ALBANIA'S aspiring King Leka made an emotional pilgrimage to his father's birthplace yesterday, visiting the mountain village of Burgajet for the first time.
Launching a campaign to win public support for restoring the monarchy in the troubled Balkan nation, the would-be king travelled by motorcade to the village 120 km north of Tirana and was welcomed by about 5,000 cheering people.
"I am very happy to be with my family again," said the king, who was two days old when his father, King Zog, fled invading Italian Fascists 58 years ago. "I will travel across the country to spread the message of peace and unity."
President Sali Berisha has promised the aspiring king a referendum on the monarchy. Even though the timing was left open, King Leka said he was delighted and vowed to visit towns and villages across Albania in the weeks ahead.
About 300 people have been killed and more than 700 injured in the armed anarchy that has plagued the country following the collapse of investment schemes which wiped out the life savings of many Albanian families.
King Leka says he can help restore order and unify Albania.
His father ruled between 1928 and 1939, and was a powerful figure who overcame tribal, regional and secular rivalries before he fled with his family. King Zog was forbidden to return by post-war communist leaders and died in Paris in 1961.
Many elderly Albanians fondly recall improvements in education and infrastructure initiated by the king. Schools and banks were opened, roads were built and police organised.
His son maintains he is the legal, leader of Albania, based on a constitution adopted in 1928.
King Leka had never been to Burgajet, a farming village known for its sheep and grapes. Several villas there that belonged to his father, an ardent opponent of the Serbs, were burned by Serb forces just before the first World War.
Villagers from Burgajet fired Kalashnikov rifles into the sky to welcome the monarch, a practice that has become customary in a nation awash with arms.
King Leka met the Prime Minister, Mr Bashkim Fino, on Saturday after a historic visit to his rival as head of state, Mr Berisha, on Friday. "We have a moral responsibility to you after you were not allowed to come to your homeland because of the communist laws," Mr Fino told him.
King Leka, who towers over most Albanians at six feet eight inches, has been welcomed by adoring crowds. He tried to return to Albania in 1993 but was unceremoniously expelled within hours after his passport, marked "Kingdom of Albania", was declared invalid.
More troops of the proposed 6,000-strong eight-nation force arrived in Albania yesterday, bringing to about 3,500 the number of soldiers from Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Turkey who have arrived. Romania, Denmark and Austria are also sending contingents.
The presence of troops has not, however, stopped the bloodshed. In Vlore, Mr Ferdinand Beqo (32), was killed by a friend with a Kalashnikov rifle during an argument in a bar on Saturday night. In a separate incident, a truck driver was killed when he was ambushed by gunmen near Gjirokaster.
The political situation in Tirana remained tense yesterday as a spokesman for President Berisha criticised Mr Fino for firing the deputy interior minister, Mr Agim Shehu, on Saturday.
In a statement issued through the state-run ATA news agency, the spokesman said the dismissal was not legal.