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Austria said Thursday it will not buy back five masterpieces by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, which are due to be returned to a descendant of the paintings' former owner, whose possessions were seized by the Nazis.
Austrian Culture Minister Elisabeth Gehrer said the government did not see how it could spend 300 million dollars (248 million euros) to buy back the famous paintings, following a special meeting in Vienna of the National Council to discuss the issue.
The council has decided to return to Maria Altmann the paintings, once owned by her uncle Ferdinand Block-Bauer and seen as masterpieces of Austrian public collections, and will inform Altmann's lawyer that Austria has no longer interested in negotiations to acquire the masterpieces, Gehrer said.
"The paintings are at the heir's immediate disposal," she said.
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Austria-US-art-justice-Klimt-WWII
AFP 021101 GMT 02 06
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