City celebrates fall of Wall with day of festivities

Berlin will today mark the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Wall with solemn ceremonies, street parties and non-stop television coverage.

The former US president, Mr George Bush, the former Soviet leader, Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, and Germany's former chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, are among the speakers at the official commemoration at the Reichstag.

But Egon Krenz, the former East German leader who opened the border between east and west, will spend the day preparing for a lengthy spell behind bars.

A court in Leipzig yesterday upheld a manslaughter conviction against Krenz and two other former members of the East German politburo for their role in the shooting of easterners attempting to flee to the West.

The three men were sentenced in 1997 to 6 1/2 years in prison. They have been on bail pending an appeal, but yesterday's decision by Germany's highest appeal court means the three could be jailed within weeks.

Krenz said he would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn the verdict, which he claimed was a "political decision" timed to coincide with today's anniversary.

Few Berliners will shed a tear for Krenz and his former cronies as they celebrate the anniversary at open-air parties to be held all the way along the former Wall, with dozens of bands performing on four stages.

The length of the Wall will be illuminated in a spectacular light show, and the Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, will make a speech at the Brandenburg Gate.

The city of Berlin is holding a birthday party this afternoon for all the children born in the city on November 9th, 1989.

The anniversary dominates the schedules of all Germany's public service television channels, and journalists from all over the world have converged on the German capital to assess the mood of the city 10 years on.

Dr Kohl praised Mr Bush yesterday as the former president was made an honorary citizen of Berlin, describing him as a key figure in the unification process.

"You always supported the right of self-determination for people on the other side of the Iron Curtain," he said.

Mr Gorbachev, who is already an honorary citizen of Berlin, recalled that he was relaxing at home when he heard the news that the Wall was open and that he had slept soundly.

"We had to take really difficult decisions. I'd like to congratulate us all on the fact that we managed it, that we took on that responsibility," he said.