<HTML><HEAD> <TITLE>ClariNews: Swiss banks pay millions more into Holocaust fund</TITLE> <META HTTP-EQUIV=Refresh CONTENT=3600> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR=white> <CLARI-ITEM HEADER> <!-- <CLARI-ITEM XINFO> <TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0> <TR><TD VALIGN=top ALIGN=right><B>Newsgroups:</B> <TD><CLARI-ITEM NEWSGROUPS> <A HREF='clari.web.biz.industry.banking' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.biz.industry.banking'>clari.web.biz.industry.banking</ A>, <A HREF='clari.web.living.history' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.living.history'>clari.web.living.history</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.news.jews' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.jews'>clari.web.news.jews</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.world.europe.alpine' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.world.europe.alpine'>clari.web.world.europe.alpine</A> , <A HREF='clari.web.news.front_page' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.front_page'>clari.web.news.front_page</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.world.top' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.world.top'>clari.web.world.top</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.news.minorities' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.minorities'>clari.web.news.minorities</A> </CLARI-ITEM NEWSGROUPS> </TABLE><P> </CLARI-ITEM XINFO> --> <IMG SRC='0325top.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ak/0325top.gif' ALIGN=right WIDTH=72 HEIGHT=23 ALT='Logo [Mar 25]'> <I><A HREF='http://www.clari.net/'>ClariNet</A> <CLARI-ITEM TYPE>story</CLARI-ITEM> <B><CLARI-ITEM SLUGWORD>SWISS-HOLOCAUST-BANKS</CLARI-ITEM></B> from <CLARI-ITEM FROM>Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></I><BR> <H1><CLARI-ITEM HEADLINE>Swiss banks pay millions more into Holocaust fund</CLARI-ITEM></H1> <I><B><CLARI-ITEM COPYRIGHT>Copyright 1997 by Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></B></I> / <I><CLARI-ITEM DATE>Tue, 25 Mar 1997 4:24:04 PST</CLARI-ITEM></I><P> </CLARI-ITEM HEADER> <CLARI-ITEM STORY> <P> ZURICH, March 25 (Reuter) - Swiss banks have pledged an extra 20 million Swiss francs ($13.7 million) for a Holocaust memorial fund launched by private-sector businesses as a gesture to victims of Nazi persecution, a bankers' group said on Tuesday.</P> <P> The contribution tops up the fund, initiated last month with a 100 million franc donation from the three biggest banks, to 285 million francs. The Swiss National Bank has chipped in 100 million and Swiss industry another 65 million.</P> <P> ``On the basis on firm pledges, the Swiss Bankers' Association can state that more than 20 million francs in additional funds will shortly be paid into the special fund as a contribution from other banks,'' the banking industry group said.</P> <P> ``The banks hope that it will thus be possible to provide help quickly and in a targeted way to victims of the Holocaust/Shoa,'' it said in a statement. Shoa is the term used by some Jewish groups for the Holocaust.</P> <P> International pressure and threats of boycotts galvanised big Swiss banks to start the fund, which is being coordinated by the Swiss government in Berne and world Jewish groups.</P> <P> Each party to the fund has had different grounds for paying.</P> <P> The commercial banks were trying to dispel accusations that they hoarded accounts left by Holocaust victims. The central bank was making amends for buying looted Nazi gold during World War Two.</P> <P> Swiss machine makers and engineering industries have spoken of donating to the fund to help repair the tarnished image of Swiss business.</P> <P> Some Swiss industrialists have been accused of helping the German war effort and profiting from Nazi crimes by using forced labour at plants in Germany or buying businesses cheaply after they were confiscated from Jewish owners.</P> <P> The memorial fund is separate from the seven billion franc Swiss Solidarity Foundation proposed by Berne that would sell official gold reserves to finance aid for victims of poverty, catastrophes and human rights abuses, including the Holocaust.</P> <P> -- Zurich newsroom +41 1 631 7340 ($ < 1.457 Swiss Francs)</P> </CLARI-ITEM STORY> <BR CLEAR=all> <CLARI-ITEM TRAILER> <HR> <A HREF='0325bottom.html...@web.clari.net' CLARI-XFN='xws/ab/0325bottom.html'> <IMG SRC='0325bottom.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ab/0325bottom.gif' WIDTH=137 HEIGHT=47 BORDER=0 ALT='bottom [Mar 25]'></A> <A HREF='0325extra1.html...@web.clari.net' CLARI-XFN='xws/ao/0325extra1.html'> <IMG SRC='0325extra1.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ao/0325extra1.gif' BORDER=0 ALT='Icon [Mar 25]'></A> </CLARI-ITEM TRAILER>
