Monday, June 28, 1999; 9:04 p.m. EDT

Holocaust Fund May Help More Victims By Alexander G. Higgins Associated Press Writer GENEVA (AP) -- The $1.25 billion fund set up by two Swiss banks to aid Holocaust survivors with a World War II claim against Switzerland could assist victims even if they or their families never owned a Swiss bank account, a Jewish leader said Monday. More than 10 months after the two largest banks agreed to start making the payments to the fund, lawyers and Jewish organizations are ready to announce Tuesday the plans for the campaign to distribute the money. "This is unprecedented," Elan Steinberg, executive director of the World Jewish Congress, said in a telephone interview from New York. The campaign aims to reach tens of thousands of potential claimants around the world. More than 31,000 plaintiffs were listed in the class-action suit settled out of court in the United States, but more could come forward. Steinberg said some details remain to be worked out under the U.S. District Court in New York, but payouts should begin by the second half of next year. News conferences in Germany, Russia, France, Hungary, South Africa, Israel and the United States will spell out who will be eligible and how they can apply. A full-page advertisement is appearing Tuesday in 500 newspapers in 40 countries that will include a coupon application and toll-free phone number as well as an explanation of how individuals with a claim can "opt out" of sharing in the class-action settlement if they so desire. "If you are not sure whether you qualify, you should call or mail in the form," said Steinberg. Applications must by submitted by Oct. 22. The representatives have been under pressure to hurry because many Holocaust survivors are elderly. Distribution should start next year, Steinberg said. Underscoring the urgency, the original lead plaintiff in the class-action suit -- Estelle Sapir of New York -- died last April at the age of 72. In poor health for some time, she had received a special payment from one of the two banks a year before she died. Under the plan approved in New York by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman, four categories of claimants will be included: -- Those with rights to assets deposited in Switzerland during the Nazi era. -- Those whose valuables were plundered by the Nazis, on the assumption that they may have made their way to neutral Switzerland, which was a key relay point for gold, art works and other treasures. -- Slave laborers whose work profited Swiss companies. -- Refugees who were turned back from the borders of neutral Switzerland, then fell victim to the Nazis. A court-appointed "master" must still decide such details as whether heirs -- and, if so, what type of heirs -- should also be included. The master's final report is to be submitted to Korman by Dec. 28. Under the settlement reached last August in New York, Credit Suisse and UBS AG paid the first installment of $250 million into an escrow account last year. The rest of the money will be paid out in three annual installments starting this year. The settlement involved the release of all claims not only against the two banks, but also against the Swiss government, the central bank, other commercial banks and Swiss industry. © Copyright 1999 The Associated Press