Foreign Minister Rudolph Kirchschlaeger of Austria says there is criticism in his country as well as in Israel over the slow pace of war crimes prosecution in Austria, the many acquittals and the light sentences. Dr. Kirchschlaeger, the first Austrian Foreign Minister to visit Israel, expressed that view Friday at working session with Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban.
Eban raised the question of war crimes trials and the complaint that Austria has not provided just compensation to Jewish victims of Nazism. On the latter point, Dr. Kirchschlaeger said that Austria itself had been recognized by all countries as a victim of Nazism and that requests for redress must therefore be directed to Germany rather than to Austria.
He said, however, that a committee operates in Vienna under the aegis of the Austrian Finance Ministry which considers claims for compensation. He said that the questions raised by Eban would be conveyed to his government.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
