Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto said Tuesday he believes his country can still be named a candidate for European Union accession this year, even as EU officials warned again that the country's political stalemate was threatening the process, dpa reported. "As positive as I am, I believe that this is going to happen before the end of this year," Haxhinasto told reporters in Brussels following a regular meeting on Albania's progress towards membership. EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, however, said he remains concerned about the political situation in the Balkan country, the "urgent" need for reforms and "the missed opportunity to make substantial progress" down the EU path amid a contentious election. Haxhinasto said he reiterated on Tuesday that his government is willing "as it was in the past, as it was before the election, as it is now, to engage in an all-inclusive process for electoral reform." -- SPA
