Poor outlook for WWII compensation bids
Crimes committed by the German State in Greece do not fall within the jurisdiction of Greek courts, a rapporteur for Greece’s highest court is expected to argue on Wednesday. The case, to be heard before the Supreme Special Court could determine the fate of an estimated 65,000 compensation claims tabled against Germany by the Greek victims of World War II German oppression, or by their relatives. Reports yesterday said judge Athanassios Randos will tell the court that a Greek lawyer’s 61.4-million-drachma (180,000-euro) compensation suit for the destruction of his property by German troops can only be heard in Germany. The high costs involved in taking their suits to Germany are expected to deter most plaintiffs. That in no way means that the US provoked the crisis in Palestine, since the current situation is primarily the outcome of decisions by Sharon and Arafat, even if some responsibility is also borne by forces that over time have had an influence on developments in that region.
