‘Cold War for €54bn’

Published on 12 April 2013 at 11:28

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The issue of German reparations to Greece for the Nazi occupation during World War II is creating new tensions between the two countries.

While German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has said that the matter "was settled long ago" and it is "out of the question to pay reparations," Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has said that "whether the problem is resolved or not is a matter for international law."

For its part, the left-of-centre Syriza coalition is calling for the release of a confidential report on reparations, the existance of which was revealed by the To Vima weekly. Athens is seeking compensation totalling €108bn for infrastructure destroyed during the war, plus €54bn related to a loan Greece provided to Germany in 1942.

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