News June 2004

Warsaw, June 2: Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said his ministry will undertake all possible steps aimed to free a Polish citizen kidnapped in Iraq last Tuesday. Two Poles, employees of a Wroclaw-based construction company, have been kidnapped from their Baghdad quarters on Tuesday afternoon. One of the Poles managed to escape. A group of unknown assailants also abducted several Iraqi citizens. In view of the situation the Polish mission in Baghdad has contacted all necessary U.S. and Iraqi partners. PM Marek Belka said the government is trying to establish the circumstances and causes of the kidnapping. At the same time, Belka dissuaded Poles to travel to Iraq. "We are dealing with an extremely dangerous situation there," stressed the PM. President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that one should be careful when it comes to paying out a possible ransom as it might only encourage kidnappers and terrorists to similar actions. According to the President, the kidnapping should not weaken the presence of businessmen in the region: "It surely is a dangerous region, but if we are not there, than unfortunately it will be impossible to do business".

Warsaw, June 2: President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that he did not rule out that parliamentary elections could take place in autumn but stressed it would be better to hold them after January 1, 2005. The president told Radio Zet that the Marek Belka cabinet should be appointed and work by at least January 1, 2005 to make it possible to pass a health service law, a budget law and absorb EU funds. Kwasniewski promised that he would discuss this with political partners and stressed that at the moment one should not reject anything. "I do not rule out anything now apart from leading our country to a political row and a situation when our chances are not used. I will be against such a situation. These few months are an absolute necessity," the President said. On Monday, he said he would appoint Belka for PM next week. The Sejm is expected to take a vote of confidence in his cabinet on June 23-25. Last week the Sejm failed to field its candidate for PM. Now the President has two weeks to appoint a new PM who will have another two weeks to form a cabinet. To win a vote of confidence, the cabinet will need a simple majority. Two weeks ago the Sejm refused a confidence vote in a cabinet under Belka. Expert on constitutional law Professor Piotr Winczorek believes early parliamentary elections should be held in August if Belka's government loses the vote of confidence in June. Winczorek says that tampering with the elections date that is defined by the constitution is incorrect. Under the constitution, the President is bound to cut short the term of the parliament if the Sejm is unable to approve the cabinet in third go. New elections have to be held in 45 days from disbanding the parliament.

Warsaw, June 3: The Polish Foreign Ministry has welcomed the establishing of a new interim government in Iraq, spokesman Boguslaw Majewski said. FM has also acknowledged the active role played by chief U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi who supported the forming of the new government. Appoining Ghazi Al-Yawar president of Iraq and establishing the new government under PM Iyad Alla is opening a new significant chapter in building a new Iraqi statehood, the Ministry statement said. This has started a process of taking over full sovereignty by the Iraqi people which will lead to holding first free general elections in Iraq in January 2005 as well as electing new parliament and adopting a constitution. Taking part in moves designed to eliminate violence and stabilise Iraq Poland is vitally interested both in restoring peace in that country and its successful reconstruction and transformation, the statement stressed. We wish the new Iraqi authorities success in building a state of law in Iraq, consolidating its sovereignty, law and order and democracy and winning a proper position on the international arena, the statement said.

Warsaw, June 2: Recently the Polish-Turkish trade has been considerably picking up. In 2000 its value stood at 350 million USD and in 2003 it exceeded 1.2 bn USD, President Kwasniewski said during a Poland-Turkey Economic Forum in Warsaw. He stressed that Poland failed to limit its deficit in trade with Turkey which in 2003 amounted to 0.5 bn USD. By the end of 2003 Turkish businessmen invested around 100 million USD in Poland which placed Turkey 27th on the list of biggest investors. The President stressed that Turkish businessmen managed to make a much better use of the liberalised bilateral agreement on free trade signed on May 1, 2000. I believe that Poland's EU membership and a zero customs duty rate on majority of industrial goods imported from Poland by Turkey would reduce Poland's deficit, the president said. Kwasniewski told Turkish businessmen that foreign investors could count on lower income tax and attractive grants in Poland. It is possible to develop bilateral cooperation in car, shipyard, metallurgical, chemical and defence industries as well as food processing and tourism. The President stressed that Polish businessmen wanted to take part in various projects in Turkey, like modernization and construction of gas and oil pipes, tunnels, bridges and harbours. Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stressed that mutual relations were based on a very long tradition with the first bilateral agreement signed in 1923.

Warsaw, June 2: Traditions of the Polish and British parliamentarism were discussed by Sejm Speaker Jozef Oleksy and Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Michael J. Martin. The talk focused also on the current political situation in Poland and Great Britain, cross-Atlantic relations and the EU Constitution. Martin also paid a visit to the Polish Senate. Its Deputy Speaker Jolanta Danielak thanked UK for supporting Poland's aspirations to obtain the EU membership and for opening its labour market to Poles. Poland was getting ready for elections to the European Parliament (EP) even though polls indicated low public interest that, according to Danielak, suggested citizens' greater interest in elections to the national parliament. According to Martin, in the U.K. turnout in elections to the EP will be at 25-30 percent whereas in elections to the national parliament it usually is between 50 and 60 percent. The guest was also received by President Kwasniewski. The elections to the EP and their possible outcome was discussed.

Warsaw, June 2: Miles Lerman, Poland-visiting former head of the U.S. Holocaust Museum, received a Commander's Cross With Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his efforts to further dialogue between Poles and Jews from President Kwasniewski. Polish-born Lerman fought in resistance units in southeastern Poland during the WW2, during which his entire family perished. After the war he emigrated to the U.S. You have visited us frequently and each time these visits were good for our countries and nations. I am fully aware that this distinction has been bestowed on me not for my personal merits but in recognition of my efforts to build bridges between the Polish nation and Jewish communities worldwide, Lerman said at the ceremony.

Warsaw, June 2: Deputy head of the International Auschwitz Committee in Berlin Christoph Heubner has been appointed by PM Marek Belka member of the International Auschwitz Council. Heubner received the nomination act from the Council Chairman Professor Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, the Auschwitz prisoner in the years 1940-1941 and co-founder of the clandestine Zegota organization set up to aid the Jews in Poland during the WW2. The 25-strong Council is an advisory body at the Prime Minister.

Warsaw, June 2: 24 percent of Poles between 15 and 75 in an SMG/KRC Poland Media SA survey claimed to use the web regularly, 53.7 pct of them at home, 24 pct at work, 25.7 pct at school or college, 15.6 pct at friends' homes, 14.4 pct at internet cafes. 36.4 percent claimed to use the web daily, 28.7 pct several times weekly, 17.5 pct once a week, 10.7 pct several times a month, 3.9 pct once a month.

