TIRANA, June 10 – U.S. President George W. Bush received a hero’s welcome on Sunday as the first sitting American president to visit Albania.
Bush was welcomed with military cannons firing a 21-gun salute prior to his meeting with President Alfred Moisiu.
On a brilliantly sunny day, thousands gathered in a downtown square to see Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during their short stop before leaving Tirana in the afternoon.
Huge banners proclaimed, “Proud to be Partners” and billboards said “President Bush in Albania Making History.” People in the square wore red, white and blue paper hats with stars on top.
Albania also issued three postage stamps with Bush’s picture and the Statue of Liberty, and renamed a street in front of parliament in his honor.
Moisiu awarded a medal to Bush which read, “To the President of the United States of America, Albania’s and Albanians’ great ally, in a sign of deep gratitude for the historic role in defending freedom, democracy and human rights, to the benefit of the Albanian nation and the whole region,” the citation read.
It hailed Bush “for a precious contribution and the determined support of the American government and people to the development of Albania’s democratic processes and integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures.”
In the town of Fushe Kruja, Bush also received the Honored Citizen medal from the town council.
Bush said he was proud to be the first sitting American president to visit Albania. “I love to come to countries that are working hard to establish the institutions necessary for a democracy to survive,” he said.
In saluting Albania’s democracy, Bush praised it as a country that has “cast off the shackles of a very oppressive society and is now showing the world what’s possible.”
Bush met with Moisiu and also greeted troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then met with Prime Minister Sali Berisha and lunched with the three premiers from Albania, Croatia and Macedonia; Berisha, Ivo Sanader and Nikola Gruevski, whose countries hope to join NATO next year.
Kosova
The main topic of Bush’s meetings in Albania seemed to be finalizing the status of Kosova.
Bush said that there cannot be endless dialogue about achieving independence for neighboring Kosova.
“At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you’ve got to say, `Enough is enough. Kosova is independent’ and that’s the position we’ve taken,” Bush said during a news conference with Berisha.
Bush’s press for statehood was aimed at Russia and others that object to Kosova’s quest for independence. Standing alongside Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Bush said any extension of talks on Kosova must have “certain independence” as the goal.
Kosova’s independence is one of the issues on which the U.S. and Russia disagree. Russia, an ally of Serbia, contends independence for Kosova would set a dangerous precedent for the world’s other breakaway regions. Serbia also opposes statehood for Kosova, which it sees as the heart of its historic homeland.
The U.S. and key European countries that support Kosova’s independence are trying to narrow differences with Russia over the future of Kosova, which has been administered by the U.N. since a 1999 war between Serb forces and ethnic Albanian rebels. The U.N. Security Council is divided over the issue.
Last month, the U.S. and European nations introduced a revised U.N. resolution supporting independence for Kosova under international supervision, but it was immediately rejected by Russia, which hinted it would veto the measure.
The new draft addressed Russia’s concern that Kosova’s multiethnic character be preserved, but left out Russia’s main proposal for new negotiations between the province’s majority ethnic Albanians, who demand independence, and its minority Serbs, who want to remain part of Serbia.
“I happen to believe it’s important to push the process along,” Bush said. “The time is now. … Secretary (of State Condoleezza) Rice will be moving hard to see if we can’t reach an agreement. And if not, we’re going to have to move. Independence is the goal.”
Albania and NATO
In response to Albania’s push for NATO membership, Bush said additional political and military reforms were needed before membership could be considered, which the country’s leaders said they understood.
“We are determined to take any decision, adopt any law, undertake any reform that would make Albania suitable to receive the invitation” to join the western military alliance, Berisha said.
Berisha said 92 percent of his country’s people support NATO membership for Albania.
Bush said he commended Berisha on Albania’s progress in reforming its defense forces and meeting performance-based standards required for membership. “I look forward to welcoming you some time into NATO,” he said.
But he said additional political and military reforms were needed, along with more progress in fighting organized crime and corruption. Berisha said he understood and is committed to making the changes.
“I said, ‘We’re committed to help you,'” Bush noted.
Adriatic 3 Charter members
The Prime Ministers of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, Sali Berisha, Ivo Sanader and Nikola Gruevski, said after lunching with President Bush that they received full support for NATO membership, possibly at the next NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, adding they were determined to continue their reforms and work to fulfill NATO requirements.
NATO membership is based on individual performance and the A3 Charter is a joint coordination of the three countries supported by Washington.
Laura Bush
President Bush’s wife, Laura, visited a Bethany orphanage in Tirana’s outskirts. The orphanage is a public center, funded by different U.S. non-governmental organizations.
Mrs. Bush was accompanied during her stay by Mirela, President Moisiu’s daughter, and Liri Berisha, the premier’s wife.
At the orphanage Mrs. Bush also met with children brought from Save the Children NGO who told their stories. She mentioned her interest in how the orphans are being integrated into Albanian society.
She continued with a visit to a maternity home in Tirana, where she learned about counseling Albanian women at the center which is funded by the USAID.
She then lunched with ten Albanian women, including Lirie and Mirela, a businesswoman, and representatives from the arts, media, civil society, politics and three vice ministers.
During lunch they sang Albanian songs.
