Germany dismissed Greece's demands to pay World War II reparations on
Wednesday after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused Berlin of
using legal tricks to avoid paying compensation for the Nazi occupation
of his country.
"It is our firm belief that questions of reparations and compensation have been legally and politically resolved," said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Greece's justice minister earlier on Wednesday warned that German property could be seized in compensation for wartime atrocities, in an escalating war of words with Berlin over Athens' current European Union loan deal.
Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos said he was "ready to approve" a Greek Supreme Court ruling in 2000 that ordered Germany to pay around 28 million euros ($32 million) to the relatives of 218 civilians in the central Greek village of Distomo who were massacred by Nazi forces on June 10, 1944.
Under the Supreme Court ruling, assets such as property belonging to Germany's archaeological school and the Goethe Institute could be seized as compensation.
"The law states that the minister must give the order for the Supreme Court ruling to be carried out ... I am ready to give that order," Paraskevopoulos told Antenna TV.
Hours earlier, the minister told parliament that his decision would depend "on the political negotiations of the government" on the war reparations issue.
A working group set up by the Greek government in 2013 estimated that the total amount due in reparations to Greece was 162 billion euros.....................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/911514.shtml11/3/15
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Related:
"It is our firm belief that questions of reparations and compensation have been legally and politically resolved," said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Greece's justice minister earlier on Wednesday warned that German property could be seized in compensation for wartime atrocities, in an escalating war of words with Berlin over Athens' current European Union loan deal.
Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos said he was "ready to approve" a Greek Supreme Court ruling in 2000 that ordered Germany to pay around 28 million euros ($32 million) to the relatives of 218 civilians in the central Greek village of Distomo who were massacred by Nazi forces on June 10, 1944.
Under the Supreme Court ruling, assets such as property belonging to Germany's archaeological school and the Goethe Institute could be seized as compensation.
"The law states that the minister must give the order for the Supreme Court ruling to be carried out ... I am ready to give that order," Paraskevopoulos told Antenna TV.
Hours earlier, the minister told parliament that his decision would depend "on the political negotiations of the government" on the war reparations issue.
A working group set up by the Greek government in 2013 estimated that the total amount due in reparations to Greece was 162 billion euros.....................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/911514.shtml11/3/15
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Related:
Greek Prime Minister Seeks War Reparations From Germany
Réparations de guerre : Athènes menace de saisir des biens allemands ...
The German government rejected on Wednesday claims by Athens that Germany still owes reparations to Greece following the Second World War, and dismissed threats to seize German property in the country...
Reparationen: Die große Fehlkalkulation des Alexis Tsipras ..
Griechen fordern Entschädigung: Eine Unterschrift mit Folgen...
ReplyDeleteHinterbliebene der Opfer eines deutschen Massakers von 1944 klagten sich durch alle Instanzen. Nun hängt alles vom neuen Justizminister Paraskevopoulos ab. Wenn er unterschreibt, droht deutschen Einrichtungen in Athen die Zwangsversteigerung.
von Michael Martens
Nun hängt alles von Nikos Paraskevopoulos ab. Wenn Griechenlands Justizminister unterschreibt, könnten die Spätfolgen eines Kriegsverbrechens, das die Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Griechenland seit mehr als sieben Jahrzehnten belastet, neuerlich für Unruhe sorgen. Am 10. Juni 1944 erschossen Angehörige eines SS-Regiments zur „Sühne“ für drei in der Nähe getötete deutsche Soldaten in dem Ort Distomo, unweit der weltberühmten Orakelstätte von Delphi gelegen, 218 Dorfbewohner. Die meisten Opfer waren Alte, Frauen und Kinder..................http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/europaeische-union/griechen-fordern-entschaedigung-eine-unterschrift-mit-folgen-13477758.html
11/3/15