Langannerie-Urville, June 6: Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin participated Sunday at the Polish ceremony in Langannerie-Urville, commemorating Polish and French troops who had fought and died in the D-Day landings in Normandy 60 years ago. "Those who are buried here are the heroes of both nations, who died for a free Poland and a free France," Kwasniewski said. "Those who fought in Normandy are the precursors of Poland's return after 60 years to the European family," Raffarin said. WW2 war veterans and a group of 25 former members of the Gen. Stanislaw Maczek 1st Armoured Division attended the ceremony. Kwasniewski took part in an official ceremony commemorating the Normandy landings on Sunday afternoon. Other world leaders, including George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II, also attended ceremony. Some 10,000 people, including 1,000 war veterans, participated. Among the guests was Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the first German leader to attend D-Day events in France, and President Vladimir Putin, the first Russian head of state to attend. Earlier in the day, President Kwasniewski, accompanied by a group of WW2 veterans, visited Normandy's Potigny. He unveiled a plaque commemorating the role of Polish troops in the liberation of the French town.

Warsaw, June 6: Four employees of American Blackwater company, including two Poles have been killed in a road attack in Baghdad on Saturday. Two other Poles have been wounded. The two fatal victims, former members of the Polish elite military unit GROM, were employed by Blackwater as security guards. The Polish Foreign Ministry has appealed to Polish civilians to limit their trips and presence in Iraq. Eight Poles have lost their lives since the start of the military operation in Iraq.

Camp Babylon, June 4: Iraqi Prime Minister Ijad Alawi and Minister of Internal Affairs Falah al-Nakib offered help in finding a Pole and five Iraqis kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday. The Pole, director of Wroclaw-based construction company's Baghdad bureau was kidnapped by unknown assailants. "The Iraqi prime minister, with whom I met is personally interested in the kidnapping case," Tomasz Gielzecki, charge d'affairs at the Polish Baghdad embassy said. He has been assured by the Internal Affairs Minister that the ministry will grant Polish side all necessary assistance. Gielzecki said that despite a number of taken steps the embassy did not manage to establish contact with the kidnappers so far.

Warsaw, June 4: League of Polish Families (LPR) leader Roman Giertych announced he would bring President Kwasniewski to trial for the radio statement in which he refused additional testimony in the Lew Rywin bribery affair even at the risk of being tortured into speaking by Giertych. Kwasniewski, charged with not informing authorities about the scandal involving a 17.5-million-dollar briber offer to a major Polish press publisher, has already testified before a parliamentary commission dealing with the case. Asked Thursday on the radio if he had anything more to say about the affair, Kwasniewski declared that he "had nothing more to add" and quipped that, "of course Mr. Giertych can try torture, like tearing my fingernails out or other so to speak "pleasures" that this excellent lawyer probably finds appropriate. But it's pointless. It's just pointless". According to Giertych, accusing him of torture even jokingly was insulting and beyond political ethics. I think the President should bite his tongue three times before using the world torture, he said, reminding that Kwasniewski's political roots had evolved from Stalinist communism, known for its ready use of torture on political enemies. Giertych also demands that the president pay 50,000 zlotys (13,000 USD) in support for child casualties of the Iraq war awaiting treatment in Poland.

Warsaw, June 6: Former Solidarity leader and President Lech Walesa recalled the important role Ronald Reagan had played in the overthrow of world communism. Walesa said that "at the turn of the 1980s a number of politicians at different points of the globe began moving towards a single aim, that is to overthrow the murderous communist system”. Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died June 5 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 93 at his house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles. Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the first Polish non-communist PM, said "Reagan's resolve towards communism and the Soviet Union was surely one of the elements contributing to major changes in the world." Former Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek said one of the greatest architects of the change of the world had died. Geremek said Poles should be grateful to Reagan and Pope John Paul II for brining about the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Empire. Former communist leader Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski said Reagan was the man who "had had a huge influence on the fate of the world."

Gdansk, June 6: Biggest international navy exercises on the Baltic sea, Baltops 2004, have begun at the Polish Gdynia-Oksywie naval base. A total of 5,000 navy troops, 41 ships, including 3 submarines, 35 planes and helicopters and navy ground troops from 13 countries, including Russia and the U.S. are taking part in the exercise. Sailors will train operations in crisis situations, counteracting acts of terrorism on high seas, protecting humanitarian convoys and training of evacuation of people form endangered zones. Baltops 2004 will end in Germany on June 18.

Bielsko-Biala, June 4: British House of Commons speaker Michael J. Martin visited the site of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz and its Museum. The British MP paid homage to Auschwitz victims at the memorial ruins of an execution wall in the camp's Block 11 at which thousands of inmates were shot by the Nazis. Martin also toured the camp's women's section Birkenau. The Auschwitz concentration camp was erected in 1940 and consisted of three sub-camps in which the Germans exterminated over 1.1 million people, mainly Polish and European Jews, Poles, Gypsies, Russians and other nationalities.

Warsaw, June 6: Norikazu Kita of Japan and Vladimir Chayka of Russia won gold medals for the best works in 2002-2003 of the 19 th International Poster Biennale. An international jury awarded silver medals to Alejandro Magallanes of Mexico, Shunji Niinomi of Japan, Paul Scher of the U.S. and Henning Wagenbreth of the Germany. Bronze medals were won by Jaga Jankowska and Sebastian Kubica of Poland, Annik Troxler of Switzerland and Koichi Sato of Japan. The works are on show at the Wilanow Palace Poster Museum.

Warsaw, June 4: 56 percent of adult Poles in a CBOS poll knew no foreign languages, 44 pct claimed knowledge of at least one. The most declared foreign languages were Russian (23 pct), English (17 pct), and German (14 pct). 2 perent claimed knowledge of French. Young pollees between 18 and 24 mostly declared English (54 pct) and German (22 pct), and only 13 percent Russian. 60 pct of urban dwellers and and 35 pct of rural dwellers claimed to be able to communicate in a foreign language. 39 percent had never been abroad.

Warsaw, June 14: According to the unofficial data from the State Electoral Commission collected from 85.0 percent of constituencies the Citizens Platform (PO) won elections to the European Parliament with 23.48 percent of votes. It was followed by the League of Polish Families (LPR) that got 16.42 pct. Next came Law and Justice (PiS) with 12.52 pct. Samoobrona (Selfdefence) got 11.55 pct. The ruling coalition of the Democratic Left Alliance - Union of Labour (SLD-UP) got 9.11 pct, the Freedom Union (UW) - 6.92 pct, the Polish Peasant Party (PSL) - 6.88 pct. Also the Social Democracy of Poland (SDPl) exceeded the required threshold having gained 5.07 percent. Results came from 21,345 constituencies. Turnout there was 20.42 percent.

Warsaw, June 14: President Aleksander Kwasniewski believes that Sunday elections to the European Parliament "did not solve anything" and that turnout in the early elections to the Sejm could be at the same low level. "In my opinion political parties should deeply consider results of elections to the EP as these elections did not solve anything," the President commented. He believes that low turnout and the distribution of support in elections to EP indicate that Poland needs time to accept its membership of the EU, the budget and health care law and in this aspect it shows that Marek Belka as PM should be given a chance. "I don't think that elections to the Polish parliament either in August or at any other early date may basically alter the situation," Kwasniewski added.

