Detained for one night and released after intervention by the Embassy[?] Page 2 Two drunk American soldiers bloody the “Shqiponja” squad in Tirana and shoot the tires of a car with a pistol

BY KASTRIOT ISLAMI FORMER DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Albanians and the international community are waiting and are convinced that on 28 November 1998 Albania will finally have a Constitution. The boycotting opposition has understood this too, but in its own way it is waiting to extract the maximum political benefit from the campaign and the referendum result. Likewise, the Alliance for the State and all the other opposition parties involved in the constitutional process, confident of their success, are also interested in extracting the political benefit resulting from manipulation of the Constitution, without being concerned about the negative consequences that would follow from a result different from that of the last parliamentary elections, connected mainly with the aban- abandonment of the ballot boxes. There is a strong chance that the electoral campaign by the political parties for the Constitution will be lacklustre and voter turnout low. This is for several reasons: the credibility of the political parties and their leadership is perceived to have declined considerably; the Democratic Party, which has misunderstood the referendum law, will encourage its electorate not to participate and will foster conflict. The Alliance for the State finds it difficult to engage naturally in dialogue with the electorate, which would prefer to find an opportunity to air its grievances and solve its problems; weary people might also want to approve the Constitution, but, through indifference, send the governing majority a “positive threat” signal over its failure to fulfil its commitments; the absence of law and order and security, and the presence of a considerable number of amësh e funksioni, will also be a significant obstacle to holding a calm, historic dialogue about the Constitution; finally, the political reconfiguration generated by the boycotting opposition, which is misusing the killing of leader Hajdaraj as a pretext for signs of a resumption of violent actions. The political parties interested in approving the Constitution, by conceiving the referendum campaign mainly as direct dialogue with the electorate, are unprepared and unmotivated to successfully bring this priority of national interest to a conclusion. Any spontaneity in preparing and organizing the campaign would have a boomerang effect on the parties themselves, but might also increase the risk to the guarantee of long-term political stability after the Constitution is approved. It remains for the Government and the President to devise a maximum and active commitment and contribution to this referendum campaign, perhaps competent and asymmetrical in relation to the timetable of party commitments. This would be more acceptable not only to the electorate itself, which welcomes a depoliticized referendum campaign, but also in view of the greater credibility these two institutions enjoy at this moment. The print media, but above all electronic media, have an opportunity to contribute to modern participation in this process, which is of pan-national interest and for which Albanians and the international community have been preparing for several years.

TIRANA—A new formation, the Albanian Civic Party, has been added to the country’s political spectrum, making it even “richer” in possible alternatives and options for addressing the problems and development of national life and of the country’s role in the international arena. The Albanian Civic Party, PQSH, will represent the interests of the urban strata in achieving objectives in political, economic and social life, Roland Velko, chairman of this new political force, said yesterday. Recently approved by the Ministry of Justice, “PQSH is founded on democratic, global civic principles and will work for the civic democratization of Albanians and, at the same time, for the enhancement of their standing in Albania and the world,” states the declaration signed by Roland Velko and Etleva Gjermeni, respectively chairman and secretary of this party. According to its leaders, PQSH will work “to take power by democratic means and lead Albania to the victory of democratic civilization.” U.S. Marines during NATO exercises in the Adriatic Sea. Photo: REUTERS

The opposition referendum PD to vote, but against the Constitution Berisha: We are not in favor of extreme positions Page 4

Prime Minister’s meeting Majko receives former Kosovar prime minister Rugova’s opponent is touting himself for prime minister Page 5

ZAGREB—The Morley family, which administers the “Miss World” pageant, decided that a new contest for “Miss Croatia” should be held after the appointed titleholder, a Muslim girl, was “stripped of her crown” last week, state television HRT reports. The title was taken from the young woman, Lejla Sehovic, 22, in favor of a 17-year-old Catholic, Ivana Petković, due to “irregularities” during the voting. But Lejla points out that she was stripped of the title because she is Muslim. According to HRT, the selection of a 17-year-old will take place on Sunday and be broadcast live-[?] in the evening, with results that (?)[cut off]