World Jewish Congress President Edgar Bronfman received assurances Wednesday from West Germany’s top leaders that the government is doing its utmost to prevent further West German involvement in the Libyan manufacture of chemical weapons.
Bronfman met in Bonn for an hour each with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, according to reports from the West German capital.
He was accompanied by Israel Singer, WJC secretary-general, and Elan Steinberg, the organization’s executive director.
The main issue on the table was West German involvement in building a reputed chemical weapons plant in Rabta, Libya.
Genscher said the issue “cannot simply be seen in everyday political terms, but has developed into a moral and historical problem for Germany to address,” according to Steinberg, who was reached by telephone from Bonn.
The foreign minister outlined action the West German government is undertaking, independent of ongoing legal proceedings, toward restricting future German involvement in projects with Libya. The plan includes:
* Introduction of new legislation to tighten foreign trade regulations, to prevent German companies or individuals from exporting chemicals or technology to make chemical weapons.
* Putting West Germany’s rough equivalent to the FBI in charge of the current investigation and all future investigations of individuals or companies suspected of involvement in chemical weapons production.
* The strengthening of penal sanctions for involvement in the production of such weapons.
Steinberg reported that Kohl confirmed the entire program as Genscher outlined it to the WJC leaders.
‘IN FAVOR OF A COMPLETE BAN’
WJC’s foremost concern “was to ensure that the Libyan plant is not completed” and that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi “is not given the wherewithal to use chemical weapons,” he said.
According to Steinberg, both Genscher and Kohl said they are now discussing coordinated actions with the Western allies to try to prevent any possible use of chemical weapons from the Rabta plant or by Libya in general.
He said the West Germans indicated “they are in favor of a complete ban on the manufacture of chemical weapons and on their use.”
The WJC also expressed concern at reports that West Germans helped Libya acquire the ability to refuel fighter jets in midflight, which would enable the planes to strike targets in Israel.
On Wednesday, the Institute for Customs Crimes, based in Cologne, made raids on 14 firms suspected of helping build the Rabta chemical weapons plant.
A leading state-owned company, Saltzgitter Industriebau, has conceded its involvement in the affair, as has the Lahr-based Imhausen-Chemie, which has been accused of playing a leading role in coordinating the Libyan effort to produce poison gas.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
