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German Parliament ratifies Jewish treaty

BERLIN - Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, Friday ratified a treaty with the country's Jewish community described as a milestone for Jews living in Germany.

The accord provides state financing of EUR 3 million [$3.5m] annually for the 100,000-member Jewish community.

It was signed in January by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Paul Spiegel (far right, with Schröder), president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, on the 58th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Bundesrat approved the treaty without debate. It had already been passed by parliament's lower house, the Bundestag.

The treaty has been hailed in Germany as a powerful symbol of trust following the horrors of the Holocaust.

The Bundesrat, which represents the country's 16 states, also Friday ratified the expansion of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

It concludes Germany's ratification procedure for the expansion of the EU by 10 states and NATO by seven state after the Bundestag had already given its approval. DPA

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