East and West German Diplomats Address Fears over German Unity

East and West German representatives pledged today that the crimes of Germany’s Nazi past will not be forgotten or overlooked in a unified German state.

But on the question of formal assurances in this regard, which various American Jewish organizations have been seeking, East and West consensus parted company.

“I would be in favor of giving assurances,” said Dr. Norbert Reemer, deputy chief of mission of the East German Embassy. “In the constitution and penal code of the unified German state, there will be clauses forbidding anti-Semitism and racism.

“But a clear legal basis is not enough. The education of young Germans of past Nazi crimes is more important. The past should be made more concrete and visible to the people.”

West German Ambassador Juergen Ruhfus, on the other hand, said that formal assurances were not necessary. “We have made considerable reparation payments. In addition, we have been giving considerable sums of favorable currency to Poland and Yugoslavia to shoulder our responsibility for crimes of the past.

“We would like to have this taken into consideration and not have the thorny issue of reparations come up in the next month. The East Germans will learn from us” regarding German Holocaust awareness, he added. “You can count on us to use our influence” for education programming in the German Democratic Republic.

The East and West German representatives fielded questions from American Jewish leaders and academics about the political, economic and strategic implications of German reunification, and its possible effects on East and West German Jewish communities, at a symposium under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee.

‘FEAR IS UNJUSTIFIED’

Issues discussed included everything from reparations payments and education programming about Nazi crimes to diplomatic relations with Israel and concern over the reappearance of right-wing neo-Nazi parties.

“We Germans are aware,” said Ruhfus in an opening address, that “a stronger German role, a Germany growing together, will be viewed in some parts with concern. We arc convinced that this fear is unjustified in respect of Germans living in freedom and democracy.

“I feel encouraged by the situation in the GDR,” he added in the question-and-answer period, “of East Germans standing up for democracy and human rights.

“I would think that in growing together, our past experiences and knowledge will be spread into the GDR,” he said.

Reemer agreed, adding that a statement by East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow that recognized East German responsibility for the Nazi crimes of the past “is a major step in solving the anxieties of the Jewish populations all over the world.”

Stating that anti-Semitic or racist parties have been outlawed in East Germany, Reemer admitted in an interview that “there are tendencies of anti-Semitism” in East Germany “which cannot be ignored. The legal process must be used to fight against anti-Semitism.”