European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday tuesday december 25/h6. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl shakes hands with East germans in downtown Dresden last week after his elks with East German Premier Hans Modrow. Dresden guide ponders City s future path by de Reavis Staft writer Dresden. East Germany Joachim lid inc lived through the havoc wreaked on his cily by Allied bombs in world War ii. Now he s watching anew sort of Lur mail. The future is Uncertain but it Good to know that we could come this far said Liedtke a Dresden cily guide. Lid inc was appointed guide for the 800 journalists who travelled from West Germany to dres Den by special train for the historic meeting last week of West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and East German Premier Hans Modrow. Unfortunately. The journalists had no time for sightseeing in our Beautiful cily Liedtke said. Lid like. A member of the communist party said the enthusiasm shown in Dresden for Kohl was nothing special. They would have cheered any Wisl German politician who came Here. I m afraid inc majority wants unification. 1 Don l. Al least nol Yel. We be got a lot of unfinished business to take care of be fore we think about in spite of the determination and the Progress the East German revolution has made there is still some nagging double among older people that a be it could be turned around through some trick and that the hard line communists could regain Power. That s Why some people who Are for uni ipalion won t say in out loud. And on the other Side of i heroin there s Little tolerance for anyone who wants an Independent socialist state Liedtke said people also worn about the increase of Neo nazi activity and the influence of West Ger Many s right Wing Republican party which wants re unification of the two German is with the Borders of 1937. And they Don t want to be bought out by West germans with their Strong currency. The biggest Domestic problem for Dresden and East German Liedtke said is migration to the West. The Dresden District has 1.8 million inhabitants with 15 county seats and two major towns Dresden and than 28,000 people have left the District. An East German has a peek. To Sec Kohl and Modrow 14,000 alone in Dresden. And much worse it s Pur specialists and the youth. Our entire service infrastructure is dissolving because so Many women have the Wisl German Federal Bureau for inner German affairs claims East germans arc still leaving their country and resettling in West Ger Many at the Rale of 1,000 people a Day. Bui the losses of 1989 arc slight compared o those suffered in the bombing of Dresden in february 1945. Lied Lac remembers Well the horror. He was 11 years old at the Lime. I saw the caravans of horse drawn wagons an open trucks loaded with naked charred bodies carted and driven through the streets to be burned on Alt Markl Square in the Center of he said. The stench from the Mounds of burning flesh saturated the air for 14 Days and All of us that were Here can recall the smell even today. White rus Sian prisoners of War were forced to transport and Burn the bodies. They were Given All the schnapps they could drink and they needed the bombings destroyed six Square Miles of downtown Dresden. The City mourned the deaths of .15.000 registered inhabitants and an unknown number of other people who had sought Refuge in the baroque Pearl on the Elbe River. We Don l like to play up the numbers but some claim a million died in the bombings Icid tic said. The conservative and More credible Esti mates put the number Al 100.000 people had believed Dresden would be spared because in had no St Ralcgie importance. And above All. It was known to contain wealth of european Art treasures. We did t even have flak for Protection and people came therefrom Miles around even if it meant sleeping in inc Parks. The allies hit everything except our Mili tary Cavern and the train station. It took us nine years to remove the Liedtke and others worry today that the people have no patience for reforms and want a Quick unification with West Germany. In 1945 we had no Choice but to be patient because All Germany was destroyed. Today there s the Wisl Germany