Warsaw, June 13: The European Parliament election will have political effects on the domestic scene but will cause "no revolution", President Aleksander Kwasniewski said in Warsaw casting his vote in Poland's first-ever EP election. This ballot is certain to have political effects but it will cause no revolution, especially as from what we hear (...) ruling parties Europewide are losing, regardless whether they're leftwing or rightwing, he said. Asked if the ballot could influence the fate of Poland's controversial government under Marek Belka, Kwasniewski said the issue was unrelated to the EP elections and that Poland needed Belka's cabinet "because we need stability and must get some things done".

Luxembourg, June 14: Low turnout in the EP elections in Poland may be perceived as Poles' lack of interest in influencing the European Union, believes Foreign Minister Wlodziemierz Cimoszewicz. He said he was not surprised by political result of the elections but slightly surprised by the level of turnout. "I'm afraid this may be the lowest turnout level in Europe. This, of course, will attract attention to Poland. The question will arise why Poles were not interested in these elections. I think it was mainly owing to our internal political situation but it may be interpreted as lack of interest in Europe and our influence on what's going on in the EU," he stated.

Warsaw, June 13: This ballot is a momentous event everywhere in Europe because this is the first one held almost continentwide, Polish EU commissioner Danuta Huebner said after casting her EP vote. Reminding that around 350 million Europeans were entitled to participate in the elections, she praised the fact that Poland was "part of this great European project". This will be the first really common European Parliament, she said.

Warsaw, June 11: President Kwasniewski Friday reappointed Marek Belka as Poland's Prime Minister. Belka was first appointed PM on May 2 but resigned after his government failed to win majority support. His current reappointment follows parliament's failure to put up a government. Kwasniewski said that if the Sejm rejected Belka again he would call an election within 45 days of the rejection (most probably August 8). According to Kwasniewski Poland needed a strong government capable of resolving the country's most pressing issue. Naming public administration, privatization and health as the main problem spheres, he assured that in all three cases the Belka cabinet promised "quick, effective and honest" solutions. He also stressed that a major task for the new cabinet will be ensuring that Poland "profits as much as possible from its first EU membership year". Appealing to parliament for support, he assured that all who backed Belka above political divisions would "win a place in history and the Poles' gratitude". The new cabinet has now two weeks to win a confidence vote in the Sejm. This time it needs a simple majority.

Warsaw, June 11: President Kwasniewski's statement that Poland's elections would have to be scheduled within 45 days of a renewed no-confidence vote in the Marek Belka government (August 8 - PAP) was an example of "anti-democratic blackmail", Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said. An August 8 election, at a time when the voter turnout will evidently be much lower than usual, is a blow directed not against this or that political party but democracy, Kaczynski said and added that Poland's constitution did not forbid elections in September and that Kwasniewski's words ran against his presidential vows and duties.

Warsaw, June 9: Poland wants good relations with China, said Sejm Speaker Jozef Oleksy after a meeting with visiting Chinese President Ho Jintao in Warsaw. Jintao met also with Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak. Neither Oleksy nor Pastusiak discussed human rights. Pastusiak said they discussed relations between the two states and Chinese internal matters can be discussed at other meetings. He explained that the Polish government's unequivocal stand has been presented at the UN. Both speakers said economic contacts were unsatisfactory. There is a lot to do in economy as turnover is very low and the Chinese capital does not arouse interest in Poland. We would like to invest in China, Oleksy said. According to him, both countries have good cultural relations and would like to develop cooperation in technology and science. The Chinese president also met with PM Marek Belka. Poland as a full-fledged EU member will participate in the shaping of the Union's strategic partnership with China. Development and consolidation of relations with one of the world biggest economic powers will serve both mutual relations and international stabilisation, Belka said. The visit is of a historic dimension as never before a Chinese chairman has visited Poland. It was stressed during the meeting that Polish-Chinese relations develop favourably in all fields. We hope to continue to develop these relations. We attach especial weight to our economic relations, Belka declared and pointed to favourable current economic trends in both countries. He expressed satisfaction at the growing interest in cooperation in education, and scientific and cultural exchange. During the meeting Belka extended an invitation to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao to pay a visit to Poland.

Vienna, June 13: Turkey could be "a huge chance" for the European Union, President Kwasniewski said in an interview for the Linz-based Sonntags Rundschau weekly. Turkey has entered the path to Europe. I see Turkey's EU membership as a huge chance, he stated, adding that as an EU state Turkey could help build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds.

Warsaw, June 9: The gross domestic product rose by 6.9 percent in the first quarter of the year after a 2.3 pct rise in Q1 of 2003, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) announced. Domestic demand in the surveyed period rose by 5.7 percent, compared with 2.6 pct in Q1 of 2003. The gross added value in the economy was up 6.5 pct after a 2.0 rise in the same period of 2003. Consumption total rose by 3.3 pct after a 0.9 pct rise in Q1 of 2003.

Cracow, June 9: PAIiIZ foreign investment agency is currently working on some twenty foreign direct investment (FDI) projects of large companies in Poland, its chief Andrzej Zdebski said. "Investors in a large majority of the projects are in the second stage of decision making process or even further, which means they have selected 2-3 localizations and are now collecting data on and thoroughly inspecting them," he explained. In most cases Poland is but one of several countries (Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, India and China) under consideration by potential investors. 5 or 6 projects are production facilities of large concerns valued at between 200 and 600 m euros each and capable of creating between 500 and 2,000 jobs. Another 16 projects involves services for large companies such as accounting centres, IT services and human resources management. Employment in these ventures could reach 12,000 to 16,000 people. The number of projects involving services allows one to say that Poland has a chance for becoming a European centre of outsourcing services. Izdebski said the main obstacle hampering the development of this kind of activity in Poland was insufficient supply of high-quality office space at reasonable prices

Warsaw, June 15: Following are the official results of the European Parliament election in Poland. Turnout was 20.87 percent.

Luxembourg, June 14 : Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz stressed that together with Prime Minister Marek Belka they would not hesitate not to approve the EU Constitution draft if they considered it unfavourable for Poland. If I come to the conclusion that the proposed solutions are favourable I will be trying to convince the prime minister to accept them. But if they are not we will surely not hesitate to say no, Cimoszewicz said before a meeting of the EU General Affairs & External Relations Council. Asked if Belka's government is entitled to take a decision on the EU Constitution, Cimoszewicz admitted that the political position of the government was weak. But on the other hand if we are to be guided by such criterion, the majority of European cabinets do not have a political mandate to negotiate the draft today, the minister said.

Warsaw, June 14: PM Marek Belka said that if his cabinet wins the vote of confidence this month, he will present the draft 2005 budget by the end of September and then ask parliament for a renewed vote of confidence. "I would like to make the following offer to the Social Democracy of Poland (SdPl): if the cabinet wins the confidence vote in June, I will obligate myself to ask parliament for a renewed vote of confidence after the cabinet unveils the draft 2005 budget by the end of September," Belka said and added he agree to a verification in the form of a renewed vote of confidence in early October. Earlier Belka said that EP election results did not worsen the situation of his cabinet. "The results we now know should not worsen the situation as far as the formation of the cabinet is concerned," he said. "This is good enough." President Kwasniewski appointed the Belka cabinet for the second time on Friday. The parliament will hold a vote of confidence in the cabinet in two weeks. The exact date has not been fixed, but June 24 is said a likely date.

