Word: bundestag
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...Communists' Easter concessions were timed to place maximum pressure on West Germany to confirm the treaties of Warsaw and Moscow, which will be submitted to the Bundestag in early May. Unless Bonn ratifies the treaties, the Berlin agreement, and its clauses about freer access, will not go into effect. Hence, the East Germans and their Soviet supporters in effect were saying: "See, this is how it is going to be if the treaties are ratified. If they aren't, forget it." The Communists have hinted that the situation will get worse if Bonn fails to follow through...
...Richard Nixon's hoped-for "era of negotiation" in a renewed round of cold war invective. Improbable as it might seem-and to the distress of almost everyone concerned-the future course of East-West relations hangs on a margin of two votes in West Germany's Bundestag...
...central pieces are the 1970 treaties of Moscow and Warsaw, which recognized the Oder-Neisse line as Poland's western border and ruled out the use of force in any future disputes between West Germany, Poland and Russia. Brandt made their ratification by the Bundestag contingent upon the conclusion of a satisfactory agreement improving the status of West Berlin...
Thus the whole fragile structure hinges on ratification of the Moscow treaty by Bonn's Bundestag, where Brandt's governing coalition of Social Democrats and Free Democrats until two weeks ago had a majority of 251 out of 496 seats. That slim margin is now imperiled. First, one Social Democrat Deputy declared himself opposed to the treaties and bolted to the opposition, reducing Brandt's support to 250 votes-only one more than the absolute majority necessary to ensure ratification of the treaties. Two weeks ago, a Free Democrat Deputy announced that he was undecided about...
...Bundestag will vote on the treaties in May. Meanwhile, there is an outside chance that Brandt's coalition might win the state elections that will be held on April 23 in the traditionally conservative state of Baden-Württemberg. This election could conceivably overturn the opposition majority in the Bundesrat, or upper house, which voted down the treaties in February by 21 to 20. If the Bundesrat reverses course, a simple majority of Bundestag members present and voting, rather than an absolute majority of all 496 deputies, would suffice to pass the treaties. On the other hand...