Austria to return more art Nazis stole from Jews

By Alexandra Zawadil

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria will tighten rules requiring the restitution of art seized during the Nazi period, the government said on Wednesday following criticism from the Jewish community.

Culture Minister Claudia Schmied said an exemption for private foundations, which has excluded claims against Vienna's Leopold Museum, would be re-examined.

"I am seeking a clear regulation of the matter of restitution regarding the Leopold Foundation. The debate of the past few weeks has not enhanced the reputation of the republic and especially not that of the Leopold Foundation," she said.

She had asked the foundation to agree to a comprehensive survey of the provenance of the museum's entire collection.

Property belonging to Jews was confiscated as a matter of course during Nazi rule in Germany and neighboring countries.

Debate was revived after Austria's Jewish community leader, Ariel Muzicant, said in a television interview in February the Leopold Museum should be closed down until the law was changed.

The museum, one of Vienna's major tourist attractions, is classed as a private foundation even though it is state-funded.

In addition, the government will seek the return of works taken between 1933, when Hitler first came to power in Germany, and 1945, when Nazi Germany was defeated.