Austrian Government to Start Reparations Talks with Jews

Negotiations between the Austrian Government and major world Jewish organizations on Jewish reparations demands will beginning March or April, authoritative sources here said today.

The discussions were originally set for last November, but a government crisis intervened and the present “caretaker” government refused to bind any new government which will take office after the February 22 elections by agreement on Jewish reparations. Invitations will be sent by the new government to the Jewish group early in March, according to the authoritative sources. They also point out that with the United Nations adoption of a positive Recommendation for an Austrian peace treaty, the new government need no longer fear Arab threats of sabotaging Austrian hopes in the U.N. if reparations are paid the Jews.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Zionist publication “Neue Welt” here, Vice-Chancellor Adolf Schaerf, who has opposed the talks, said that his Social Democratic Party wants to safeguard the interests of Austrian Jews wherever they now live. However, Dr. Schaerf asserted that neither the world Jewish organizations nor the Vienna Jewish Community have furnished the government with sufficient data to calculate the exact amount of the Jewish claims.

The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that much of the property originally stolen from Jews by the Nazis is now in the hands of the Soviet authorities and suggests that demands for its return be made to the occupation authorities since the Austrian Government has no control over it. On heirless Jewish property under the government’s control, he said the Vienna Community is “entitled” to cooperate with the government in its administration. He added that the Vienna Community would also help distribute Austrian Government funds for the benefit of needy Austrian Jews.