Minister: Albania should return slain Greek national's body to family

Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougalos says Albanian authorities should promptly return the body of Konstantinos Katsifas, the 35-year-old ethnic Greek man who was fatally shot by police in southern Albania last Sunday.

Katsifas' family has asked Albanian authorities for the man's body so they can arrange the burial, lawyers representing Katsifas's relatives said earlier this week.

"We made clear our priorities from the start: shed a light on the case, all the way; to protect the rights of our Greek brothers (living in Albania); finally, and making no compromise on the first two points, protect our bilateral relations," Katrougalos said in interview to daily paper "Ta Nea."

The minister added it was a positive move on Albania's part to accept the government's request for a Greek police officer to be present at the inquest.

"We should be very careful...