Kohl and Mitterrand renew pact

BONN (Reuter) - Chancellor Helmut Kohl and President Francois Mitterrand of France, marking a co-operation treaty signed 30 years ago, said war and financial turbulence in Europe made it vital to push ahead with unity.

Western Europe, they said, was not safe from the evils of nationalism which had brought war to the former Yugoslavia and they attacked speculators for destabilising key currency links. The two leaders said they would push the EC forward towards the economic, monetary and political union envisaged in the Maastricht treaty, with or without all other 10 members.

Britain and Denmark have still to ratify the treaty, but Mr Mitterrand warned that the others would not wait forever. 'We must see we don't all follow the tempo of the slowest,' he said in a joint television interview with Mr Kohl. If the Twelve made progress, Mr Mitterrand said, other West European states which want to join, such as Sweden or Switzerland, could be accepted as early as the end of 1993.