Kohl: Dancing Around the Border

The West German government’s exercise of damage control on the politically sensitive issue of Poland’s border is welcome and may even soothe Europe’s nerves. But it would be even more soothing if Chancellor Helmut Kohl would simply say what needs saying.

His hesitation stems from one of democracy’s shabbier sights--a politician avoiding candor in the hope of appealing to small numbers of voters on the fringe of an issue. Usually the only casualty is the politician’s integrity. But with Kohl on Poland, that is the least of it.

For political purposes, Kohl still refuses to say that a reunified Germany would honor the border with Poland that was set--generally along the Oder and Neisse rivers--after World War II. Why? Because a relatively small number of Germans want the prewar borders restored, a position that drives Poles up the wall and reminds the rest of Europe and its allies that it was the Third Reich’s craving for land that led to war in 1939.

The United States’ position is clear enough. While Kohl kept dancing all around the issue at Camp David, President Bush said after their recent meetings that “the U.S. recognizes the current . . . border�; Secretary of State James A. Baker III said Tuesday that the border is “inviolable.�

What Kohl is doing would be bad enough under any circumstances, but the election for which he is trying to scoop up fringe votes will not take place until December. The harm he will do to the cause of freedom and peace in Europe if he plays this game until then cannot be exaggerated. A spokesman in Bonn says that the parliaments of both Germanys could vote to honor the existing border after next month’s election in East Germany. That is a big help, but it’s not really a substitute for some statesmanlike candor on Kohl’s part.