The Foreign Affairs Commission of the Italian Parliament began discussion today on ratification of a law on the Italo-German agreement of June 1961, to provide for the payment of 40, 000, 000 West German marks ($10, 000, 000) to indemnify Italian victims of the Nazi persecution. The number of Jewish beneficiaries has been estimated at nearly 7, 000, or about a third of all Italians who would be eligible for such indemnification.
The ratification law contains a provision which would empower the Italian Government to enact within six months a special measure to stipulate that all Italian citizens deported by the Nazis because of religion, race or political reasons would be indemnified in proportion to the length of time they spent in Nazi camps. There would be adequate provisions for the survivors of those who died in the camps or elsewhere as a result of Nazi persecutions.
While the power to enact such a law was expected to shorten procedures leading to payments, it was estimated that two years would elapse between ratification and distribution of the money.
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