Kiesinger Urges Strong Europe

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32077, 27 August 1969, Page 6

Kiesinger Urges Strong Europe

(N.Z.P.A.»Reuter—Copyright) FULDA (West Germany), Aug-. 25. The Chancellor, Mr Kurt - Georg Kiesinger, has made creation of a Europe strong enough to determine its own destiny a central theme of his election campaign. On an election tour in Hesse state for his Christian Democratic Party, Mr Kiesinger said: “Our slogan for the next decade must be 'a united Europe’.” He warned voters that American divisions could not be expected to remain for ever in Europe. “How will things look in five or 10 years? The Americans will say that 300 million Europeans who are just as industrialised as themselves have to be protected by 200 million Americans,” he said. Europe had therefore to do more than develop the Common Market “We must learn to stand up straight on our own feet,” Mr Kiesinger said. Rebirth Denied Mr Kiesinger yesterday denied that there was any re-

birth of National Socialism or even of exaggerated nationalism in West Germany. He told a press conference: “If there were a rebirth of National Socialism I would be ashamed because the German people should be able to prevent it quite spontaneously.” Mr Kiesinger was asked about adverse foreign reaction to the growth of the extreme Right-wing National Democratic Party, which has a good chance of getting into the Federal Parliament for the first time in the General Election on September 28. Mr Kiesinger said that all that existed was a Right-wing group which had had some success in state elections. It was composed of discontented elements, some oldtype nationalists and people who were prepared to borrow from deplorable doctrines of National Socialism, he said. “I would not take it seriously because such a party has no chance, just as the Nazis would have had no chance had there not been six million unemployed and six million Communists.”