Defense Minister says Gerdec blast could have been avoided

TIRANA, April 13 – Defense Minister Gazmend Oketa has said if safety rules were followed, the Gerdec tragedy could have been avoided.
In an interview published in the Shqip newspaper, Oketa said if authorities and institutions had been more careful the tragedy could have been avoided.
Oketa was deputy premier March 15 when the blast occurred.
Oketa said that due to the work of the specialized armed forces units, police and health personnel, fatalities had been minimized.
“If state institutions had been more careful and attentive, if disposal rules had been respected, then this tragedy would not have happened,” said Oketa.
Oketa replaced former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, who resigned two days after the blast.
“I like to cope with challenges and especially hard work,” he said in answer to the question why he accepted the post of defense minister at the difficult moment after the Gerdec explosion.
Oketa said he had fired some officials at the defense ministry following the blast.
“Responsibilities for the Gerdec tragedy are multilateral. They are legal, political, moral and administrative,” he said.
The Prosecutor General’s office will investigate the legal ones, the former Defense Minister resigned as a sign of moral and political responsibility and Oketa was dealing with the administrative issues.
Regarding Mediu, he said it is up to the prosecutor to decide what legal responsibility should be assigned to Mediu, adding he has already accepted the political and moral responsibility with his resignation.
A senior official of the weapons export-import company of the ministry has been arrested along with the owner and top manager of the disposal factory. They have been accused of negligence.
Speaking of Albania’s recent NATO membership invitation, the minister said it was well deserved following the reforms recently enacted by the country.
He also said NATO membership is an example of the merits of functioning as a democracy, a market economy, and a state where the rule of law and human rights are respected. It was also a result of the country’s political stability and serves to show how Albania assists in maintaining stability in the region.
Oketa said the government is expecting a boom of foreign investment as they now have greater guarantees in the country.
“Our democracy cannot be violated by any country,” he said, referring to U.S. President George W. Bush words in Zagreb, Croatia.
Oketa also said Albania has additional obligations to maintain even higher standards which authorities are ready to institute.
The minister said Tirana hopes Macedonia would also receive NATO membership and hoped that Skopje and Athens would resolve their dispute regarding Macedonia’s name.