Bonn - Talks on compensation for former Nazi slaves ran into trouble yesterday with the victims' lawyers threatening to walk out over German industry's refusal to increase its pay-out offer while the Germans blasted the demands as unrealistically high.
"The humanitarian soul has gone out of this process," said US lawyer Ms Deborah Sturman, adding that the German side was "trying to get off as cheaply as they can". But the German government negotiator, Mr Otto Lambsdorff, chided the lawyers for demanding a "totally unrealistic" sum for their clients.
Mr Edward Fagan, a leader of the 12 lawyers representing the former Nazi slaves, threatened yesterday to pull out of the talks, arguing that more money had to be on offer. The latest round of the talks, which are being held in the United States and Germany, are to end today.