International Berlin Wall image of East's curb on rights, says Carter

Press, 17 July 1978, Page 9

International Berlin Wall image of East's curb on rights, says Carter

NZPA-Reuter

West Berlin

President Jimmy Carter has used a visit to the Berlin Wall to accuse the Communists once again of ignoring human rights and stifling criticism.

At the same time, thei American leader rebuked his old friend, his United Nations Ambassador (Mr Andrew Young) for claiming there may be thousands of political prisoners in Amer-I ica. The President, whose cam-i paign on human rights has led to strains with Moscow, hit out again on the subject I during a four-hour visit toj West Berlin on Saturday. At the wall, built in 1961! to prevent East Germans' moving to the West, antiCommunist slogans had been painted out overnight by the I East Germans. But Mr Carter said: “I ] don’t think anything can hide the image of the deprivation of human rights exemplified by the wall.” He called the wall “an ugly spectacle.” Speaking later to 1000 people at a question-and-answer meeting, Mr Carter said this was the only construction of its kind in the world — built not as protection against attack, but to

:] prevent its citizens from; illeaving. 11 In East Germany, he said,; ■There was no free movement; and people were not free to speak their minds. Although the President; also said he would like to! I visit East Berlin some time, and added that detente with; the Communists was still; the aim, his strong words] i could not have pleased the I East Germans. I They had ignored his visit Ito the divided city in the] • press and officially protested because the West German | Chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, | (accompanied him. East Ger-1 •many says West Berlin is I not part of West Germany. ■ Mr Carter renewed Ameri-] can commitments to the city! isolated 175 km behind thej East German border. “What- ; ever happens, Berlin will remain free,” he said in an ar-jl rival address. Big crowds greeted theit American leader and Chan-It cellor Schmidt described thei i visit in a newspaper inter- t view as “a great, great sue-Is

11cess — for Carter, for Berlin, and for us all.” United States officials disclosed that the President had rebuked Ambassador Young Tor an interview with the French newspaper, “Le Matin,” in which he said! iThere might be thousands of; (American nolitical prisoners. I The White House Press I Secretary (Mr Jody Powell); said Mr Carter had told thei black envoy he was very unhappy with his choice of I words. Mr Young’s remarks! | caused considerable irritation in the American party,] particularly coming after Mr ■ Carter’s sharp criticism of the Soviet trials of the dissidents Anatoly Shcharansky and Alexander Ginzburg. Mr Powell told reporters travelling with Mr Carter (from West Berlin to thei Western economic summit! meeting in Bonn tat ‘‘Andy lagreed it was a mistake and; I an unfortunate one.” The Am-I bassador had apologised, he Isaid. I