After intensive negotiations with Chancellor Julius Raab and other Austrian Government officials, Dr. Nahum Goldmann said today that despite past experiences on the problem with Austrian officials, he was very confident that Austria would solve pending restitution problems during this summer.
Dr. Goldmann told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that from the financial aspect, the anticipated Austrian restitution to victims of Nazism could not be compared with that of West Germany, but that it would be satisfactory.
He said that the year-long negotiations had hitherto been fruitless partly because the Austrian Government took the position Austria had been an occupied country during the regime and therefore not responsible for Nazi atrocities. The principle reason, he explained, was that the coalition parties of the Austrian Government had insisted on seeking to solve the problem of restitution for Nazi victims together with other welfare questions.
Dr. Goldmann said that he had told Austrian leaders that bitterness over the delay in providing restitution was growing among the victims of Austrian Nazism. He emphasized that if the summer session of the Austrian Parliament again delays enactment of the necessary measures, there will be strong protests in the United States, Britain and Israel.
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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.
