Russia Gives Reasons

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 11

Russia Gives Reasons

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter — Copyright) MOSCOW, Aug. 23. Announcing the abolition of the office of Soviet commandant in Berlin, Russia said last night that his duties . were being handed “temporarily” to the headquarters of Soviet troops in East Germany.

This corresponded to Russia's “steadfast policy of eliminating in Europe the vestiges of the Second World War in favour of concluding a German peace treaty ”

A defence Ministry communique quoted by Tass said: “The Defence Ministry of the Soviet Union, in conformity awith a decision of the Soviet Government, has ordered the abolition of the commandant's office of the garrison of Soviet troops in Berlin “As is known, after the conclusion in 1955 of the treaty on relations between the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic the Soviet commandant's office in Berlin was reorganised and its functions limited to problems of garrison service

“The Soviet troops under its jurisdiction controlled the movement of men and supplies of the United States. Britain and France located in

West Berlin, at the border with West Berlin, on the outer by-pass, over the entry into West Berlin and out of West Berlin of members of the military liaison missions of the three Powers attached to the commander-in-chief of the group of Soviet forces in Germany, guarded the prison of the chief German war criminals in Spandau (jointly with the troops of the three Powers) and did sentry duty at the monument to Soviet soldiers in the Tiergarten “Unjustified Claims”

“At the same time the military commandants of the United States. Britain and France in West Berlin, which has actually been turned into a NATO military base, are trying to take advantage of the existence of the Soviet commandant's office to present unjustified claims to interference of the Western Powers in the internal affairs of the sovereign and independent German Democratic Republic and its capital “They are also trying to pretend that there allegedly exists some kind of a quadripartite commandant s office in Berlin, although it is universally known that it ceased to exist as far back as 1948 as a result of separate actions of the Western Powers

‘One can easily see that the commandants of the Western Powers are resorting to such measures in order to preserve the occupation regime in West Berlin as a

cover for the N ATO military base “The abolition of the commandant’s office of the Soviet troops garrison in Berlin fully corresponds to the Soviet Union's steadfast policy of eliminating in Europe the vestiges of the Second World War, in favour of concluding a German peace treaty and normalising the situation in West Berlin on its basis

"Representatives of the military authorities of the United States, Britain and France in West Berlin have been informed that matters relating to control over the movement of men and supplies of the garrisons of the United States. Britain and France into and out of West Berlin, the guarding of the prison of the chief German war criminals in Spandau and sentry duty at the monument to Soviet troops in the Tiergarten temporarily are within the jurisdiction of the headquarters of the group of Soviet forces in Germany”