[autom.vertaling] Geschil tussen Liechtenstein en de Tsjechische Republiek over uitwijzingen in oorlogstijd (en)

The enlargement of the European Economic Area is being blocked by a dispute between Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic and Slovakia which is more than 60 years old.

Tuesday's negotiations on expanding the EEA Agreement - between EU countries and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein - to the 10 new member states who will join the Union next year, was stalled because of a dispute over a 60 year-old order to expel ethnic Germans from what was Czechoslovakia.

The Benes Decrees which led to the expulsion of three million Germans from Czechoslovakia after the second world war, was the cause for negotiators to announce that finalisation of the Agreement was to be postponed.

According to the Norwegian paper Adresseavisen the Czech Republic and Slovakia refused to recognize a claim, made afresh last week, by Liechtenstein's royals to possessions in Czechoslovakia which were confiscated by the Czechs in accordance with the Benes Decrees,

The Liechtenstein government last week unexpectedly issued a new declaration on the expulsion, which was seen as opening the way for a compensation claim against the Czech and Slovak authorities.

Norway's foreign minister Jan Petersen told Aftenposten that it will be impossible to get on with the EEA negotiations until at solution is found, but he does not believe that it will weaken the Agreement.

The Duchy of Liechtenstein is situated between Switzerland and Austria and has 34,000 inhabitants.