sound. or documentary starts now. w. . this is the w. news live from berlin splits the nights i was the french president describes the alliance as brain dead in germany i'm says calls to spend more on defense the german chancellor make her secretary general jet president idea that europe should go it alone instead they stick with the transatlantic alliance this tradition of talking about money agreeing that freedom does not come for free also on the

program foreign dignitaries gather as germany for past to celebrate 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall amongst them is us secretary of state might go to mass american troops in southern germany where he once served as an army officer during the cold war. those celebrations we visit the most stuff famous shopping boulevard in what used to be west and east berlin was flocked to soon as they could for a firsthand look at capitalist. i'm phil gayle welcome to the program. germany's chancellor angela merkel today stressed her commitment to nato rejecting criticism of the alliance from french president emanuel my crawl in an interview published in the economist newspaper president macross that nato is undergoing what he called a brain death i think that europe must start acting as a strategic world power as

a joint news conference in chancellor merkel a nato secretary general against stoughton declared that the alliance is not dying despite widespread dismay at the recent actions of the united states and turkey in northern syria mr stone sober and went on to reject the notion that the us was turning its back on that european allies but said that more german financial support was necessary. so does europe have the wherewithal to act as a strategic world power as president mccall suggests teri schultz is a d w correspondent a nato specialist he can't possibly think that europe can completely defend itself at the moment that's just not possible in any way not logistically there's not enough equipment there's not enough cord nation there's not enough trust so what mcluhan is saying that that europe needs to go off on its own is something we talk

about all the time in brussels all the time it nato and it's not realistic and that's what secretary-general stolzenberg and even tenser miracle pointed out everybody believes that europe should do more to defend itself and that's why the discussion about germany equipping its own troops better recurs constantly but there isn't any way that nato will would survive if the us truly left and it's not realistic for france to be suggesting such a thing while there is so little european court nation on defense and security issues. brussels now u.s. secretary of state mike pompei omits troops at a training camp in bavaria for 4000 u.s. soldiers and nato partners that's just a fraction of the 35000 u.s. troops in germany respond players who are stationed in western germany during the cold war also visited a village that had once been divided by war at the east west border and the town's nickname little girl the secretary of state was accompanied by german foreign

minister heiko must the visit was time to coincide with celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the boat in war you know the events of 1008 i remind me of what binds us are 2 countries free societies transatlantic allies and friends. we share a strong belief in the rule of law democracy human dignity free speech freedom of religion and so many other on the the right things we know to be central to these values link us together as people of this nations and they define our policy or foreign policy choices. secretary of state mike t.w. reporter marina strauss is covering the visit welcome marina relations between germany and the us have been strained recently but that didn't seem to affect today's meeting. now actually the the atmosphere the mood was quite friendly here in life there is a mass and

a compeer on match here and this is in the cities of city hall and you can you can see it behind me and they called each other large my tycho and a lot about friendship between the 2 nations. that thank you to the united states he said that german reunification wouldn't have been possible. without the guidance of the united states that's what he said and also pump a stress the unity and the common come and values the 2 nations share despite everything that's happened raise them but of course we shouldn't forget the tensions between germany and the u.s. is growing we have for example the question of the fact was mentioned that briefly here in the press conference the united states was sure we should spend more money on defense to do more to to engage more in the world conflicts and there is also not stream to the pipeline the german russian project that the u.s.

opposes 2 and a long list of other issues so it's not our friendship. mr pump the guy in the small but very own village with which he has a personal connection. yeah it's actually called the village of middle roy it's quite hard to pronounce even for observant speaker. president my computer was actually based near myrtle royce when he was a young man and he was a u.s. soldier as you know it was also preacher or laying back there and currently likes to tell you sorry suppose that so for him actually this journey to germany is not only a work trip it's also walk down memory lane that's what he calls it is that. he's going to inaugurate a statue of whom. actually

a statue of another for u.s. president ronald reagan it will be a statue of bronze out of that my computer will and will morrow when he goes to berlin it will you also merkel and some german ministers the session over another reagan will be place. to see of the united states in the heart of well in it's just a close run bill gates and ronald reagan in brawls will have the possibility of the chance to look on the side where the brother wall once stood and where he holds a speech in 987 asking his subject counterparts mr gorbachev to tear down this wall and well as we all know 2 years later the wall fell. very distrusting largely thank you. and as part of the w. special coverage of the son of a shrew were looking out for many germans was their 1st time shopping in the capitalist west on the 9th of november $989.00 the wall came down across the border

