GREECE-GERMANY/REPARATIONS Greek foreign minister takes war reparations claim to Berlin, gets rebuffed

Record ID: 451014

  • Title: GREECE-GERMANY/REPARATIONS Greek foreign minister takes war reparations claim to Berlin, gets rebuffed
  • Date: 11th February 2015
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 10, 2015) (REUTERS) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, AND GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER, NIKOS KOTZIAS, WALKING TO LECTERNS STEINMEIER AND KOTZIAS AT LECTERNS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER, NIKOS KOTZIAS, SAYING: "I am also going to mention the war reparations. I am aware of the position of the German government but I have a resolution from the Greek parliament with me and I am like a sort of a "postman". I know that the topic is high-ranking in the German press but in our discussion we will also be talking about a whole range of other issues." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER, NIKOS KOTZIAS, SAYING: "I have in my pocket that part of the speech from the prime minister who addressed the issue. On the website page of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs there is an extensive explanation of what was said in the Greek parliament and what will be approved today when the Greek government discusses its demands for war reparations." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER, NIKOS KOTZIAS, SAYING: "Our political concept is not easy, but we are looking to bring hope to our country and we hope that more of what you just mentioned will come." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "We, Germans, are fully aware of our political and moral responsibility for the terrible events between 1941 and 1944 in Greece, and Greece still has in good memory the speech of the German president in which he acknowledged it using the right words." STEINMEIER AND KOTZIAS TALKING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "Still, we are firmly convinced that all reparations issues, including forced loans, are judicially settled once-and-for-all." MEDIA LISTENING STEINMEIER AND KOTZIAS TALKING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 26th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6QT4FXGG7D31CZ723J1LE8SQ
  • Story Text: The Greek foreign minister took his government's claim for World War Two reparations direct to Berlin on Tuesday (February 10) and received a clear rebuke from his German counterpart.
    On Sunday (February 8), Greece's new leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, in his first major speech to parliament, ruled out any extension of its 240 billion euro international bailout and pledged to seek war reparations from Germany.
    Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin before they held talks, Nikos Kotzias said he intended to discuss the reparations with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
    "I am aware of the position of the German government but I have a resolution from the Greek parliament with me and I am like a sort of a "postman". I know that the topic is high-ranking in the German press but in our discussion we will also be talking about a whole range of other issues," he said in fluent German.
    "I have in my pocket that part of the speech from the prime minister who addressed the issue. On the website page of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs there is an extensive explanation of what was said in the Greek parliament and what will be approved today when the Greek government discusses its demands for war reparations," he added, saying he was "looking to bring hope" to his country.
    Steinmeier replied that Berlin was fully aware of its political and moral responsibility for the "terrible events" in Greece between 1941 and 1944 when Nazi German troops occupied the Mediterranean country.
    "Still, we are firmly convinced that all reparations issues, including forced loans, are judicially settled once-and-for-all," he added.
    German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday (February 9) that all matters in that regard had been finally dealt with in major power negotiations that led to German reunification in 1990.
    Germany and Greece share a complex history that has complicated the debt debate.
    The issue of the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War Two has resurfaced since Greece has been forced to endure tough reforms in return for a financial bailout partly funded by euro zone partners, above all Germany.
    Many Greeks have blamed euro zone heavy weight Germany for the austerity, which has led to the revival of a dormant claim against Berlin for billions of euros of war reparations.
    Germany denies owing anything more to Greece for World War Two after the 115 million deutsche marks it paid in 1960, one of 12 war compensation deals it signed with Western nations.
    But Athens has said it always considered that money to be only an initial payment, with the rest of its claims to be discussed after German reunification, which followed the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.
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