Albania: On Tirana's George W. Bush Street, a positive impression of Obama
'The Muslim world has been waiting for a long time for such thing.'
TIRANA, ALBANIA – In staunchly pro-American Albania, a European outpost of the Muslim world, few people interviewed said they watched the Cairo speech, though some TV stations here did broadcast it live.
Sitting at his office on Tirana's George W. Bush Street – really – Mufti Shaban Saliaj admitted that he had not followed President Obama's trip closely, but he says he was nonetheless pleased that America appears to be reaching out to Muslims.
A little better informed, Elvis Naci, the imam of the Albanian capital's Mosque of the Tabaks, described Obama’s gesture as "extremely" positive.
“The Muslim world has been waiting for a long time for such thing,” Imam Naci said, adding. “If you see all the polls in the Islamic world, the US president’s visit has been warmly welcomed.”
Other reactions around the world