U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

Remarks To the Annual Meeting of the
Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany
Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
July 18, 2001

DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: (In progress) -- to follow them to this podium. Rabbi Miller, thank you for the excellent introduction, and I would like to also thank Mr. Gideon Taylor. You're the one behind the scenes. As you say, you are responsible for the good and the bad. And I thank you both for giving me the opportunity to address your Annual Meeting.

And I am pleased to be here among so many distinguished men and women who have worked tirelessly to honor the memory of those who have suffered and perished during the Holocaust. And let me add another individual to the list of people who have worked tirelessly, my friend and colleague at the Department of State, J.D. Bindenagel, who is the person who keeps us informed and Secretary Powell informed on a weekly if not daily basis. So thank you, J.D., for all of your efforts.
(Applause.)

And I must pay tribute also to those who have addressed this gathering this week, notably my friend, the Deputy Foreign Minister -- we will meet officially tomorrow for other discussions; Ambassador Ivry, another friend who was here earlier, of the State of Israel; Mr. Miles Lerman of the US Holocaust Memorial Council; and of course my good friend Larry Eagleburger, former Secretary of State and presently the Chairman of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims.

Now, I doubt that I will be able to make as much news as Larry did yesterday. (Laughter.) But I am still honored to be among such renowned company.

Now, I am going to do what I don't like to do -- in fact, I have never been able to do -- and that is to actually deliver a prepared speech. And the reason is I think it is very important that early on in the life of this Administration that the Administration get on the record for everyone, both domestic and international audiences alike, where we are and for what we stand. So please, bear with me. I am going to deliver some prepared remarks.

And I would like to spend the next few minutes, as we contemplate the past, we note your current achievements, and indeed we commit ourselves to a much more noble future by honoring through our actions the survivors, their families, and the memories of those who did not survive.

The mission of the Claims Conference -- to provide a measure of justice to victims of Nazi persecution -- is consistent with the United States' 50-year effort to address the consequences of the Nazi era. This Administration of President George W. Bush -- or as we say, Bush 43 -- is committed to promoting a measure of justice for victims of the Holocaust as an expression of the country's commitment to human rights and human dignity. This Administration is also particularly proud to assist in the remarkable efforts of the Claims Conference, as President Bush expressed in his 28 March letter on the occasion of your organization's 50th anniversary.

Our government will continue to work for the interests of Holocaust victims and against anti-Semitism and racism. The Claims Conference has long been and will continue to be a valued partner in the pursuit of justice for all victims of the Nazi era.

Obviously, we realize that much has been achieved since Jewish leaders formed the Claims Conference in 1951. Germany has paid more than 100 billion marks for suffering and losses at the hands of the Nazis and has designated the Claims Conference to be its primary partner in administrating compensation payments to Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

However, multinational initiatives to secure restitution for Holocaust victims largely ended in the early '50s. Consequently, much remained undone, especially in Eastern Europe. And as a result, many people died without ever receiving any restitution for losses and suffering.

Fortunately, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, possibilities opened for the US Government and others to resume work on securing justice for Holocaust victims. The collapse of the Soviet Union gave the United States and Western European countries access to those victims who had suffered doubly under both Nazism and Communism.

In the US, there was an invigorated effort to right old wrongs and bring Nazi-era crimes to public attention. Lawsuits were brought against European countries, and government hearings were conducted highlighting the behavior of German, Austrian and other companies during the Nazi era.

In 1998, German leaders in industry and government indicated their readiness to address unresolved claims, and they sought to end lawsuits against their companies in the United States. They agreed to establish a fund to address remaining Nazi-era claims. Austrian leaders soon followed suit. Both German and Austrian leaders wanted a commitment that they would be protected from claims in the future. They turned to the US Government for help.

We were able to find creative ways to address German and Austrian conditions while at the same time protecting the interests of US citizens and other claimants.

The US Government assembled a unique interagency team of diplomats and lawyers from the Departments of State, Justice and Treasury. Members of this team facilitated simultaneous negotiations among representatives of foreign governments, German companies, class action lawyers, and victims' groups, including the Claims Conference. A similar process was conducted with Austria and Austrian company representatives.

