General Settlement Fund: GOA Announces Legal

UNCLAS VIENNA 003862 SIPDIS INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE SENSITIVE STATE FOR EUR/OHI, EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNAR PHUM PGOV AU SUBJECT: General Settlement Fund: GOA Announces Legal Peace; Payments to Start End of December REF: VIENNA 3852 THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 1.(U) The Austrian Council of Ministers (Cabinet) adopted a decision December 13 announcing legal peace as required by the January 2001 U.S.-Austrian Agreement on Holocaust Property Restitution. After the Council of Ministers' meeting, Chancellor Schuessel declared that the decision, which follows the dismissal of the Whiteman case by a U.S. Federal Court on December 7, will pave the way for commencing General Settlement Fund (GSF) advance payments to Holocaust victims or their heirs before the end of the year. The Council of Ministers' decision will be promulgated in the Austrian Federal Gazette in the course of the next few days. 2.(SBU) The MFA told Emboff that the Ministry will send a diplomatic note to the USG notifying it of the Council of Ministers' decision. MFA also confirms that every effort will be made to meet the goal of starting payments before the end of the year. McCAW