CROATIAN DELEGATION ATTENDS HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE IN U.S.

WASHINGTON DC, Dec 1 (Hina) - An international conference on property from the Holocaust period started on Monday in Washington D.C. It is attended by 57 delegations from 44 countries, including Croatia. Nazism and Fascism were not criminal only because of the mass killings and the genocide, but also because of the systematic looting, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel said at the opening of the conference. Wiesel wondered why the latter aspect of the Holocaust had not been talked about for 50 years. We should not only remember the Holocaust victims who had their gold, villas, and invaluable pieces of art taken away, but also those who were deprived of the little they had, said Wiesel. He viewed the conference as an ethical and moral confrontation with an up to now neglected aspect of suffering during World War Two. Participants in the conference will discuss three issues: restitution or payment of insurance money for life insurance to Holocaust victims or their descendants, confiscated artefacts, and return of property to religious communities. The Croatian delegation at the conference, led by Assistant Justice Minister Snjezana Bagic, includes representatives of the Foreign, Finance, and Culture Ministries. (hina) it/ha jn