International Community supports dialogue

TIRANA, Feb. 10 – Days before the Saturday talks, the western institutions and governments insist in trying to convince the two main political groupings to give an end to their disputes which is taking the country to a total collapse.
“The European Union welcomes … the positive reply from both leaders to attend the meeting and to consider jointly ways for moving forward as soon as possible. The EU reconfirms the EU perspective for Albania and encourages actions to make sure that Albania can take further steps in that process. In this context, the current political deadlock must be overcome by the Albanian political leadership, taking into account all implications of a continued impasse for collective national interests.”
The OSCE also issued a statement to welcome “the Albanian President’s initiative to organize a political roundtable meeting on Saturday as a constructive and encouraging step toward resolving the current political impasse. We also welcome the positive public responses from the leaders of the Democratic Party and Socialist Party in regard to their full and active participation to jointly consider ways in which the difficulties can be overcome.”
There was another statement made from the US Embassy in Tirana. “The United States fully supports the efforts of President Topi and the Council of Europe to mediate the ongoing political impasse. In this context, we commend Albanian President Topi’s leadership in overseeing the discussions between government and opposition that will begin on February 13. We believe this process offers an important opportunity to resolve without further delay the current political stalemate. We call on all parties to avail themselves of this opportunity. A rapid resolution of the stalemate will enable the parties to focus on Albania’s Euro-Atlantic agenda.”
The British ambassador also hailed Topi’s efforts and the willingness of the party leaders to participate in the roundtable on Saturday. “The British Government is committed to working with Albanian political leaders to support democracy and reform in Albania. Resolving the current political deadlock must be an immediate priority.” (Tirana Times Staff)