Flying for Kosovo

After my own very emotional stop in Haiti, I took a quick flight back to Santo Domingo to pick up my dear friend and colleague Nail Spahiu (whom you may remember has been doing some filming throughout the trip for our upcoming documentary).  Since we had to fly back over Haiti airspace, Nail was filming as much as possible from the plane.  He could not believe his eyes when he looked down at the devastation in the beautiful city of Port-Au-Prince.  You get a much clearer picture of this from above. Overall, it was a great flight, except that Nail starts to get antsy after more than two hours airborne.

After landing, we had a hard time trying to find a reasonably priced hotel. With the help of a local taxi driver (who also charged us an arm and a leg for the ride), we were able to find a place. The next day, we are able to meet with two different newspapers and the state television station TVJ. Kimmo Matthews with the Jamaican Observer was wonderful and had lots of knowledge about Kosovo’s history. We were also able to speak with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was receptive, but did mentioned that all recommendations come from their UN ambassador in New York.

From Jamaica, we tried to get a flight permit for our baby plane to fly into Cuban airspace. Their embassy in Kingston was being difficult and, because of the US registration of our plane, we learned that they would not allow us to fly over their country. We also had no luck with the Cuban Civil Aviation Authority (who already knew about our US markings), despite a week’s worth of efforts. Welcome to the bureaucracy of some of the countries of our planet!

On a positive note, Nail and I were able to experience the delightful cuisine of Kingston. With the diverse influence of Spain, Britain, Africa, India and the local indigenous population, you can imagine that the food here is rich in both history and flavor. In the evenings, we would enjoy dinner and exciting conversations with the locals, which allowed us to share the latest news of our beautiful country Kosovo.

From Jamaica, we went directly to the Bahamas, which added another three hours of flying to our journey, as we had to fly around the Cuban airspace. As you can imagine, this detour was frustrating to myself and, of course, Nail as it was over a two hour flight experience.

My flight from Santo Domingo to Port Au Prince went very well until I approached the capital city of this wonderful nation.  A few miles before landing, while flying at minimal altitude, I thought that I was seeing that this nation’s people had lots of swimming pools alongside their houses.  Shortly after, I realized that  those were not swimming pools at all.

What I was looking at was the devastating news that millions of people were living in tents made with blue plastic covers – tarps that were donated from countries around the world.  Up until this point of the mission, I could not and did not imagine the magnitude of devastation that the Haitian people have had to endure.

While I was flying, I kept taking picture after picture – thousands.  The reality here began to hit me hard and uncontrollable tears started flowing from my eyes.  Flashbacks kept coming, reminding me of the suffering of my own people in the refugee camps of Albania.  That was over ten years ago.  The reason that I started this mission.  And it haunts me here today as I look out over Haiti.

As I land on the ground the humid air is both thick and smothering.  Upon opening the aircraft door and stepping on the soil of this great nation, tears continued to flow.  They came down as I walked to the ramp agents.  They came down as I looked into their eyes and finally saw the reality that the people here have gone through.  The indescribable  power of the deceased souls could be felt through my entire body – chill’s felt everywhere. Everywhere I turned in the airport – you could see and feel the devastation.  Cracks and holes were seen in the walls – but this was nothing compared to the pain that I felt surrounding the individuals working there.

Shortly after clearing customs and parking the airplane, I met with Besnik Demolli (whom you’ll remember I met up with in the Dominican Republic) and many others, like Armendi, whom gave me a home while in Haiti, and Arsim Shala, who showed great respect for our mission.  I tell you, it was such a comfort to find these great friends who are here working for the UN in Haiti and Dominican Republican.  After a satisfying lunch at the UN cafeteria, I took a bus toward town trying to accomplish the duties of our mission, despite the reality of my surroundings.

It’s absolutely impossible to describe to you, in one short paragraph, the suffering and devastation that I’ve seen in Haiti.  My heart feels for and entirely supports these wonderful people.  The depth of strength and resilience that I have seen will no doubt spur recovery in the future.  However, from personal experience, I know that this chapter of their lives will never cease to exist for centuries to come.  The vanished souls of Haiti will never be forgotten and this chapter will always exist.

