First Phase of German-Jewish Compensation Talks Nears Completion

The first phase of the negotiations between the Federal German Republic and delegations representing the State of Israel and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany was nearing completion this week-end and it was indicated that both the German-Israeli and German-Jewish talks would settle down within a few days to the basic question of how much Germany is to pay in reparations and in what space of time.

Clarification of technical details in the German-Israeli talks was virtually completed and delegates of the Jewish claims conference expressed belief that the technical phases of their discussions would be completed by Tuesday. Plenary sessions of the delegations will then start. Up to the present, only sub-committees are meeting.

“It is very likely that in the course of this week, the need for consultation with our governments may arise on either or both sides, “Gershon Avner, spokesman for the Israeli delegation, said today. This was an apparent reference to the original German statement that “after having examined the results of the first stage of the deliberations, the Federal Government will then decide to what extent the Israeli and Jewish claims can be met.”

(The West German Government’s Foreign Office, 85 percent of whose personnel are former Nazis according to Radio Munich, is “violently resisting any German concessions at the conference between Western Germany and Israel” at The Hague, the Labor newspaper Reynold’s News in London said today.)

Members of the Israeli delegation left for Amsterdam this week-end to pay their respects to Itzhak Besner, Israeli financial expert, who was killed in an airplane crash near Frankfurt while en route to the conference.