East German Party Promises `Openness'

BERLIN--A day after thousands of pro-democracy activists took to the streets in several cities, East Germany's Communist Party yesterday promised an "atmosphere of openness" to discuss critical issues.

The ruling Politburo, facing mounting unrest at home, was scheduled to hold its regular weekly meeting late yesterday amid speculation it could determine the political future of hard-line leader Erich Honecker.

Neues Deutschland, the party newspaper, pointed out in a commentary that in recent days it had dealt with "many critical questions, constructive suggestions and new starting points."

But the paper emphasized the country's communist system will stay firmly in place, and it left out the growing pro-democracy opposition movement from a list of discussion partners about possible reforms.

"Everything should be discussed openly, with the exception of Socialism on German soil," the newspaper cautioned its readers.

Opposition leaders say they are in favor of "democratic socialism," implementing free elections but also preserving many of socialism's benefits, such as guaranteed jobs and free medical care.

Monday night's march in Leipzig, the largest single protest in the nation's 40:year history, put new pressure on the government to consider reforms.

In other protests Monday night, 10,000 people marched through downtown Dresden, and about 3000 people gathered in an East Berlin church for a pro-democracy vigil, activists said.

Honecker, 77, reportedly is under increasing pressure to step down from within the ruling Communist Party.

In Leipzig, protesters on Monday night carried placards demanding freedom of the press and free elections.

Protesters chanted "Power to the young people" and "Erich, lead reforms or go to a retirement home."

Christoph Wonneberger, the pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Leipzig, told West Germany's ZDF television that more than 120,000 people participated in the three-hour march.

For the first time, East Germany's state-run television promptly reported the protest, saying "tens of thousands of citizens" took part.

When asked about development in East Germany, Vyacheslav Dashichev, a foreign affairs adviser to Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, told ZDF that "all Socialist states need to renew their old political and economic systems."

"The old Stalinist models of Socialism are sentenced to die out, and no one can keep them alive," Dashichev said.

Honecker's government has steadfastly rejected the need to open up his tightly-controlled society.

And for days, there have been reports and growing speculation that Honecker's 18-year rule at the head of the Communist Party may be drawing to a close.

On Monday, West Germany's Bild newspaper reported that the dissatisfaction has spread to East Germany's regional Communist leaders.

Bild, quoting "well-informed" sources in East Berlin, said 13 of the 15 regional chiefs want the Communist Party Central Committee to remove Honecker and make changes in the 21-member ruling Politburo.

More than 52,000 East Germans have fled westward since late July, either over Hungary's open border with Austria or after seeking refuge in West Germany's embassies in Warsaw, Poland, and Prague, Czechoslovakia.