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From: VAM9360@WOOSTER.BITNET (Milos van Leeuwen)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Subject: Re: USSR(#33)
Message-ID: <90039.1653.VAM9360@WOOSTER>
Date: 8 Feb 90 16:53:00 GMT
Sender: Forum for the Discussion of Politics <POLITICS@UCF1VM>
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>> The Germanies-
>>
>> Earlier today, I posted a comment to the 9Nov89-L list speculating on the
>> Schvernadze proposal that the world vote(Huh?) on the reunification. I think
>> this a European question, at the most the nations of Europe should decide, at
>> the least-the US, the USSR, France, Great Britain, and the two Germanies.
>> Somewhere in between might be a partial European referendum. I've not thought
>> this out yet.
>>
>It seems to me that this is a German question, and that only.  No one
>in Europe or anywhere else has the right to tell the German people
>whether they can become one nation again.  A popular vote, taken in
>both East and West Germany, should decide it, and no one else should
>have anything to say about it.  Admittedly, at the end of WWII, there
>were reasons for the splitting, but I don't think they have any place
>in today's world.  We have no evidence that the Germans are ripe for
>another Hitler, or that any such person exists.  In the absence of
>threat, prudence is silent.  In this case, it is their decision, not
>ours, not the USSR's, and not Europe's.
>
>I think this should be the stance of the US government, which at least
>pays lip service to self-determination.  What do you think?
>
>Steve L Vissage II

Although I don't share this viewpoint, I do see that there are good reasons
for arguing that the FRG and GDR should decide their future themselves.
I was wondering if this is legally possible.  Doesn't the treaty signed
by the allies (if any exist, maybe I mean the peace treaty?) make it
legally impossible (at least for the FRG) to make such decisions without
the former allies approval?  Does anybody have details on this?

Milos van Leeuwen

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(\/)ilos says:
 The probability of a piece of bread falling with the buttered side
 down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
 :-)