By participating in the cultivation and preservation of existing cultural assets in developing nations, and by promoting the cultural, literary, and artistic manifestations within those countries, the West German government seeks to establish the essential prerequisites required for a thriving dialogue with those nations, and can aid in their development in a positive manner. Cultural interchange between nations and the mutual respect it engenders are the indispensable elements in building bridges between nations and cultures and laying the foundations upon which political and economic cooperation can thrive. West Germany has aided by providing financial and technical assistance for the following projects: (1) restoration of temple murals at Wat Suthat in Thailand; (2) renovation of the Tanah Lot Temple in Indonesia; (3) urban development of Bhaktapur in Nepal; (4) restoration of pre-Columbian musical instruments in Ecuador; (5) preservation of the San'a Koran manuscripts in the Yemen Arab Republic; (6) restoration of antique objects found in a shipwreck near Mahdia in Tunisia; and (7) the restoration of the royal palaces of Abomey in Benin. West Germany has also participated tales, and the like in the Ivory Coast, Niger, Madagascar, Brazil, and elsewhere. (PPB)