Gorbachev Urges German Patience : Tells East Berlin of Faith in Ability to Solve Problems

Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev urged East Germans today to be patient for change as he helped observe 40 years of a Communist system that tens of thousands of East Germans have recently rejected by fleeing West.

The Kremlin chief said he has “complete confidence” in East Germany’s ability to solve its growing problems.

Communist authorities closed three major border crossings between East and West Berlin, and church sources said riot police with clubs, tear gas and water cannons patrolled the streets of major cities throughout East Germany.

The sources also reported new clashes between police and protesters, and West German television showed battles in Dresden between police and protesters hoping to join the exodus of refugees.

“Be patient, don’t panic and don’t be sad. We are very close partners and we will solve our problems and struggles together,” Gorbachev told 1,000 East Germans at a monument for the victims of fascism.

“Gorby! Gorby!” East Germans shouted as Gorbachev arrived from Moscow.

Asked if he thought the situation in East Germany was dangerous, he said: “I don’t think so.”

“Compared to our problems, there is no comparison,” he said with a chuckle. “Nothing surprises us anymore.”

“We have complete confidence in” East Germany’s ability to solve its problems, he said.

Gorbachev joined other East Bloc leaders for a two-day show of unity, despite fractured relations over the refugee flight and East Germany’s reluctance to try the type of political reforms he has championed.

East German leader Erich Honecker welcomed Gorbachev at East Berlin’s Schoenefeld Airport, the state news agency ADN said. Gorbachev later planned to address Communist Party dignitaries.

Also today, a train brought 633 East German refugees from Poland to West Germany, the latest of more than 47,000 citizens who have fled this tightly controlled society to the West since mid-September.

There were efforts to avoid further embarrassment to the East Berlin government. Authorities closed three of the nine busiest border crossings into the city, turning back hundreds of tourists and West Germans since Thursday, said Werner Thronicker, a spokesman for the West Berlin government.

East Berlin, the site of anniversary events, was bedecked with the fixtures of socialist celebration. Huge red banners were draped from the Communist Party headquarters, reviewing stands were set for parades and flags hung from public buildings and apartment blocks.

Kiosks were plastered with posters showing construction workers and young mothers appreciating accomplishments of the postwar republic, founded on Oct. 7, 1949.

But the image of the East Germans who fled to the West through Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland was broadcast nationwide by West German television.

The West German government said it saw “no reason for celebration” since the date marks four decades of the division of the German nation.