East Germans Warned of Neo-Nazism : Politics: East Berlin ‘Round Table’ brings together leaders of various parties and opposition groups.

An East Berlin political conference warned Wednesday that a rising incidence of neo-Nazi acts in East Germany represents a “serious danger for the nation and democracy.”

The first “Round Table,” bringing together various political parties and opposition groups to discuss democratic reforms and the run-up to the May elections, said East German authorities investigated 144 reports of neo-Nazi violence this year--three times the number in 1988.

The East German media have reported an increasing number of acts that it calls right-wing extremism, as well as random acts of violence, in a nation that previously acknowledged little crime.

In a resolution, the Round Table delegates said they “observed with worry that neo-fascist forces in the land are increasingly showing up and starting to organize. Alarm signals have been set off.

“We must protect and unequivocally bolster the anti-fascist climate in our country, to move decisively against anything that discriminates against entire human groups, freezes out people of different views and thereby disregards the quality of all people,” the resolution continued.

At the same time Wednesday, the official East German news agency ADN published a poll conducted by the Central Institute for Youth Research showing that 42% of the sample said they are afraid of growing violence and aggression. The poll also showed that 90% of East Germans fear severe economic problems ahead, ADN said.

In addition, the survey indicated that 48% of the sample favor reunification of the two Germanys.

At the one-day East Berlin Round Table meeting, many of the 36 delegates accused the East German government of withholding pertinent information on the state of the nation and the economy.

They said the government of Prime Minister Hans Modrow had not provided enough information for the delegates to plan intelligent reforms to serve as platforms for the various parties and opposition groups that intend to contest East Germany’s first free election.

“Up to now, the Modrow government has only very incompletely complied with our demands for the disclosure of the ecological, economic and financial situation in our land,” a resolution declared.

It was the sharpest public criticism of the reformist Modrow, the only senior Communist Party political figure who has not been discredited.

But the meeting rejected another resolution proposed by New Forum, the leading opposition group, that would have insisted that Modrow appear for questioning and give the Round Table a veto on legislation.

Nevertheless, most delegates agreed that the government should send a representative to the Round Table group to consult on all future legislation before the national elections in May.

On Wednesday, ADN also reported that the East German foreign trading firm Limex-Bau has made a deal with a West German company to sell pieces of the Berlin Wall abroad.

“The proceeds will go exclusively to humanitarian causes in East Germany and to public health services,” the firm’s manager said.