Wroclaw, June 14: Toyota Motor Industries (TMIP) started construction of a Diesel engine foundry in Jelcz-Laskowice, near Wroclaw. The project, estimated at around 300 million euros, may create around 600 jobs. TMIP is likely to start production in early 2005, and it will be gradually increased. TMIP's annual output is estimated at 180,000 2 litre Diesel engines for Toyota Corollas manufactured at Great Britain and Turkey, and for Great Britain-made Toyota Avensis. The construction of the operation in the Walbrzych special economic zone marks the start of the end phase of the project TMIP launched two years ago. TMIP's Diesel engine machine and assembly hall has been completed.

Warsaw, June 15: The Social Democracy of Poland (SDPL) has decided to start talks with PM Marek Belka on possible support for his government, however, during the talks the SDPL wants to present its own expectations and policy conditions, said SDPL head Marek Borowski. On Monday SDPL authorities and MPs discussed the party's stand towards the Belka government. Commenting on Belka's proposal regarding the holding of a third vote of confidence in the autumn, after the sending of a 2005 draft budget to the Sejm, SDPL representatives said that it is a step forward which allows to sit down for talks. Borowski said that the latest proposal is worth discussing and recalled that the SDPL wanted to avoid holding elections in August. Elections held in the fall would allow to prepare a draft budget and pass an urgent law on the health service, stressed Borowski. According to him the proposal shows that Marek Belka wants to find "some kind of a compromise." SDPL is ready to talk with Belka but not with the ruling Democratic Left Alliance. A list of detailed SDPL expectations and conditions is to be ready later in the week. Even if the SDPL supports the government during the nearest vote of confidence (June 24), it will not enter the government.

Warsaw, June 14: The opera "La Clemenza di Tito" will inaugurate the 14th Mozart Festival in Warsaw staged by the Warsaw Chamber Opera between June 15 and July 26. This year's event is dedicated to Austria and it is held within the Ode to Europe Season of Music from the United Europe, devoted to music of 25 countries of the EU. The festival will feature all Mozart's stage works, including his most popular operas "Le Nozze di Figaro," "Don Giovanni" "The Magic Flute" and "Cosi fan tutte", his drama "Thamos" and oratorios, selected songs and chamber pieces. Mozart's piano concertos will be performed on a copy of a piano built for Mozart by Anton Walter in 1795 and reconstructed by Paul McNulty of the USA specially for Warsaw Mozart Festival.

Warsaw, June 14: Over 200 best press photographs of the 47 th edition of the World Press Photo international competition will be on show in Warsaw's Palace of Science and Culture between June 15 and July 11. An international jury in Amsterdam selected the best works from among those sent in by photoreporters, agencies, magazines and newspapers from all over the world, all in all, works by 4,176 photoreporters from 124 countries. The photo of the year for 2003 is a colour image by Jean-Marc Boujou working for AP, taken on 31 March, 2003 in a POW regroupment centre near Najaf in Iraq. It shows an Iraqi prisoner comforting his four-year old son. 62 photographers from 23 countries, including Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Iran, Russia, Palestine and Canada were awarded in the 47th World Press Photo edition. There were no Poles among them this time.

Camp Babylon, Iraq, June 14: Twenty Iraqi children from orphanages in Al Hillah will come to Poland for vacations at the invitation of the Foundation Dzieciece Marzenia (Children's Dreams) of Bielsko-Biala, southern Poland. The Multinational Division Center South operating in Iraq under the Polish command will cover the transport costs for children and interpreters to Poland. Ten boys and ten girls will travel via Turkey aboard a Turkish Airlines plane. This will be the first summer holidays in Poland organised for Iraqi children by a Polish humanitarian organisation. So far some came for treatment in Polish medical centres and hospitals thanks to humanitarian aid from Poland.

Warsaw, June 20: The European Union constitutional treaty is Poland's and Europe's great success, and a good contribution in strengthening Poland's international position, PM Marek Belka said in a televised address on Saturday. "I am bringing good news from Brussels. The EU has a constitutional treaty. We Poles, we Europeans have a constitutional treaty. Poland has strengthened its position in Europe," the PM said. Earlier Belka claimed that the voting system agreed on Friday was more advantageous for Poland than that envisaged by the Nice accord. "I am deeply satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. I believe that Poland achieved a great success, and so did Europe," he stressed. He regretted that Poland failed to push through its request for a reference in the charter to Europe's Christian roots. He stressed he was raising the issue "till lasts seconds of the negotiations," but he failed to receive backing from any country. Poland's president Aleksander Kwasniewski said that a compromise on the EU constitutional treaty was good for Poland and Europe. He believed that Poland was a "moral winner" as regards the reference to Christian roots in the preamble to the constitution, fighting for acceptance until the last moment but ultimately was left alone. Former foreign minister, recently elected to the European Parliament, Bronislaw Geremek praised the EU constitution as meeting the challenges faced by Europe. The opposition criticised the concessions on the EU charter. "The day the constitutional treaty was accepted was a day of disgrace and treason," leader of the League of Polish Families (LPR) Roman Giertych said. Leader of the Citizens' Platform caucus Jan Rokita said that Poland's demands towards EU constitution were not met. He believes that the EU constitutional treaty will not be ratified. Similar opinion was held by Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski who said that the concessions marked Poland's capitulation in Brussels. Former EU entry negotiator Jacek Saryusz-Wolski thought that Marek Belka's government failed in the negotiations. Polish bishops described the EU constitutional treaty as the falsification of the historical truth and conscious marginalisation of Christianity. Member of the Commission of European Bishops Community archbishop Henryk Muszynski said that a lack of reference to Christian values in the preamble of the charter was a sign of extreme secularism .

Tallin, June 21: Prime Minister Marek Belka on Monday morning started a one-day visit to Estonia to attend the debates of the 5th summit of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in Laulasmaa. The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was established at a conference of the foreign ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and a member of the European Commission in Copenhagen in March 1992. Iceland joined the CBSS in 1995. France, Italy, Slovakia, Holland, Ukraine, Great Britain and the U.S. were granted an observer status in 1998. According to secretary of state at the PM's Chancellery Tadeusz Iwinski, the summit is expected to pass a declaration on the necessity to continue regional cooperation despite the fact that nearly all council members, except for Iceland, Norway and Russia, have been EU members. Iwinski also stressed that the summit would provide an occasion for bilateral meetings between heads of governments.

Vatican City, June 21: Pope John Paul II on Sunday thanked Poland for fighting to include a reference to Christianity in the EU Constitution treaty agreed by leaders of the European Union's 25 nations in Brussels last Friday night. I thank Poland for its efforts in European institutions to loyally defend the Christian roots of our continent from which the culture and progress of our times grew, the pope said concluding his weekly Angelus address.Our Christian roots cannot be forgotten, he added. The official Vatican spokesman on Saturday said the Holy See was disappointed that the opposition of some governments had prevented an explicit reference to Christian roots in the constitution. It shows a disregard for historical evidence and for the Christian identity of the European population," Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement.

