Speaking in Croatian Television's primetime news on Saturday, Seks said talks with Austria on the agreement "began seven years ago, and the (previous) Ivica Racan Cabinet in 2003 began negotiations and established a commission to prepare the agreement".
Seks recalled that a 1944 decision by the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) proclaimed the German minority a collective culprit in the then Yugoslav federation. All of its real estate and movable property were confiscated. "For the Germans this is a moral and not a financial issue," he said.
Seks underlined that 447 Austrian citizens had requested the return of property but without concrete specifications. He said that figures cited as the amount of damages Croatia was supposed to pay were grossly exaggerated.
Commenting on the political and financial implications of the agreement and the possibility that it might prompt Italy, Hungary and Germany to request the same, Seks said this would not happen.
He went on to say that it was hypocritical of the former coalition government, currently in the opposition, to criticise the bill which proposed changing the law on compensation for property seized during the Yugoslav regime since they moved it and parliament passed it.
Seks recalled the bill was moved in 2002 by the then Prime Minister Racan and that the amendments made it possible for foreign citizens to exercise the right to compensation based on bilateral agreements.
A two-thirds parliamentary majority is required to ratify such an agreement. Seks said the government would sign the initialled agreement with Austria and put it to parliament for ratification.