ATHENS, Greece — The radical left-led Greek government insists that the debt-ridden country has never been fully compensated by Germany for its brutal World War II Nazi occupation, linking the issue with Greece’s fraught bailout negotiations.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that a 1960 reparation deal with Germany did not cover key Greek demands, including payments for wrecked infrastructure, war crimes and return of a forced loan exacted from occupied Greece.
Germany has repeatedly ruled out any further reparations, saying the question was settled by existing agreements.
Speaking in parliament, Tsipras said Greece will honor its obligations to bailout creditors, including Germany, but won’t “abandon its irrevocable demands” for World War II reparations.
His six-week-old government is trying to ease the terms of its rescue loan program.