President Bush on Monday launched a 35-nation meeting on how to facilitate the growth of freedom and the easing of East-West tensions in Europe. Bush called on the foreign ministers to strengthen the European Security Conference by giving it a permanent secretariat as well as an elections office to supervise the exercise of voting rights in Europe. Just before Bush opened the meeting, which is making arrangements for a summit to be held in Paris Nov. 19-21, the Big Four allies of World War II suspended their last controls over Berlin. In a ceremony capped by a champagne toast, Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Foreign Ministers Douglas Hurd of Britain, Roland Dumas of France and Eduard A. Shevardnadze of the Soviet Union turned over supervision of access to Berlin and the German border to the Germans. Bush called it ``a moving moment,'' and said ``we really rejoice with the German people.'' East Germany will merge formally with West Germany, creating a single, more powerful and prosperous nation at midnight Tuesday. Bush said unification is an expression of the human rights and fundamental freedoms set down in the 1975 Helsinki agreement produced by the European Security Conference. Depending on the decisions taken by the foreign ministers, the Paris summit is expected to establish a new structure to bridge East and West and also a treaty to cut U.S. and Soviet weapons in Europe. Bush, after a meeting with Shevardnadze, said the Soviet minister was confident the accord would be ready for signing in Paris. ``I came out of the meeting encouraged also in asking for flexibility so these negotiators can polish off the remaining differences,'' Bush said. Baker and Shevardnadze made headway in two meetings last week and will meet here again Wednesday. Meanwhile, the administration gave its support to full membership for the three Baltic republics and said Albania may be allowed to participate as an observer.