Warsaw, June 20: Col. Ryszard Kuklinski, who spied for CIA during the communist era, was buried at Warsaw's Powazki military cemetery on Saturday. Ryszard Kuklinski died in the United States in February. The ceremony was attended by several thousand people, the honorary guard of the Polish Army, Polish war veterans. No official representative of the state authorities was in attendance. But present were U.S. ambassador Christopher Hill, former PMs Jerzy Buzek and Jan Olszewski, former foreign minister Wldadyslaw Bartoszewski, former Sejm speaker Maciej Plazynski. During a requiem mass bishop Slawoj Leszek Glodz described Col. Kuklinski as "one of the fathers of Polish freedom." Head of the National Remembrance Institute Leon Kieres said that "what Ryszard Kuklinski did helped Poland regain independence and bring about world peace. It was an act of the highest heroism and I came here to show him my gratitude for that." He said that this official funeral may be considered to be "some form of the Colonel's social rehabilitation." U.S. ambassador Christopher Hill said that Col. Kuklinski was a hero for the Americans. "Thanks to him the Cold War remained cold," he noted. At the same ceremony, ashes of Col. Kulinski's son Waldemar, who was killed in a mysterious accident, were interred.

Gdansk, Warsaw, June 18: Head of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Henryka Bochniarz wants the Sejm to back the Marek Belka government in a confidence vote scheduled for June 24 and new general elections to be held in spring 2005. "We should insist on Marek Belka government; if the elections are held on August 8, many our members, in general our electorate will not vote. And the outcome of the election would be unpredictable," Bochniarz told a press conference in Gdansk. She identified Belka's government chief tasks as adoption of the health protection and free economic activity legislation as well as a 2005 budget plan. Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that a League of Polish Families' plan to boycott the June 24 confidence vote in the Belka government will be carried out. The Citizens Platform rejected the proposal, the Law and Justice is ready to consider the plan if it receives unambiguous declarations of other caucuses on their boycott plans. The Polish Peasant Party is to consider the plan. Self-defence leader Andrzej Lepper said his caucus would boycott the vote if the LPR's proposal "wins approval of the opposition deputies in the number ensuring breaking off the quorum." Contrary to earlier announcements, Thursday's sitting of the Democratic Left Alliance caucus was not dominated by discussions on Marek Belka proposal to call another confidence vote in October if the leftist splinter party Social-Democracy of Poland backs his government on June 24. After the meeting SLD spokesman Bronislaw Cieslak said that the issue "aroused no doubts today" and discussions showed support for Belka.

Warsaw, June 18: Eighty three percent of Poles think they have no influence on Poland's affairs with 15 percent believing otherwise, and 2 percent holding no opinion on the issue, according to a survey carried out by the CBOS polling institution. Young and highly educated people most often believe they have influence on Poland's affairs. Sixty-three percent of those polled declared they had no influence on public affairs. 22 percent said they had influence only on what was going on in their town or commune, 3 percent said so only with regard to the country's level, and 12 percent to the two levels. The survey was carried out on May 7-10 on a representative sample of 1,006 adult Poles.

Warsaw, June 18: The president expects prime minister Marek Belka's government to win a June 24 confidence vote in the Sejm, Sejm speaker Jozef Oleksy said Friday after talks with Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski. Oleksy added that he himself was optimistic about Belka's chances in the ballot. Oleksy said Kwasniewski had no objections to Belka's recent proposal to the leftwing Social-democracy of Poland (SdPl) to hold a second confidence vote on his government in autumn in return for support in the present vote. He also denied rumours that the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) was pressing Polish Peasant Party (PSL) MPs to stay away from the Belka vote in return for a deputy Sejm speaker post. Oleksy said his talks with Kwasniewski had also concerned the current EU summit in Brussels.

Camp Babylon, June 20: Commander of the Polish-led multinational, central south division in Iraq general Mieczyslaw Bieniek said Saturday that there are plans to close the division's Camp Babylon base within six months. "We want to close as many camps as possible, to transfer facilities to the Iraqis, thus increasing our safety and reducing the number of troops," the general said. The multinational division also plans to close two bases in the centre of Karbala. Troops stationing there, including Bulgarians and Poles, are to move to a base on the outskirts of the city. The closure of the base is to be a sign of the coalition troops' good will towards the residents of the Shiite holy town.

Warsaw, June 18: The Federative Parliamentary Club (FKP) will adhere to voting discipline in a June 24 confidence ballot on the Marek Belka government, FKP leader Roman Jagielinski told PAP Friday. Jagielinski said most FKP members will back Belka but admitted there was as yet no full accord on the matter. Jagielinski said he decided to back Belka because his government had good chances to gain a majority in parliament. He added, however, that FKP planned talks with the PM on limiting the Hausner financial austerity plan with regard to lowest disability and old-age pension takers. A meeting between FKP and belka will probably take place Wednesday, Jagielinski said.

Katowice, June 18: Michal Czarski, Speaker of the Slaski Province Assembly, has become a member of the Bureau of the EU's Committee of the Regions. Changes in the Committee's Bureau took place on Wednesday and are an effect of EU enlargement by ten new members. Czarski's candidacy has been first agreed within the Polish delegation and later on supported by over 300 delegates of other EU countries.

Warsaw, June 18: Finance Ministry general adviser Juliusz Kotynski said on Friday that Poland may adopt the euro in 2009-2010 after it has reformed public finances. "In order to take the decision when to adopt the euro Poland must have a strong government, so that it prepares a strategy with the central bank. But first we should reform our public finances", Kotynski told a seminar of the Institute of Business Sentiment and Prices of Foreign Trade said. The government said in the convergence programme that Poland will meet the Maastricht fiscal criterion in 2007, or only when it has cut its budget gap to below 3 percent of GDP. If that happens, Poland could adopt the euro in 2009. "If we join in 2009-2010, it will be good. This is the goal we should be aiming at", Kotynski said. Kotynski said the zloty should appreciate soon.

Warsaw, June 18: Year-on-year industrial production in May 2004 rose 12.3 percent after a 21.8 percent growth in April. Compared to April 2004 it fell 6.6 percent, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported Friday. Analysts expected May to see 15.7 percent y/y growth. Mining and extraction production in May 2004 rose by 3.9 percent y/y and fell 8.8 percent from April 2004 figure. Industrial processing production rose by 14.3 percent y/y and fell 5.9 percent on April 2004 figure. The production of electricity, gas, water in May fell 2.8 percent y/y and by 13.0 percent m/m. Seasonally adjusted industrial production grew 15.3 percent y/y and fell 3.2 percent m/m.

Warsaw, June 18: Poland's National Radio and TV Council will be a registering body for digital telcom operators alongside the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Polish Post under a new telcom law passed by the Sejm Friday in a 379-6 vote with three abstentions. Under the new law pre-paid mobile phone users will also not be required to present ID credentials. Mobile operators will also be obliged to block stolen telephone numbers within a day of receiving notice of the theft. The act also foresees cost cuts for telcom operators and subsidies for operators offering unprofitable services. The new law will now be reviewed by the Senate.

