Greece, Germany clash on war claim
ATHENS, Greece - A long-standing debate over whether Germany still owes Greece war reparations stemming from the Nazi occupation erupted anew Thursday in a spat between Greece's foreign minister and Germany's finance minister.
ATHENS, Greece - A long-standing debate over whether Germany still owes Greece war reparations stemming from the Nazi occupation erupted anew Thursday in a spat between Greece's foreign minister and Germany's finance minister.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted by German media as suggesting that Greece should focus on reforming its economy and that the issue of war reparations was closed years ago.
In a riposte, Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said the reparations issue was one for international law to determine, stressing it was completely unrelated to Greece's financial bailout.
Greece has been dependent on billions of euros in rescue loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund since 2010. Germany, the single largest contributor to the bailout, has been the most vocal in pressing Greece to take increasingly tough austerity measures, and such comments have often rankled in Greece.
"There is no relation, nor can there be, between the reforms being carried out in Greece and the issue of German reparations," Avramopoulos said. "... Whether or not this case is closed is determined by international justice."
The issue of war reparations has been a contentious and legally complicated one for decades. Nazi Germany, which occupied Greece from 1941-44, forced Athens to extend it loans and give up gold reserves. There was also the question of the destruction of infrastructure and compensation claims filed by individuals who survived Nazi atrocities.
In 1960, Germany paid Greece about $330 million at today's value. It soundly rejects any further calls for reparations, insisting that payment definitively settled all claims.
