text: Schroeder Won't Drop Equality Aim for East Germans  BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government will stick to its  disputed goal of raising living standards in the formerly  communist east to western levels despite the spiraling costs,  Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Tuesday.
inputs: Schroeder Won't Drop Equality Aim for East Germans  BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government will stick to its  disputed goal of raising living standards in the formerly  communist east to western levels despite the spiraling costs,  Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Tuesday.