WORLD : Bonn Closes East Berlin Mission
West Germany shut its East Berlin diplomatic mission today to stem a flood of people seeking exit visas to the West and to limit damage to its fragile relations with East Germany.
A surge in the number of East Germans taking refuge Monday forced Bonn to close the mission, equivalent to an embassy, for only the second time since the two German states established diplomatic ties in 1974. It will remain closed until further notice.
About 130 East Germans--families, couples and single people--are holed up in the five-story building and a compound annex where they sleep on mattresses. Bonn expects more than 80,000 East Germans to settle legally in West Germany this year.
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