E. German Diplomat Urges Caution on Race to Unity

East Germany’s foreign minister Wednesday warned against rapid reunification, and his West German counterpart assured the victorious World War II Allies that nothing will be done behind their backs.

In East Berlin, the government sought to assure worried citizens that there will be no immediate increases in state-subsidized food prices and announced plans for large tax cuts to bolster private initiative.

Foreign Minister Oskar Fischer said during a Parliament debate that the unification of Germany must be coupled with similar moves toward greater integration in Europe.

“German unity must proceed at such a rhythm that it corresponds to the interests of the victorious powers and German neighbors,” he said, adding that unification must not rattle European stability or the world’s balance of power.

West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher said Germans must provide definite, binding recognition of European borders before German unification is accepted by all sides.

Responding to Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s statement Tuesday that the World War II Allies --the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France--had the final say on Germany’s status, Genscher said, “We will never question this right.”

Talks between the two German states on reunification “will not be conducted behind the backs of the Four Powers,” Genscher said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio station.

He also said Moscow had not specified what kind of international treaty it wants on German unification.

Gorbachev said a reunified Germany must pledge to respect postwar borders in Europe. He specifically mentioned Poland, where one-third of the western territory belonged to Germany before World War II.

Both Germanys are bound by treaties to respect the present frontier, but a united country would not be, and some conservatives in West Germany have suggested that reunification be sought within the 1937 borders.

Another sensitive issue raised by the rush toward unification has been the question of what to do with the large armies stationed in both Germanys.

The Soviet Union and East Germany insist that the combined state be neutral. West Germany and its Western allies want a united Germany to remain in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.