On 2 October 2000 the day after Albanian election process Ilir Meta the Albanian premier has faced one more battle with national and international interests and opinions to a press conference. The participation to the press conference was evidently dominated by diplomatic presence of Tirana and European Ambassadors, who in effect, this time did not trust their press representatives and were taking notes, more than journalists, them selves!

Albanian premier, beyond some known technical defects during voting process, declared the whole electoral process a fair success of Albanian democracy. This premier assessment of the whole electoral process was shared in principle, the day after, by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Organization for Democratic Initiatives and Human Rights (ODIHR) and representatives of the Council of Europe (CE) that monitored the 1st October election process in Albania.

The opposition side dominated by Democratic Party and its political party's small satellites leaded significantly by former president Sali Berisha, just after the election results been anticipated by political parties and favored ruling socialist, alleged the voting was manipulated and threatened it would not recognize the results!

In fact, Sali Berisha and the democrats, even accepting to participate to elections, have declared the presidential decreed Central Electoral Commission (CEC) impartial and have never sent their representative to CEC. Berisha and DP have claimed before and during the electoral process that 400.000 voters mainly its supporters were missing from the poll lists.

While Fatos Nano leader of the ruling socialist party replied to these Berisha claims telling that they were no sense, OSCE, CEC and Government did accepted in principle this last DP claim and an adding list of missing voters could be published the day of the polls! The democrats claimed it was a fictive list and in fact according to press resources from this added list have voted few of voters and the rest had not the right names of voters!

The national case; the conservatives and moderators during the electoral campaign.

In fact, something big has moved deep in the Albanian electoral heart and this probably because of last positive political pan Albanian political movements and the adoption of the new Albanian constitution, recently approved by referendum, which in its preamble sanctions the engagement of the national case for Albanian governments throughout the region.

Sali Berisha and Fatos Nano, respective conservative leaders of the Democratic and Socialist Parties, have traditionally accused each other of leaving aside the issue of national unity. Berisha and Nano have usually personalised the political difference between the two their parties making possible, as a result, a conflictual reciprocal adversely between the two biggest political parties that dominate Albania politics, in effect!

During the last electoral campaign the personal difference between the two, Berisha and Nano, has figured out a personal strong political competition in front of local election concentrated to national case and to the due relation of Albania with neighboring countries.

Not long ago and after the Kosovo liberation from military Serbs by NATO intervention, Berisha has proposed a possible Albanian Confederation in Balkans to assure that the Albanian national rights will be not any more violated by Balkans anti-albanianism. This political proposal, which in fact been moderated immediately by Berisha him self, brought a lot of disturbance in region and beyond for a possible project of a greater Albania.

Not too much later Nano on behalf of Stability Pact did proposed an Albanian leftist coalition in the region of Balkans, which has formally functioned. Nano then declared that seeing that leftist Albanians in Balkans are part of most of Balkans regional governing can be allied in a coalition for better cooperation between respective countries in the region.

In addition, Nano to this last elections campaigning in southern Albania near the Greek and Macedonian borders, accused his primary opponent Sali Berisha of seeing every Greek and Macedonian citizen as an enemy of Albania. Berisha did not miss this opportunity to reply and tell that the Democratic Party does see Greece and Macedonia as necessary partners for Albania, but could not resist to his personal contradiction in front of Nano approach and concluded that, "when the Democratic Party comes to power Fatos Nano will leave the country for Thessalonica."

The personal strong difference between Nano and Berisha made this last to dominate DP campaign with based and not based accuses for having sold national interest to Greece and for corruption against Nano and His ruling socialist party. Berisha has also accused Greece for hosting the 1997 Albanian crisis when Berisha was forced to leave the power. In fact, entire the last DP electoral campaign was dominated by Berisha personal attitude and this last tried to make possible that the local election could take political charge, aiming, in a possible DP victory, to go directly to the anticipated general elections. "When the DP will come in power all the corrupted socialist governors would be charged and their properties confiscated" has stated Berisha.

Possible disturbance of neighbouring countries takes the interests of superpowers.

In now days the national case has become a leading issue in Albanian politics, and the interests of Albanian sovereignty movements in the region (in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece) will be best served by an Albanian democratic state that supports their national rights. As a result the already passed intensive Albanian electoral campaign, unlike the precedent ones, has been concentrated on national issues.

Sali Berisha, leader of the centre-rightist Democratic Party (DP), has declared in public rallies around the country that if the DP win the elections, resolving the land claims of Albania's Çam population would be a condition for ongoing Albanian-Greek relations.

To the other hand even Socialist Prime Minister Ilir Meta, leaving behind Fatos Nano, in rallies in the northern cities of Shkodra and Tropoja, referred to these cities as "bridges," respectively, between Albania and Montenegro; Albania and Kosovo. Meta accused his opponent Berisha of trying to divide Albania into north and south instead of unifying the two regions and for going towards the Milosevic interests with his strategy of tension in Albania!

