WARSAW, Poland, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Poles and Jews who were deprived of property during Nazi and communist rule are asking Poland's government for restitution or compensation.
Polish and Jewish groups plan to ask Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski for help in passing a law that would return confiscated property or give cash in compensation, a BBC correspondent in Warsaw reported Wednesday.
Neither side has been successful in tackling the issue and the current move is the first joint effort by representatives of former Polish and Jewish owners.
Jews had their property confiscated during the Nazi occupation in World War II while many Poles lost property during the post-war communist-era.
A compensation law is likely to be a tricky job as most of the taken property has been sold by the government to new owners.
Government officials claim there is not enough money in the budget to provide for claims that they estimate could reach $20 billion.
The government is willing to pay some 15 percent of the taken property's value but the Polish and Jewish claimants would not settle for this figure, the BBC said.
