EP mediation fails to resolve Albania’s stalemate

European Parliament (EP) officials are acknowledging that mediation aimed at resolving the political stalemate in Albania has failed. After a month of efforts, leaders of left and right wing parties in the EP, Joseph Daul and Marting Schultz, expressed disappointment Wednesday (June 16th) with the lack of dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties in Tirana that has stalled EU-related reforms. “We sincerely regret that the Albanian government and the opposition could not overcome their differences, and have therefore not yet been able to take further necessary steps towards meeting the country’s European ambition,” the two leaders said in a letter. The EP did manage to bring both sides to the negotiating table in Strasbourg, and to persuade the opposition to end both a hunger strike and a parliamentary boycott over alleged manipulations of the June 2009 general elections.