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CNN WORLD REPORT
Germany and Poland Squabble Over Reparations to Nazi Victims
Aired September 9, 2001 - 14:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SHIHAB RATTANSI, CNN ANCHOR: To compensation now for victims of racism during World War II. Germany has been sending out payments to slave labor survivors who have been waiting for decades for an apology and reparations. Millions of people, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, were forced by the Nazis to work at industries and farms to fuel the German war effort.
But as Polish Television's Jolanta Wolowska reports, despite the payments many survives are not satisfied.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOLANTA WOLOWSKA, POLISH TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) slave workers are receiving their compensation from the German fund. They have been waiting for this money for so long that now they should be satisfied.
But they aren't. Why? Because get less money than expected. Poland is the only country that asked to receive money from the 10 billion Deutsch mark fund in its local currency, zlotys. But because of unfavorable exchange rate, the Polish slave victims could lose effectively $57 million.
Who is to blame? Bartashevivic Kidanda (ph), head of the Polish/German Reconciliation Foundation accused Germany of cheating Polish victims by exchanging the payments at, as he said, unacceptable rate. But a special Polish governmental commission found out that both sides were responsible.
Iavovitsky (ph) was the man who exposed the Polish survivors to a financial risk.
"This could not be tolerated," said Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek and fired Iavovitsky (ph).
However, some Nazi era survivors said that the government is also responsible.
LUDWIK KRASUCKU: (through translator): How is possible that the future of such a big sum of money was neglected by government officials? They did nothing during the whole year, and now they are trying to wash their hands of it.
WOLOWSKA: Iavovitsky's (ph) dismissal followed talks between the Polish prime minister and the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in August. The compensation was at the top of the agenda. Poland urged Germany to help in solving the problem.
GERHARD SCHROEDER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The German government will support this effort, but is not in a position to lead the negotiations directly, or to put financial resources at the disposal of material compromise.
WOLOWSKA: One week later, the heads of the Polish and German foundations met in Warsaw, trying to find a way to make up for the shortfalls. Vitold Krakhmal (ph), the new foundation head, said that Germany agreed to help and that various options are being considered.
The next meeting is to be held in Berlin in September.
This report was prepared by Jolanta Wolowska from Polish Television for CNN WORLD REPORT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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