Kohl Endorses Bush, Hailing Role in Europe

German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, ending two days of informal talks with President Bush, offered his support Sunday for the President’s reelection next November, saying that democracy might not have prevailed over communism if Bush had not been a strong leader.

Kohl volunteered his endorsement at the close of bilateral talks that covered a wide range of foreign policy issues, including an upcoming summit of industrial nations, aid to the former Soviet republics and a persistent deadlock over agricultural subsidies in U.S.-European trade negotiations.

In a joint press conference with Kohl, Bush was asked whether his own interest in foreign policy would prove to be an asset or a liability in the election. He has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for spending too much time on international diplomacy at the expense of domestic concerns.

“I am convinced that foreign policy and world peace is going to be a major issue in the fall,” Bush replied.

Interrupting, Kohl said that he thought the question of U.S. leadership in world affairs was of the “utmost importance for us in Germany and in Europe as a whole.”

Smiling impishly, Kohl said it was not his place to get involved in American politics, but he added that--if he were asked his opinion--he would point to the many changes that have occurred in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe since Bush became President in 1989.

“Had President George Bush not proved to be such a strong leader over these past years,” he said, “obviously these dramatic changes would not have taken place in the world.”

Kohl explained that he was not giving Bush sole credit for bringing about the collapse of communism. “There were many others who influenced events,” he said, “but he (Bush) played a decisive role.”

Bush, obviously buoyed by Kohl’s endorsement, said his record on foreign policy demonstrates that he is an advocate of change, not a protector of the status quo.

In an effort to capitalize politically on the current trade negotiations, Bush emphasized that it is in the interest of all Americans--and particularly American farmers--to have a new General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that will open foreign markets to U.S. products.

“I know we still have some isolationists, some protectionists, that don’t want to go forward with these international agreements,” he said, without naming anyone in particular. “They are wrong. It is in the interest of our country to conclude the GATT agreement.”