and diplomats had time to catch their breath, the European Community had to respond, if only in terms of the provisions of the Treaty of Rome to which Mr de Maizière has referred. On 11 November, having convened an urgent meeting of the members of the European Commission, I was interviewed on German television and I asserted that the East Germans were free to choose, and that there was a place for them in the European Community. I added, and I quote: 'We are a great community within which we shall together build our destiny to better harness history in the interest of all.'
At the time, it was not possible to say more. It was my duty to send a message of welcome and hope to our EastGerman friends. At the same time, I tried to allay the fears and anxieties felt by many people. From that moment on, many meetings were held between leaders across the world, between the United States and the Soviet Union, between the latter and the Europeans, and between East and West Germany and the four allied powers of World War Two, the 'Two-plus-Four' Process. Meanwhile, progress was being made in the negotiations between the Federal Republic of Germany and representatives of the German Democratic Republic, and primarily between Mr de Maizière and Chancellor Kohl.
This raised many questions, it should be said, within the European Community in light of this radically shifting political landscape. However, the European Community could ultimately only approve and support reunification of the two Germanies, which