<HTML><HEAD> <TITLE>ClariNews: Swiss banks pay millions more into Holocaust fund</TITLE> <META HTTP-EQUIV=Refresh CONTENT=3600> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR=white> <CLARI-ITEM HEADER> <!-- <CLARI-ITEM XINFO> <TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0> <TR><TD VALIGN=top ALIGN=right><B>Newsgroups:</B> <TD><CLARI-ITEM NEWSGROUPS> <A HREF='clari.web.biz.industry.banking' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.biz.industry.banking'>clari.web.biz.industry.banking</ A>, <A HREF='clari.web.living.history' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.living.history'>clari.web.living.history</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.news.jews' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.jews'>clari.web.news.jews</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.world.europe.alpine' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.world.europe.alpine'>clari.web.world.europe.alpine</A> , <A HREF='clari.web.news.front_page' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.front_page'>clari.web.news.front_page</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.world.top' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.world.top'>clari.web.world.top</A>, <A HREF='clari.web.news.minorities' CLARI-XGN='clari.web.news.minorities'>clari.web.news.minorities</A> </CLARI-ITEM NEWSGROUPS> </TABLE><P> </CLARI-ITEM XINFO> --> <IMG SRC='0325top.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ak/0325top.gif' ALIGN=right WIDTH=72 HEIGHT=23 ALT='Logo [Mar 25]'> <I><A HREF='http://www.clari.net/'>ClariNet</A> <CLARI-ITEM TYPE>story</CLARI-ITEM> <B><CLARI-ITEM SLUGWORD>SWISS-HOLOCAUST-BANKS</CLARI-ITEM></B> from <CLARI-ITEM FROM>Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></I><BR> <H1><CLARI-ITEM HEADLINE>Swiss banks pay millions more into Holocaust fund</CLARI-ITEM></H1> <I><B><CLARI-ITEM COPYRIGHT>Copyright 1997 by Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></B></I> / <I><CLARI-ITEM DATE>Tue, 25 Mar 1997 9:31:50 PST</CLARI-ITEM></I><P> </CLARI-ITEM HEADER> <CLARI-ITEM STORY> <P> ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuter) - Swiss banks have pledged an extra $13.7 million for a Holocaust memorial fund launched by private-sector businesses as a gesture to victims of Nazi persecution, a bankers' group said Tuesday.</P> <P> The contribution tops up the fund, initiated last month with a 100 million franc donation from the three biggest banks, to 285 million francs. The Swiss National Bank has chipped in 100 million and Swiss industry another 65 million.</P> <P> ``On the basis on firm pledges, the Swiss Bankers' Association can state that more than 20 million francs in additional funds will shortly be paid into the special fund as a contribution from other banks,'' the banking industry group said.</P> <P> ``The banks hope that it will thus be possible to provide help quickly and in a targeted way to victims of the Holocaust/Shoah,'' it said in a statement. Shoah is the term used by some Jewish groups for the Holocaust.</P> <P> International pressure and threats of boycotts galvanised big Swiss banks to start the fund, which is being coordinated by the Swiss government in Berne and world Jewish groups.</P> <P> Each party to the fund has had different grounds for paying.</P> <P> The commercial banks were trying to dispel accusations that they hoarded accounts left by Holocaust victims. The central bank was making amends for buying looted Nazi gold during World War II.</P> <P> Swiss machine makers and engineering industries have spoken of donating to the fund to help repair the tarnished image of Swiss business.</P> <P> Some Swiss industrialists have been accused of helping the German war effort and profiting from Nazi crimes by using forced labour at plants in Germany or buying businesses cheaply after they were confiscated from Jewish owners.</P> <P> The memorial fund is separate from the seven billion franc Swiss Solidarity Foundation proposed by Berne that would sell official gold reserves to finance aid for victims of poverty, catastrophes and human rights abuses, including the Holocaust.</P> <P> $1 - 1.457 Swiss Francs)</P> </CLARI-ITEM STORY> <BR CLEAR=all> <CLARI-ITEM TRAILER> <HR> <A HREF='0325bottom.html...@web.clari.net' CLARI-XFN='xws/ab/0325bottom.html'> <IMG SRC='0325bottom.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ab/0325bottom.gif' WIDTH=137 HEIGHT=47 BORDER=0 ALT='bottom [Mar 25]'></A> <A HREF='0325extra2.html...@web.clari.net' CLARI-XFN='xws/ak/0325extra2.html'> <IMG SRC='0325extra2.gif...@web.clari.net?part=2' CLARI-XFN='xws/ak/0325extra2.gif' BORDER=0 ALT='Icon [Mar 25]'></A> </CLARI-ITEM TRAILER>
