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PRISTINA - Kosovo Albanians said on Saturday they had turned out to give Tony Blair a special welcome because the British prime minister had done so much to rid the Yugoslav province of Serbian security forces.
As one of NATO's leading hawks during the bombing of Yugoslavia which led to the Serbian withdrawal, Blair is revered by ethnic Albanians like few other foreign or domestic politicians.
'It's a pleasure to welcome him,' said Nexhmije Mehmeti, a 62-year-old housewife as she waited in a crowd in central Pristina to catch a glimpse of Blair.
'During the bombing campaign, his words were our bread, our hope,' said Mehmeti, who stayed in Kosovo throughout the 11 weeks of bombardment as hundreds of thousands fled from Serbian forces, fearing for their lives.
People chanted 'Tony! Tony!' throughout the prime minister's visit and cried 'thank-you Tony!' during a speech he made to thousands of ethnic Albanians just a few hundred metres from Pristina's bombed out police building.
Blair shook hands with members of the crowd during a brief walkabout and some people threw flowers at him. An old man came out to hug him and a several small children presented him with bunches of flowers.
'I came here especially to welcome Tony Blair,' said Idriz Krasniqi, 43, a teacher who had travelled from the town of Malisevo, 40 km (25 miles) away. 'His contribution is the greatest to the Kosovo's liberation from the Serbian occupiers.'
Many Albanians saw Britain, and Blair in particular, as a beacon of hope during the bombing that ended in mid-June. The prime minister's staunch rhetoric and readiness even to contemplate a ground invasion won him many friends here.
'We can't forget his words during the bombing campaign and the help he gave to us,' said Hava Avdiu-Shehu, a 51-year-old woman from the provincial capital.
Blair offered some kind words of his own.
'I have felt so moved and so touched by the warmth that you have shown me,' he told the crowd in a speech during which his own emotions showed through.
'What has given me pleasure more than anything is to see the young children here today, living together in their homeland, in peace,' he said, adding that there was now fresh hope for a peaceful and prosperous Kosovo.
'This hope lies in the hands of these children. They are the future of Kosovo,' he said.
The crowd chanted Blair's name every time he paused to allow his words to be translated.
'His speech was strong in giving courage to Kosovo Albanians,' said Dugagjin Musa, 39, a computer engineer.