KUWAIT CITY, Nov 2: Governments around the world should not turn a blind eye to the apartheid and the divisive walls built by Israel in Palestine, said Bader Sayed Albdulwahab Al-Rifai, Secretary General of National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters on Monday. Al-Rifai was talking at the launch of a photo exhibition titled “Escape to the Freedom: Dismantling the Iron Curtain and the Miracles in Central Europe 1989” at Kuwait International Fairgrounds Thursday. It is being held in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of communist regime in Hungary and Austria, and the subsequent fall of the Berlin Wall. The launch was attended by Ambassador of Germany, Dr Michael Worbs, Ambassador of Hungary, Dr Janos Hovari, and Ambassador of Austria, Marian Wrba.

Al-Rifai referred to Palestine after paying tribute to the great revolution in Europe against communist rule. He said, “We are here in remembrance of the fall of two unpleasant landmarks from the face of the world: one a physical structure, the Berlin Wall, and the other a non-physical iron curtain. “The elimination of both declared the end of two centuries of wars and escalating violence between nations. The cold war followed World War II, in which millions had already died.”

‘Proxy wars’ 
Al-Rifai observed how the conflicts in Europe affected the third world countries. He cited the example of wars in Vietnam and other places, which he billed “proxy wars.”
He then turned to the example of Israel, “which is enjoying tacit support from some Arab countries, and which in turn spawned terrorism. Today the conflicts have gone a full circle, and terrorism has hit the West.”
He concluded by saying that the international community should not turn away from its duty of pressurizing Israel to raze down the walls it has raised in Palestine.
Dr Janos Hovari, Hungarian ambassador, was the first to speak about the horrors of the cold war era. “1989 was a decisive year in history. People who had access to top secret documents knew that Soviet Union was likely to lose the cold war. But most commoners did not know.
“There were huge differences between the East Central European communist states. East Germany had one of the toughest and most inhuman systems. Hungary and Poland, on the other hand, were the frontrunners of change: they had several political refugees abroad, a well-organized underground movement at home, and of course many realistic figures in their political life.”

The ambassador then recollected the simmering movement that finally dismantled the iron curtain in Hungary. He portrayed how the simmering discontent and the cry for change went beyond borders. “There was deep solidarity in Hungary with East Germany. All Hungarian opposition groups demanded the government to give free-way to the refugees so that they can leave Hungary.”
He narrated about the exodus of Germans from East Germany to neighboring countries and explained history all through to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The German Ambassador Michel Worbs also spoke and shared snippets from history, reflecting the horrors of communist regime.
The photo exhibition displays interesting scenes from the days of repression and the turmoil that followed all through to the jubilant celebrations in different countries at the arrival of freedom. The exhibition will be on untill Nov 5.

By Valiya S. Sajjad
Arab Times Staff