Albania thanks NATO support

TIRANA, Nov. 30 – Thursday, Albanian senior officials expressed their thanks for NATO’s positive signal towards its membership in 2008, and pledged their full commitment to achieve the required standards.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha held a news conference in reaction to the NATO Riga summit. Berisha said that the Riga final document was a historic one because it considered Albania, Croatia and Macedonia as the possible next NATO candidates at the 2008 enlargement summit in Washington. He paid special respect to U.S. President George W. Bush for his support in this process. Berisha said that the Riga document was a great message of evaluation, trust and hope but also of obligations for Albania. He guaranteed the NATO members that his executives would do their utmost, and pay any price, for NATO membership, which he considered the “surest future for Albania and Albanians.” He specified that this would include the extension of participation in international peacekeeping missions, the increase of defense expenditures to two percent of GDP until 2008, fighting crime and corruption and consolidating the rule of law. Albania has small military units in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. It has also said it is in negotiations to send another unit to Lebanon. Berisha also pledged to hold free and fair elections, another step towards NATO membership, and also appealed to the opposition to participate in the process.
President Alfred Moisiu also hailed NATO’s stand on his country “as it positively evaluates Albania’s efforts in the context of its preparation to take responsibility and obligations in the integrating Atlantic process.” “We evaluate that as a very positive and much welcome signal which is at the same time an encouragement and obligation to our country to fulfill the required standards, thus making possible Albania’s future membership into NATO,” said a presidential statement.