings to an electoral process, just as there can be no question that, especially in Albania’s current circumstances, the need for this process is multiplied. But what leaves the bitter aftertaste of demagogic poison is the conception of the role this process should play in the political struggle between Albanian parties. This conception has been so vulgarized that it has reached the point of

A few days after the Durrës massacre Only the person at whom the bullets were aimed is in police custody A 49-year-old woman was killed and another was seriously injured as a result of an exchange of gunfire between two rival groups. The tragic incident ended with her death in hospital, after she had been hit by a bullet near the heart. Although the doctors at the military hospital did everything… near the Writers’ Union, in the taxi rank for taxis going to the town of Kamza. Two taxi drivers argued over whose turn it was to leave, and the argument turned into an exchange of pistol fire; one of the taxi drivers was carrying the pistol without a permit. According to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior, the perpetrator of the passer-by’s murder is 61-year-old D.M. from the city of Tirana, who first argued with taxi driver G.N., 34, and then drew his pistol to kill him. Bullets fired from the taxi driver’s pistol struck two passers-by who had happened to be walking through the scene. The 49-year-old M.I., who happened to be passing along the street, survived the danger of losing her life and is out of danger. The police forces of Precinct No. 3 immediately began pursuing the two perpetrators of this crime and arrested them both. Today, the security measure for these defendants will be assessed at the Tirana court. Yesterday’s tragic incident in central Tirana, where innocent citizens lost their lives, follows the tragedy in the city of Durrës just 10 days earlier. In the Durrës incident, a 61-year-old woman was killed and 11 other passers-by were injured as a result of an exchange of automatic-gunfire between two rival groups. Although, under the new Criminal Code, carrying an unlicensed weapon is classified as a serious crime, and the courts have sentenced a considerable number of citizens, carrying unlicensed weapons remains a crime prevalent in our country. These illegal weapons are also the source of many serious crimes. K.M.

Yesterday morning, PR chairman Mr. Sabri Godo received in his office representatives of the Association for Democratic Culture, headed by Mr. E. Saberi. Mr. Godo outlined PR’s preparations for the October 20 elections and expressed his party’s position in favor of contributing to the creation of an atmosphere of trust and security, and of making efforts to ensure a peaceful and fair campaign and elections. The PR chairman praised the work of the Association for Democratic Culture as an institution specializing in elections. PR and SHKD expressed a desire to expand their cooperation in the future.

The presidency continues to remain silent regarding the OSCE observers.

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