U.S. lawmakers push for Polish restitution law
U.S. lawmakers last week voiced their desire for the Polish government to chart guidelines as quickly as possible for the return of property seized by the Nazis and nationalized under the communist regime, a U.S. lawyer said last week.
In a letter to counterparts here, 58 U.S. congressional representatives are pushing for a comprehensive restitution policy and return of all assets taken from former owners during the Nazi occupation and the post-war communist government, according to daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
The letter is the latest move in the tug of war over guidelines of a restitution law that would set a framework for returning property to pre-war and post-war owners. Representatives of owners have filed claims in U.S. courts in Chicago and New York to spur lawmakers here to approve ownership groundrules.
Poland has been unable to pass a restitution law despite repeated attempts by several governments during the past decade. Poland has lagged behind other countries in the region that have approved similar guidelines. As pressure mounted here and abroad this year to break the stalemate, the government recently managed to agree on a proposal that pledges the return of 50% of the assets taken. The letter from U.S. lawmakers comes as Parliament reviews that proposal and follows the dismissal of claims in the Chicago court. A ruling has yet to be made in New York.
The letter was sent because representatives of the U.S. government are not happy with the current state of affairs in Poland, said Edward Klein, a U.S. attorney representing the plaintiffs in the New York claim against the Polish government.
Polish lawmakers said late last week that they had yet to receive the missive and were concerned about such official interference in affairs of state here.
"I read about its content in Rzeczpospolita," said Adam Biela, Solidarity Election Action (AWS) deputy and member of an Extraordinary Parliamentary Committee overseeing the restitution bill in the Sejm, the lower house of Parliament.
According to the Rzeczpospolita article, U.S. legislators wrote: "While we are aware that there have been several reprivatization proposals before the Sejm, we are discouraged that after 10 years there is still no comprehensive legislation in place."
Such attempts by foreign lawmakers to pressure politicians here is a reminder of totalitarian times, Biela said.
"It would mean interference in the affairs and decisions of an independent state," Biela said. Moreover, such actions work against restitution of property, he said. "They may even slow down the entire process."
Work on the restitution law has moved forward after 11 American Jews filed a claim against the Polish government in Brooklyn District Court in June this year. The group is demanding compensation for property seized by the Nazis and nationalized after World War II. Later, another claim was filed in Chicago against the Polish Treasury Ministry and two insurance companies seeking compensation. Following those moves, the government approved its proposal in September and sent the draft to Parliament.
Under the proposed law, former owners will get back 50% of their property, either through an in kind return of land and buildings or through privatization coupons.
