President Bush received a hero’s welcome Sunday when he arrived in the Albanian capital of Tirana, a marked contrast from the protests that have greeted the president at other stops during his European tour. Mr. Bush is the first U.S. president to visit the country, where the U.S. is extremely popular.
The Albanian capital began sprucing up weeks ago in anticipation of the president’s arrival. Now, a huge picture of President Bush, flanked by the American and Albanian flags, is positioned over the entrance of a pyramid-style building in the center of Tirana, a building that was commissioned as a monument to the former Communist dictator, Enver Hoxha.
One example of the intense interest in the visit is that Albanian Public Television is running eight half-hour programs on the U.S.-Albania relationship. The correspondent is Lutfi Dervishi, who says that Albanians remember that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson stood up against the Europeans at the end of World War I and helped win independence for Albania as a nation.
“You know, the U.S. is kind of a dream for Albanians,” Dervishi says.
Albania has done much to show its gratitude. It was the only country that agreed to a U.S. request to give asylum to detainees released from Guantanamo. Albania also has troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Balkan country is a staunch ally in America’s “war on terror” and Mr Bush met Albanian soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr Bush reiterated his support for the UN’s plan for Kosovo’s independence, adding it was time to “get moving” despite opposition from Russia. Albanian Outsourcing
He has flown to Bulgaria for the final stop in his week-long European tour. Mr Bush reiterated his view that Kosovo should move towards independence now.
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“The question is whether there’s going to be endless dialogue on a subject that we’ve already made up our mind on,” Mr Bush said, after meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. In Kosovo, Prime Minister Agim Ceku welcomed Mr Bush’s support.
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In Belgrade, however, a spokesman for Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s party said his government would “reject any such proclamation”. “President Bush not only confirmed once more his strong support for independence, but in a sense he declared independence,” Mr Ceku said. Albanian Outsourcing
The G8 failed to reach consensus on Kosovo this week, with strong opposition from Russia to the independence blueprint laid out by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in April. Mr Bush’s week-long European tour has already taken him to the G8 summit in Germany, as well as the Czech Republic, Poland and Italy. Albanian Outsourcing
