[Report by "R.O.": "Does Russia Not Want To Keep Its Germans in the Country?" Frankfurt/Main FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE in German 25 Jan 92 pp 1-2]

[Excerpts] Frankfurt, 24 January--Contrary to statements made to German politicians, the Russian Government is apparently not prepared to keep the German minority in its country. The Russian German autonomy movement "Rebirth" in Moscow has obtained a copy of a draft motion of First Deputy Prime Minister Gennadiy Burbulis to the Russian parliament that says that "it is too early" to pass the "law on the rehabilitation of the suppressed peoples" that has already been approved. Burbulis, a close aide of President Yeltsin, suggests in this motion that parliament should not enact the law but should discuss parts of it again. This is what a Russian German writer, Waldemar Weber, who is one of the advisers of Chairman Groth of "Rebirth," told this newspaper on 24 January. [passage omitted]

According to Weber, Burbulis addressed his message to the Russian parliament on 19 December, prior to Yeltsin's trip to Saratov where he made his statement before outraged Russians who demonstrated against the reestablishment of a German Volga republic--a statement that was also heard with astonishment in Bonn. [passage omitted]

Weber said that "Rebirth" is sticking to its decision to call upon its compatriots to resettle in Germany and other Western countries because the Russian leadership failed to restore the German autonomous republic on the Volga by 31 December 1991, as it had promised. In this connection, a meeting between "Rebirth" Chairman Groth and a California businessman, Michael Kennedy, will be held on 27 January. According to Weber, Kennedy will negotiate--on behalf of Californian authorities--on the settling of Russian Germans in the west of the United States. In addition, "Rebirth" has carefully noted that South American countries like Brazil and Argentina, where there are major "German, particularly Russian German, colonies," have stated their interest to Bonn in taking in "several hundred thousand Germans from the countries of the former Soviet Union." [passage omitted]