RPT - Poland, Germany Should Negotiate Reparations But Account For Time Factor - US Veteran

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th January, 2023) Poland and Germany should negotiate reparations for damages incurred during World War II, but have to take into account the time factor during the negotiations, US World War II veteran Frank Cohn told Sputnik.

"Poland obviously was damaged badly by Germany and should have received reparations. Perhaps better late than never. I guess there should be negotiations and the time factor ought to come into consideration," Cohn said.

In late December, Germany informed Poland that it does not intend to negotiate wartime reparations, according to the Polish Foreign Ministry.

While Cohn acknowledged Poland was damaged by Germany during the war and should have received reparations, he added that it would have been more appropriate for Warsaw to request reparations sooner. In addition, Cohn said the amount of $1.36 trillion in reparations that Poland is requesting is "a bit excessive."

"I think Poland would have to show that damage done in those days still impacts presently. The answer to that proposal could provide guidance as to what amount should be discussed," he said.

Cohn, a retired US Army Colonel, was born in 1925 in a Jewish family in the then German city Breslau, which became the Polish city of Wroclaw in 1945 as a result of border changes made after World War II.

He emigrated to the United States in 1938 when the Nazi regime consolidated it power in Germany. However, Cohn returned to Germany as a US soldier at the end of World War II and served there for several years. He said he has no special feelings for Germany and Poland.

"Of course, I do not have any loyalty issues with regard to Germany. They made me stateless and that lifts any obligations on my part to take the side of or against Germany, considering the governmental changes since the Nazi days. Nor do I have any great love for Poland, which likes to hide the anti-Semitism that was obvious prior and subsequent to Poland's invasion. In all honesty, I could care less what would be the outcome of any claims question," Cohn said.

Ties between Poland and Germany have been strained by Warsaw's repeated references to war damages it suffered and demands for reparations. Warsaw estimates its losses caused by the Nazi occupation during World War II stand at $1.36 trillion. Berlin argues that the Polish government had relinquished all demands for reparations under the agreement reached in 1953.