The Bonn government has eased visa regulations on Arabs entering West Germany. The move was made at the start of Sept. nearly two years after the Munich Olympic massacre of 11 Israeli athletes, when there was a clamp-down on Arab immigrants, tourists and businessmen. The stringent post-Munich regulations have been a sore point with Arab governments seeking more normal relations with West Germany.
The announcement was made yesterday by a senior Foreign Office official, State Secretary Karl Moersch, at the opening of German-Arab culture week in Tuebingen which is being attended by delegations from 18 Arab states. Moersch also announced that the Foreign Office was setting up a special work group to accelerate the dialogue between the European community and the Arab states.
Also in Tuebingen, the Secretary General of the Arab League, Mahmoud Riad, paid tribute to former Chancellor Willy Brandt’s pioneering work in getting the dialogue going. West Germany could continue to play a leading role in future cooperation, Riad said.
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