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WORLD NEWS Thursday 3 augusT 2017

Poland eyes demanding WWII reparations from Germany

By VANESSA GERA cially.”
Associated Press “It has made significant
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — reparations for general war
Polish authorities are look- damage, including to Po-
ing into demanding repara- land, and is still paying sig-
tions from Germany for the nificant compensation for
massive losses inflicted on Nazi wrongdoing,” Dem-
Poland during World War II, mer told reporters.
an official said Wednesday. The massive suffering in-
The Polish parliament’s re- flicted on Poland has been
search office is preparing a topic of public discussion
an analysis of whether Po- as Poland marked the an-
land can legally make the niversary this week of the
claim and will have it ready start of the Warsaw Uprising
by Aug. 11, said Arkadi- of 1944. The doomed revolt
usz Mularczyk, a lawmaker against the Nazi German
with the ruling Law and Jus- occupying forces resulted
tice party who requested in the killing of 200,000 Poles
the report. and the near-total destruc-
The step comes after Jaro- tion of the Polish capital.
slaw Kaczynski, Poland’s Amid the observances, De-
most powerful politician, fense Minister Antoni Ma-
said the “Polish govern- cierewicz said Tuesday that This photo from Oct. 1, 1945 shows Warsaw after the destruction inflicted by Germany during
ment is preparing itself for Germans need to “pay World War II. A Polish ruling party official said Wednesday that Poland is considering demanding
a historical counteroffen- back the terrible debt they reparations from Germany for the massive losses inflicted on Poland during World War II. Ruling
sive.” owe to the Polish people.” party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski recently said Poland planned a “counter-offensive” against
“We are talking here about World War II, which be- Germany, accusing the neighbor of avoiding responsibility for its war-era crimes.
huge sums, and also about gan with the German in- (AP Photo)
the fact that Germany for vasion of Poland in 1939, allies in NATO and the Euro- memory of Nazi atrocities. make any further claims
many years refused to take killed nearly 6 million Polish pean Union. “If Jews have gotten com- on Germany. Demmer
responsibility for World War citizens and inflicted huge His party, Law and Justice, pensation — and rightly so said as far as Germany is
II,” Kaczynski, the leader of material losses, including has a nationalist bent and — for loss of property, why concerned, “the question
the conservative ruling par- the destruction of cultural is often critical of Germany, shouldn’t we too make of German reparations for
ty, told Radio Maryja last treasures, industry and en- accusing it of unfairly domi- claims?” Ryszard Czar- Poland was dealt with con-
week. tire cities. nating other EU members. necki, a ruling party mem- clusively in the past, legally
In Berlin, Ulrike Demmer, a Kaczynski called for repara- Germany has paid billions ber and deputy head of and politically.”
spokeswoman for Chancel- tions from Germany when of euros over the years the European Parliament, But Polish Defense Minister
lor Angela Merkel, reacted he was prime minister more in compensation for Nazi told Polska The Times. Macierewicz says commu-
by saying: “Of course Ger- than a decade ago, add- crimes, primarily to Jewish Poland’s former communist nist-era Poland was a “So-
many stands by its respon- ing to tensions between survivors, and acknowledg- government, under pres- viet puppet state” whose
sibility in World War II, po- Poland and Germany, im- es the country’s responsi- sure from the Soviet Union, decision is not necessarily
litically, morally and finan- portant trade partners and bility for keeping alive the agreed in 1953 to not to still valid.q

Qatar and Italy sign a nearly $6B deal for naval vessels

DUBAI, United Arab Emir- Qatar’s Foreign Minister countries’ ongoing defense the U.S. and European al- erupted in early June when
ates (AP) — Qatar on Sheikh Mohammed bin cooperation. lies have helped cement the four countries of Saudi
Wednesday signed a 5 bil- Abdulrahman Al Thani an- Qatar, which is the world’s bilateral ties, but have also Arabia, the United Arab
lion euro ($5.9 billion) deal nounced the defense deal largest liquefied natural made the diplomatic fall- Emirates, Egypt and Bah-
to purchase seven naval at a joint news conference gas exporter, and other en- out around Qatar all the rain cut diplomatic ties and
vessels from Italy, a remind- in Doha with Italian Foreign ergy rich Gulf Arab states more politically sensitive. transport links with Qatar.
er of the small Gulf state’s Minister Angelino Alfano. are among the world’s Qatar also hosts the hub for The crisis has prompted a
purchasing power despite They did not provide more biggest spenders on mili- U.S.-led operations against flurry of international visits
a blockade from neighbor- details on the deal, saying tary equipment. The deals the Islamic State group in and meetings to try and re-
ing countries. only that it underscored the signed over the years with Iraq and Syria. The dispute solve the crisis. q