German, Polish presidents eye 'calm' talks on war reparations

Warsaw claims it ‘has the right’ to ask for compensation, Berlin says the issue was settled in 1953 when ‘Poland made a binding decision’ to relinquish demands

WARSAW, Poland — The heads of state of Germany and Poland agreed Thursday that a “calm discussion” was necessary to address the question of reparations from World War II, the Polish presidency said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Malta on the sidelines of a conference of 13 EU members.

“The presidents discussed the political and legal contexts of the question of reparations,” said Duda’s chief of staff Krzysztof Szczerski, as quoted by Poland’s PAP news agency.

Newly elected German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech after the presidential election at the Bundesversammlung federal assembly Bundestag (lower house of parliament) on February 12, 2017, in Berlin. (AFP PHOTO / Axel Schmidt)

“They said it would require a calm discussion and that, independently of how the situation evolves, they would do everything to preserve the rich gains in Polish-German relations.”

The question of whether Germany owes Poland war reparations — for years considered as settled — was brought up on July 28 by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Last week, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said Poland “has the right” to ask for reparations.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo arrives at a European Union Summit held at the EU Council building in Brussels, on March 18, 2016. (AFP/Thierry Charlier)

But German government spokesman Steffen Seibert dismissed Warsaw’s threat to demand new talks, saying the issue had already been settled when “Poland made a binding decision in August 1953… to relinquish demands for further war reparations.”

Signed in 1953

Signed by Warsaw’s communist authorities, the 1953 agreement on reparations renounced further claims against Germany.

But the PiS government disputes the validity of the post-war deal, saying it was made under the diktat of the Soviet Union.

In this Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, speaks with lawmakers in parliament in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

Poland’s foreign and interior ministers have estimated potential reparations reaching as high as $1 trillion (€830 billion).

During the war, Poland suffered the brunt of the two-front attack by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Six million Polish citizens, including about three million Jews, were killed under the Nazi occupation of 1939-45, and Warsaw was virtually razed.

According to a survey published last month, 51 percent of Poles oppose any reparation claims against Germany, while 24% are in favor.

Poland’s powerful Roman Catholic church warned last week that “poor decisions” by the country’s right-wing leaders could “undermine” ties with Germany.

The talk of reparations comes as the PiS government is under fire both at home and abroad over a slew of reforms that critics say erode democratic standards and the rule of law.