NATO's de Hoop Scheffer says Albania will join Alliance next spring

16/07/2008

TIRANA, Albania -- NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told the BBC on Tuesday (July 15th) that Albania will become a full member of NATO at the next summit in Strasbourg, France, in the spring. Discussing the Euro-Atlantic integration prospects of countries in the region, de Hoop Scheffer said they depend on the process of ratification by NATO members. He added that Albania has far to go in terms of the reforms it needs to implement. (Panorama, Koha Ditore, BalkanWeb, Shekulli - 16/07/08; BBC - 15/07/08)