Albanian opposition lawmakers and supporters on Wednesday ended a 19-day hunger strike after political leaders agreed to EU-sponsored talks to end a political crisis.

The European Parliament sent a letter Wednesday to the two top Albanian leaders bluntly telling them that unless they reach a political compromise, with their assistance, the country could not proceed more on its path toward integration into the European Union.

The main opposition Socialists say top officials from their party and Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s Democrats will attend a Thursday’s meeting or dinner in Strasbourg. The Socialists said that Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele will also be at the meeting.

Berisha and Rama are invited at a dinner in Strasbourg from the European Parliament’s head of the right and left-wing groupings Joseph Doul and Martin Schulz respectively.

The latter from Doul and Schulz invited Berisha and Rama at a dinner in Strasbourg saying that better they reach a compromise than expect a negative response to the country’s candidate status and the thousands of pages of responses to the questionnaire needed for that.

Statement by Premier Berisha following his Strasbourg visit

Prime Minister Sali Berisha returned today afternoon in Tirana following a one-day stay in Strasbourg at invitation of Martin Schulz, leader of the European Parliament's Socialist & Democrats group, and Joseph Daul, chairman of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), to attend a dinner put on for him and the chairman of the Socialist Party Edi Rama.

At the “Mother Teresa” Rinas Airport, PM Berisha made the following comments for the media:

“We had dinner at Restaurant Au Crocodile in Strasbourg. It was one of the most exquisite dinners. I am very fond of Strasbourg because it is a city of inspiring history. On the other hand, it was a working dinner, not for fun.I say, it was clearly evident among the participants the determination to fully respect the Constitution, the legal framework, the court rulings to bring an end to the deadlock. Thus, it was in syntony with the previous stands adopted by the Presidential Committee and the Parliamentary Bureau of the Council of Europe and even in line with the reiterated statements of Brussels. Hence, I would like to greet you for coming to the airport to get the impressions of a nice dinner.

While to the question about the chairman of the Socialist Party Edi Rama, PM Berisha answered:

“Please wait for him when he comes back and ask him on everything related with his person. Everything I can say about him is someone voicing the words “you must pay for this dinner”.