§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what change there has been in relations with Albania since the Corfu incident.
§ Mr. LuardAt the time of the Corfu channel incidents in May and October 1946, negotiations were in progress between the British and Albanian Governments about a resumption of diplomatic relations. The negotiations were broken off as a result of those incidents. The International Court of Justice decided in 1949 that compensation should be paid to the British Government by the Albanian Government. This compensation has never been paid, and diplomatic relations have not been resumed. The British Government have made it clear that they would be glad to find a way round the well-known obstacles that have prevented the restoration of diplomatic relations for so long. In the Albanian view, however, the question of diplomatic relations is linked with the long-standing 463W problem of the gold formerly belonging to the pre-war Bank of Albania. The solution to this latter problem does not depend on the British Government alone.