Beaming Bush Claims Credit for Soviet OK of Germany in NATO

A buoyant President Bush took credit Tuesday for the end of Soviet opposition to German membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, declaring that “the United States has been in the forefront” of efforts to shape the post-Cold War world.

For more than a year, ever since Soviet domination of Eastern Europe began its rapid collapse, Bush has stuck to quiet rhetoric and subdued gestures, fearing that loud proclamations of victory from Washington would undermine Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s authority in Moscow.

But in the last few weeks, several major parts of the Administration’s foreign policy have borne fruit, and both Bush and his aides have begun complimenting themselves publicly on how well things have turned out.

At the same time, Administration officials see a new challenge to keep the United States in the limelight at a time when Gorbachev and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl are at center stage. Bush’s approach Tuesday was to compliment both Kohl and Gorbachev extensively while saying that both men were following a U.S. lead.

“It’s a challenging and very exciting time to be President of the United States,” Bush said in a brief speech to publishing executives in Washington. “I take pride in the way Europe is moving into this new era of freedom. It’s a goal we Americans have long worked to achieve.”

The goal since last fall has been to persuade the Soviets to withdraw their troops from Eastern Europe as quickly and smoothly as possible while keeping U.S. troops in Europe and leaving a united Germany in NATO.

Many Administration critics had called that goal unrealistically ambitious, saying that Gorbachev’s military, his conservative opposition and his citizenry’s historic fears of Germany would prevent him from agreeing to any such plan even if he himself wanted to accept it.

But Gorbachev announced Monday, after meeting Kohl, that in fact he would agree to German membership in NATO. And Bush, after a half-hour telephone conversation with Kohl and a 40-minute call to Gorbachev on Tuesday morning, was clearly elated.

“I feel that the agreement that was announced yesterday between Gorbachev and Kohl was very, very significant and very important,” Bush said. “Isn’t it exciting, when you think back a year and a half ago, to where we stand today?”

Eighteen months ago, the United States and its NATO allies still confronted the Soviet army, backed by Warsaw Pact forces, across the highly militarized border between East and West Germany.

Now, that border has all but disappeared--it will completely disappear with the full unification of the two Germanys in December. The Soviets have agreed to withdraw all troops from Eastern Europe within four years; both the United States and Germany have agreed to major cuts in their European armies, and all sides expect agreements soon on treaties that will substantially reduce Europe-based nuclear weapons.

The White House released few details of Bush’s conversations with Kohl and Gorbachev. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said that Bush, during his telephone conversation, briefed Gorbachev on the decisions made at this month’s two summit meetings--the NATO summit in London and the economic summit in Houston. The prospects of Western aid to the Soviets were major topics of discussion at both meetings.

The President “wanted to give President Gorbachev personal assurances of NATO’s commitment to establish a new relationship with the Soviet Union,” Fitzwater reported.

Later in the day, Bush met with Neil Kinnock, leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party. The meeting was significant primarily because it contrasted with the practice of former President Ronald Reagan, who consistently tried to avoid meetings with opponents of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The meeting was one more sign that Thatcher is no longer the White House favorite among allied leaders, a spot that has been usurped by Kohl.