German assets in Greece could be seized for Distomo reparations

Athens' insistence on reparations coincided with two days of procedural talks that started in Brussels on Wednesday on reforms demanded by eurozone lenders in return for further bailouts of Greece's crippled economy. Last month, they agreed to extend Greece's deadline until June.
Assets identified by Greece's Supreme Court in 2000 were Germany's Goethe Institute and the German Archeological Institute in Athens.
Paraskevopoulos told private Ant1 television that seizure permission should be granted and as minister "I am ready to give it."
Paraskevopoulos' remarks followed a Greek parliament decision on Tuesday to pursue war reparations despite rejection reiterated in recent weeks by Germany.
Berlin argues thatreparation issues had been settled in the Two-plus-Four agreement which reunified Germany in 1990.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seifert said: "It is our firm belief that questions of reparations and compensation have been legally and politically resolved."
German Finance Ministry spokesman, Martin Jäger, said Athens' reparation demands were a distraction from the serious financial issues facing Greece.
"The aim is to look ahead jointly. Being emotive and making retrospective accusations will not help in overcoming the current problems," Jäger said, adding that a 1960 accord resolved the issue of 115 million Deutschmarks owed to Greece.
European Parliament Vice President Alexander Graf Lambsdorff of Germany said Athen's threat to seize assets was "irresponsible" and destroyed "remaining good will" Greece needed in Germany's parliament.