German Socialist Promises Continued Fight Against Scientists in Egypt

The West German Social Democratic Party will present to the Parliament in Bonn a new bill designed to make it difficult for German scientists to continue working on Egypt’s armament program, aimed at Israel, Prof, Karl Schmit, one of the German opposition party’s topmost leaders, declared here today. Prof. Schmit is deputy chairman of the Bundestag, the lower house of West Germany’s Parliament.

Noting that there is so bill dealing with the scientists in Egypt before the Bundestag now, Prof. Schmit said his party’s draft measure, to be Introduced in the fall, will force the Government and the other parties “at least to show their hands” on the issue. The Bonn Government, which had introduced a bill on this problem into the Bundestag, withdrew its draft when a paragraph touching upon the passports held by the scientists in Egypt failed.

Professor Schmit, visiting Here as a guest of ORT, expressed “deep regret” over the work of the German scientists in Egypt which, he said, could bring on another act of genocide. Legally, he said, nothing can be done by West Germany against those scientists. Even a bill aimed at them, he declared, could only place difficulties in their paths but could not entirely prevent German scientists from going to Egypt, However, he noted, no action whatever can be taken now, until next autumn.

In regard to German-Israeli relations, he said he favored normalization. “Relations may be good or bad, ” he stated, “but there must be relations. ” He added that, when the West Germany-Israeli Reparations Agreement expires next year, “there will be some sort of continuation that will lead to normalization.”

In reply to a question on another point, he said he favored the extension of West Germany’s statute of limitations to permit further trials of Nazi war criminals.