Moscow  - The last leader of Communist East Germany has accused the last leader of the Soviet Union of duplicity in his negotiations in the days leading up to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

While presenting his new book, Autumn 1989, in Moscow, Egon Krenz made the comments about former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Krenz, who headed the East German Communist Party for less than two months as the regime crumbled, says Gorbachev assured him in November 1989 that there was no plan to strip East Germany of its sovereignty.

But, said Krenz, Gorbachev was negotiating with the West at the same time about a possible German reunification.

Krenz, 72, appeared on Russian national television Wednesday, mingling with former Soviet officials and still showing a solid command of Russian.  dpa