Gorbachev, Bush Invited to German Ceremonies

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl on Friday invited President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to witness the Cold War’s demise at Oct. 3 ceremonies celebrating German reunification, although Bonn and Moscow are still haggling over some details of the historic merger.

Kohl telephoned the two leaders to go over the remaining areas of contention and to ask them to take part in the festivities, Hans Klein, a spokesman for the Bonn government, said.

It was not known whether both erstwhile adversaries would attend, but the ceremonies would provide a welcome backdrop of foreign policy success for the presidents, who are currently struggling with other crises.

The East German news agency ADN reported from Moscow that Gorbachev plans to take part and that he hopes to shake Bush’s hand at the Brandenburg Gate, near the site of the Berlin Wall, which stood for 28 years as a symbol of East-West division.

Gorbachev and Bush are expected to discuss the invitation at their meeting Sunday in Finland.

French President Francois Mitterrand and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, leaders of the other two victorious powers of World War II, have already indicated that they will attend the festivities in Berlin.

The two Germanys concluded a treaty last week that spells out the specifics of their reunion, but an accord on the international aspects remains to be signed.

“Two-plus-four” talks, involving the two Germanys and the four victorious powers, ended Friday without agreement on how much support West Germany should provide for the Soviet troop withdrawal from East Germany over the next four years.

Diplomats in East Berlin said they were confident that the last wrinkles could be ironed out next week when the foreign ministers of the six nations meet in Moscow.

The Soviets have been pressing for more financial assistance from Bonn in repatriating their 370,000 troops from East Germany.

The reunited German state will be a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, although the Soviets will not complete their pullout from the East German sector until 1994. The fate of the East German People’s Army is still unclear.

Much of the Kremlin’s concern is with economic questions, such as where to house the soldiers and their families and how to integrate the forces into domestic defense units.

In addition to the withdrawal difficulties, the Soviets have also insisted that the final document specifying international terms for reunification must include a promise to keep nuclear weapons out of what is now East German territory, diplomatic sources said.

The Western allies have reportedly rejected this demand on grounds that such a written commitment would infringe on the sovereignty of the new German state.