ALLIES DENOUNCE EAST GERMAN SET UP AS ILLEGAL

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1949, Page 3

ALLIES DENOUNCE EAST GERMAN SET UP AS ILLEGAL

West Berlin to be Safeguarded

BERLIN, October 10

The three Allied High Commissioners tonight issued a statement denouncing the recently-established East German Government as having no legal basis and no title to represent Eastern Germany. The statement, which was issued after an unexpected meeting of the High Commissioners at Frankfurt, assured Western Berlin that the Allied Powers would “continue to fulfil their mission in the former capital.” The statement said that all steps to ensure political and economic freedom to the inhabitants of West Berlin would be taken in collaboration with the West German Government. "The events which have taken place in the East will not modify the attitude of the Western Powers,” the statement said. The statement blamed Russia’s refusal to co-operate for the fourpower failure to reach a common policy for all Germany. The Western Allies were thus compelled to take decisions which permitted the establishment of the Federal German Government.

The statement said: “The Government of the German Democratic republic is the artificial creation of a ‘Popular Assembly’ which had no mandate for this purpose. The postponment of elections for a year is evidently to ensure that when they are held they shall follow the pattern already set in the other satellite States.”

The formation of the East German Republic was taken a stage further today when the five Sates in the Russian zone chose their delegates to the Upper House of the Federal Parliament. One representative for each half-million people is required to form what will be known as the Laenderkammer, the equivalent to the Bundesrat in the West German Parliament.

There will be 34 members for the State and seven for the East sector of Berlin, but these latter will have no voting powers, as the sector is not yet incorporated. The President of the Republic — almost certain to be Wilhelm Pieck, of the Socialist Unity Party—will be appointed tomorrow and Soviet recognition of the New State is likely to be announced at the same time.

The five provincial parliaments of the Soviet zone, of Germany tonight selected 34 representatives to the Laenderkammer. Seventeen were members of the Communist-domin-ated Socialist Unity party, nine were Liberal Democrats, seven Christian Democrats, and one a member’ of the Peasants’ Organisation. STOCKHOLM, Oct. 10

The Foreign Office announced tonight that Sweden has accepted the invitation from Allied High Commissioners in Germany to establish displomatic relations with the West German Government.