Having returned from Berlin, Chancellor Kohl made a statement about the developments in the German Democratic Republic in the press conference organized following the cabinet meeting.

Having stated that the Federal Government had summoned the State and Party Administration of the German Democratic Republic to open their gates for a radical change in the fields of state, economy and society, Kohl reiterated that they are ready for assistance. He also declared that he had had a detailed phone conversation with Krenz, the leader of the German Democratic Republic and that he had informed Krenz about his appreciation of their decision concerning the opening of the borders, that they agreed upon a visit by Federal Minister Seiters to Berlin on 20 November to conduct preparatory meetings with the Administration of the German Democratic Republic and that Seiters would meet with Krenz and the Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic, who will have been elected by then. He noted that they would want to know in these meetings the concrete steps which the Administration of the German Democratic Republic intend to take, especially how and when they will organize the free elections which have been announced. He also stated that Krenz and he decided to meet somewhere outside East Berlin in the German Democratic Republic.

Having indicated that he had also had telephone conversations with President Bush, President Mitterrand and Prime Minister Thatcher, Kohl also declared that he informed his colleagues about his visit to Poland and he mentioned his first impressions of the opening of the Berlin Wall, that he was in constant contact with Gorbachev and that he had notified Gorbachev by telephone an hour earlier about his assessment of the situation.

Having reported that Germans from the German Democratic Republic were still coming to stay in the Federal Republic of Germany despite the first indications of change in the German Democratic Republic, Kohl said, “I absolutely object to the fact that the notable social democrats now try to provoke embarrassingly the excitement and feelings against these citizens”, and called on the public for help. He also declared that there was still a long way to go to reach the target and that all the Germans had not yet gained the right to self-determination and he recommended being moderate.

At the end of the press conference, Kohl reported that he would resume his visit by returning to Warsaw that afternoon.