WEST GERMANY: REPRESENTATIVES FROM WEST GERMANY AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA RESUME TALKS TO NORMALISE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES.

Record ID: 640598

  • Title: WEST GERMANY: REPRESENTATIVES FROM WEST GERMANY AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA RESUME TALKS TO NORMALISE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES.
  • Date: 13th April 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Bungalow in Chancleramt in Bonn 0.05 2. SV INT Mr. Frank welcomes Czech minister Goetz and delegates 0.16 3. SV Press 0.19 4. SV Frank and Goetz take seats at conference table followed by other delegates (2 shots) 0.45 5. SV PAN FROM German speaker to Goetz and delegates 0.54 6. GV Delegates during talks 1.01 Initials BB/1445 DH/AW/BB/1500 NOTE TO EDITORS: Visnews has prepared a backgrounder to these talks (Production Number 3309/73) on the 1938 Munich Agreement and the Sudetanland issue. Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 28th April 1973 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BONN, WEST GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA6ZZ7DDK629MQ7JQG44UY41IJW
  • Story Text: Representatives from West Germany and Czechoslovakia met in Bonn on Thursday (12 April) for talks aimed at normalising relations between the two countries.

    The two-day talks began with a full meeting of the two delegations, led by West German State Secretary Paul Frank and Czechoslovak Deputy Foreign Minister Jiri Goetz.

    After two hours, the talks were suspended, and a working committee took over, leading to speculation that the deliberations -- the sixth in a series broken of last June because of disagreement -- were at last going well.

    The main obstacle to diplomatic links between the two countries has been the 1938 Munich Agreement. It is an accord signed by Britain, France, Italy and Nazi Germany which allowed Adolf Hitler to seize Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland territories.

    The problem in reaching an agreement lies in ensuring that the two sides can agree on how the 1938 pact can be treated without involving either in complex legal and financial difficulties.

    Czechoslovakia has in the past demanded that the Munich Agreement be declared void. The Bonn government, however, is prepared to concede that the pact was immoral, but insists that it was valid under international law. To declare the Munich Agreement void from the beginning, or "ex tunc" in legal terms, Bonn officials point out that there would be no backing in international law for Nazi Germany's occupation of the Sudetenland. Czechoslovakia could then claim massive reparations.

    SYNOPSIS: Representatives from West Germany and Czechoslovakia met in Bonn on Thursday for talks aimed at normalising relations between the two countries. The delegation from West Germany was led by State Secretary, Paul Frank, seen here greeting Deputy Foreign Minister, Jiri Goetz, the leader of the Czech party.

    Thursday's talks were the sixth in a series of deliberations broken off last June because of disagreement. The main obstacle in establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries has been the 1938 Munich Agreement...a pact signed by Britain, France, Italy and Nazi Germany, which allowed Adolf Hitler to seize Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland territories. Both sides have disagreed in the past on how the 1938 Agreement should be interpreted.

    The Bonn government is prepared to concede that the pact was immoral, but is unwilling to agree to Czechoslovakia's demand that the Agreement be declared void. To do so, say Bonn officials would enable Czechoslovakia to claim massive reparations.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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