Albanian PM wants to be given key to Belgrade - report

Source: Politika

BELGRADE -- Albanian PM Edi Rama has sent a plan of his visit to Serbia according to which he should be given the key to the city of Belgrade.

(Beta/AP, file)

This is what the daily Politika is reporting on Wednesday.
The official visit to Belgrade, the first by an Albanian prime minister in 70 years, was originally scheduled to take place on October 22, but was postponed for November 11 after the incident during the Serbia vs. Albania football game on October 14.

The newspaper writes today that Rama plans to hold a public meeting in the southern town of Preševo, and also wants Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali to symbolically present him with the the key to the Serbian capital.

According to the report, none of the regional leaders visiting Serbia have sent a plan of their visit without previous consultations with the Serbian government. The Albanian ambassador in Priština was at the same time quoted as saying that "there is no detailed plan of Rama's visit, but he would like to visit Preševo after Belgrade."

It is also not customary for regional leaders to, during diplomatic visits, require to visit areas with inhabited by a majority belonging to their nation - in this case, ethnic Albanians in Preševo.

Another Belgrade daily, Večernje Novosti, on Tuesday reported that "the protocol during Rama's visit has not been determined," and that it was possible he would not be received by President Tomislav Nikolić.

Rama's visit was postponed after the football game unrest, sparked by a small remotely operated craft that carried a map of the so-called Greater Albania - an expansionist nationalist Albanian project - above the pitch. The Albanian prime minister's brother, Olsi Rama, was suspected of operating the craft.