At every discussion of the injustices done to the Kosovar Albanians throughout the centuries, I have been compelled to reminisce some of the 19th century pictures hanging on the walls at the De Rada brasserie in Prishtina.

 

On the pictures, you can see various personalities depicted with sad and discouraged faces stemmed from hardship, while they bear in their hands weapons slightly more sophisticated than those of their ancestors, the Illyrians.

 

Those people depicted on the pictures had a difficult time to find a consistent advocate in Europe for their cause. With all due respect for the people on the pictures, they hardly resemble the personalities of aristocrats of London, Paris or Vienna. Last Friday there was another set of pictures, this time taken at the Pentagon.

The new set of pictures, looking less gingerly, depict President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, of the Republic of Kosovo, with their partner in the middle, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, one of the most powerful men in the United States.

Kosovo leaders, Prime Minister Thaçi and President Fatmir Sejdiu were received with the highest state respect paid to statesmen from independent countries and a cordon of soldiers for solemn occasions at the entrance of Pentagon.  When you think back of Kosovars' shivering history of despair, this excellent view indeed merits more than a two-minute-long applause. This was only the beginning of a historic moment.

Last Friday, right at the heart of Washington, the delegation of the Republic of Kosovo was welcomed with high honors by the second on the Bush administration, the US State Secretary, Condoleezza Rice. Indeed, none of the Kosovars could add anything more than what Secretary Rice said for the state of Kosovo. Strong terms were used by Rice towards the detractors and those who are hesitating to recognize the independence of Kosovo. "Kosovo is a sovereign state and will continue to be so. The US will assist Kosovo in every possible way."
 
When a Kosovar listens to this kind of speech, it makes one rather ecstatic and prayerful that this alliance between the elephant and the mouse will last eternally. Listening to the Secretary Rice speak highly of another nation will surely make an Israeli a little envious.

But the zenith of this official visit was reached on Monday, when these descendants of the people portrayed on the pictures at De Rada brasserie were welcomed for an hour-long meeting at the White House Oval Office where only the leaders of sovereign nations meet with the Guardian of Planet Earth, George W. Bush.

In Washington, DC they were all thrilled; not much by the content of the meeting since it could be dubbed as routine, but by the length of it. They say that to have a meeting with President Bush for one hour in the White House has been very seldom, even with his closest pal, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, this time, President Bush did indeed decide to spend one hour with President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaçi.
 
Stubborn skeptics will attempt to give various hypocritical theories, unlikely to resemble the reality. While the rest will be pondering, trying to figure out what was really discussed behind the closed doors.

Nobody knows what was discussed within that hour. Rather, the eminence of this event is the very meeting between Bush, Sejdiu and Thaçi. Firstly, this meeting boosts the respect of Kosovar leadership in the world. If Bush has time to welcome with high honors President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaçi at the White House, certainly there will be other leaders in the world that will be able to find a few minutes to meet with Kosovar leadership in the future.

Incidentally, this meeting will be inscribed with golden letters on the chapter of foreign relations of the Republic of Kosovo. Secondly, this sends a clear message to the countries which are still hesitating to decide on recognizing the Republic of Kosovo. Of course, this meeting will influence future meetings of Kosovo Foreign Minister with other world leaders.

As the two leaders of the Kosovar nation were staying at one of the Washington, DC hotels, at least nine bodyguards assigned by the US State Department were watching Prime Minister Thaçi. On every prime minister's move, security service would mobilize. Due to the high security, he could not even get into the elevator without the security service. The highest honorary state respect was paid to Sejdiu and Thaçi.

In Washington, DC I did not encounter one person that has not heard about Kosovo. They were all familiar with the declaration of independence. They all knew that the world has been enriched by a new country. Those who were more emotional such as the manager of a store, when he heard that in his store were people from Kosovo, ran to us to congratulate us. They were also aware that their President, George W. Bush, was one of the strong backers.

"The best job that President Bush has done during his eight year term is the recognition of independence of Kosovo," said the store manager, who was not an ardent supporter of President's Bush policies, a statement also overheard in both Republican and Democratic political circles. When he heard that the leaders of Kosovo were going to meet with President Bush, he chuckled by giving an honest response: "it would be great if they took him back to Kosovo." I failed to convince this American to like President Bush, as he failed to convince me otherwise.

The high respect was given to the state of Kosovo by police forces at the Dulles Airport in Washington, DC as well. One of the airport policemen wondered when Kosovo will have its passports since now it is a sovereign country when an instant positive answer was given - yes, very soon. 

The group of journalists that were following the delegation of the Republic of Kosovo was invited by Prime Minister Thaçi for refreshing drinks at a restaurant on the banks of the Potomac River which is located in Georgetown, the most beautiful part of the city.

Even at the restaurant, the Prime Minister was stringently guarded by the high security services. From a nearby table, Mary, a 26 year old girl from Atlanta, nevertheless succeeded to break through the security to shake hands with the prime minister. With a fascinated face, she mistakenly thought that the Prime Minister of Kosovo was the "hot" Hollywood actor, George Clooney.

One of the journalists had to explain to Mary, that in fact, this is the prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo, the newest country in the world. Mary, enthusiastic, said that she would love to visit Kosovo one day.

If she comes to Kosovo, I would encourage her not to go to the De Rada brasserie, where she would encounter our Kosovar tragic history hanging on the wall. But most certainly she would understand why it took so long to build the state of Kosovo.

At the end, I happened to remember a joke I had heard a long time ago about a Montenegrin. Answering a question of how big the population of Montenegro is, he said "Us [Montenegrins] and the Chinese - one billion." This amazingly genuine hospitality and commitment compelled me to believe that Kosovars and Americans make a superpower.

 

 

Translated and edited by New Kosova Report Staff