Warsaw, June 18: In the first quarter of 2004 the bank sector reported a financial result of 2 bn 165.6 million zlotys or, 42.2 percent more than in the similar period of 2003, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported Friday. Income tax in the 1Q was 361.3 million zlotys or, 12.8 percent less than in the previous year. The net financial result was at the level of 1 bn 804.3 million zlotys. Losses were reported by five commercial banks against 12 a year ago and four cooperative banks. "Better profitability and net indexes of all groups of banks were a result of gross and net financial results' dynamics that was higher than revenues on operations. The highest growth of indexes was reported by banks quoted at the stock exchange in Warsaw and banks 100 percent owned by foreign capital", GUS wrote. Revenues on banks operations were 11.5 higher that a year ago and totalled 9 bn 8516.7 million zlotys. Operations costs totalled 9 bn 6351.5 million zlotys or, up 10.9 percent on the 1Q of 2003 figure and accounted for 97.8 percent of revenues on operations against 98.3 percent a year ago.

Warsaw, June 18: Budget deficit at the end of June will be at 43- 45 percent of the annual plan provided payment on National Bank of Poland (NBP) profit is not delayed. After three quarters the deficit will be at 70-75 percent of the plan for 2004, deputy Finance Minister Elzbieta Suchocka-Roguska said. "We estimate that at the end of June will be at 43-45 percent of the annual plan provided payment on National Bank of Poland (NBP) profit is not delayed. If there is no payment in June the result will be different", Suchocka-Roguska told PAP. Suchocka-Roguska added forecasts had envisaged the payment in June but it may be delayed which will affect the budget result owing to lower income. "In the latter situation deficit will be relatively high after six months and will return to normal at the end of July", said explained.According to the newest forecasts of budget implementation in 2004 NBP's payment on profit is to be at 4.06 billion zlotys against 4.213 billion zlotys planned in the budget law. The ministry also revised its earlier predictions as to deficit implementation after three quarters of this year. "After September the deficit should range between 70 and 75 percent of the annual plan. However, we are monitoring income. After first months of integration with the EU we are not sure how it will be", the deputy minister said. The ministry initially envisaged that after three quarters of 2004 the budget deficit will amount to some 83 percent of the annual plan.

Warsaw, June 18: President of the government of Valencia Francisco Camps will pay a visit to Poland on June 21 to 22. The president is due to meet Poland's foreign minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz to discuss issues relating to the presence of Valencian firms on foreign markets and other aspects of Valencia's promotion in Poland. Mr Camps will open the Entrepreneurial Centre of the Valencian Export Institute (IVEX) and a storehouse which the Anecoop company will open in Poznan to sell Spanish fruit and vegetables.

Warsaw, June 18: French interior decoration, gardening, sport and food firms are increasingly seeking Polish cooperation partners, French Industrial and Trade Chamber Poland director Magdalena Tran- Van told PAP Friday at a conference marking the chamber's first decade in Poland. Tran-Van said the chamber planned to aid Polish firms seeking leverage on the French market. Polish products are truly high-quality and very interestingly priced, Tran-Van noted.

Warsaw, June 20: Poland should amend its labour code to increase labour market flexibility and maintain quick tempo of economic growth, according to Michal Boni, expert of the centre of Social and Economic Analysis. Boni told a seminar last week that solutions favouring decentralisation of employment regulations should be introduced so that part of labour terms could be negotiated by the employers and the employee. Professor Marek Gora, economic adviser to the president of Poland said Poland could cut unemployment rate by changing priorities of job centres from paying allowances to job finding.

Debe, June 20: PGNiG wants to boost Ukrainian gas imports to 300 million cubic metres within three years from this year's 50-70 mn cubic metres, according to PGNiG head Marek Kossowski. "A rise of gas production and increasing Ukrainian gas imports will require our investment outlays of USD 10 mn USD," he said. PGNiG controls 36.38 pct of the Ukrainian gas exploration and production company Dewon, with the remaining shares held by Ukraine's partners. Kossowski said PKN Orlen is interested in buying a stake in Dewon. "We want to keep our holdings in the company, so if Orlen wanted to invest capital, it would have to re-purchase some shares from our partners," Kossowski said. If that happened, PKN would have access to lower-cost gas and could import small quantities of crude oil.

Istanbul, June 28: NATO leaders' meeting with Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma is "tied to my personal diplomatic activity," according to President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "We were very keen on holding the meeting because we see Ukraine as one of the most important world partners not just for Poland, but also for NATO. We also appreciate the fact that Ukrainians are present in so large numbers in Kosovo and in Iraq," the president explained at a press conference here Monday. He said he expected the adoption of "a timetable of Ukraine's inclusion into NATO structure and perhaps even the fixing of a date for admission to NATO at some later time, although this is obviously very ambitious." "NATO leaders will at the same time formulate their expectations concerning Ukraine, its adherence to democratic standards, fair elections," Kwasniewski added. The NATO summit welcomed Ukraine's determination to integrate with NATO and the EU on Monday. But it also called on Kiev to produce "tangible progress" in democratic reforms. They also welcomed Ukraine's participation in the Polish-Ukrainian battalion in Kosovo, its progress in reforming the armed forces and in military co-operation with NATO. Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso "will be the president of the EU Commission," Kwasniewski said here Monday when informing newsmen of his meeting with Barroso during the NATO summit.

Istanbul, June 28: President Aleksander Kwasniewski taking part in the NATO summit in Istanbul on Monday told journalists that the transfer of sovereignty to the interim government in Iraq is good news that will give "a new, important impulse" to the stabilisation process in Iraq. The news about the sovereignty transfer in Iraq does not come as a surprise to me although it takes place two days ahead, the president added. He said he was informed by President George Bush in private Monday morning about the decision to pass power to Prime Minister Ijad Alawi's government two days earlier than planned and the US President officially announced the decision at the NATO Council session later. In Kwasniewski's opinion the timing of the announcement of the news at the summit was not accidental, and the campaign before presidential elections in the USA was also a certain factor. Kwasniewski commented that the decision to help in training of Iraqi security forces is "less than we would like to ensure, but more what anybody have been expecting only six months ago." The Polish president stressed that already some dozen thousand Iraqis have been trained at the multinational division under the Polish command for the Iraqi civil defence corps, border guard and police. Poland is prepared to send its third contingent to Iraq, while the year 2005 is still discussed, Kwasniewski said. He thought it is a success of Polish diplomacy that the stand on Iraq, adopted at the Istanbul summit Monday, included the paragraph on continued support for the multinational division in Iraq operating under the Polish command.

