"No progress in Europe is possible if there is not agreement between France and Germany," Chirac said, calling the city of Berlin a "symbol of Franco-German reconciliation".

希拉克说：“如果没有法德两国之间的和解，欧洲便不会有进步。” 他还将柏林誉为“法德和解的象徵”。

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The FDP, the liberal party that is part of the ruling coalition in Berlin, has proposed renegotiating with the Swiss to toughen the agreement.

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Reagan got tax reform and an arms agreement with Russia even while urging Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

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All the same, if there are substantial and eye-catching changes to the convention text, or if (as seems quite likely) the inter-governmental conference simply fails to reach agreement on time next month, there will be much hand-wringing in Brussels, Paris and Berlin.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne