When Rexhep Mejdani visited the ICTP in the summer of 1996, he was a Professor of Physics. He returns to the ICTP this November as Albania's Head of State. The new President talks about the dramatic changes both in his life and the life of his nation that have occurred in one short year.

The Physicist President

On July 24, 1997, Albania's newly formed Parliament elected Rexhep Mejdani, 53, as its President. Mejdani, a Professor of Physics at the University of Tirana, is a long-time friend of the ICTP. In fact, during the past 10 years, he has visited Trieste on 10 different occasions to attend workshops, seminars and conferences on condensed matter, high-energy and computational physics. His resume lists more than 50 publications, including several articles published in Science. Mejdani was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to give News from ICTP an exclusive interview. Here are the new President's views on science, politics, and the key role that the ICTP has played in his career.

Q.: President Mejdani, could you briefly outline the situation faced by universities in general and the scientific community in particular in Albania during the 1960s and 1970s? How have things changed since then?

A.: The University of Tirana was founded in 1957. So, it was a young and, in many ways, an immature institution during the 1960s and 1970s. Yet, both professors and students retained a passion for learning, which made the University an interesting place to be. More recently, however, political uncertainties and financial difficulties have subdued the passion that once existed. Albania must find a way to reinstill the passion of the past so that our scientists again feel that they are engaged in worthy and exciting fields of endeavour. In addition, some of Albania's best scientists and most promising students left Albania during the recent period of uncertainty. In my first speech as President, I invited them to come back and contribute directly to the building of a "new" Albania.

Q.: What role did the ICTP play in your career? And why have so few Albanian scientists taken advantage of the opportunities afforded by the ICTP during the Centre's early years? According to our records, before 1990, only 7 Albanians visited the Centre. Since then, an additional 80 scientists have come. Do you anticipate that number to increase in the future?

A.: In my scientific career, two moments stand out. The first took place during my postgraduate studies at CEN-Saclay in France, which allowed me to collaborate with a team of superb French scientists-N. Boccara, G. Sarma, R. Bidaux, L. de Seze, who were led by the institution's spiritual leader, Nobel Laureate P.G. de Gennes. During this time, I not only gained valuable knowledge but I developed warm and lasting friendships. The second moment came when I arrived in 1987 at ICTP in Trieste and came to know Abdus Salam, a great and generous man. I had learned about ICTP from officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the year before. Since 1987, I have spent a year's time in Trieste, participating in ICTP's courses, conferences, workshops and seminars. The Centre proved instrumental to my career during my years on the physics faculty at the University of Tirana and then as the Dean of Faculty of Natural Sciences. I know the ICTP worked for me and I would be delighted if the level of cooperation between ICTP and Albania's universities and research centres became even stronger in the years ahead.

Q.: What role do you think basic scientific research should play in the future development of Albania?

A.: Efforts to achieve immediate concrete results through basic scientific research can often be a heart-breaking exercise. Yet, given the level of intellectual capacity now found among Albanian researchers, both here and abroad, I am certain that basic scientific research will play an important role in the long term. That role will find expression not only in the acquisition of new knowledge but in the transfer of technology that will have positive impacts on the nation's social and economic well-being. To meet these challenges, Albanian universities-and, more specifically, departments of science-will seek to increase cooperation with academic and research institutions in developed countries. Among the initiatives we plan to pursue are joint conferences, seminars and courses that will help keep our researchers and students up-to-date on global scientific findings.

Q.: Has the environment for basic science in Albania been different from the environment in other countries in Central and Eastern Europe?

A.: I don't think the environment here has been much different from the environment in other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, especially when you consider the constraints imposed by the small size and limited financial resources of our country. Such constraints make it impossible to create a critical mass of researchers and facilities in all scientific fields. Albania's Academy of Sciences, which includes many institutes of research, functions like many other scientific academies and compares favourably with similar institutions in Eastern Europe. One trend that is particularly encouraging has been the development of cooperative teaching and research among academic departments within Albania's universities and scientific units within Albania's Academy of Sciences. Today, we are studying ways to make our research facilities more dynamic and flexible. We are also trying to develop strategies that will help reduce the isolation of these institutions and integrate them more closely into the larger economy and society.

Q.: You are one of the few physicists ever to have been elected president of a nation. Do you think your training will effect the way that you govern? Should other scientists in Albania become more politically active?

A.: It's true that politicians rarely choose physics as their major area of study. Nevertheless, I think that science-and particularly physics-offer a kind of training that fits well with the intellectual and spiritual demands associated with effective governance. It may be ironic but many scientists in Albania responded to the conditions that our nation faced during the past year or so, and became actively involved in efforts to rebuild the nation's democratic institutions. I hope that their participation continues in the months and years ahead. Albania can certainly use the knowledge and skills that our scientists have to offer.

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