Albanian town bids sorrowful farewell to Bush

FUSHE-KRUJE, Albania (Reuters) - At the "George W. Bush" cafe in this little Albanian town, owner Festim Cela gives a solemn reply when asked if it will change its name when the U.S. President leaves office on Tuesday.

Many beyond U.S. shores may welcome the end of Bush's presidency, but in zealously pro-American Albania, he is feted as a hero.

"As long as this building stands, its name will be George W. Bush," Cela said as he watched television pictures of Bush's farewell speech the week before Barack Obama succeeds him.

Below the TV is a table where Bush sat to discuss a U.S.-funded micro-loan programme with a baker, a barber, a tailor and a shepherd when he visited Fushe-Kruje on June 10, 2007.

The chairs bear a copper plate with names of Bush and his wife Laura.

People in Fushe-Kruje said they were sad to see him leave and cherished the memory of his visit.

Waving and blowing kisses, a shirt-sleeved Bush crossed the main street from Cela's cafe to Klarita Topi's bakery, where pictures of his visit hang on the wall.

"His visit was a big blessing for the people of Fushe-Kruje, for our business and the whole of Albania," Topi said.

"It was a day of great joy. He got us into NATO, made us known to the world, and all has gone well for us."

Topi's bakery and Cela's cafe have turned into landmarks for Albanians and foreigners keen to see places Bush visited.

Topi, who received a loan under the U.S. programme, said Albanian migrant workers returning home came to see the shop. Italian tourists thought the photos were fakes.

"President Bush came to Fushe-Kruje with the independence of Kosovo. This is a big debt which can never be returned. Thanks U.S.," Rasim Qorraj from Decani in Kosovo wrote in a book Cela keeps at the cafe along with the Albanian, U.S. and EU flags.

Albania, once an isolated state, has blossomed since the fall of communism in 1990 and now embraces all things Western.

It's people reserve special affection for the United States, which they credit not only with ending their Cold War isolation but also for leading NATO in 1999 to rescue the Albanians of neighboring Kosovo from "ethnic cleansing" by Serbia.

"Thank you Mr. Bush! Thank you U.S.A.! God Bless U.S. Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful)," wrote Agim Gashi.

Bush backed Kosovo's independence during the visit and urged the Kosovo Albanians to be patient. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence in February 2008.

The visit was also marked by reports Bush lost or had his watch stolen there but television pictures showed he had given it to a bodyguard.

"I wish he had another mandate," Cela said."

Bush, the first U.S. President to visit the ex-communist state, dived into a throng of waiting Albanian fans and enjoyed a rock-star reception.

While meeting the crowd, Bush stopped and embraced 70-year-old Thomaidha Kaziu.

"I started shaking with emotion. There were a lot of people behind me who wanted to meet him. I was told he said I resembled his mother. It was a great day for me," Kaziu said.