[PEN-L:6735] Germany on Embassy Bombing

["Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nato has not told enough: Schroeder

GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder offered China an ``unconditional
apology'' on behalf of his country and Nato for the bombing of the
embassy in Belgrade and said alliance explanations had been
``far from enough''.

Mr Schroeder also said in a meeting with Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan
that China ``has every reason to demand a comprehensive, thorough and
in-depth investigation into the incident and affix the responsibility
for it'', Xinhua News Agency reported.

Mr Schroeder arrived in China on Wednesday after four days of sometimes
violent protests in Beijing and just hours before the remains of three
journalists killed in Friday's attack were returned to Beijing. Mr
Schroeder had sent a personal message of regret to Chinese President
Jiang Zemin before leaving Germany.

China has rejected Nato's explanation that the bombing was a mistake and
demanded a full explanation and punishment of those responsible.

German officials said the bombing and an outpouring of rage across China
would dominate Mr Schroeder's visit, his first to China since becoming
chancellor last year. The visit had been intended to focus on trade.

As chairman of the Group of Eight _ a forum of Western powers and Russia
that agreed on the outline of a peace plan for Kosovo last week in Bonn
_ Mr Schroeder plays a key role in forming a consensus on a peace plan.
China's support is needed to endorse any plan for Kosovo in the UN
Security Council.

``Just the fact that we are talking shows that both sides remain
interested in a dialogue,'' Mr Schroeder had said before leaving
Germany. He added that differences over Kosovo should not be allowed to
affect
ties. ``I think we will make it clear that a close economic and
political relationship between Germany and China, between Europe and
China, will also be needed in the future,'' he said.

Earlier, the chancellor told his cabinet that his main goal was to
ensure ``that no doors are slammed shut and that China is tied into
efforts for a political solution'' for the southern Yugoslav province.

Following the bombing, China downgraded the long-planned trip from a
state visit to a simple working visit, and it was cut from four days to
just 24 hours. A German business delegation that was to accompany Mr
Schroeder cancelled, and Mr Schroeder cancelled a visit to Shanghai.

Mr Schroeder was briefed by Nato Secretary-General Javier Solana on the
latest in the investigation into the errors that led to the attack on
the embassy. The Nato claim was that it mistakenly believed the
embassy to be a Yugoslav command centre. - AP 5/13/99 Via HK Standard