The situation in the Balkans is dangerously deteriorating because of Serbian forces in Mitrovica and the outbreak of conflict in Montenegro After NATO Secretary General Robertson and US Secretary of State Ollbrajt, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Uesli Klark arrived in Tirana yesterday page 3

By Gavrosh Levonja The persistence of the OSCE representative, Mr Ahrens, also backed by Ms Ollbrajt’s statements on the need for consensus regarding the electoral process, has brought representatives of opposing sides of Albanian politics to the same table, thus making their long and difficult road to finding a consensus formula even harder. But this was required first and foremost by the very importance of the electoral process at the moment Albania is experiencing. First of all, Albanian political forces have come through two electoral processes contested by the side that lost. While the May 1996 elections bore the heavy burden of scandalous manipulation, which foreigners spoke about with particular clarity and which was unacceptable to political logic, it was impossible to speak of free elections a year later, when they were seen more as a “solution” to overcome the crisis following the chaos that had engulfed the country three years earlier. The greatest problem was that the losing side, refusing to accept defeat, also refused to recognize the institutions established on the basis of the results of these elections. As a consequence, returning the country to the path of normality became extremely difficult, to put it mildly. For example, since May 1996, apart from a few periods, the country has had a crippled parliament, without one of the main political forces. Bearing in mind such a disillusioning experience, the political class is compelled to ensure an exemplary electoral process that leaves no room for complaints or dissatisfaction. It must leave no room for complaints or dissatisfaction. Otherwise, everything concerning the elections would be seriously compromised, turning them into nothing more than an unnecessary formality. At the very least, the side that lost would contest the election result and, consequently, would not recognize the legitimacy of the institutions formed as a result of them. Thus we would once again face the destructive practice of boycotts, which generate tensions and conflicts. Therefore, the upcoming local elections, by marking a definitive break with such political practices, would serve as a first step toward building legal and undisputed institutions. In this way, yesterday’s meeting at the OSCE headquarters in Tirana, despite its modest results, can be considered the prologue to the country’s entry onto the path of all-round normality.

Pages 16–17 British KFOR soldiers clashing with 25,000 Albanians who wanted to cross the Mitrovica bridge

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All mass media organizations are hereby informed that tomorrow at 10:00, in the hall on the fourth floor of the Parliament Presidium, the first meeting of the Parliamentary Commission for the Stability Pact will be held.