Jewish negotiators expressed disappointment after German officials offered $3.3 billion to settle the claims of Nazi-era slave laborers. The German offer, which came on the second day of talks in Washington aimed at resolving the claims, would be shared among about 250,000 slave laborers, about half of them Jewish, and up to 1.2 million non-Jewish forced laborers from Eastern Europe. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have demanded a fund of more than $20 billion, but German negotiators said Thursday their offer is final. U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat, who has been mediating the talks, said both sides need to show “greater flexibility.” Talks are slated to continue next month in Germany.
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