Tirana Times
TIRANA, Oct. 5 – Main opposition Socialist party leader Edi Rama made a new form of offer of dialogue recently. He asked for a public debate with Prime Minister Sali Berisha on the ten points of the platform his party has offered for compromise with the governing Democratic Party.
“It’s time to put Albania at the crossroads of public debate, where Sali and I have to go both to Albanians and show what we represent what they hear from us separately. Let him come before me to make public his anti-offer, of course if there is one, to seek understanding of the opposition to fill the deep holes that Albania faces in the path of integration.I am ready to defend our offer, to show the evidence, facts, figures and misrule truth of these six years, to listen with full attention his anti-offer if it exists. Let then Albanians judge by hearing us,” said Rama.
That was kind of a surprise as Rama had not been so open to personal dialogue with Berisha before.
But this time it was Berisha who said no, adding that the timing for that is before the 2013 parliamentary elections and not now.
Both also mentioned that time is up for a compromise, though there seems to be no chance Albania may get a positive answer from the European Union on its request for the candidate status at the annual progress report expected to come out next week.
Though the opposition has returned to parliament, giving an end to its almost two-years of boycott, it has not changed the situation much. No laws have been passed when their votes have been asked. The opposition has 65 seats in the 140-seat parliament and many laws, especially those on the European integration, need a three-fifth or 84 votes which cannot be achieved without them.
Though efforts have been made by US Ambassador to Tirana Alexander Arvizu, EU Ambassador Ettore Sequi, and OSCE Ambassador Eugene Wollfarth, to facilitate cooperation between both sides, concrete progress has yet to be seen.
