Vienna, 18 July 1997 (RFE/RL) -- The chief international mediator for Albania, Franz Vranitzky, says some sort of international security force has to remain in Albania for an indefinite period to ensure that chaos does not return.
Vranitzky, special representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), told correspondents in Vienna yesterday it is essential to avoid a "security vacuum" after the Italian-led mulitnational military force withdraws next month. It was created to ensure a secure environment for the national elections and its mandate ends on August 12.
However, Vranitzky said not all security and safety problems will be be resolved in Albania by next month.
He said he had discussed the problem of what can be done to maintain security with senior NATO officials in Brussels yesterday but no immediate solutions were offered.