Continuous talks and mediation

TIRANA, Feb. 16 – President Bamir Topi on Tuesday continued his efforts of mediation between the two squabbling political groups.
Following a near failure, in the practical terms, from Saturday’s meeting Topi first met with the Spanish Ambassador Manuel Montobbio de Balanse, whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, and the European Commission Delegation Ambassador Helmuth Lohan Tuesday morning.
Then he continued with meetings with the main opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama and then Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic party.
There was not much learnt from their meetings, considered as another step in the hard efforts of reconciliation of the country’s politics.
Berisha and Rama met Saturday in a meeting sponsored by Topi in an attempt to resolve the country’s political deadlock.
Following that meeting the president said that both Rama and Berisha had agreed to continue the negotiations, something which he is doing, like Tuesday’s meetings.
Berisha and Rama are still locked in a dispute over the June 28 parliamentary elections, which the opposition claims were marred by fraud and irregularities.
Rama says he will not give up his request for the ballot recount.
The 65 elected Socialist lawmakers have boycotted parliamentary sessions since September, seeking a ballot recount of the elections which Berisha’s Democrats, who together with allies have 75 seats in the 140-seat parliament, say would break the laws.
Berisha argues that the opposition has exhausted all legal options and that he cannot override the judicial process.
Albania has yet to hold elections which fully respect internationally recognized standards.