Warsaw, June 28: The speeding up of the date of handing over of power to the Iraqi government is "a new stage in the reconstruction of Iraq's sovereign statehood and an expression of will to create as quickly as possible conditions for the taking over of responsibility for Iraq's affairs by the Iraqi people" - Foreign Ministry spokesman Boguslaw Majewski wrote in a Monday statement. "Poland as an active participant in international efforts leading towards stabilisation and reconstruction of Iraq, confirms its will to further back activities of new authorities of that country aimed at restoring peace, successful realisation of the reconstruction and transformation of the state and in favour of establishing good neighbourly relations with states of the region," the statement reads in part."We hope that decisions of the NATO summit in Istanbul will be a vital element of support of those aims. We count that we will be carrying out this mission together with all states interested in the reconstruction of a law abiding Iraqi state...," reads the statement. Majewski also announced that the regaining of sovereignty by Iraq and the restoration of diplomatic ties between Iraq and the United States means that the Polish-U.S. agreement under which Poland represented U.S. interests in Iraq since 1991 has expired. The spokesman also said that the regaining of sovereignty by Iraq means the establishing of full Polish diplomatic presence in Iraq at ambassadorial level. "We wish new Iraqi authorities successes in the creation of a stable, federal, democratic, pluralistic and united Iraq..." stressed the spokesman in the statement.

Warsaw, June 28: President Aleksander Kwasniewski ratified protocols to the Europol Convention, the Presidential Chancellery informed Monday. As from 2001 till now Polish police and border guard had the status of Europol associates. At the end of April the president ratified the convention establishing Europol. Now Polish police and border guard may receive the status of member of that organisation. Europol was established on the basis of the Treaty of Maastricht to facilitate cooperation between EU member states in such fields as fighting drug smuggling, terrorism, money laundering and other forms of international organised crime.

Katowice, June 28: Deputy PM Jerzy Hausner hopes that his Tuesday meeting with prime minister Marek Belka will help dispel doubts about changes to be introduced in his austerity plan. Hausner once again repeated that rumours about his dismissal were premature. "I have to know clearly what is expected of me," Hausner stressed when speaking to newsmen after a conference here. "I want to learn what will be my tasks, what should be done, what is the role assigned to me by the PM and other politicians who led to the formation of the present cabinet," he added. He said top priority for him was that public debt did not exceed 55 pc of the GDP this year, or 60 pc in 2005. He warned that if the thresholds were exceeded, then budgetary guarantees would have to be suspended and that in turn would make it difficult for local governments to use EU funds. "For me what matters is whether our actions are aimed at healing the public finances. It is not important how many billions we save, but it is very important to reach a situation when the public debt does not increase. This element is crucial (.) We must do everything to avoid exceeding the safety thresholds," Hausner explained. "For me the worst thing would be to acquiesce to abandoning the public finance healing programme. This would lead to disaster. And that constitutes the limit" of a possible softening of his plan, he added.

Warsaw, June 28: Polish hospitals are ready to admit patients from EU member states, according to Polish doctors. "We should not have any complexes. Medical services offered by Polish hospitals are of very high quality," said Elzbieta Makulska-Gertruda, CEO of a Warsaw university hospital. "An European patient treated in our hospital faces no risk (of substandard service) whatsoever as far as the medical process is concerned," she went on. "Living conditions in the hospital is another matter," she admitted. She said the hospital had already admitted foreign patients. "Most of them were treated in general surgery and plastic surgery wards. The latter speciality is in high demand all across Europe. We charge reasonable or even low prices," she said. "The fact that we attract foreign patients is due to efforts we made over the past several years," according to head of the Institute for Physiology and Pathology of Hearing Professor Henryk Skarzynski. "We invited scientists to take part in various programmes, we demonstrated operations online via Internet, etc. In this way we gave credibility to what we are capable of." Under the EU legislation travellers from member states can use free medical services in other member states only in emergencies.

Warsaw, June 28: The League of Polish Families (LPR) wants the Sejm to approve privatisation decisions of key importance for the Polish economy. A draft amendment to that effect will be field with the Sejm speaker still this week, LPR leader said. "If the proposal is adopted, the cabinet will no longer be able to freely decide about privatisations of key state-owned firms, it will have to ask the Sejm for a resolution approving every such decision," Giertych explained. If the cabinet ignored a negative Sejm resolution, the privatisation would be legally invalid, he added. The amendment is designed to "neutralise the harmful nature of the Marek Belka cabinet," Giertych went on. "The cabinet has no firm support in parliament and we know from past experience that every cabinet approaching the end of its tenure made decisions to secure a financial soft landing of the outgoing group," he claimed. He further explained that the society should have control, via parliament, over decisions of strategic nature. This applied to such firms as PKN Orlen, KGHM, state railways, energy and heat producers,, PKO BP bank, PZU SA insurers, among others.

Warsaw, June 28: Roman Giertych (LPR), Zbigniew Wasserman (Pi), Konstanty Miodowicz (PO), Andrzej Celinski (SdPl), Andrzej Aumiller (UP) Jozef Gruszka (PSL), Zbigniew Witaszek (FKP) and Antoni Macierewicz (RKN) are candidates for members of the Sejm special committee to investigate the PKN Orlen affair. Samoobrona and SLD will field their representatives by Tuesday. All in all, the committee will have 11 members, to be elected in a Sejm vote on Thursday. The committee will have the task of probing irregularities in the state treasury's supervision over the largest Polish company and circumstance of the detention of its former CEO, Andrzej Modrzejewski, in 2002 by the State Protection Office (UOP).

Warsaw, June 28: PKN Orlen GSM approved a change filed by the State Traesury Ministry under which the State Treasury, Nafta Polska and related firms will have a total voting right at no more than 33 percent of shares by 30 June 2005, even if they increased their stake in PKN over that time.The change foresees that the remaining shareholders could have a voting right at the maximum of 20 percent of shares in that time. Shareholders of the Kulczyk Holding group on Monday came out against the changes while pension and investment funds came out in favour. After June 30, 2005 the State Treasury would reduce its voting right to 20 percent of PKN shares. State Treasury-representing PKN's supervisory board member Michal Stepniewski said that the State Treasury will seek to introduce such legislative solutions that would allow it to keep control over the company until June 30, 2005, so that Poland's power safety is not in danger.

Plock, June 28: Companies linked to the Kulczyk group will institute legal proceedings against a change in the PKN Orlen statutes adopted by the company's GSM on Monday that raises a voting right to 20 percent, Jan Waga, head of Kulczyk Holding said. "If we voted against, it was for the resolution passed by the GSM to be taken to court," Waga said. Shareholders of the Kulczyk group companies believe that the change in the statutes gives a privileged position to the State Treasury and is incompatible with the Commercial Code.

Warsaw, June 28: Over a half of Polish society (52 percent) want parliamentary elections to be held still this year, 12 percent maintains that parliament must stay until the end of its term and elections should be held in autumn 2005, a poll conducted by the CBOS shows. 22 percent among those who want early elections insist that the voting should be held as soon as possible, for instance, on the 8th of August, 8 percent would rather have elections after the summer holiday season, for example, in September, and 10 percent point to the late autumn 2004 as the best date, that is after the most urgent bills are passed, including one on the National Health Fund. Eight percent of those polled claim the elections should be held in winter or spring of 2005 so that the government have time to adopt a budget draft law for next year. 17 percent of respondents declares that they do not mind when elections will take place. The survey was run between June 18 and 21, that is a few days before the Sejm took the vote on support for PM Marek Belka in June 24. The poll covered a representative group of 961 adult Poles.

