Changes in East Germany

The prime minister's remarks concerned the unification of Germany and what alliance a united Germany would belong to: NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The prime minster's visit was the first and probably the last visit to the White House by an East German prime minister. The Germans were scheduled to vote on a parliament as early as January 1991. These elections could effectively end the division of the country. The previous week President Bush met with Helmut Kohl to discuss the position of a united Germany in NATO. This issue had been one that Gorbachev had opposed, but he was supposedly reconciling himself to the idea. The prime minister's remarks are translated.