European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Agazine Honecker s Trade off relaxing curbs on travel to West by James  Ham new York times he Trajn from Leipzig that Rolls into Cologne s main station at 6 25 . Carries a new category of passengers these Days Young East germans who Are being allowed to visit relatives and friends in West Germany. In one of their boldest experiments since the Berlin Watt blocked travel in 1961. East Germany is expected to permit almost a million people under retirement age to Visil Wesl go Many this year Lor periods of a week to 10 Days. In Wesl Germany this casing of restrictions is being quietly welcomed As a big step toward normalizing human contacts in a divided nation and toward creating a situation in the phrase of same politician where the Wall will become  the new policy has also helped pave the Way for Erich Honecker. The 74 year old East German Leader to make a landmark visit to West Germany in september yet As with other East German moves the concessions to mounting demands Lor travel to the Wesl have been made in an arbitrary administrative fashion and Are far from being enshrined As a right some people Are Laid Only an hour before they have to catch the train said a 30-year-old woman from Leipzig who said she had to leave her husband and two children behind to visit an aunt and Uncle in the West. Luckily i had a few  the woman had been in West Germany Lor a week and was Walling for her Mother in Law a arrive on the 6 25 from Leipzig. She said that her experience in Tho West was so overwhelming that you can Only  on television you Only see a Little bit she continued referring Loa East German passion for vicariously sampling the glittering West on television. One is so Iroe. Over there you Are always looking Over your shoulder and she did Down the empty track. East Germany has Long permitted people who have reached retirement age women Over 60 and men Over 65 to visit West Germany in the Hope thai some will remain and thus relieve the stale of ils social Security obligations a joke in East Berlin has it that Honecker is being allowed by Moscow to visit West Germany because the russians discovered he was old enough to get a pension. Bui East Germany started letting Large numbers of younger people out Only last year when 573,000 Woie granted visits in the context of what where called urgent Amily matters a Rubric that has been Given Ever broader interpretations this marked a huge jump Over the 66,000 of 19b5. The  were evidently so encouraged by the Small number of Easl germans who used such sunday August 23. 1987 visits to remain in the Wesl less than t per cent Hal this year icy have already allowed out More than Hall a million at a rate Hal is expected to reach a million by the end of the year. About 1.5 million retired peo to Corneas Well. In East Germany where citizens have the drab Choice of vacationing in 6u Gana the soviet Union of Hungary a trip to the West has almost magical Over tones. At a big protestant Church Assembly in East Berlin in july the Issue of travel pushed ils Way id the top of the Agenda laymen openly and int rapidly demanded the right to travel freely. In granting permission to visit relatives in West Germany the East German authorities risk accentuating the emergence of a two class system in their nominally egalitarian state. Already East germans who have West German relatives Benefit from gifts of West German Marks which give them Access to special hard currency luxury stores. The irony is that if you re a communist official at the top like Honecker you can come to the West or if you re a Normal citizen at the Bottom you can but if you re a Middle level communist functionary who is banned from such contacts you cannot observed Ronald Asmus an american academic aug horrify on East Germany who lives in Wesl Berlin. There s a to of malaise added Asmus. There s All this frustration from 25 years of the Wall and they re letting 10 percent of the steam  Hall of East Germany s 17 million citizens have relatives in Wesl Germany. But to avoid benefiting them alone. The communist bureaucracy has started experimenting with allowing citizens visit to rinds Ollen thinly disguised As Remote relatives. To qualify As a Host a Friend must have made at least one visit to East Germany. Typically an Easl German must leave several close relatives a spouse or children behind when Selling off to the West. Those granted permission Are not told Why nor Are those who Are denied. It is made Clear that the Ludry ones Are being Given exceptional treatment granted a privilege and not a right. I Lei my Wile in tha pawnshop joked a46-Yeai-old Man irom Magdeburg who alighted from the train in Cologne on track 6. But 1 was surprised. On the train there were even a few couples but East Berlin has sharply Cut Back on the number of East germans being permitted to Settle legally in Wesl Germany. In 1984, a record 35.000 were allowed Lodo so and in the two subsequent years the numbers were 19,000 and 20,000. This year Only 5,000 have been Given permission to resettle. West German officials say that Honecker has plainly cafe cider to make a Trade off Between a More generous travel policy and More restrictive emigration policy. But some evidence suggests hat a number of Frai time visitors to West Germany return to East Germany determined to try to resettle in the West with their families. The people who come Over Here go Back with Brand new ideas and that is the real danger for Easl Germany commented Horst Schumm. An of Lucial at the House at checkpoint Charlie a wast Berlin institution that monitors Public opinion in the communist neighbor. This Transfer of ideas and information this is what Easl Germany has tried to prevent for  East Germany s ambivalent Altitude toward the new policy was indicated Early in August when by Fiat citizens were Cut Back to $8.30 in West German Marks Lor their trips compared with $36.80 permitted earlier. This measure got East Germany a burs of negative publicity in Wesl Germany and it was broadcast quickly Back in ideas Germany. Just As Easl Berlin and Bonn were about to announce Hal Honecker would make a path breaking trip to Bonn on sell 7. Bui in Chancellor Helmut Kohl s government his Belt lightening measure was Macip rated As an opening bid to obtain West German subsidies for the Neil wave of liar clerk. Perhaps in the form of tree Railroad passage Easl German visitors arc Given Grants of up to $40 by Wesl German municipalities and under an agreement can Avail themselves of Wesl Germany s Superior medical care. Many break their cheap East German eyeglasses to get nicer West German ones. The stars and stripes Page 13