Albania

Albania is a country east of Italy across the Adriatic Sea and touching Greece, with a population of about three million and capital city of Tirana. In 2007, George W. Bush was the first U.S. leader to visit the country, which is a close ally of the U.S.

Media
The BBC says of the country's media:


 * The public broadcaster, Albanian Radio and TV (RTSh), operates national radio and TV networks. It faces competition from private stations, which have mushroomed since the late 1990s. Political parties, religious groups and state bodies are not allowed to own private TV and radio stations.

U.S./Albania military relationship
In 2003 during a visit to the U.S., the Defence Minister of Albania, Pandeli Majko, said that Washington only needs to ask if it wants to set up a military base in Albania.

In 1999, Albania asked the U.S. to keep its soldiers permanently in Albania.

Donald Rumsfeld visit
In 2003, Donald Rumsfeld, then U.S. Secretary of Defense, visited the country. As reported in GlobalSecurity.org, Rumsfeld "noted that Albania has signed a bilateral Article 98 Agreement by which it has pledged to protect Americans from being turned over to the International Criminal Court." He said that the U.S. government and military appreciates this. The subject of a U.S. military base in the country came up but no details were given. U.S. forces are conducting exercises of a "very confidential nature" according to Albanian Defense Minister Pandeli Majko.

Albania Hires Former Homeland Security Secretary as Lobbyist
In 2006 the government of Albania hired Tom Ridge, the former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as its lobbyist. Ridge had headed DHS from January 2003 to February 2005. After leaving the post, he formed a Washington, DC consulting firm, Ridge Global.

In June 2008, Ridge filed a lobbying disclosure form on his work for the government of Albania -- nearly two years late. Ridge signed a $480,000, one-year contract with Albania in September 2006, to help the country "develop an overall homeland defense strategy based on land, air and sea security." The contract identified Ridge as the "lead on strategic advice" for the Albanian government. Ridge's firm, Ridge Global, no longer works for Albania.

A spokesperson for the firm said Ridge didn't think he needed to disclose his Albania work. But the Justice Department, which maintains a database of lobbyists working with foreign entities, thought he did. The Department contacted Ridge's firm, "after a story about Ridge's work appeared in the press." According to a September 2006 Associated Press article, Ridge's "main priority" was "to help Albania meet its goal of joining NATO in 2008." Albania began accession talks with NATO in April 2008.

Tobacco document information regarding the country of Albania

 * DDT Analyses on Samples from India, Albania and Thailand (Philip Morris, 1993) Indicates chemical analsyses to determine DDT residues on tobacco samples from the cited countries.
 * IMPORTED CIGARETTES SELL IN TOBACCO - RICH COUNTRY 1991 Tobacco Institute article about legal changes allowing cigarette marketing & advertising in Albania.

Leaders

 * Bamir Topi, President
 * Sali Berisha, Prime minister, from the centre-right Democratic Party, won general elections held in July 2005

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Coalition of the willing: beginning of the end
 * U.S. military bases overseas

External articles

 * Nicholas Walton, "Albania wakes up to green issues", BBC, January 22, 2007.

External resources

 * Albania, National Geographic, accessed January 2008.

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