Q: If they were to choose to reunite with West Germany in the
context of a neutral Germany, which would mean West Germany leaving
NATO, leaving the Western military alliances, is that necessarily
something that Britain would find easy to take?
A: Well good gracious, we're running a very long way ahead of
ourselves.
Q: Maybe not, things are moving very fast. Who would have thought just a few years ago that what is now happening in Eastern Europe is
happening?
A: That's true but let's cross those bridges when we come to them. If we have free countries freely electing their own Governments in
Europe, that's enough to have as an objective for now.
Q: A final question. If the West is concerned and interested in changing Eastern Europe, the move towards a market economy, more liberal democracies as you say, is it not time perhaps for the West
to put its money rather more where its mouth is and if so, what form
of specific aid is now feasible, now needs to be thought about?
A: The Prime Minister recently emphasized in relation to Poland the
need for the Western world not to miss this major watershed in
events. There are two aspects: one, the immediate need for food aid
in Poland for example, perhaps three aspects; then a second need for
Western skills, where Britain and the United States and other
countries are playing a big part in relation to Poland and I hope in relation to Hungary in the future; then there is the looming, longer term problem of the debt that those regimes have run up, the Communist regimes have run up in order to try and prop up their badly run economies, and we must not put impossible burdens on the
new Governments. We must, on the other hand, take some care to see
that we don't remove the impetus for change and bail out the
Communist regime before they have really changed. But no, in relation to Poland and Hungary, which are the two furthest ahead,
I'm sure we will see in the months ahead the Western world and
indeed the Eastern world is a key player in taking their responsibilities.
END
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