Germany refutes Greek compensation claim
- Source: Global Times
- [02:44 February 26 2010]
- Comments
Germany rejected Greek accusations Wednesday that Berlin had failed to properly compensate Greece for Nazi occupation in World War II, saying it had provided billions of euros' worth of aid.
In a BBC radio interview, Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos criticized Germany's attitude toward the Greek debt crisis and said Athens had never received adequate compensation for the impact of Nazi Germany's invasion of Greece in 1941.
"They took away the Greek gold that was at the Bank of Greece, they took away the Greek money and they never gave it back. This is an issue that has to be faced sometime in the future," Pangalos said.
"I don't say they have to give back the money necessarily but they have at least to say 'thanks,'" he added.
The German foreign ministry dismissed the remarks and said bringing up the past would not help Greece solve its problems.
"I must reject these accusations," ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said.
Germany had paid compensation to Greece of some 115 million marks (around $27.6 million) by 1960 and made further payments to forced laborers of the Nazi regime, he said.
Amid domestic general strikes, Greece is under mounting pressure to slash its large debt and deficit by 4 percent of GDP this year to 8.7 percent.
The European Union has asked Greece to explain reports that it engaged in derivatives trades with US investment banks that may have allowed it to mask the size of its debt and deficit from EU ahead of its entry into the eurozone.
Pangalos also said Italy had done more than Greece to mask the state of its finances to secure eurozone entry.
Reuters
