24062003US

U.S. CONGRESS CALLS FOR EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION OF ALBANIA,
CROATIA, AND MACEDONIA. The U.S. House of Representatives passed
Resolution 209 on 23 June, hailing the recent signing of the Adriatic
Charter with Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia and calling for their
admission to NATO "as soon as they demonstrate the ability to assume
the responsibilities of...membership," the House website reported
(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.CON.RES.209). The
resolution also called on the EU to admit the three countries "at the
earliest opportunity." Both U.S. President George W. Bush and
Secretary of State Colin Powell have recently backed the efforts of
Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia toward joining Euro-Atlantic
institutions (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 March, 4 and 9 May, and 23
June 2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 22 November 2002). PM

ALBANIA SEES U.S. ROLE AS ESSENTIAL. Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir
Meta told Vienna's "Die Presse" of 24 June that his country wants to
join both the EU and NATO and regards "the EU and the United States
not as rivals but as complementary forces" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2
and 9 May and 11 and 23 June 2003). "We are not afraid that our
pro-American Iraq policy might have negative consequences for our
desire to join the EU. After all, our position was the same as many
EU member states and candidates," Meta added. He noted that Albania
recently concluded a bilateral extradition-immunity agreement with
the United Sates prohibiting the handover of each other's citizens to
the International Criminal Court (ICC) because Tirana "is very
interested in the United States' maintaining its military presence in
Albania and the region." The minister cited 2006 as a possible date
for his country's admission to NATO, adding that Albania has also
made great progress in recent years toward meeting several important
criteria for EU membership. Meta called on unnamed Kosovar
politicians to concentrate on practical questions and avoid
"patriotic rhetoric" (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 and 20 June
2003). PM