Nazi Restitution to Step Up in 43 Countries

More than six decades after it was stolen by the Nazis, 43 countries pledged to work harder on returning real estate to the rightful owners and their heirs. On Wednesday, the nations agreed on a preliminary set of global guidelines to find the owners, including provisions for more transparency and faster processing times for restitution claims. "We've made a major advance in providing belated justice to victims and their families," said Stuart Eizenstat, a special adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State on Holocaust issues. Experts estimate that Jews in Europe owned more than $10.52 billion in property, which was mostly taken and never returned. Today, over $120 billion worth of property are still unaccounted for.