Letter: Albanian divide not so simple

Sir: Paul Keetch (letter, 6 March) may have been "privileged" to be an OSCE observer of the Albanian parliamentary elections on 26 May 1996, but he was not just "one of two UK monitors". Four others including myself observed the poll under the mandate of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Like other observers (for example, from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly), my colleagues found the poll basically fair - much fairer than polls validated by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions elsewhere.

Your paper has gone out on a limb to promote the restoration of an ex- Communist-led opposition. Let's hope that if the masked marauders of Vlori and Sarande win, they'll respect human rights and elections. But if they don't, let's hope your attention and indignation won't have wandered elsewhere meanwhile.

MARK ALMOND

Oriel College, Oxford