|
On 26 November
1972, agreement is reached on a Basic Treaty governing relations
between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic
Republic. The Four Powers announce their support for these two states
to join the United Nations though emphasise that this would not
effect their rights and responsibilities in Berlin.
In May 1972,
the North Atlantic Council had launched a new phase in East-West
relations. Meeting in Bonn, Allied Ministers had agreed to begin
multilateral talks in preparation for a Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
CSCE preparatory
negotiations, with the participation of all European states except
Albania, and with the United States and Canada, open in Helsinki
on 22 November. These end in June 1973 with agreement on a conference
agenda divided into three chapters or 'baskets': (1) European security
including confidence-building measures; (2) economic, scientific,
technological, and environmental cooperation; (3) cooperation in
the humanitarian field, including human contacts, information, culture,
and education.
The first
stage of the Conference itself, attended by the Foreign Ministers
of the participating states, is held in Helsinki from 3 to 7 July
1973, during which the proposed agenda is adopted. The second stage
takes place in Geneva from September 1973 to July 1975.
|
