EAST GERMANY Ambassadors from West considered

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33094, 8 December 1972, Page 13

EAST GERMANY Ambassadors from West considered

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) BRUSSELS, December 7. Western ambassadors may be serving in East Berlin by next summer under a time-table agreed on by the Big Four Western Powers. France will put the plan to its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies at the opening session today of a two-day meeting of the 15-nation alliance’s Ministerial council.

The French Foreign Minister (Mr Maurice Schumann) speaking on behalf of the big four Western Powers, would suggest that diplomatic relations with East Berlin be established only after ratification of the basic treaty which East and West Germany would sign on December 21, informed sources said.

The time-table for the new major move in East-West dej tente was swiftly approved at a dinner given by Mr Schumann last night for his West German, British, and American counterparts. The sequence of events will be: 1. Signing of the basic treaty. 2. Opening of bilateral talks with East Germany towards establishment of relations. 3. Ratification of the EastWest German treaty, not

before April or May. 4. Appointment of Western Ambassadors. 5. Entry of the two German States into the United Nations next autumn. This was agreed at the dinner by West German Foreign Minister (Mr Walter Scheel), the United States Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers), the British Foreign Secretary (Sir Alec Douglas-Home), and Mr Schumann. The Western Big Four hope that the recommendations put forward by Mr Schumann will be acceptable to other members of the alliance, some of whom have been under internal political pressures to push ahead with early recognition of East Germany. West Germany would not want any of its allies to be represented by ambassadors in East Berlin until it has a permanent representative there itself. The N.A.T.O. ministerial council will also review prospects for a European security conference now being prepared for by ambassadors of 34 nations in neutral Helsinki. The other key topic is the outlook for exploratory talks with five of the Communist Warsaw Pact countries on the complex question of mutual and balanced force reductions (M.8.F.R.) in Central Europe, The N.A.T.O. Powers concerned hope that favourable replies giving the go-ahead for these consultations on January 31 in Switzerland will soon come from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, and Hungary. The ministerial council, in its final communique tomorrow, is expected to reflect satisfaction over recent moves towards an East-West detente in Europe but will emphasise that the Atlantic Alliance must keep up its defensive guard.