Bush given hero's welcome in Albania

US President George Bush was given a hero's welcome in Albania today as he became the first American president to visit the impoverished Balkan nation.

The hills overlooking the capital boomed with cannon bursts heralding his arrival and thousands of people gathered in the downtown square on a brilliantly sunny day to see the US leader.

Huge banners proclaimed “Proud to be Partners” and billboards read “President Bush in Albania Making History.” Red, white and blue paper top hats with stars on top were passed out to well-wishers.

Mr Bush said he wanted to encourage Albania’s free society, but it also makes good political sense on the world stage for him to stop in Albania and be seen receiving a robust greeting in the predominantly Muslim country.

“I want to make sure the Albanian people understand that America knows that you exist and that you’re making difficult choices to cement your free society,” Mr Bush said in a pre-trip interview.

“I’m coming as a lover of liberty to a land where people are realising the benefits of liberty.”

Albania desperately wants membership of Nato and the European Union, but even though it has soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan and wholeheartedly backs Washington, Mr Bush has not been that upbeat about its chances.

Nato has pushed forward plans to invite Croatia, Macedonia and Albania to the alliance early next year if they meet membership conditions.

Russia has opposed successive enlargements of Nato into Eastern Europe.

The likely Nato expansion into the Balkans does not please Russia, but the Kremlin is much more concerned about the prospect that its neighbours, Ukraine and Georgia, may also be brought into the Western alliance.

“There’s a certain map that has to be followed, a certain way forward, there are certain obligations that have to be met,” Mr Bush said.

“My only advice is: Work as hard as you possibly can to achieve the different benchmarks that would cause the Nato members to accept Albania.”

Albania also does not seem likely to gain entry into the EU any time soon.

The EU admitted Balkan neighbours Romania and Bulgaria in January. But the EU seems likely to stop there for now, unwilling to take in more poor countries, such as Turkey, Ukraine or Albania, which will cost the wealthier member states billions in subsidies to bring their economies up to Western standards.

Bordering Albania is Kosovo. The US and key European countries are trying to narrow differences with Russia over the future of Kosovo, which has been administered by the UN since a 1999 war between Serb forces and ethnic Albanian rebels.

The UN Security Council has been divided over the issue; the US and key European countries support Kosovo’s independence, and Russia, traditionally a Serbian ally, opposes it.

Ethnic Albanians, who say they are descendants of Kosovo’s first inhabitants, want Kosovo to become an independent state. Serbs have offered it broad autonomy, but want the province to remain part of Serbian territory. Serbs consider Kosovo, the scene of an epic battle between Serbs and Turks in 1389, the birthplace of their identity and the heart of their homeland.

In Rome yesterday, where thousands of protesters demonstrated against his visit, Mr Bush said it was time to bring the issue of Kosovo “to a head”.

The US President said he understood there were deep concerns about the plan.

“Kosovars are eagerly anticipating a decision by the world. And at the same time... we need to make sure the Serbs see a way forward,” he said.