Wrangle over Albanian gold continues

Press, 15 July 1980, Page 20

Wrangle over Albanian gold continues

Bv

SUE MASTERMAN

and

ANTON KOENE

in Vienna

Albania wants its gold back. To be precise, Albania wants Britain to return 2-J- tonnes of gold, worth more than $45 million, which has been in British custody since the end of World War 11. But Britain is determined to hang on to it until settlement of its 35-year-old claim for damages over the mining of British warships in the Corfu Channel.

Albania, like many other countries occupied during the war, had its gold purloined by the Nazis. Eventually the gold was captured by the Allies and put into the vaults of the Bank of England for safekeeping. The, on October 2, 1946, 10 British warships were badly damaged when they ran into an uncleared minefield in the Corfu Channel. Several crewmen died, and Britain put in a

claim against Albania for damages. The International Court at The Hague upheld the claim, but Albania refused to recognise the Court’s competence. The Albanians nave always said that the mines were not theirs, and that they had neither the means nor the know-how to lay a minefield after they emerged, devastated, from occupation.

Now. after a 35-year stalemate, the Albanians have reopened the case, stimulated by British overtures aimed at restoring diplomatic relation.;. On May 24 the official newspaper “Zeri i Popullit" printed an editorial headed: “The gold plundered by Britain must be given back to Albania," and sent out a typically emotional propaganda appeal to the world to- restore to them gold earned by “the sweat of the people.” The background is not as simple as Albania makes, dt out to be. When Italian troops occupied Albania in 1939, the country was ruled by King Zog. King Zog, who under his real name, Achmed Zogoe. had become president of an independent republic of Albania in 1925. made himself monarch in 1928. After the war the new. leader, Enver Hoxha, who’still rules the country. emerged from the partisan movement.

The new Albania was closely allied to. neighbouring Yugoslavia, until Yugoslavia, under Presi-

dent Tito, broke away from Stalinism.

At first the Albanians remained loyal to Moscow. Gradually, they felt themselves threatened by what they regarded as Russian and Yugoslav revisionism, and turned to China for support. Today their trust in Chinese Communism has also been shaken, and they go their own supremely isolated way under the leadership of Chairman Hoxha.

Immediately after the war King Zog, exiled in London, unsuccessfully claimed the right to administer the gold reserves. He died in Paris in 1961, with the future of Albania still uncertain. That uncertainty is a crucial factor in the gold wrangle-. Behind the arguments of the Corfu Channel incident has always lurked a fear that the gold, if returned, would fall into the hands of people not truly representing the Albanians. — London Observer Service.