EU mediators try to end stalemate in Albania

EU personnel met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Socialist Party (SP) leader Edi Rama on Wednesday (May 26th) in Tirana, in a bid to mediate a solution to the months-long political stalemate. At issue are differences over the transparency of the June 2009 general elections, which the SP insists were manipulated. Leading the lengthy closed-door talks Wednesday was EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele’s chief of cabinet, Jana Sindelkova. No details were released. The two-day visit follows a meeting last week in Strasbourg, attended by both Berisha and Rama. The EU is concerned about the stalemate’s effect on reforms crucial to Albania’s integration process.