Jan. 13


SWITZERLAND:

Swiss Banks Publish 3,100 More Holocaust Accounts


Holocaust survivors and relatives of those who perished have a chance to
recover money long held by Swiss banks with the release on Thursday of a
new list of 3,100 names of account owners who may have been Nazi victims.

Representatives of Holocaust survivors and their families welcomed the
move but said they had hoped the names could have been provided sooner.
Thursday's move should bring closure to a long and arduous struggle to
prod notoriously secretive Swiss banks to open their records and make
restitution.

``We would have hoped that these names could have been published at an
earlier stage,'' said Gideon Taylor of the Claims Conference, which
represents Holocaust survivors and their families.

``We are glad they are finally made available for claimants to see if
family members had bank accounts,'' he added.

The release of the new accounts follows years of negotiations and is in
addition to 21,000 names of Swiss account holders of likely Nazi victims
published in 2001 as part of a $1.25 billion settlement reached in 1998
between Holocaust survivors and Swiss banks.

More than 2,800 awards worth $240 million out of an available pool of $800
million ordered by a U.S. federal court have been made so far to those
showing they or their relatives had Swiss deposits from 1933 to 1945 that
were not repaid.

Besides the additional names being published on two Web sites, Swiss banks
-- including UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group -- made available a database
of 4.1 million accounts from the Holocaust era for potential claimants to
check against.

``These measures bring finality to the matter,'' a spokesman for UBS said.

'SYMBOLIC JUSTICE'

Some Holocaust survivors accuse the banks of stalling.

``The Swiss banks have taken too long to publish the lists,'' Leo Rechter,
77, secretary of Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, said on Thursday.
``The average Holocaust survivor thinks they are waiting for all of us to
die so they can do whatever they want with the money. This is the
sentiment.''

Claimants have six months to file claims. The highest payment to date has
been $4 million. If records do not show how much was on deposit,
legitimate claimants receive $125,000.

Any funds remaining in the $800 million pool will be used for social
welfare programs to be determined at a future date.

``Better late than never,'' Holocaust and Auschwitz concentration camp
survivor Aron Krell, 77, told reporters.

``Even if they have taken a very long time it at least gives survivors a
chance of getting something back that rightfully belongs to them,'' the
Manhattan resident said.

Taylor said the payouts were more symbolic than for financial gain. ``For
many Holocaust survivors what is important with these settlements is not
the money. We say we are trying to achieve a symbolic acknowledgment, a
measure of justice.''

Of the $1.25 billion settlement, about $700 million has been distributed,
including $255 million to surviving slave laborers and $205 million to
social agencies serving the poorest victims of Nazism.

The list of names is available at two Web sites -- http:/www.crt-ii.org
and http:/www.swissbankclaims.com.

(source: Reuters)