These political positions are no doubt disturbing to Albania's neighbours and beyond, which are afraid of a greater Albania! The neighbour Yugoslav case do influence tangentially or directly to the democratic state of a part of regional Albanians and vice versa. During this last week before the 1 October elections, Spartak Poci, the Interior Public Order minister, declared during a press conference that his agency has information indicating that foreign secret service organisations are interested in causing unrest in Albania. "The Albanian police are on high alert for facing possible disturbances," has stated Poci.

In fact, the two present most significant neighbour countries that do have different geopolitical and economical interest with democratic Albania, of a part of regional Albanians, do are the remained Yugoslavia and Greece. The main Yugoslav difference with Albania there is surely configured to the historical one, Kosovo Albanian case and possible support that a stable democratic Albanian state can give to their natural brotherhood of Kosovo.

While the main Greece's ones there are concentrated to the different interests on the regional transport corridors and their immense economical interests. The main issue on this field there is on the multibillion USD project of Corridor 8 that links East of Europe with West and it is believed by Greek experts and politicians that it would be passed through Greece instead through Macedonia and Albania territories! On the other hand, Greece is highly disturbed with the Çam Albanian population who demand returning of expropriated lands in Greece and, whom after the collapse of Communism have established the Çamëria Association in Albania, dedicated to achieving the return of their expropriated lands in Greece.

It is clearly evident that Greece do not like to have Berisha in power of Albania but the complicated political situation in Ex Yugoslavia, the fragile ethnic and political equilibrium of Macedonia, the still undecided status of Kosovo and the terrible difficult equilibrium of Montenegro, all regional countries with Albanian ethnic components, make the situation very difficult to have an uncontrollable nationalist power in Albania.

Surely politicians across the Balkans and beyond are continuing to express concern over demands for an independent Kosovo and, the main reason they fear is that the province's secession from Yugoslavia may lead to the creation of a "Greater Albania" and threaten regional stability, which is surely a wronged idea!

In front of these troubled of the most anti-Albanian traditional countries interests which led such approaching, Serbia, Greece, Macedonia, and others as Russia and France, the other Albanian leaders, in difference from Berisha's approaching, headed by Official leftist Tirana, by contrast, are attempting to reassure their foreign counterparts that they have no intention of establishing an enlarged Albanian state, including Albania, Kosovo and possibly parts of FYROM, Montenegro and even Greece.

The Albanian elections results and its political reaction.

It is clear that a possible civil war in Yugoslavia, if extended by other conflictual issues in Balkans, especially Albanian ones, could be beyond a possible control of the situation in traditionally troubled region by fragile equilibrium of different nationalisms.

USA Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is due to a European diplomatic tour to meet with European foreign policy leaders for talks expected to focus on convincing Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to step down. According to "Reuters" asked to describe the agenda of their talks, one European diplomat speaking ahead of Albright's arrival said: "The Balkans, the Balkans and the Balkans.''

Madeleine Albright has sent Robert Frowick, USA secretary of state special envoy for the elections on Southeast Europe, in Albania to observe the most of polls and elections process. Albright has also sent a personal letter to the respective conservative democratic and socialist leaders Berisha and Nano, letters which been personally delivered by Joseph Limpreht the American Ambassador in Tirana and no body knows their context. But surely the Albright message had to be a strong demand for well understanding between parts and to anticipate and prevent a possible not recognizing of elections results by any part.

Robert Frowick and Joseph Limpreht, together with Gert Ahrens OSCE Ambassador in Tirana, followed the voting process in northern city of Shkodra & in southern one of Berat. Ending the observing election mission in Tirana they did loss time to declare that, beyond technical defects, which cannot influence the election results, the whole electoral process was fair and successful.

The public resources of political parties and Central Electoral Commission and others as press & media do speak clearly for a significant socialist victory of this last local election and a deep loss of DP of Berisha. Day to day DP resources, which do denounce the manipulation of this electoral process, will remain the only ones in one of these days.

Unlike the conservative leaders, moderators in both parties, headed by former 1990 December movement students like former Socialist Prime Minister Pandeli Majko, present Socialist Prime Minister Ilir Meta and leader of Democrats' reformist group, Genc Pollo, considered the election event quite differently from each other but with no emotional bias.

Democratic Party's "Movement for Reform", a DP fraction not recognised by Berisha and his followers, leaded by moderator Genc Pollo, the former closed collaborator of Berisha Republic president, has contested DP Sali Berisha attitude in front of election results. They called Berisha to consider the loss as part of democracy.

According to DPMR Berisha's irresponsible attitude might bring the country to unnecessary tension and conflict, which can provide a negative example concerning the soon coming elections in Kosovo. Referring to a Berisha's pre-electoral statement that the election results will be personal for him, they considered the election results as Berisha's personal loss. The DPMR leaders demanding tangentially Berisha's resignation from the DP leadership have concluded that the Democrats had to make efforts to win the coming general election.

As a matter of facts the post election press and media are appealing for Berisha's resignation but they are also publishing facts that show possible political distance of Ilir Meta government approach from Fatos Nano socialist leadership. According to these press & media, Ilir Meta is arguing to socialist party segments dominated by conservative group of Fatos Nano that the election victory was due to his moderating government policy and not to conservative groups of the party.