asked the Taoiseach if he was correctly reported in the media as having stated that he favoured the reunification of Germany and would support it; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - German Reunification.
1.
The right to self-determination is a principle endorsed by the Charter of the United Nations. Ireland supports the right of the peoples of the Federal Republic of Germany and of the German Democratic Republic to determine their own future by a free democratic process. This is also the position of the Twelve as affirmed by the Heads of State or Government in Strasbourg last weekend.
I have expressed a personal view that coming as we do from a country which is also divided many of us would have sympathy with any wish of the people of the two German States for unification.
Would the Taoiseach agree that from many of the mass meetings in the Germanies, both the Bundes-republic and the GDR, there have been indications of a very strong wish of many of the people for the type of nationalism that plunged Europe into two world wars, and consequently would the Taoiseach not consider that the warnings on this issue given by Mr. Gorbachev may have more relevance to the fears of people in Europe than to the Taoiseach's sentimentalities in the matter?
No, I would not accept anything of the sort. The 12 heads of state at the recent summit meeting indicated their support for the unity of the German people in the two states. It was indicated that that unity should be achieved in accordance with the principles of self-determination and with due regard to the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. Secondly, a general view among the people attending the summit in Strasbourg was that we were all very fortunate that so far all the dramatic changes that have been taking place in Eastern Europe have taken place in a peaceful atmosphere; in fact it was noted that the experience of all the observers, certainly in Eastern Germany and Western Germany, was that the atmosphere was calm, that it was a tremendous demonstration of people of Eastern Germany and the other eastern countries to secure democratic freedom for themselves and that the astonishing feature about it was that these mass demonstrations were relatively peaceful and calm.
While the Taoiseach may be right in that many of these demonstrations were peaceful, would he not agree that there were quite clear indications that many of the calls for the fatherland reunification were of the ultranationalist type that plunged Europe into war on previous occasions, and that there is a very substantial proportion of the German people both West and East, who oppose reunification because of the very fears of further turmoil perhaps in Europe and for fear of the size and might that a central Germany would have? Would the Taoiseach not further agree that it is totally inappropriate to attempt to draw any kind of comparison between Germany and Ireland having regard to the fact that this country has never been involved in plunging Europe into any kind of war?
I do not accept the general thesis the Deputy is advancing. That view is not widespread in Europe, as far as my observations go. I would reiterate what I have said time and time again, that the principle we should adhere to is that this is a matter for the German people in accordance with the principles of self-determination.
A principle not recognised very frequently by Germany in the last war.
I could not possibly attempt to draw a corollary between Germany and Ireland because the situation is completely different, but I adverted to the fact that as a divided country — I am not saying more than that — we would have an underlying sympathy with the efforts of any other people who wish to achieve their reunification. I assure the Deputy that I have reiterated again and again and the same sentiments were expressed at the conclusion of the summit, that this is a matter for the German people in accordance with the principles of self-determination.
(Limerick East): The Taoiseach's policy statement is based on the right to self-determination of peoples. How would the Taoiseach apply that principle to German peoples in the area which is now under the jurisdiction of Poland or the USSR or indeed the Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia?
When the Taoiseach talks about the self-determination of peoples, is he confining his remarks to the German peoples within the boundaries to the east and south as laid down at Yalta, being the limits of self-determinaton, or is he saying that there is a general right to self-determination of all people either within or outside that boundary?
We should not now have an extension of this matter.
This matter was adverted to in discussions at the recent summit in some detail, but what the summit concerned itself with was the peoples of the two German states, the Bundesrepublic and the GFR and the right of those people to achieve unity in accordance with principles of self-determination and in accordance with the provisions of the Helsinki Final Acts, which says that borders can be changed but only in accordance with international law and by peaceful agreement. That was the context in which the discussions took place.