A list of the goods which Israel would like to receive during the forthcoming fiscal year under the terms of the reparations treaty has been submitted to the German authorities by the Israel Purchasing Mission here, it was reported today. During the next several months, its contents will be the subject of negotiations between Israeli and German experts.
Until agreement has been reached, no official announcement about the nature of the proposals will be made. It is understood, however, that iron and steel loom largest on the roster of deliveries which Israel seeks to obtain within Germany. Machinery, ships and railroad equipment are other items that will be more in evidence than heretofore.
The schedule deals with orders to be placed between April 1, 1954, and March 31, 1955, which is the third fiscal year provided for in the reparations pact. During each of the first two years, Germany made available $47,600,000 for Israel purchases. From next April on, annual instalments will probably climb to $73,800,000, the amount upon which the new Israel purchasing program is predicated.
West Germany is entitled to reduce the instalments to $59,500,000 by unilaterally terming it impossible to raise the larger sum. On the other hand, she may boost the annual payments beyond $73,800,000, in which case her obligations under the Agreement would terminate before the presently envisaged target date of 1963.
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.
