Bonn Hails Honecker’s Call for Improved Ties
BONN — The West German government Thursday welcomed a call by East German leader Erich Honecker for improved relations between the two states and said he should follow it up by allowing more of his citizens to travel to the West.
Honecker said in an interview with the weekly newspaper Die Zeit published this week that the two German states should step up political contacts and bolster cultural exchanges and other areas of cooperation.
West German government spokesman Friedhelm Ost told a news conference that Bonn is pleased by Honecker’s suggestions and is eager to seek areas in which they could be put into practice.
But he added that it expects the Communist Party leader to underline his interest in better relations by easing travel restrictions barring most East Germans from visiting the West and encouraging closer human contacts between the two states.
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