West Berliners visit East

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32879, 30 March 1972, Page 11

West Berliners visit East

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

EAST BERLIN, March 29.

West Berliners today began filing through the grey, concrete wall dividing Berlin to visit friends and relatives in the East for the first time in at least six years.

Under an East German decree they are allowed to come over for a visit lasting up to three days during the Easter period until April 5. The last passes agreement allowing them to visit East Berlin expired in Whitsun, 1966. And they have not been allowed to visit East Germany for nearly 20 years. A total of eight check-

goints opened for the West erliners at six am. as dawn broke. At the Oberbaum bridge crossing point, which is for pedestrians only, an elderly man was the first through, followed by about 20 other West Berliners. All were met on the other side by East Berliners waiting in a group nearby. Police with walkie-talkie radios were patrolling outside the checkpoint, and one took an elderly West Berliner by the arm and helped him across a busy road to meet his waiting daughter. The daughter said that she had not seen him since 1966. The East Berliners had to wait on the far side of the road, and were not allowed to come near the checkpoint. This Easter, West Berliners can make visits not only to relatives and friends as in the past, but also for cultural and tourist purposes. The agreement to let them in was originally signed last September by the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France—the four countries still retaining formal responsibility for Germany as the victor powers in World War 11. The agreement has yet to be implemented, because the Russians first want Bonn’s conciliation treaties with Moscow and Warsaw to be ratified by the West German Parliament.

The East Germans call their decision to allow West Berliners in temporarily as “a gesture of good will” and have made clear its aim is to help the ratification process.