(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, FEB 19 - "Calls by some members of opposition parties to boycott the Parliament and for MPs to renounce their current mandate are counterproductive and go against the country's EU reform efforts", the EU spokesperson Maja Kocjiancic said today after the resignation of Albanian opposition parties in the previous days. Brussels is displeased by the Albanian political crisis. "We expect the government and the opposition to engage in constructive discussions with a view to overcoming the current political situation", Kocijancic pointed out.

EU spokesperson also recalled that "resort to violent acts and perpetration of damages to public property", as happened last Saturday in the center of Tirana during an anti-government protest, "it is unacceptable". Next June the EU Members States will establish whether Tirana would be able to open the negotiations to join the Union.

(ANSA).

(ANSA) - TIRANA, FEB 18 - The parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, the main party of the Albanian center-right opposition led by Lulzim Basha, will no longer be part of the National Assembly. This decision was made today unanimously by the 43 Democratic MPs, (the Albanian parliament is composed of 140 seats) who have welcomed the proposal put forward last night by Basha.

''We will support a political solution for a transitional government, which should take the necessary steps to ensure that early elections are held in accordance with international standards'', Basha explained at the end of a long meeting of his parliamentary group.

The decision came after the violent demonstration by the opposition last Saturday in front of the government building. There were clashes between groups of protesters who repeatedly assaulted the government building and the police who responded with hydrants and tear gas.

The position of the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI), which has 18 MPs, the second largest parliamentary group in the opposition, is still uncertain. The majority led by the socialist premier Edi Rama, with 78 seats, does not seem for now to be concerned over the current situation.

According to Albanian media, today Rama asked the ruling majority to continue the routine preparations for the general election at the end of June. The opposition announced a new protest scheduled for Thursday.(ANSA).