§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much is the value of the claim against the Albanian Government in respect of the mining of two naval vessels and the associated loss of life in the Corfu channel in 1946; and why this has not been settled from Albanian gold held by the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold.
§ Mr. RifkindThe International Court of Justice awarded damages of £843,947 to the United Kingdom in 1949 against the Albanians in respect of their responsibility for the loss of two British naval vessels in the Corfu Channel in 1946. The terms of reference of the Tripartite Gold Commission require all decisions to be taken by the unanimous agreement of the three Governments. The matter cannot therefore be settled unilaterally by us.