The Austrian Government is willing to reopen negotiations with the Committee on Jewish Claims Against Austria, which represents major Jewish organizations from various nations, Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab told a meeting of his Peoples Party here this weekend.
The talks, begun in June, were broken off in December when Dr. Raab informed Dr. Nahum Goldmann, head of the Jewish group, that the Austrian Government would not make any settlement of its claim for lump sum payment of heirless Jewish property until an Austrian state treaty had been signed.
This weekend the Austrian Chancellor said the government would be willing to pay an “adequate amount” in compensation of heirless property but that the Austrian Government could not agree to pay “gigantic sums that do not correspond with the real value” of the property seized by the Nazis. He also said that Austria is willing to pay what is just and fair, but that this cannot be decided unilaterally and “dictatorially.”
Dr. Raab protested what he called the “misuse” of the Berlin conference of the Big Four Foreign Ministers for putting pressure on Austria to pay compensation to the Jews. The Committee for Jewish Claims Against Austria and many other Jewish groups have addressed pleas to the Foreign Ministers at the Berlin conference to intervene with the Austrian Government in behalf of Jewish claims.
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