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Speech by Professor Rolf Wernstedt, President of Lower Saxon State Parliament
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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH BY PROF ROLF WERNSTEDT, PRESIDENT OF THE LOWER SAXON STATE PARLIAMENT
AT THE PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE
ON 12 FEBRUARY 2001

Mr Premier,
 Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is to me a very particular concern to thank you cordially for the opportunity to be able to speak today from this place to you.

First, Id like to draw your attention to some striking features of Lower Saxony, the German land we come from, and some fundamental 
cornerstones of Lower Saxon politics:

A dominant point of Lower Saxony is the central location with Germany and Europe. Lower Saxony is the second largest state of Germany in 
terms of area. It is for example larger than the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, or Switzerland.

Lower Saxonys more than 47000 qkm are 13,3 % of the total area of Germany, the 7,9 million inhabitants are 9,2% of the total population of 
the Federal Republic. In terms of population, Lower Saxony is nearly as large as Austria or Sweden.

During the 45 year long post war period, Lower Saxony had the longest border to the former GDR a border that was hermetically sealed and 
virtually impassable. Today lower Saxony has a "new centrality". Important to see is the new bridging function of Lower Saxony between 
North and South, East and West within Europe.

Due to its central position at the heart of Europe and its favourable transport connections, it acts as a turntable between Central Europe, 
Scandinavia and Europe. This fact provides a great challenge and chance for this state.

The central location is underscored by the sheer number of its neighbours: eight of the sixteen German states are contiguous with Lower 
Saxony the Netherlands and the North Sea serving as direct links to foreign markets to the West and North, respectively.

The variety of this land draws its strength from the harmony of nature and man and the contrast of coastline and inland. Lower Saxony has 
attractive leisure time facilities, famous spa resorts, popular vacation regions, marshlands and swampy moores. Medieval town with half 
timbered houses and a large number of popular recreation areas lie in between.

Two thirds of Lower Saxony are given over to farming and are characterized by agriculture and forestry. Therefore nature conservation, 
biotope preservation and coastal protection are very important topics in Lower Saxon politics.

We must always strike a balance between ecology and economy. Among the key elements in our policy is therefore the constant endeavour to 
preserve environmental and cultural resources and our cultural heritage. Environmental quality has become a factor of production today, 
indispensable particularly to high-tech enterprises.

At the turn of the millennium, the World Exposition EXPO 2000 has also been held here which under its motto "mankind nature technology " 
has been presenting solutions to the most urgent problems of this planet.

As Lower Saxony is situated in the centre of Germany and in the middle of Europe, the key European traffic connections intersect here, 
making Lower Saxony an ideal base for production and for supplying markets throughout Europe.

Lower Saxonys infrastructure is highly developed, with high speed railroad links, an airport capable of handling a great deal of traffic, 
seaports and a dense network of glass fiber cables for high speed telecommunication. That makes room for the realization of new ideas and 
personal goals.

Lower Saxonys economic policy aims to promote necessary changes and to augment the development of modem technologies and qualified 
services.

Recently, it has been predominantly electronics companies that have located in Lower Saxony. Research and development in Lower Saxony 
traditionally focuses on the fields of;

* earth science, safeguarding natural resources
* ocean technology and research
* ecological research, climatology, pollution control technologies
* physical and chemical engineering biotechnology
* building related research and structural engineering.

Generally speaking, the fields in new technology which are primarily promoted in Lower Saxony are laser technology, material engineering, 
micro-electronics, environmental technology and transportation engineering.

Secondly, Id like to emphasize the following aspect:

We have in Germany, and concomitantly in Lower Saxony, a still very, youngdemocracy even well 50 years old. The first German democracy of 
1918-1933 were destroyed because, in Germany of these days, we had few democrats. The national Socialists led Germany into the largest 
disaster of his history, into a incomparable historical catastrophe.

In West Germany, after the Second World War, there was the chance of a democratic new start. In East Germany, however, there was a 
communist dictatorship until 1990.

There is with us a long and intensive discussion about the responsibility of this history. We speak about crimes in the past, about debt 
and expiation

The Germans pursued with large attention how South Africa, where until 10 years before there was the inhumane apartheid, discusses the 
problems of the bad past and the aftermath of political crimes. We ourselves do not know the experiment of a reconciliation commission in 
which the offenders admit their debt.

We do not know whether you are content with the results.. But that one must speak openly over the past, also we believe. If one does not 
deal openly with such problems, the spirit of the intolerance and the discord will continue to exist.

We, both in Germany and in Lower Saxony, want that also South Africa has an economically and democratically successful future before 
itself. We have to do so in a joint effort.

Lower Saxony and Eastern Cape have had an intensive exchange since 10 years: at information and consultation. In order to build up a new 
structure of your administration, we constantly have been standing by you.

The former Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Schrode, who is now Federal Chancellor, was here as well as different ministers and 
experts for agriculture, economics and law.

I myself received and spoke to your prime Minister (Premier) and different ministers (MECs) in my former office as Minister of Cultural 
Affairs and in my nowaday office as President of the Federal State Parliament of Lower Saxony.

The parliament of Eastern Cape and Lower Saxony are regional parliaments. The federal structure of Germany was model to South Africa. I 
could imagine that your parliament and the administration of the parliament have an interest to learn the functions and procedures of our 
parliament.

Therefore, I would like to suggest that two civil servants of your parliament come some day to use to Lower Saxony to work and to judge and 
to observe together with our officials.

I would like to thank you again cordially, also in the name of our State Parliament of Lower Saxony and all members of my delegation, for 
the opportunity to speak here and to thank you for the friendliness with which you received us.

I am very pleased about further contacts and the growing friendship between Eastern Cape and Lower Saxony.

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