Warsaw, Istanbul, June 29: President Aleksander Kwasniewski returned from a visit to Turkey where he attended a NATO summit. On Tuesday leaders of 26 NATO states confirmed their willingness to help Ukraine integrate with the alliance's structures provided it increases the scope of democratic reforms. Kwasniewski said a separate meeting between Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and NATO leaders was largely a result of his own diplomatic initiative. It was important for us for we perceive Ukraine as one of key partners not only of Poland but also of NATO, the president said. "We also highly value the fact that Ukrainians are with us in Kosovo and Iraq," the President said. However he refrained from elaborating on a possible time-table of Ukraine integration with NATO. According to the President, political strategy adopted by Ukraine after presidential elections in October will be of key importance for talks on the integration time-table.

Warsaw, June 30: President Kwasniewski met with a delegation of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran with its Secretary General Hassan Rohani. Prospects of further development of the Polish-Iranian bilateral relations and the current international situation, including Iraq and the Middle East, wre discussed.

Warsaw, June 29: President Kwasniewski is leaving for Portugal to discuss Polish-Portuguese contacts, the future of the EU and the outcome of the recent NATO Istanbul summit. During the official visit he will meet with president Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio, Portuguese PM Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and President of the National Assembly Joao Bosco Soares Mota Amaral. The president will also discuss mutual economic contacts. Even though Portugal is not the most important Polish trade partner, its role is substantial owing to Portuguese investments in Poland. During the visit Kwasniewski will lay a wreath on the grave of Portuguese national hero and poet Luis Vaz de Camoes. This visit is the second one, after 1997, of the Polish President to Portugal.

Berlin, June 30: Outgoing German President Johannes Rau described his address before the Polish Sejm and Senate as one of the most significant events during the five years of his presidency. There were a few very significant events in the foreign policy, Rau told ARD television and stressed he was speaking about his addresses before the Israeli Knesset and the Polish Parliament. Rau was the first German president to address Polish deputies and senators. He delivered his speech on April 30, on the eve of Poland's joining the EU. President Kwasniewski said he was glad and honoured because he could closely cooperate with Rau for five years.

Warsaw, June 29: Deputy PM Jerzy Hausner said he was in "very serious" talks with PM Marek Belka and declared he would not leave the cabinet. Talks with Belka persuaded Hausner that Belka did not plan to withdraw from plans of reforming the pension system. The cabinet adopted a report on the implementation timetable of the austerity package authored by Hausner. "The cabinet adopted the report concerning all points that I have proposed, including dates for sending appropriate drafts to parliament," Hausner stressed. Still to be discussed with Belka are the public finance policy line and other elements of economic policies and the role to be played by Hausner in coordinating these policies. The point was to make it clear how far he was responsible for coordinating economic policies in a situation when ministers approached Belka directly arguing that he was "also an economist," like Hausner. He said, however, that there was no controversy between him and Prmie Minister Belka.

Warsaw, June 29: Poland and Greece signed an agreement on the cooperation of the defence industries. Deputy Economy Minister Krzysztof Krystowski stressed that this is the first such agreement signed with a foreign government. Both sides obligated themselves to facilitate cooperation in production, technology and trade as well as to support the implementation of R&D projects, exchange of personnel and information and cooperation of respective companies. The agreement will allow Polish companies and research centres to take advantage of Greek scientific achievements and to increase their exports. It will also give access to world markets. Greek deputy Defence Minister Vassilios Michaloliakos said that thanks to improving relations with Turkey, Greece will cut armament expenses but nevertheless his country plans to buy new military hardware for its air force and navy. Polish arms companies are already present on the Greek market. Bumar is working on a contract on the sale of engineering-road trucks while PZL Mielec, who already has delivered to Greece 40 M18 Dromader planes, hopes to sell its M28 Skytruck planes and is preparing for a tender organised by the Greek defence ministry for the delivery of "Sokol" helicopters.

Warsaw, June 29: The Foreign Ministry published the eighth, updated version of its annual publication "The Pole Abroad," an advisory for travelling Poles. The brochure contains practical information, recommendations and warnings against possible hazardous situations, useful for persons planning to go abroad this season. Information in the advisory concerns 194 countries. The ministry warns against travelling to those regions of the world where armed, religious or other types of conflicts take place. The ministry firmly recommends to avoid travelling to Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Somalia and Haiti and, if not necessary, also to Angola, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nepal and Sierra Leone. The advisory also contains recommendations and information for the citizens travelling to the EU countries and the European Economic Area, and index of Polish embassies and consulates abroad and of countries with which Poland has agreements on mutual or unilateral abolishing of the visa duty. The book should help Poles going abroad reach their destination and return home safely.

Warsaw, June 29: In 2003 Poland ran 285 consulates including 135 regular ones and 150 led by honorary consuls, according to a report on Polish consular service in 2003 prepared by the Foreign Ministry. In 2003 Poland opened two general consulates in Luck and Odessa and closed one in Abidjan. 62 consulates are placed in Europe, 33 in Asia, 15 in Africa and the Middle East, 14 in Latin and South America, 8 in North America and 3 in Australia. In the same year 10 new offices led by honorary consuls were opened and two closed. The number of issued passports totalled 107,510 and that of visas 562,365 (217,000 in 2002). The number of Poles arrested abroad in 2003 was 6,363 and the number of Poles in prisons was at 1,724. Consular offices reported 25.6 million euros in revenues on paid services (5 percent more than in 2002). In 2003 Polish consuls married 381 couples.

Warsaw, June 29: German businessman Norbert Rethmann, the owner of one of the biggest waste recycling and disposal companies, received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his outstanding contribution to the development of Polish economy. Rethmann Entsorgungs AG&Co.KG has its branches in 11 European countries (including Poland since 1992), in Taiwan, Japan and Australia. Only in 2002 Rethmann's investment in Poland make the company a leader in the waste recycling economy in this country. Rhetmann operates in 28 Polish towns collecting waste from nearly 3 million inhabitants. It has created 2,000 jobs. During the ceremony of decoration Rethmann assured his firm will continue to invest in Poland.

Warsaw, June 29: 18 percent of Poles have defined themselves as advocates and 30 percent as adversaries of Marek Belka's government, a recent CBOS poll has found. As many as 42 pct said they were indifferent. The number of government supporters rose by 10 points from the last survey that examined popularity of Leszek Miller's cabinet with the number of adversaries falling by 26 points. 21 percent, up 12 points from April survey, believe that Belka's cabinet could improve the economic condition, 52 pct, (down 29 points), voiced the opposite opinion and 27 pct (up 17 points), had no opinion. 42 percent were dissatisfied with the government being led by Belka, 24 pct were satisfied and 34 pct had no opinion.

Party	Number of MEP's	Percentage of votes
Citizens' Platform (PO)	15	24.10
League of Polish Families (LPR)	10	15.92
Law and Justice (PiS)	7	12.67
Selfdefence (Samoobrona)	6	10.78
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)	5	9.35
Freedom Union (UW)	4	7.33
Polish Peasant Party (PSL)	4	6.34
Social Democracy of Poland (SdPL)	3	5.33