OSCE to monitor referendum on the constitution in Albania

COPENHAGEN, 17 November 1998 - Italian Senator Tana de Zulueta, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), will arrive in Tirana on Friday 20 November to take charge of the OSCE's monitoring of the Referendum on the Constitution in Albania on Sunday 22 November. Ms. de Zulueta was appointed by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Geremek, as Special Co-ordinator to lead the international observers deployed by the OSCE in Albania and to deliver the preliminary assessment on behalf of the international community on Monday 23 November. She will issue this statement in conjunction with other appropriate officials, including Mr. Kare Volan, the On-Site Coordinator of the OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE observer team includes some fifteen representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly from nine OSCE countries, including Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden and Turkey. The team also includes delegations from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament.

OSCE PA Vice-President Tana de Zulueta is also a member of the OSCE PA ad hoc Committee on Albania which was established after the first Tri-Parliamentary Mission (OSCE PA, Council of Europe PA, European Parliament) to Albania in January 1998. The main purpose of that Mission was to promote efforts to ensure an open constitutional drafting process and to advise on the development of democratic parliamentary practices in the new Albanian parliament. The Tri-Parliamentary delegation visited Albania again in the beginning of July 1998.

For further information contact Mr. Jan Jooren, Press Councellor of the OSCE PA, tel + 45 33 32 94 00, fax 45 33 32 55 05 and from 19-25 November in Tirana, tel + 355 42 350 35 , fax + 355 42 350 50