Posted on 06/08/2007 10:13:08 AM PDT by marthemaria
05 06 2007 In contrast to many countries, where presidential visits are controversial, Albanians seem united in their desire to welcome the US leader, seeing him as their best ally in the world.
By Besar Likmeta in Tirana
Albania's capital, Tirana, is decked out in the stars and stripes of the American flag in preparation for the long-awaited visit of the US President George Bush, whom most Albanians consider their greatest friend in the world.
The countdown for the June 10 visit has long started, with the government scrambling hard to complete the tight security measures needed to protect the "leader of the free world".
What was once the pre-eminent symbol of half-a-century of communist rule, the pyramid-shaped mausoleum of the former dictator Enver Hoxha, now an international cultural centre, has been hung with massive Albanian and American flags, a gigantic poster of the US President and an illuminated welcome sign.
The city's opera house and national library in the centre also sport outsized American and Albanian flags. By the end of the week, every major building and landmark in the city will be dressed likewise in symbols and slogans proclaiming the friendship between the two countries. So will the main highways through which the presidential motorcade is expected to pass.
Most local people seem delighted by the show. Standing under the shade of an American flag hanging between the columns of the opera house, Naim, a street vendor, had no doubts on the importance of the visit. "America has always supported us," he says. "We should be proud that Bush is visiting our country."
Naim's opinion of the United States is echoed by most of his compatriots. In stark contrast to so many other countries, where the visits of American presidents are triggers for streets protests and even riots, a poll published on Monday shows an overwhelming majority of Albanians supports the visit of President Bush.
The poll conducted by a local NGO found that more than 61 per cent of Albanians believe the United States is the best advocate of their country's interests in the world, well ahead of neighbouring EU states like Italy and Greece, in spite of the fact that Albania aims to join the EU club in the future.
"There are greater expectations of the United States than of our neighbours when it comes to protecting our national interests," said Kreshnik Spahiu, head of ZMQ, the NGO that conducted the poll.
The same survey found that Albanians also consider the visit of the American leader a useful chance to gain the support of the world's only superpower on behalf of a resolution on the final status of Kosovo.
More than two-thirds of the interviewees in the survey said they believed the US would soon recognize the independence of Kosovo. The southern province of Serbia, 90 per cent of whose population is Albanian, may gain a form of supervised independence later this month if Russia does not follow through with threats to veto a resolution to that effect in the Security Council.
The resolution is sponsored by Britain and the United States but fiercely opposed by Serbia and its formidable Security Council ally, Russia.
"We have to honour the visit of President Bush here in Tirana. That would build up support for the independence of Kosovo," said Altin, a student. "He will always be welcomed here."
Since the fall of the communist system, Albania has been one of the staunchest US allies in the Balkans. Most Albanians learn from their school textbooks how the First World War-era US president, Woodrow Wilson, saved their young country from likely partition between its greedy neighbours.
The country has supported the US-led "war on terrorism" by sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. After the US invasion on Iraq in 2003, Tirana was the only European capital to see a protest in support of the US intervention and not against it.
Although since 2003, the war in Iraq has deteriorated and cost the lives of thousands of US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, 59 per cent of Albanians still support the decision of their government to join the American coalition that is trying to stabilize the Persian gulf state, ravaged by an unending cycle of sectarian violence. During his visit, the US President is expected to meet some of the Albanian soldiers who served in Iraq under American command.
Albania's loyalty to his bigger ally is consistent and is something that the Bush administration, under at fire at home and elsewhere for its policies, has responded to.
Although the government in Tirana has sometimes wobbled over democratic reforms, Washington has continued to support its NATO ambitions. Last month, President Bush signed into law a Senate bill restating Washington's support for Albania's NATO accession.
The visit is seen as a boost for the Albanian Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. "Albanians are proud and grateful for the continuous support and assistance from the government of the United States," he said recently.
In addition to meeting Albanian leaders in Tirana, Bush will also hold a meeting with the prime ministers of Croatia and Macedonia, which is expected to reinforce those two countries' bid also to join the North Atlantic alliance.
Meanwhile, the mood in the Albanian capital is almost ecstatic, and is shared by intellectuals as well as by ordinary people.
The country's most famous writer, Ismail Kadare, in a recent interview, said it was natural to view the presidential stop-over as historic. "Because the term [historic] is used so much, it does not seem that strong anymore," he remarked. "However, if we had anything stronger we would naturally use that one, [as] the visit goes beyond the weight of the term."
Besar Likmeta is a journalist for TV Ora News. Balkan Insight is BIRN’s online publication.
I wish he would stay there.
“More than two-thirds of the interviewees in the survey said they believed the US would soon recognize the independence of Kosovo.”
Great :-P
Maybe he could buy a ranch and clear wood for the rest of his life.
uh -oh.....Bush to extend shamNESTY for Albanians now? /sarc
That’s getting old. This president has so many pluses on his side. Yes, I know the minuses too and agree, but he is a decent person and hailed in many countries.
I agree. I really like Bush the person.
His domestic policies suck, but I love the foreign policy.
Make him come through the Port of Entry and produce a passport. None of this sneaking over the wire crap like his buddies from down south.
>That’s getting old. This president has so many pluses on his side. Yes, I know the minuses too and agree, but he is a decent person and hailed in many countries.<
14 pluses don’t cancel out 4000 minuses.
Great. Albanians. Bush should remember that saying about the company you keep....
Two things I know about Albania :
1) It’s a mostly Muslim country.
2) Mother Theresa came from there.
With this immigration mess, We The People are running domestic policy - at least for a while. Maybe this Shamnesty crap will cause a lot of folks to become more vocal, me among them.
Oh, according to some standards, a single (particular) plus can cancel out a billion minuses.
Have you bothered to educate yourself in the least about what is going on over in Kosovo? And the extent to which Albanians are involved in organized crime in Europe?
(singing) Albania...Albania...you border on the Adriatic...
As opposed to Italians involved in orgaanized crime in Europe?
(Clearly, we must declare war on Italy!)
Once again, read up on the crime rings being run by the KLA in Europe and get back to us.
The Cheers were paid for by the Saudi Arabian Wahabist movement.
This is like Nero having a paid crowd to cheer him.
This is sick. Celebrating the toe hold of the enemy in europe.
go to
www.savekosovo.org
you will see the pictures of the moslems ripping down the churches.
This administration’s, following the path of the clinton administration, has done NOTHING but offer blood, tears, and genocide for the christians of the area.
This is a product of traditional elitist state department incompetence. (not to mention anti-christian bias of the pro commie state department desk jockeys)
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