Switzerland and West Germany have signed a treaty providing 10,000, 000 marks ($2, 500, 000) for indemnification of some 1,100 Swiss citizens who were persecuted by Nazi authorities in German occupied countries during World War II.
Maurice Jaccard, spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry, noted that, after the war, West Germany passed indemnification laws which applied only to persons who resided in occupied territories in 1937. Many of the victims, he said, were Swiss citizens not in that category.
He said Switzerland began paying indemnification in September 1957, even while it was still negotiating with the Bonn officials. The present treaty must be ratified by the Swiss Federal Chamber and by the West German Parliament. He said, however, payments would be made to hardship cases without waiting for the ratification.
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