US, EU criticise Albanian parliament for delaying High Court appointments

20/06/2008

TIRANA, Albania -- The US embassy in Tirana on Thursday (June 19th) criticised the Albanian parliament's decision to reject presidential decrees that would name five new members to Albania's High Court. "The assembly's actions on Monday were not decent for a democratic institution," US Ambassador to Tirana John Withers said. EU representative in Tirana Helmut Lohan also urged authorities to solve their problems legally. Lohan said each institution must act based on its mandate, without interfering with the authority of others.

Following the deadlock in parliament, President Bamir Topi said he has tasked a group of legal experts to assist in selecting new candidates for the High Court. The team will make its recommendations in ten days. (Panorama, Top Channel, Tema, Shqip - 20/06/08)