The unspeakable shock that I have seen in the last few days have left an great scar on my soul.  The fallen city of Port Au Prince, the devastation that I have seen will be with me forever.  But I need to also express my admiration and humbleness to the Haitians – despite all the destruction that they have seen, there is still a sense of hope here.  The feeling is faint, but familiar.

Amos Cincir from ‘Le Nouvellist’, and a great friend, wrote the most amazing article about Kosovo and our mission.  Despite their atmosphere being turned upside down, it is amazing that the media showed our mission interest.  La Matin, and the great people there, were also receptive.  To the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – I am honored for the time that you took, despite everything that your country is going through, to meet with me and show your attention to our cause.

God Bless Haiti.

Le Nouvelliste en Haiti

After a refreshing and brief stop in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic is calling. As the second largest Caribbean nation (behind Cuba), the country takes up over two-thirds of the island Hispaniola. Though the country’s economy struggled during the 80’s and the 90’s, tourism is now helping them get back on track. During my stop in this country, I was amazed to meet up and old friend from back home. Through word of mouth and a fantastic hotel owner, I was able to find Besnik Demolli in Santo Domingo. Besnik works for the United Nations and is scheduled to fly to Haiti. I make arrangements to follow him there tomorrow. Eric from the hotel and his family made me feel very much at home during my short stay.

This beautiful country made me feel like I I was in heaven again.  My quick weakness in these tropical countries is the lushious, wonderful tropical fruits that are available.  So many tastes – ah, heaven!  The hospitality and welcome that I’ve received in the Caribbean has also been a blessing.

The media here showed great interest in publishing articles about Kosovo – especially knowing that somewhere on the planet (as far away as Kosovo) has deep respect and admiration for their beautiful nation.  Listin Diaro and Hoy newspapers did excellent interviews and I am grateful to Andrea Luna and Carmen Matos.

The Dominican Republic’s decision to recognize our independence has touched many people’s hearts and has played a major role in the world.  I hope to return here someday.

Listin Diario

After leaving St. Kitts, I flew to Puerto Rico. The airplane needed an annual maintenance review and I must admit, it was good to be on US soil for a brief stop. I’ve never been so happy to see Wal-greens, Wal-mart and the Western World. Though I love the opportunities that I’ve had, the people that I’ve met and the incredible awareness that the trip has brought to my country, you can imagine how taxing a year of traveling and financial struggle can be. It feels good to know that there are only five countries left.

Despite the fact that it is now the rainy season in the Caribbean (raining cats and dogs day and night), my flight to Antigua was fantastic!  I was able to complete two interviews on the first day, with the Antigua Sun and the Daily Observer.  The next day I did a radio interview with the Observer and also met with the local television station, ABS, who interviewed me live.

My stay on this island was very brief, yet through the rain I was able to see some of its beauty and wish to return here in the future.  These islands are believed to be formed by volcanoes and inhabited as early as 2400 B.C.  However, it was only recently, in 1981, that they became independent of the British Commonwealth.

Antigua Sun

Off to St. Kitts and Nevis. As with many other Caribbean Islands, this country was associated with the British until recently (1983). In 1998, Nevis attempted to pass a referendum to separate itself from St. Kitts, but did not gain enough votes for it to pass. Hon. Sam Terence Condor and Ms. Kaye Bass (the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Senior Foreign Service Officer) were kind enough to offer me their time for a meeting. Ms. Bass was extremely knowledgeable about our independence and she actually showed me the governments file on Kosovo and it’s contents. She suggested that, since Belize already recognizes our independence, it would be beneficial for them to bring it up as an agenda item at the upcoming meeting of the CARICOM Foreign Ministers. Next stop, a brief stop in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and then five countries left to visit until the mission will be complete!

The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

SKNVibes.com

DW_A3143 – audio interview with Nester Phillip from The Chronicle

DW_A3144 – audio interview continued

DW_A3145 – audio interview final

Landing in Dominica was a challenge as the runway runs directly along the beach and square in between the sea (which wouldn’t be so great to land it) and the mountainous terrain of the island (also not so great to land in!).  This may sound beautiful and indeed it is.  However,  the steep approach needed for landing does not match up well with the strong crosswinds created by this environment.

