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Berlin (dpa) - Germany's President Horst Koehler defended Wednesday a controversial exhibition in Berlin that highlights the expulsion of up to 14 million ethnic Germans from eastern Europe after War World Two.
Poland has reacted angrily to the museum event, which began this month and which shows how the refugees suffered violence and the same sense of lifelong loss as victims of better-known 20th century ethnic purges.
Speaking to the Neuen Ruhr/Rhein Zeitung of Essen, the mainly ceremonial German head of state said the "Forced Routes" exhibition was "in no way whatever a signal to revise history." The interview was released by the newspaper a day before publication.
He said Germans should remain calm over the tension with Poland, and should particularly watch that in their dealings with Russia they did "not give the Poles the feeling that they are being neglected."
Descendants of the refugees are to gather this weekend in Berlin with Koehler to address them Saturday. Poles have been hostile to the group, alleging that it seeks to lessen guilt over Nazi crimes. Poland says the big powers ordered the "resettlement" of the Germans.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
