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President Bush arrived in Albania yesterday to the kind of international reception American politicians dream of but rarely experience.
He was met at Tirana airport by a ceremonial guard dressed in the Albanian national colours of red and black, while a 21-gun salute boomed around the nearby mountains.
The road from Tirana airport was bedecked in giant banners emblazoned with the Albanian and American flags, proclaiming “President Bush in Albania Making History”.
Downtown Tirana was jammed with thousands of wellwishers waving American flags and wearing red, white and blue paper hats decorated with stars. The post office has issued three new commemorative stamps featuring the President and the Statue of Liberty. A street in central Tirana has been renamed in his honour.
Albanian state television has broadcast eight half-hour programmes on the US-Albanian relationship. “For us the United States represents a dream of freedom. We were sealed off from the outside world for 40 years, so we are very happy that President Bush is coming here,” said George, a businessman in his twenties.
Sali Berisha, the Prime Minister, said: “Among us is the greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had, the President of the United States of America, the leading country of the free world.” Mr Bush replied: “I love to come to countries that are working hard to establish the institutions for democracy to survive,” he said.
While President Bush’s stop-overs elsewhere in Europe have been marked by protests, his seven-hour visit to mainly Muslim Albania has triggered joy. The pyramid-shaped museum that was once dedicated to the former dictator Enver Hoxha is draped with Albanian and US flags and a giant poster of President Bush.
Grid Rojji, the director of information, said: “Albanians love America for historical reasons. The United States has always supported our freedom and self-determination. President Bush’s visit is an opportunity for us to show our excellent bilateral relations and how much Albanians love the United States.”
The love affair was sealed in 1999 when Nato bombed Serbia to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
Speaking in Tirana President Bush again called for Kosovo to be independent: “At some point in time you’ve got to say ‘Enough is enough. Kosovo is independent’, and that’s the position we’ve taken.”
Albania is a rare Muslim-majority country that actively supports the US War on Terror. It is the only country to accept former prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including several Uighur Chinese Muslims, and two north Africans. Tom Ridge, the former US Homeland Security Chief, is an adviser to Mr Berisha. Although Albania is usually included with the Balkan countries such as Serbia and Bulgaria, its ancient Roman heritage and Mediterranean coastline have fostered a different perspective. While its neighbours tend to look inwards, Albania has always looked to the sea, and dreamt of the West, say Albanians.
Civil society activists accuse Mr Berisha of authoritarianism. Activists fear that he will exploit President Bush’s visit for political purposes. “Berisha is an archetypal Balkan leader. He pays lip service to Brussels and Washington and treats them like his electorate. But the people here know what is going on,” says Erion Veliaj, the director of Mjaft, a national youth civil society movement.
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What you have to understand is that Albanians have instinctively reacted with unreserved joy every time an important leader has visited the country during its history. The visit of Krushchov and others after him have been no different. Its just that this time it has been caught on film. This is a unique Albanian phenomenon!
Gent, Glasgow,
Say no to giving Kosovo to Islam. It is NOT Muslim land.
Many have given their lives to save Kosovo from Islam.
Tim, Liverpool, UK
Only those fully involved in the Kosovo conflict (even more so those who experienced the war) can understand why the US policy is favouring independent Kosovo. The story goes back hundreds of years!
Those watching from outside can only see or comment the present, those who were born and lived here can finally breathe in relief that statehood is finally coming!
Arjeta, Prishtina, Kosovo
Let's hope that the United States and Europe can be as dedicated in their response to ethnic Albanian attacks on Serbs in Kosovo as they were for ethnic cleansing under the Milosevic regime.
J Seymour, London, UK
We support in USA and we always will support and give our help in war of Global terrorism.We are west people,I'm fromFerizaj,Kosovo and I love president Bush ,all americans and british too,they are good people,thank you America.
Hekuran, Ferizaj, Kosovo
Kosovo and Albania are countries of albanians and other minorities who lives here.We are not a "muslim country" and religion is not our problem at all.
We have chosen USA, Europe and the western democracy for our future and not the Serbia and Russia which are interested only for our land and how to complete the long time ago started genocide in Kosovo.
So,USA and Europe,please don't give them another chance to do that.
Shkelzen, Prizren, Kosovo
I believe Novak your history is biased. If they always belonged to Seribia then why do most of them speak Albanian? I'll tell you why, because u anext it during the first world war, when poor Albania for sake of its survival declered Independence and that included Kosovo too.
Andy, London,
it's not always true that albanians love the us only for historical reasons,,, US are the only country in the world that has stood up for the weak and little, the us is theonly country in the world that, although being in her prime, at her peak of power and being the undisputed number one and only superpower, she is not ripping off the world, she is not "doing her best" to exterminate nations and cultures... unlike all the others who have held that position during world's history.
mention spain, portugal, france, arabs, germans, italians,,,,
anytime in history they've had a pinch ofpower in their hands, they've ruined nations cultures and heritages.
what else would you appreciate more about america?
after all, they freed europe from their last subduer; after all, if europeans were to talk, they should remember first, that they can talk and they exist because of the american intervention during ww2. so, praise US, God bless them and Albanians.
genci, London, UK
Mr Bush stated: I love to come to countries that are working hard to establish the institutions for democracy to survive"....
Then what in God's name is he doing in Albania?
Don The Opinionated, St Louis, USA / Missouri
UN was created precisely with the aim of stopping powerful states from redrawing borders of the smaller or less powerful ones.
For those who know little of history of Balkans and even less of history of Serbia, province of Kosovo was longer part of Serbia then its capital Belgrade. It is cradle of its history, its culture and its religion, it is Serb holy land, it is Serb Jerusalem, America is determined to take it away from Serbia and give it on a platter to Albania state who welcomed Al Quaida. That is not the way to preserve peace in Balkans.
Novak, London,
We are Albanians and America supported us in decision moments of our history .So we dont forget if someone makes good things for us .My friend was in Afghanistan and he was only san and served in Afghanistan and he is proud for his contribute.
enkeledi, tirana, albania
What I find strange and unsettling is that news reports abound in the United States of the protests that have greeted President Bush on his trip, but no where, not once, with any news organization that reports news in the United States have I heard this news report about President Bush's reception in Albania. What a shame I have to look over seas for accurate news and good for you United Kingdom for reporting it.
Robin Hutchison, Woodland, CA. USA