KOHL BACKS BERLIN AS GERMAN CAPITAL

German Chancellor Helmut Kohl broke months of silence April 23 to favor Berlin over Bonn as the future seat of united Germany's government. Berlin regained its traditional status as German capital last October, when East and West Germany united.

It was not immediately clear if Mr. Kohl's public support would sway parliamentarians in the lower house, or Bundestag, where a slight majority is widely seen as being in favor of the status quo.

The Bundestag plans to decide before summer recess in late June whether to move from Bonn to reunited Berlin.