International calls for political cooperation

TIRANA, Sept. 27 – The international community is repeating its calls for political cooperation if the country is to achieve its goals of integrating into the European Union and the international economy.
There have been interviews recently from the western ambassadors calling on the two main political parties to put their promises of cooperation into action.
Eugen Wollfarth of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe hailed the opposition Socialist Party’s return to the parliament as “a crucial and extremely important step,” adding “it is just the beginning.”
The two main political groupings are urged to enter into a dialogue to move the country forward, to create that atmosphere that is needed for consensual steps.
US Ambassador Alexander Arvizu considered the opposition package of offers as a good start for dialogue and said some Albanians were getting tired of hearing people say it’s important to have dialogue and compromise. He added that the parliament is where these discussions ought to take place.
“I am encouraged by the fact that both sides are back in the parliament. There is a lot of speculation about what that really means, but we need to see some concrete results. Yes, the dialogue is important, but we need to see concrete results. We need to see less rhetoric,” he said.
A return is really essential, but it should not only be a physical return, said Wollfarth, adding “It should be a return also in content, combined with a willingness to perform.”
Representatives of the international community also hailed the opposition leader’s proposal of a pact to take the country ahead into the European Union. “It is an important proposal, it has worked in the past, and it is worth a try,” said the OSCE ambassador.
Arvizu also insisted that he “always maintained that the ruling camp, because it has a stronger hand, needs to be a bit more creative about ways to get the opposition to go along with the reform agenda.”
They now want the Albanian politicians to focus on two main issues: the parliament’s rules and the electoral code.
The two issues are very likely to be the talk of the day for many days with both opposing political parties trying to achieve what they want. A consensual deal would be very much wanted but signs show that it will be hard to be achieved.
“There the rules of procedures are key to coming back to a truly European and democratic behavior and that only can lead to success, I would assume, provided that the political will is there to move the nation forward,” said Wollfarth.
Fighting corruption always remains a main topic of interest and in the daily agenda, they reminded. And despite government efforts, Arvizu said that “based on my unscientific polling of people, I don’t think there are too many people who are saying it is getting better.”
Albania is hailed as “a force for stability in the region.” “I think Albania’s membership in NATO is an important factor in contributing to that stability,” said Arvizu.