The vast majority of former Austrian Jews who now reside outside of Austria will not share in the benefits of a reported Austrian Government agreement to provide restitution for victims of Nazi persecution, informed sources said here today.
According to the report from Vienna, a committee of the coalition parties in the Government reached an agreement under which the Government will make available within three years 600,000, 000 schillings (about $24, 000,000) for such claims. Available information here indicated that the principal amendment to the Austrian indemnification law, which will be financed by these funds, will totally exclude the vast majority of former Austrian Jews.
According to the Vienna report, the Austrian Government is unlikely to act on passage of the required restitution legislation before December or January because negotiations with West Germany, which has agreed to contribute to the fund in principle, have not reached agreement on the exact amount of the West German contribution. Negotiations on the amount will not be concluded before November. The figure of 600, 000,000 schillings will include 150, 000, 000 schillegs (about $6, 000, 000) on which agreement was reached last spring.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
