- Title: ALBANIA: George W.Bush statue unveiled
- Date: 7th July 2011
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) PENSIONER, THOMAIDHA KAZIU, SAYING ADDRESSING GEORGE W.BUSH: "You (George W. Bush) came here without your mother, but you found her in Fushe Kruje, you found her for real and I send my hugs to you. I wish that I don't die without seeing you (George W.Bush) again"
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Albania, Albania
- Country: Albania
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Quirky,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA4MIR676MYZTMZBGCRHCYSZO7E
- Story Text: The tiny Albanian town of Fushe Kruje unveiled a statue of former U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday (July 6) to mark his June 2007 visit and thank America for its unwavering support.
Albanians have a special affection for the United States, which they credit with ending their Cold War isolation and leading NATO's 1999 bombing offensive that halted ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians by Serbian troops.
"You (George W. Bush) came here without your mother, but you found her in Fushe Kruje, you found her for real and I send my hugs to you. I wish that I don't die without seeing you (George W.Bush) again", said 72-year-old Thomaidha Kaziu who was told that Bush said she resembled his mother.
Washington was also a staunch supporter of Albania's drive to join NATO, which it did in 2009.
"We are gathered here today to inaugurate the statue and the boulevard of George W. Bush, the great friend of Albanian nation," said Ismet Mavriqi the mayor of Fushe Kruje.
"His tour culminated with the visit to Albania, in this place he was greeted warmly," Prime Minister Sali Berisha told the crowd in the town's main square, colored with Albanian and American flags.
The statue 2.85 meters (9.3 feet) was unveiled in the square that also holds Bush's name, the statue shows shirt-sleeved Bush raising his left hand in greeting Bush received a rock-star welcome in Albania, after his June 2007 European tour had been dogged by hostile protesters in Italy and Germany. A cafe in Fushe Kruje and a street in the capital Tirana are already named after Bush.
"This monument is a gratitude towards President Bush and the United States of America, (during his visit in 2009) two strong statements were made: Independent Kosovo and Albania member of NATO," said Qazim Kertusha one of the co-authors of statue.
It was the first visit by a U.S. president to post-communist Albania, today a member of NATO and hoping to join the European Union.
Bush's visit was also seen as a signal that Kosovo, a former Serbian province with a 90-percent Albanian majority, could soon be independent. Kosovo declared independence in February 2008 and Washington was one of the first to recognise it.
In Kosovo, which borders Albania, a statue of former U.S. president Bill Clinton has been erected to thank him for taking action to stop Belgrade's 1998-99 war against Albanians in Kosovo. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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