Of course, as you all know, US efforts were led by another friend, Stu Eizenstat, who deserves heartfelt thanks from the US Government, from European countries, and from all of us for his great service in the cause of justice. (Applause.)

And in this endeavor, the Claims Conference was an active and indispensable partner at every single step.

Our efforts have paid off. Last month, former slave and forced laborers began receiving payments from the German Foundation, "Remembrance, Responsibility and the Future." Austria is ready to begin making payments as soon as pending lawsuits have been dismissed, and some payments have already been made to some Austrian survivors.

French banks have made a significant contribution to a fund that will soon be distributed to victims or their heirs. Many Nazi-era victims are benefiting from the Swiss bank litigation settlement.

The Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund, established in 1998 and supported by the United States, by the United Kingdom, by France and 16 other countries, is providing some relief to Holocaust victims with the assistance of the Claims Conference.

Progress has been made on the return of Jewish communal property in Central and in Eastern Europe.

And these efforts have strengthened relationships among the United States, European countries and the State of Israel.

For 50 years the Claims Conference has been a focal point for victims seeking redress and justice. It has not only represented those victims in negotiations, but it has also administered agreements, it has handled claims, and distributed payments to Holocaust survivors and to their heirs. It is thus a critical partner for Germany and Austria in their efforts to provide some justice for Holocaust victims. For us, too, the Claims Conference has been an essential partner. The United States Government and particularly our Department of State are deeply appreciative of the Claims Conference's expertise and knowledge, as well as its ability to get things done.

Through your efforts, more than half a million Holocaust survivors in 67 countries have received approximately $60 billion in compensation payments. You have allocated over $500 million to organizations meeting the social service needs of Holocaust survivors. You support education, you support research and documentation projects, you have supported teacher-training programs as a participant of the United States Government in a 10-country Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. The Claims Conference works to ensure that Holocaust survivors in the United States and Israel, Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union do not live out their remaining years in need. And we have assisted in that endeavor by contributing to the Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund, through which you provide direct assistance to Holocaust survivors.

The Claims Conference will continue to play an active role in the International Commission for Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims, or ICHEIC. The US Government has supported ICHEIC since its founding three years ago. And I recently affirmed to Larry Eagleburger and Count Lambsdorff that we continue to believe the ICHEIC should be viewed as the exclusive remedy for unresolved Holocaust-era insurance claims, and that we support the efforts of all parties to resolve these issues in a cooperative and in a non-confrontational manner outside of litigation. I encourage them to resolve quickly all outstanding issues in the current discussions concerning claims against German insurance companies, to ensure that the process is fair and that all efforts are made to identify potential claimants.

So I want to assure you that those companies who have not paid claims for the past 55 years do not get moral absolution. Their commitment to participate in the ICHEIC process is recognition of their responsibility to pay valid claims from the Holocaust era.

Of overriding importance, the United States Government will continue to promote Holocaust education, remembrance and research through the International Holocaust Education Task Force. It is our common commitment to plant the seeds of a better future amidst the soil of a bitter past: to learn the lessons of -- and teach the world about -- this dark chapter in the history of humankind, and to ensure that it never happens again. We will work to educate this and future generations not only about the atrocities of the Nazi era, but also the threat posed by tyrannical, totalitarian, unlawful regimes and the evils of genocide, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism.

Our partners in this endeavor will include the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the International Holocaust Education Task Force, the Future Fund of the German Foundation, "Remembrance, Responsibility, and the Future," the Austrian General Settlement Fund, the French Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, and of course, the Claims Conference.

Through your support for research, education and documentation projects, the Claims Conference will help provide reassurance to many that the last word on the Holocaust and Nazi era will not be about money -- it will be about memory rather than about money. Long after the last check has been sent to survivors, education programs will help ensure that the memory of what happened is not lost.

We are convinced that the greatest effort we can make is to try to bring a measure of justice to the survivors of the Holocaust. The United States Government remains committed to work for the human dignity that is the hallmark of our country.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for this unique opportunity.
Thank you. (Applause.)

END