By Emma Kakololo WINDHOEK Namibian lawmakers have urged the German Parliament to uphold dialogue regarding demands by some Namibian communities for reparations from that country over atrocities committed against their people by German imperial troops a century ago. Namibian parliamentarians were on a seven-day visit to the Federal Republic of Germany to exchange views about the country with their counterparts. The visit officially concluded on July 7. During the meeting with the President of the German Bundestag Dr Norbert Lammert on July 5, the Namibian delegation, headed by the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab, expressed contentment that a motion on reparations was also introduced in the German Parliament. The delegation said it was essential that both parliaments continue to maintain this dialogue. Responding to the request by Namibia, Lammert emphasized the importance of an all-inclusive approach to the question in order to benefit all Namibians and not only specific groups. “Dr Lammert reassured his counterpart (Dr Gurirab) that the motion on reparations from Germany, which the National Assembly unanimously adopted, clearly states that all the affected communities in Namibia are to be beneficiaries in this regard,” reads a missive from the Namibian embassy in Berlin. In 2004, the German government had apologized for atrocities committed against the Herero people but had ruled out reparations, promising increased development aid instead. Lammert said because of the close affinity with Germany, no other African country enjoyed the same level of development assistance from Germany. On July 6, the Namibian delegation met opposition parties, such as the Green Party’s Thilo Hoppe, who is the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development (AWZ). Issues discussed were amongst others, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), land reform, rural development, the German-Namibia special relationship, and the situation in Zimbabwe, energy insufficiency, education and research.