Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0140/01406.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 55KB | 968 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01406}
$Pretitle{373B}
$Title{Unified Germany
Statements by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Press and Information Office}
$Affiliation{German Embassy, Washington DC}
$Subject{europe
german
germany
germans
republic
unity
unification
treaty
federal
union}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country:     Unified Germany
Book:        The Unity of Germany and Peace in Europe
Author:      Press and Information Office
Affiliation: German Embassy, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Statements by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany

Resolution on the German-Polish Frontier adopted by the German Bundestag on
21 June 1990

Treaty of 18 May 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German
Democratic Republic establishing a Monetary, Economic and Social Union

Policy Statement in the German Bundestag by

Dr Helmut Kohl,
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

on the Treaty of 18 May 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany and the
German Democratic Republic establishing a Monetary, Economic and Social Union,
on the External Aspects of German Unity, and on German-Polish Relations

Bonn, 21 June 1990

     Rarely in its history has the German Bundestag faced such important
decisions as the one confronting us today.

I.

     After over 40 years of painful separation, the hopes of the people of
Germany for the unity and freedom of all Germans are about to be fulfilled.
Now that the Treaty establishing a Monetary, Economic and Social Union and the
resolution on the border of the future united Germany with Poland have been
adopted, decisive steps must be taken towards restoring Germany's national
unity.

     It is vital that we prove equal to this historic opportunity and that we
make use of it with dignity and circumspection, in the awareness of our
responsibility.

     We can appreciate the significance of this hour only by recalling the
experiences of our fellow Germans in the GDR during the last 40 years. They
have overcome a system which brought great suffering, misery and despair to
many people, some of whom sacrificed their lives.

     During the last few days in particular we have again witnessed the infamy
of that system, which cooperated with terrorists who committed murder here in
the Federal Republic of Germany.

     The wall and barbed wire are the terrible symbols of a time in which
Germans were prevented from meeting with other Germans. Today we especially
mourn those who were imprisoned in the Stalinist camps, humiliated, tortured
and not infrequently murdered in prisons and penitentiaries. All of them,
especially the victims of 17 June, wished to live in freedom and human
dignity. They fought for truth and against falsehood, against a regime forced
upon them by others. We must never forget their hardship. Such things must
never be allowed to happen again in Germany.

     Particularly on an occasion like today, we must all be aware of our duty
towards them. Particularly on such a day we must all be aware that for us
Germans the motto of 1945 - "never again war , never again dictatorship" - has
not only a national but an international dimension.

     During the past 40 years there have been men and women from almost all
parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag who from its very first session
were passionately and staunchly committed to the goal of freedom and unity
for all Germans.

     Vicariously for the many people who would have been happy to witness this
hour, I should like to quote Kurt Schumacher, the former SPD chairman. He said
in the debate on the first policy statement by Konrad Adenauer in September
1949:

     "We hope that, despite all differences in social, political and
cultural outlook, the issue of German unity will be treated with the same
warmth of heart and the same political resolve throughout Germany."

     Today, too, this spirit of solidarity should guide all members of this
House, particularly now that we have the opportunity to fulfill the mandate
of our Basic Law.

     Of course, no one can say today how we will by judged by the generations
to come. Nonetheless the decisions to be taken today by the German Bundestag
are of vital importance for the future of our nation. And I am convinced that
each one of us will one day be judged by whether he or she faintheartedly
backed away or gave full support on this momentous occasion.

     The Federal Government now intends to create the conditions for all
Germans to be able to live together soon in freedom, peace and prosperity.
We face one of the greatest structural tasks since the war. The Treaty
establishing a Monetary, Economic and Social Union represents an important
step on the path towards unity. For the people in Germany, this will make
unity come true in vital areas of their daily existence.

     This will give our fellow countrymen in the GDR the opportunity for
rapid, extensive improvements in their living conditions. They are pinning
their hopes on this Treaty and they expect us to make these hopes come true.

     The intra-German Treaty is an expression of the solidarity among the
Germans: once again the Germans in the Federal Republic and the GDR are and
will continue to be firmly linked with one another.

     The Treaty manifests the desire of all Germans to face the future
together in a free, united Germany. I call upon all members of this House to
endorse this Treaty. It charts the course towards unity, and those who do not
accept this course do not want unity.

     It is important for the people in the GDR to know that in Federal
Republic, too, the message of the solidarity is supported by a large majority
across party boundaries. Those who reject the intra-German Treaty are
rejecting our fellow countrymen in the GDR; they are questioning our ability
to cooperate in national solidarity at this decisive moment in German history.
I realize that the path on which we are now embarking will be difficult - and
the people in the GDR are also aware of this. But they, too, state
unequivocally that the Treaty must be adopted.

     Only if monetary, economic and social union are speedily achieved will
it be possible, indeed certain, that Mecklenburg/West Pomerania and
Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia will soon become flourishing
areas again where it will be a pleasure to live and work.

     Those who maintain that a more leisurely pace would have been more
appropriate are disregarding the realities of the situation in Germany and are
once again overlooking the events of the last few months. The people in the
GDR have determined the pace of developments and will continue to do so.

     Hundreds of thousands of resettlers have come to the Federal Republic
because they no longer saw any hope for the future in the GDR-people who
will be urgently required to rebuild the GDR. Only the prospect of monetary,
economic and social union has raised the hopes of many of our fellow
countrymen once again.

     If the adoption of the intra-German Treaty had been put off-on
whatever grounds-this would have meant the immediate collapse of the GDR.
The number of resettlers would have once again risen dramatically, with
devastating consequences. Who would have assumed responsibility for this?

     The great majority of Germans want the Treaty because they want unity
and because they realize that the path now being pursued is the right one. Of
course, many people both here in the Federal Republic and in the GDR wonder
what these unique developments will mean for them personally - for their
jobs, their social security and their families. I take these concerns very
seriously.

     We in the Federal Republic, too, will have to make sacrifices for the
great goal of the unity of our country. A nation that was not prepared to do
so would have lost its moral strength long ago. It would have no future. But
I am sure we will cope with this major task through joint efforts for the
benefit of the whole nation.

     We