http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ha8MuMrIGkjBIisRvRF45wyT4DGQD9BMPOPO2
Associated Press
November 1, 2009
Former President Clinton unveils statue in Kosovo
By NEBI QENA
-The statue portrays Clinton with his left arm raised and holding a portfolio
bearing his name and the date when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, on March
24, 1999.
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved low temperatures and a
cold wind in Kosovo's capital Pristina to welcome former President Bill Clinton
on Sunday as he attended the unveiling of an 11-foot (3.5-meter) statue of
himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name.
Clinton is celebrated as a hero by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority for
launching NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999....
This is his first visit to Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia
last year.
Many waved American, Albanian and Kosovo flags and chanted "USA!" as the former
president climbed on top of a podium with his poster in the background reading
"Kosovo honors a hero."
Some peeked out of balconies and leaned on window sills to get a better view of
Clinton from their apartment blocks.
To thunderous applause Clinton waved to the crowd as the red cover was pulled
off from the statue.
The statue is placed on top of a white-tiled base, in the middle of a tiny
square, surrounded by communist-era buildings.
"I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me,"
Clinton said of the gold-sprayed statue weighing a ton (900 kilograms).
He also addressed Kosovo's 120-seat assembly, encouraging them to forgive and
move on from the violence of the past.
The statue portrays Clinton with his left arm raised and holding a portfolio
bearing his name and the date when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, on March
24, 1999.
An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed during the Kosovo crackdown
and about 800,000 were forced out of their homes. They returned home after
NATO-led peacekeepers moved in following 78 days of bombing.
Leta Krasniqi, an ethnic Albanian, said the statue was the best way to express
the ethnic Albanians' gratitude for Clinton's role in making Kosovo a state.
"This is a big day," Krasniqi, 25 said. "I live nearby and I'm really excited
that I will be able to see the statue of such a big friend of ours every day."
Clinton last visited Kosovo in 2003 when he received an honorary university
degree. His first visit was in 1999 — months after some 6,000 U.S. troops were
deployed in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission here.
Some 1,000 American soldiers are still based in Kosovo as part of NATO's
14,000-strong peacekeeping force.
Police in Kosovo upped security measures ahead of Bill Clinton's arrival by
adding deploying more traffic police and special police.
NATO officials said the peacekeepers were also on alert, although no additional
security measures were taken.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
