Russian Protest On Formation Of Bonn Government

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 October 1949, Page 6

Russian Protest On Formation Of Bonn Government

LONDON, October 3.—Russia handed Notes to the United States, French and British representatives In Moscow on Saturday condemning the formation of the West German Government. This was announced today by the Moscow radio. Russia said that the Western Powers had violated the Potsdam Agreement in allowing the formation of a separate government for The Western zones, because in doing so they had split Germany. The Berlin correspondent of the British United Press says that Western officials believe that the Russians will set up an Eastern German Government. The headquarters of the Eastern Government would probably be in Leipzig, and a Russian move towards its formation could be expected soon. Reuter’s Paris correspondent quotes the French Left Wing newspaper Franc-Tireur as saying that the Soviet Notes are “a warning before proceeding to act—namely, the formation of a Government in Eastern Ger-

many.” The newspaper adds: “A great campaign has begun in the Eastern zone for the formation of a Government for all Germany. If, as Russian-ap-proved newspapers demand, the new Government sits in Berlin, v 7 e may expect a recurrence of the fourPower crisis.” The Russian Notes were delivered by the Deputy Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko). The Notes said: “The Soviet Government considers altogether worthless the attempts of the Governments of the United States, Britain and France to justify their actions connected with the creation of a separate government in Bonn as being in the interests of the German population.” The Notes, which were several thousand words long, traced the history of the fusion of the British and American zones of Germany, and said that the Bonn Constitution was “incompatible with the interests of the peace-loving peoples of Europe.”

The Notes said: “The formation of a separate government for the Western zones can only be described as the culmination of the policy of splitting Germany. This policy has been pursued by the United States, Britain, and France during the last few years in violation of the Potsdam Agreement, under which these States, jointly with the Soviet, undertook to regard Germany as one single whole and to assist in its transformation into a democratic and peace-loving State.

“By setting up the Bonn Government the Western Powers have also violatedXhe decisions in June, 1949, of the Paris Foreign Ministers’ Council, according to which the Governments of the United States, Britain, France, and Russia undertook to continue their efforts to restore economic and political unity to Germany. The Notes alleged that the Western Powers had also thus violated their pledges concerning the conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany, as the formation of a separate West German State would lead to “impermissible delay in the conclusion of a peace treaty.”

The Notes said that the Western Powers relied on a narrow group of selected, old, and reactionary German politicians, who had linked with foreign financial circles to put through the Bonn Constitution.

“The Bonn Constitution does not contain any articles restricting the dominating role of German monopolists and Junkerdom, but frees their hands for anti-democratic actions,” the Notes added.