Page 6 - aruba-today-20220211

A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 11 February 2022
Latvia passes long-awaited Holocaust restitution law

By JARI TANNER Jews had perished.
HELSINKI (AP) — Latvia's Jewish community mem-
parliament passed a Holo- bers were prevented from
caust restitution bill Thurs- recovering the property
day that includes com- they owned in June 1940,
pensation for lost Jewish when Latvia's first Soviet
property and funding to occupation started, due
revitalize the Baltic nation's near-total destruction. The
Jewish community, which Soviet Union first seized
was almost completely those properties, which
wiped out during World were then taken over by
War II.Following years of the Nazis, again national-
wrangling over the issue, ized by the Soviet Union
the 100-seat Saeima voted and later become property
64-21 to approve the Law of the Latvian state.
on the Compensation of After independence in
Goodwill to the Latvian 1991, Latvia introduced
Jewish Community on the laws on returning national-
bill's final reading. ized property. But the issue
Arkady Sukharenko, chair- was left unresolved with no
man of the Latvian Coun- one left to claim the assets
cil of Jewish Communities, of Jews. The remuneration
praised "this historic step" The memorial on the ruins of the Riga Choral Synagogue burned to the ground by Nazis in 1941, in provided in the legislation
taken by lawmakers. memory of those who perished in the blaze, in Riga, Latvia, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. refers to "goodwill compen-
"Finalizing this process dem- Associated Press sation" by Latvia, a nation
onstrates that even 77 of 2.8 million, for unrecov-
years after the end of the ing restoration and cultural mote education about this Latvia was occupied in ered Jewish property.
Holocaust, it is never too projects. dark period in history." Pass- June 1940 by the Soviet "We're not going to ask the
late for justice," he said. "For the (Jewish) commu- ing the bill "shows true com- Red Army, which was properties to be returned,"
Lengthy negotiations in- nity, we hope now to turn mitment to addressing Ho- pushed away a year later Krupnikov said. "It is impossi-
volving the World Jewish the page and close the locaust-era property theft," by Nazi Germany's ad- ble to return them 25 years
Restitution Organization, or book of World War II and its Blinken said. vancing troops. Moscow after privatization was fin-
WJRO, Latvian Jewish rep- legacy," Dmitry Krupnikov, WJRO operations chair retook Latvia in late 1944, ished. Somebody's been
resentatives and govern- head of the Latvian Jew- Gideon Taylor also wel- and the country remained using them, somebody's
ment authorities started in ish Community Restitution comed the legislation. part of the Soviet Union un- been renovating them,
2005. The United States and Fund, told The Associated "The legislation adopted til it gained independence somebody's been improv-
Israel also were involved in Press. "It would be very today is a meaningful ac- in 1991. ing them. Taking that prop-
the talks. good to put that behind us. knowledgement of the Some 95,000 Jewish peo- erty from them would be
The bill authorizes spending We have a lot of things to unique tragedy that befell ple lived in Latvia before incorrect."
40 million euros ($45 million) address in the present con- Latvian Jewry, and a pow- the World War II. The thriv- The legislation states that
over 10 years to revitalize ditions that we have here." erful statement of Latvia's ing prewar community suf- the Latvian state is not re-
Latvia's 9,500-strong Jewish U.S. Secretary of State Ant- abiding goodwill to its Jew- fered enormous losses dur- sponsible for the Holocaust
community, provide social ony Blinken tweeted praise ish community and to Lat- ing the Nazi occupation. during the occupation
and material assistance to for "Latvia's ongoing work vian Holocaust survivors," By the time the Red Army of Latvia and the actions
Holocaust survivors, and to to preserve the memory Taylor said in a statement reoccupied Latvia, an esti- of the Soviet occupation
fund Jewish schools, build- of the Holocaust and pro- to the AP. mated 90% of the country's regime.q
Iran unveils new missile with reported region-wide range

side its archfoe Israel. miles). White House press sec-
State TV reported that the The report comes as nego- retary Jen Psaki said on
missile uses solid fuel and tiations continue in Vienna Wednesday a deal is "in
has a range of 1,450 ki- to revive Tehran's tattered sight" but warned that "if it's
lometers (900 miles). It is nuclear deal with world not reached in the coming
called the Khaibar-buster, powers. Iran, which has weeks Iran's nuclear ad-
a reference to a Jewish long said it does not seek vances will make it impos-
castle overrun by Muslim nuclear weapons, insists its sible" for the U.S. to return to
warriors in the early days of missile program is only a the deal.
Islam. deterrent. Earlier in January Iran test-
The report said the missile Meanwhile, U.S. President ed an engine for a solid-
has high accuracy, is man- Joe Biden on Wednesday fuel rocket designed to
ufactured completely do- spoke with King Salman of launch satellites. Satellite
mestically, and can defeat Saudi Arabia. The White carriers usually use liquid
missile shield systems. The House said Biden briefed fuel but solid-fuel rockets
In this photo released Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, by Sepahnews
of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, surface-to-surface "Khaibar- information has not been the Saudi leader on the can be adapted for mo-
buster" missile is displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran. independently verified. multilateral talks aimed bile launchers that can be
Associated Press Israel's closest point to Iran at getting Iran to return to driven anywhere on a ma-
is some 1,000 kilometers compliance. Former Presi- jor road or rail system. Pure
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran ed range that would allow (620 miles) away. Iran has dent Donald Trump with- solid-fuel rockets are mostly
unveiled a new missile on it to reach both U.S. bases missiles that can travel up drew the U.S. from the deal associated with ballistic
Wednesday with a report- in the region and targets in- to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 in 2018. missiles systems.q