Three Weeks To Form Bonn Coalition

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 17

Three Weeks To Form Bonn Coalition

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

BONN, November 23.

The ruling Christian Democrats have given themselves three weeks to resolve the Government crisis in Bonn and re-establish a coalition majority.

. A Christian Democrat team headed by Dr. Kurt Georg Kiesinger, the party’s candidate to succeed Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, today will meet the Free Democrats in talks that may result in patching up the old alliance. The Free Democrats walked out of the coalition Cabinet last month, causing the crisis.

The Christian Democrats, warmed by the success in the week-end Bavarian State elections of their powerful Bavarian branch, are confid-

ent that coalition negotiations will reach a positive outcome fairly soon. The chief whip, Mr Will Rasner, and the former Defence Minister, Mr Franz Joseph Strauss, told separate press conferences in Bonn and Munich yesterday that they hoped to see a new Government formed by the week-end of December 10.

Three - way bargaining

among the parties represent ted in the Bundestag (Lower House) began in earnest yes-

terday when leaders of the Social Democrats met the Free Democrats. The two teams reached a wide measure of agreement on foreign policy and German reunification, and set up a committee to suggest solutions to the medium-term fiscal problems, which are expected to be the main stumbling block in all the negotiations. It was in protest to proposed tax increases to narrow next year’s budget deficit that the Free Democrats walked out of Chancellor Erhard’s cabinet, leaving him with a minority Government. After yesterday’s talks the Free Democrat leader, Mr Erich Mende, said the fact that there was some agreement was not to be taken as

■■a sign that his party would join the Social Democrats in a new coalition. “Everything is still open," he said. Parallel with the coalition talks the Bundestag today will open a debate on a supplementary budget designed to meet an expected deficit for the current fiscal year. The Christian Democrats yesterday warded off renewed charges that Dr. Kiesinger was for a long time an active member of the Nazi Party. I Mr Rasner said the party was firmly behind Dr. Kies.inger’s candidature for the ;' chancellorship. Earlier in the day the East . German propaganda chief, Professor Albert Norden, told a press conference in East 1 Berlin that Dr. Kiesinger had . held a more responsible position in the Nazi Foreign Ministry than he admitted.