in the thousands but he had it straight to west berlin is most face. the call fulton down a street that was a showcase of consumerism and divided but it isn't today at the dump looking at this famous for what it meant for many germans from the communist east to see it for the 1st time. i did it we reported a crystal. one of those locations where 30 years ago a lot of east germans all flocked to welcome christophe where i. i met 1st in dumb phil as you mentioned one of maybe the most important place when it comes to showcasing capitalism in germany there are a few other places as significant as the 1st in dumb with all a free market society had to offer and all the might of the consumer on display

here both of which were unheard of in the east of the country you have shops here selling the auto tear fashion from paris of course handmade she was from italy pricey jewelry with diamonds from botswana nowadays there's even a tesla store so you can stroll up and down this for kilometer boulevard or just shop at the big department store the department store of the vest as it's as it's called at the western end of it and people 30 years ago came here in droves to see what a free market society had to offer and you have to keep in mind that the west german government gave $100.00 marks to each east certain german citizen crossing the border for the 1st time and to spend this the cash this much sought after currency but it was very hard to get by in these well visiting court 1st and

dumb would be a good opportunity and as this is a place of significance in the. aeration of the coming down of the wall this is been selected as one of these 7 sites where big projections are taking place all throughout this week showing images sounds and historic footage of people back then of the mood of the of the joy also of the anxiousness that many people felt they show pictures of political leaders that were involved back then so these are on this play on the gigantic projections here on call for saddam as well as at 6 other locations throughout the city now with me here is. one of the witnesses of the wall coming down the borders open back then when we talk about this location the cool 1st syndrome as a as a showcase of

a free market society of an abundance of what is there in terms of consumer goods what was the same 1st thing that you bought with your $100.00 marks a welcome money the very 1st thing i had to buy was. in stuttgart not here because tens of november i travel to stuttgart and i had to buy a train ticket to my friends outside of stuttgart and it wasn't from my own money but because i came with no money in my pocket no hard currency and i went to the social station of the train station in stuttgart and they gave me 10 dollars bucks to buy a train ticket and a cup of coffee and then the next day my friends gave me some money and i went had the pick pedestrian street in stuttgart in stuttgart there was too huge bookstores in that street and i'm a book lover and soldiers was a big surprise and it was really over well big because i was longing for special books for a long time but at the stores and really does books lay in the pocket it is pocket

book edition it pilots not only some books every but of my love beloved books how old. in this bookstore and i was confused i didn't know what to do like i'm standing beside of myself and i went there and at that thing bought nothing for me on my bra. and shake. and went outside after half an hour not ever to make a decision as fast as i went out there and take took a deep breath i saw the next bookstore there and fairy fast. so was somewhat somewhat overwhelming to be there yes yes and ever since in every sense and that's why that day i didn't buy anything books also at only bought bought something that got the next stick was some vegetarian foot at the special shop things i'd never

ate before i did when you look back at the at the mood back then obviously there was a lot of surprise a lot of joy people were extremely excited about this historic event happening how do you look back on the time. it was a time of very big expectations at the beginning the expectations were very bold as we all said you have seen that in good t.v. documentations ok just want to have a look just take make a round and go back to work also but we could see so many possibilities for our life slowly realized the big. big event of opportunities for the new beginning a new life and of course these expectations rose so some hate we never could fulfill and so disappointment later on was unavoidable but because of that it's very necessary every here to remember this joy this this amount of hole

so we preserve a lot of hope for the days to come but because mother thank you so much. and effector you feel kristoffer cover that and downtown valid thank you. now don't forget to add we have special coverage of this week of commemorations of the fall of the boat and will 30 years ago we'll also have a live coverage of the main ceremonies and commemorations on saturday say yet 9th of november for now though we'll leave you with a pictures of the longest surviving stretch of the wall today it's called the east side gallery and he's hosting a light show tomorrow one of us are. just

. us and it's as if guy you don't need to keep up at the event of the people for over that's in home the force and the assault and most recently that we came up with the bottom of the falaise at the last dragon this word has called the whole 3 years. he'll be on your.