Removal of Berlin Wall put on hold
2013-03-04 18:54
Berlin - After facing protests, a real estate developer
has put on hold until at least mid-March plans to remove a piece of one of the
few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, and the city's mayor said on Monday
that he would try to ensure the structure is preserved.
On Friday, hundreds of angry protesters prevented
construction workers from removing all but a tiny piece of the East Side
Gallery wall to make way for an access path for a luxury housing project.
Plans called for the removal of a 22m section of the 1.3km
stretch of wall, which was painted by artists after the fall of communism and
is a popular tourist attraction.
The wall section stood on the eastern side of the
elaborate border strip built by East Germany and, when the border was closed,
carried none of the graffiti that covered the western side of the wall.
Several thousand demonstrators protested against the
construction plans on Sunday.
Work was supposed to resume this week, but Volker Thoms,
a spokesperson for project investor Maik Uwe Hinkel, said on Monday it has been
put on hold to allow for further discussions until at least 18 March, when a
forum that brings authorities together with locals is scheduled to meet.
Over the weekend, Hinkel spoke with Berlin Mayor Klaus
Wowereit.
The mayor publicly stepped into the dispute for the first
time on Monday, issuing a statement in which he said the removal of the wall
section "does not appear necessary”.
Wowereit said that an alternative should be found to the
removal, which was authorised at a lower administrative level - by the city
district in which the East Side Gallery stands.
He said the city government will try to find a solution.
- AP
