Where is Albania

A.� We've had quite a few questions on this subject, as befits an area torn by conflict. The first question came from dany, who asked why there was fighting between Albania and Macedonia Dany also asked what was the capital of Macedonia, which has been answered, most ably by domb thus: The capital of Macedonia is Skopje, but the capital of West Macedonia is Kozani.

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Back to Albania's whereabouts: It's in south-eastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro. The capital is Tirana.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� We never heard too much about it before the recent conflict. Why

A.� It's a country of great poverty�- what we would have called backward in the days before political correctness. Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multi-party democracy in 1990.

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Q.� So everything's OK now

A.� Wrong. The transition has been difficult, as corrupt governments have tried to deal with vast unemployment, the collapse of a fraudulent nationwide investment scheme, gangsterism, and massive refugee influxes from neighbouring Kosovo.

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Q.� And the conflict

A.� The Albanian government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside its borders. The Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from the Serbian Republic; Albanians in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public-sector jobs, and representation in government.

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Q.� There doesn't seem to be ban easy solution.

A.� Oh no. These are the Balkans. Nothing is easy there. The Balkans caused the First World War and played a substantial part in the second.

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Q.� So, a brief history of Albania, please.

A.� Certainly. The Albanians are thought to be the direct descendants of the ancient Illyrians who lived on the eastern shore of the Adriatic. Illyrian culture is said to have evolved from the Stone Age and manifested itself in Albania about 2000BC. Illyrians were hospitable pagans renowned for their bravery. Women were fairly equal in status to the men. The earliest known king of Illyria was Hyllus (The Star) who died in 1225BC. The last king of Illyria was Gentius, who in 165BC, was defeated by the Romans and brought to Rome as a captive.

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Q.� And then it became part of the empire

A.� Yes. The Romans ruled Illyria for about six centuries. Society underwent great change. Art and culture flourished, but the people resisted assimilation into Roman culture. Illyrian culture survived, though many Latin words entered the language and later became part of the Albanian language. The territories of modern Albania became part of the Byzantine Empire when the Roman Empire divided in 395.

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Q.� Let's skip forward a bit to the 20th Century.

A.� That's a big leap, but OK. In 1928, the country was poor and unstable, but ruled by King Zog. Lovely name. He signed a number of accords with Italy that gave financial relief to Albania. Italy, ruled by the fascist Mussolini, viewed Albania as a bridgehead for military expansion into the Balkans. On 7 April, 1939, Italy invaded. King Zog fled to Greece.

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Q.� So, a Roman occupation again

A.� Quite. Using Albania as a military base, Italian forces invaded Greece, but they were quickly repulsed in Albania. After Nazi Germany defeated Greece and Yugoslavia in 1941, the regions of Kosovo and �amria were joined to Albania, thus creating an ethnically united Albanian state. The new state lasted until November 1944, when Germans withdrew from Albania. Kosovo was then reincorporated into the Serbian part of Yugoslavia, and �amria into Greece.

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Q.� And this is where all the ethnic differences have come from

A.� Partly. It's very complicated.

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Q.� When did the Commies get in on the act

A.� The various communist groups that had germinated in Zog's Albania merged in November 1941 to form the Albanian Communist Party and began to fight the occupiers. The man who became the dominating figure of the Communist resistance movement was Enver Hoxha (1908-85).

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Q.� The name's familiar.

A.� So it should be. Hoxha emerged as an ambitious, ruthless, cunning and fanatical Communist guerrilla leader and politician who ruled Albania as a one-party state until the 1980s. He combined dogmatic Communist beliefs with fierce nationalism. He was as tough as they get, a true follower of Stalin. Under Hoxha's rule every trace of natural justice, of freedom of thought and expression, was wiped out in Albania, just as it had been in the Soviet Union under Stalin. Poverty dominated the country, where links with the outside world were virtually banned under the harsh regime.

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Q.� But there's a democracy there now

A.� It began on 20 February, 1991, when demonstrators protesting in Tirana, toppled Hoxha's statue. Religion was legalised and elections held. The focus of reform in Albania is to change radically the economic and social foundations of the country. But there's a tough job ahead.

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By Steve Cunningham