Most of Albania's looted weapons not recovered, report finds

Associated Press, Jan 12, 2006 8:39 AM

 

TIRANA, Albania-Nearly a decade after Albanians looted arms depots during widespread riots, less than half the stolen weaponry has been recovered, a British arms-trade watchdog announced in a report Thursday.

 

The London-based group Saferworld urged the Albanian government to step up efforts against the country's flourishing illegal weapons trade.

 

"Effective (arms) control is a multifaceted and very complicated exercise which requires collaboration and coordinated input from many different stakeholders," said the report, made available to The Associated Press.

 

Members of the British group met with Albanian government officials and international organizations in Albania between April and September 2005.

 

Albanian military bases and arms depots were looted in 1997, when anarchy swept the country during armed anti-government protests following the collapse of popular investment schemes.

 

The government has collected 223,000 weapons and some 118 million rounds of ammunition out of an estimated 550,000 weapons and 839 million rounds of ammunition stolen in 1997, the British group's report said.

 

Much of the stolen weaponry is believed to have fallen into the hands of ethnic Albanian militants in neighboring Kosovo and Macedonia.

 

Gun ownership is also widespread in Albania, where blood feuds between rival families still exist, and smugglers have sold many of the stolen weapons in Greece and other nearby countries.

 

Saferworld criticized the Albanian military over what it described as lax conditions at weapons depots, carrying a "high-risk of detonation ... and (posing) a significant health threat, particularly in view of the fact that dwellings are sometimes built dangerously close to stockpiles and storage sites."

 

The reported added: "The experiences of other states that have both recently acceded to the European Union or that are due to accede in the near future is clear, publicly identifying and tackling arms control challengers are hallmarks of a positive and confident government that can act as a serious and committed member of the European family."