World Jewish Congress urges immediate payments for Nazi victims

Executive Director Elan Steinberg said his New York-based organization greeted the development and hoped that there would no longer be delays for people who are, at the youngest, in their late 70s. The Jewish Claims Conference also welcomed businesses contributing their 5-billion-mark (2.4-billion-dollar) share. Hillary Kessler, spokeswoman for the group, which is responsible for dividing compensation among 170,000 Jewish survivors worldwide, said she hoped now that the way was clear for a quick solution.

The International Organization for Migration in Geneva will supervise the distribution of funds to the remaining 800,000 slave labourers. When compensation would be released to slave labourers was to be the main question at a Wednesday night meeting between German business and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Half the compensation fund came from the government and half from business, and the German business community had, before Tuesday, been criticized for falling short of its promised share.

(dpa)