Once on the island, my day in Dominica was very productive.  I was able to meet with two newspapers – the SUN and the Chronicle.  The local television station, Marpin 2K4, was able to get some great footage at the airport.  They were all very helpful and knowledgeable about the history of Kosovo and wanted to present some quality coverage of our mission.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations were also very receptive and admitted that our independence is a ‘work in progress’ and that they are watching the situation closely.

As with the other Caribbean Islands, I continue to be impressed with the friendliness of the people and their knowledge of our country.  On the way out of the country, the airport employees admitted that they enjoyed watching the television coverage of our great mission.

I have been mesmerized by the beauty of this amazing planet. Each country seems to match the beauty of the previous one and I have very much enjoyed my time flying over magical waters of the Caribbean.

After my stop in St. Lucia, I was on my way to Dominica.  Though nothing is every as easy as it seems. It turns out that I needed to make a stop on the island of Martinique due to Dominica not having any AVGAS at the time, which I may have already mentioned is a higher-octane gasoline utilized by aircrafts.

I was grateful for the stop, as a quick walk around town made me feel a sense of being closer to home and was very soul fulfilling.  As it was a weekend, (not much press or political meetings can take place as you can imagine), I was able to enjoy some of my favorite foods on this French-inspired island.  A nice French baguette, along with a few cheeses, some cream, dried meats, pickles, French cakes and an Orangina were very satisfying treats as during a brief picnic in a local park.  The food tasted so good that it matched the scenery as it is not often that I have been able to indulge in such delightful treats.  I was the happiest man on earth!

A short flight later and I am landing on St. Lucia.  I can’t believe the difference in both geography and climate. This island appears more mountainous than the previous ones I’ve landed on and is also volcanic.  It is raining here today, though the local people assure me that it was dry here just a few weeks ago.  What a difference a few weeks of rain make!  It reminds me of when I was in the jungles and rain forests in places like Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela.  I quickly fell in love with the food available here – mangoes, coconut trees and acres and acres of bananas.  The capital city, Castries, is a beautiful location as well.  From here I am able to view cruise ships as they stop and allow vacationers to visit this gorgeous place on their way to other picturesque locations.

I was very pleased with the outcome of my meeting with Rufus George Bousquet, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  He is a very busy man and I very much appreciate the time he took to meet with me. He relayed that the government is aware of our independence and supports it 100 percent.  He stated that it’s a matter of meeting in the Cabinet and sending us a formal decision.  His view is that we deserve independence after everything that we’ve been through and is looking forward to establishing diplomatic relations with our country very soon.  He also suggested  meeting with their Ambassador to the United Nations.

I want to give a huge thank you to all of the welcoming media in this country:  Anne Edwards was a great help in getting things rolling for my interview with DBS television; Sherlana Ernest and her  editor Victor Marquis at the Voice newspaper were very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and showed great admiration for our country; and Mr. Jason Sifflet with the Star newspaper was very passionate about writing a great article about my beautiful country of Kosovo.  Jason, your previous travels to Eastern Europe made me feel much closer to completing our mission upon the initial meeting.  Bless you all and your beautiful country.

The Voice – National news paper of St. Lucia

Next stop: Barbados.  For a quick second upon landing I thought that I had landed back in the USA – there were no landing fees or navigation charges in which to deal with.  This is quite contrary to my experiences with airports thus far.  Rest assured, however, that there were fees to pay!  In almost every country that I’ve visited there are fees: fees for landing, fees for parking, fees for leaving, etc.  Barbados is no different.  In this country, it was $50USD for and ‘entry’ number and another $50USD for an ‘exit’ number – conveniently available on-line of course.  I guess we can’t have everything in life.  It is during these times that I have to remind myself of the many priceless gifts and hospitality that I have experienced during this mission.

