Are the Greek Claims for War Reparations Justified? (2013 article)

[magical thyme]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/constantine-tzanos/are-the-greek-claims-for-war-reparations_b_3439287.html

Article 5, paragraph 2, of the London Agreement of 1953 states:

"Consideration of claims arising out of the second World War by countries which were at war or were occupied by Germany during the war, and by nationals of such countries, against the Reich and agencies of the Reich, including costs of German occupation. ... shall be deferred until the final settlement of the problem of reparation."

Greece has demanded payment of the war reparations, awarded by the Paris Conference of 1946, as well as of a forced occupation loan, in 1945, 1946, 1947, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1987, and 1995. At the London Conference of 1953, Germany sought and succeeded to defer payments. It was successfully argued that the German government should not have to assume the obligation for the entire debt since it represented only West Germany, and settlement of claims was postponed until Germany would be reunited.

Germany was unified in 1990 with an agreement between Germany, the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and France. On July 23, 1990, the German magazine Der Spiegel wrote that with this Agreement, Germany avoided the nightmare of a peace agreement, which would have brought to the fore demands of reparations from all directions. In other words, with this Agreement Germany sought to circumnavigate article 5, paragraph 2 of the London Agreement.

The demand of Greece for payment has been made continuously from the end of the war up to date, to the generation responsible for the crimes and to their children. It is the Germans that requested and succeeded, with the London Agreement of 1953, to postpone payment of their obligations, and transfer them to their children and grandchildren. These children and grandchildren benefited greatly from the deferral of payments. Germany's affluence today is greatly due to the fact that Greece and other countries accepted to defer payment of reparations, and to give the opportunity to the Germans that committed the crimes to rebuilt and build a better future for their children, while the Greeks had to build on the ruins left behind by the German war machinery after a brutal and completely unprovoked war.


To summarize the German response, "there is no legal base" and it is "too complicated to explain."

[PoliticAverse]

1. If they don't pay will someone start a war to make them? n/t

[magical thyme]

2. there already is a war going on. just conducted financially instead of with bombs.

Probably because they don't want to lose their cheap Club Med vacations.

Although Nuland apparently was in Greece just a few weeks ago. I don't know if she brought cookies for her next attempted color revolution.

The US is very afraid of Greece being forced to Russia. I suspect they were behind the release of the 5 year old IMF report stating that without debt restructuring the 2010 bailout would fail.