The Austrian Cabinet, which resigned last week but was formally reinstated today by President Koerner, will discuss the question of Austrian reparations to Jews at one of its earliest meetings with a view to asking major Jewish organizations abroad to send their experts to Vienna for preliminary talks, a spokesman for Chancellor Leopold Figl told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today.
He emphasized that the reason for the delay in sending out invitations to the Jewish organizations–as had been promised by leading members of the government–was not a change of heart but rather the recent crisis which caused the fall of the Cabinet. The split between the People’s Party and the Social Democrats over the budget came up so suddenly that the government was unable to complete the invitations which were in the process, the spokesman said.
Invitations were to have gone out to the Jewish Agency, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee and Joint Distribution Committee, as well as to representatives of Austrian Jewry. It was pointed out that the next Cabinet meeting is not expected earlier than next week and that even if the invitations are sent out immediately after that session, talks between the Jews and Austrian officials cannot be held before the end of November.
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