The white sandy beaches here are beautiful and I soon see why Barbados was ranked third (by the United Nations Development Index in 1996) in terms of quality of life among 160 developing countries.  On this island that is only 21 miles long by 14 miles wide, there are many tourists and the local people are welcoming.  The media showed great interest in publishing and transmitting news about Kosovo’s independence and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here is quite aware of our recent independence.  Ms. Natalie Cox was very knowledgeable about our country and the position we are gaining in the world.  She promised to bring our request to the higher powers of this beautiful nation. Let’s hope their decision will come soon.

The next stop is St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a country made up of over 30 islands.  I am blessed to have viewed with my own eyes the beauty that these islands have to offer.  I am sure that if I was able to stay longer I would have no problem finding many relaxing and enjoying things to do.  The international airport is also in a very nice location with very friendly people to help you and similar to Grenada in that it was really easy to clear customs and immigration and put my plane ‘to rest’ for the visit.

Since this country is  located in the Caribbean Sea, it is square in the pathway of many hurricanes.  In 2004, Hurricane Ivan devastated these islands. The first countries to offer aide in the aftermath were Cuba and Venezuela.  Both of them sent money and laborers to help with reconstruction and neither of them recognize Kosovo’s independence.  This may make it difficult for St. Vincent to formally recognize our independence since both Cuba and Venezuela are in close geographical proximity and also so substantial in regards to available resources.

On the other hand, this country is a member of regional political and economic organizations such as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), CARICOM (an organization of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies whose focus is on economic integration and cooperation of those countries and coordination of their foreign policy), United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).  Most importantly though, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has chosen to recognize Taiwan instead of the People’s Republic of China.

While I was there I was able to conduct interviews with two newspapers and a television broadcasting company which promised to transmit our interview to several islands in the Caribbean.  The media was very responsive and understood the importance of gaining formal recognition as a country as it was only recently (October 27, 1979) that they themselves had gained independence from England. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened their door wide as well.  The Hon. Sir Louis Straker, Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council of Ministers and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade for St. Vincent and the Grenadines was happy to meet with me and through our discussion I learned that there are forces here that support our independence – including a a school friend of Sir Straker who has asked him many times to recognize our independence.  Eliot Angle, the people of Kosovo thank you for providing consistent reminders to your friend.  Sir Straker also recommended that our the government invite all of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OECS states to Kosovo for discussions.  Sir Straker’s Permanent Secretary Mr. Andreas Wickham and the Director of Foreign Policy and Research, Maxwell Charles also offered their valuable time and thoughts on the topic.  As usual, I wish I had more time to for discussion with these men and more personal time to experience and learn from their beautiful country.  I appreciate the honesty and openness that I have received and am very hopeful, as I was assured that the topic of our independence would be brought to the forefront of their governmental discussions.

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It is now after Easter and I have spent a very productive weekend on the island of Grenada.  I knew I would be in good hands there when, upon arrival, the air traffic controller wished me a pleasant stay in her country.  What a difference a warm welcome can make.  Within ten minutes my aeroplane was secured and I had cleared immigrations and customs and was on my way to town.

Like Trinidad, this country is very hot and very dry.  Despite suffering tremendously from hurricane Ivan in 2004 and hurricane Emily in 2005, the country looked very neat and well kept.  The people I met in town matched the welcome that I received at the airport.  Since many tourist come here, they are used to providing a high level of service and comfort.  What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the further welcome I was about to receive.

After speaking with the media and Simon Andrew, a friend to the people of Kosovo,  a meeting was organized with Mr. Peter David, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  This particular meeting would prove to be very memorable as it happened on Easter and Mr. David was so kind as to welcome me into his father’s home to spend the holiday with his extended family.  An added bonus was that the Minister of Tourism was there as well.  Words cannot express how honored I am to have spent this Easter in the presence of such a warm and welcoming family.  Grenada has won my heart over and I will always be filled with gratitude for the treatment that I received there.  This country has truly reminded me of how we as humans should treat each other and the great things that can happen when we do.

On the business side, Minister David promised that he will do everything possible to make sure that the topic of Kosovo’s independence will rise to the top of the agenda.  Again, I can’t thank this country and it’s people enough for all of the opened doors that they have shown me.

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