HC Deb 29 February 1980 vol 979 c751W
Dr. Edmund Marshall

asked the Lord Privy Seal what he considers to be the obstacles which have prevented the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Government of Albania.

Mr. Blaker

The obstacles have been the problem of the gold formerly belonging to the pre-war Bank of Albania now in the custody of the tripartite commission for the restitution of monetary gold and the question of the compensation awarded to Britain by the International Court of Justice in 1949 in respect of the Corfu channel incident. For our part we would like to separate these issues from the question of restoring diplomatic relations.