Albania inaugurates new highway to Kosovo (Greater Albania)

Albania's prime minister on Thursday inaugurated a ¤1 billion ($1.4 billion) highway link to neighboring Kosovo, calling it a «corridor of friendship and peace.Tirana sees the 105-mile (170-kilometer) highway running through northern Albania's rugged mountains as an important commercial link not only to Kosovo, but to other Balkan nations and central Europe.

The opening ceremony in Rreshen, 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Tirana came just days ahead of Albania's parliamentary election this weekend, even though portions of the highway have not been completed.«This is the corridor of friendship and peace,» Berisha said to applause from supporters waving Albanian and European Union flags. «This corridor will serve not only to Albanians, but also to Macedonians, Serbs, Bosnians, Bulgarians and all the others.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the ceremony for the link, which includes a segment with a 3.4-mile (5.5-kilometer) tunnel built by a joint venture of Turkey's Enka and San Francisco-based Bechtel International Inc.Erdogan said the highway would «further impact Kosovo's development» after it gained independence from Serbia last year.Kosovo's premier had been expected at the ceremony but did not show up. Thaci's office in Pristina, Kosovo said the premier's agenda had been busy, and he had already left on a trip to the United States.

The highway will run from the port city of Durres, 20 miles (35 kilometers) west of Tirana, to the Morini border crossing with Kosovo.Albania joined NATO this year and has applied for European Union candidate status. Its parliamentary elections Sunday are seen as a test of the country's commitment to democracy and to move closer toward integration with the bloc.