[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      URGING ALBANIAN AUTHORITIES TO HOLD FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 2005

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing a 
concurrent resolution which calls for the July 3 parliamentary election 
in Albania to be free and fair. Joining me in the introduction of this 
resolution is Mr. Engel, and I want to thank my colleague from New York 
for his efforts over the years to help Albanians throughout 
Southeastern Europe be able to exercise human rights and fundamental 
freedoms that for so long had been denied them.
  This resolution notes that Albania is a participating State of the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as 
the OSCE. It further notes that all OSCE participating States have 
accepted standards which define free and fair elections but that 
Albania has repeatedly fallen short of those standards. Some elections 
have been seriously flawed, while others demonstrated a clear and 
sometimes significant improvement.
  As Albania approaches its next parliamentary elections on July 3, 
however, the resolution argues that meeting OSCE election standards is 
not only possible but a virtual necessity.
  Meeting these standards is possible, fortunately, because Albanian 
authorities and political parties have adopted electoral reforms 
recommended by the OSCE. While Albanian stakeholders made the right and 
sometimes difficult decisions regarding reform, credit also needs to go 
to the OSCE Presence, or field mission, in Albania which facilitated 
the dialogue and encouraged cooperation, as well as the OSCE's Office 
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights which provided technical 
expertise to the reform effort. The OSCE was patient yet firm in 
pressing for change, while other international groups gave needed 
expertise.
  Meeting these standards is necessary not only because Albania is 
committed to those standards, but also because a failure to do so will 
cost the country dearly in terms of integration into NATO and the 
European Union. While there are strong ties between the United States 
and Albania, which this resolution recognizes, it would be a mistake to 
excuse Albania from its OSCE commitments.
  Our desire to see Albania succeed, in fact, is why our expectations 
regarding the elections need to be made so clear. Successful elections 
will certainly strengthen Albania's ties with the United States and 
Europe. More importantly, successful elections are something the people 
of Albania deserve. After centuries of foreign rule, decades of severe 
communist repression and isolation, and now more than a decade of 
transition hindered by official corruption, organized crime and civil 
strife, the people of Albania must finally be allowed to determine 
their own future by making their leaders accountable to them. Free, 
fair elections can make this possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues agree and will therefore 
support this resolution. As Co-Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I 
have focused on the situation in Albania for many years, and I am 
confident that sending the message contained in this resolution will 
make a difference.

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