Article vexes German ambassador

GERMAN Ambassador Wolfgang Massing has taken issue with an article in yesterday’s The Namibian under the headline ‘Namibia, Germany reparation talks off’.

Massing said the article was a complete distortion of an interview he gave to the journalist. “I have at no moment referred to what your reporter called ‘reparation talks’.I assume that he refers to the ‘Special Initiative’ proposed by the German government.Let me clarify that at no point of time any such talks had been planned for next week with regard to this issue,” Massing said.He said the German government fully respected and understood the decision of the Namibian Government to postpone the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Special Initiative.”The focus of my interview was to highlight the very successful state visit of HE President Hifikepunye Pohamba to Germany, which has given fresh impulses to our excellent bilateral relations.There was no word about this in your article,” he said.”I have at no moment referred to what your reporter called ‘reparation talks’.I assume that he refers to the ‘Special Initiative’ proposed by the German government.Let me clarify that at no point of time any such talks had been planned for next week with regard to this issue,” Massing said.He said the German government fully respected and understood the decision of the Namibian Government to postpone the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Special Initiative.”The focus of my interview was to highlight the very successful state visit of HE President Hifikepunye Pohamba to Germany, which has given fresh impulses to our excellent bilateral relations.There was no word about this in your article,” he said.