German Restraint

Helmut Kohl is the former chancellor of Germany. His remarks here are adapted from an interview he gave in early November for NPQ's weekly Global Viewpoint column to FOCUS editors Helmut Markwort and Henning Krumrey.

Bonn - We Germans must not forget who we are. This includes out history, with its glorious as well as atrocious chapters. We are the country in the heart of Europe with the longest overall borders. What happens in Germany is of more interest than what happens in other countries. German foreign policy at the end of the century has to live with the experiences of the entire century. Man have not forgotten those experiences. For German foreign policy, this mean approaching our friends with tact, sensitivity, receptiveness for their problems but also self-confidence.

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