News April 2005

Warsaw, April 3: The government at its special meeting in small hours on Sunday decided that Poland will observe National Mourning after the death of Pope John Paul II. The mourning will last until Pope's funeral. President Aleksander Kwasniewski attended the meeting. In a stetement delivered after the meeting Prime Minister Marek Belka turned to state authorities, local government bodies, institutions and organisations in charge of cultural and sport events and to media to observe the rules of National Mourning.

Warsaw, April 3: We will be aware about the greatness of the pontificate of John Paul II and the loss we have suffered only after some time - Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld said. He stressed that the Pope provided Poland with a great gift which was his constant support. The foreign minister said that after the Pope's death Poland will have to cope with problems on its own. Some time ago there was a person, the highest authority, to whom we were able to resort. Today we do not have such a man. In his opinion, now people react to the news about the pontiff's death spontaneously and are still unaware of John Paul II's importance for Poles living at present and for future generations.

Warsaw, April 1: President Aleksander Kwasniewski is thinking about running for the post of U.N. secretary general but wants the organisation to be reformed and have more influence - the Reuters news agency wrote on Friday. "I have held some talks and, if the organisation becomes a more active institution with a broader mandate, this would be a very interesting challenge" - Kwasniewski said. "But if the UN continues to operate the way it has to-date, then I am completely not fit for the role" - he added. Current UN secretary general Kofi Annan will step down in 2006.

Warsaw, April 1: Poles should vote in favour of the European Union Constitution even if France rejects it in a referendum on May 29 - President Aleksander Kwasniewski said in an interview for Reuters. According to the Polish president, the victory of the EU Constitution's opponents in France would be ironic as France was the chief winner of negotiations on the charter. The president stressed he believed France would accept the treaty. But regardless of what happens in France on May 29 I will be trying to convince Poles to vote "Yes" during a referendum in Poland - the president said. According to president Kwasniewski, it will be a severe blow for the ratification process in other countries if France rejects the constitution. President Kwasniewski also said that the referendum should take place on September 25 together with the first round of presidential elections and possibly parliamentary polls.

Warsaw, April 1: The Senate paid tribute to the murdered Polish prisoners of war on the 65th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. Senators passed a resolution that calls on the Russian authorities to acknowledge that the Katyn murder was a crime of genocide and to hand over all the records from the Russian investigation into the murder to the National Remembrance Institute The Senate paid homage to the memory of Katyn victims with one minute's silence. "On the 65th anniversary of the Katyn murder the Senate pays tribute to the murdered, best sons of the homeland and those who fought for the truth about the murder to come to light, also the Russians who fought for the truth, despite harassment and persecution" - the resolution said. The resolution stressed that the authorities of the Russian Federation "seek to diminish the burden of this crime by refusing to acknowledge it was genocide and refuse to give access to the records of the investigation into the issue, making it difficult to determine the whole truth about the murder and its perpetrators." The resolution called on the Russian authorities to "acknowledge that the Katyn murder was genocide, in line with international law, and to clarify all its circumstances and determine perpetrators (...)". "We expect that the Russians should hand over all (...) the records of the investigation carried out by the Russian public prosecutor's office to the National Remembrance Institute as a matter of urgency" - the resolution said.

Warsaw, April 3: Families of Poles murdered by the Soviets in 1940 in a forest near Katyn, Ukraine, Sunday laid wreaths under Warsaw's Katyn Memorial and in the city's Powazki cemetary to mark the 65th anniversary of the killings.

Rzeszow, April 1: Jews from all over the world arrived in Lezajsk, southern Poland to pray at the grave of Zaddik Elimelech Weissblum on his 218th death anniversary. Ceremonies that started Thursday night and will end on Saturday after dusk are attended by Hasidic Jews from Europe, Canada, the United Statesd and Israel. Zaddik Elimelech Weissblum, born in Lezajsk, was one of the founders of Hasidism, a religious movement that renewed Judaism in the 18th century. His tomb in Lezajsk, a sacred place for Hasids, is taken care of by the Nissenbaum Family Foundation.

Warsaw, April 1: Poles travelling to New Zealand as tourist or scholars do not need visas as of April 1, 2005 if their stay is planned for less than 90 days, the country's embassy to Poland said on Friday. Tourists and scholars are requested to show at the border a return ticket, passport valid three months after the planned return and a bank certificate confirming the possession of the equivalent of 2,400 zlotys per person per month.

Wroclaw, April 1: Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse convened to the Liberary of Wroclaw University 4,920 volumes of world press annual issues as a gift from the German parliament to the library. Among them are annual issues of London's Times from 1845 to 2002 and Neue Zurcher Zeitung from 1900 to 2002. The volumes also include annual issues of communist Poland's Trybuna Ludu - Thierse said during the ceremony. He explained that the idea was born in connection with the forthcoming inauguration of the Polish-German Year scheduled for April 30. Wolfgang Thierse was born in Wroclaw in 1943. "Wolfgang Thierse was not only born here but his father and grandfather were Wroclaw University alumni. These links are very strong" - university Rector Zdzislaw Latajka said. The German MP was honoured with a medal commemorating the 300th anniversary of the university.

Warsaw, April 4: The presidents of Slovakia, Germany and Lithuania, Ivan Gasparovic, Horst Koehler and Valdas Adamkus Monday forwarded condolence letters to Polish state head Aleksander Kwasniewski in connection with the Saturday death of Pope John Paul II. In his letter Gasparovic called the Polish-born Pope "Poland's greatest son" and "an eminent personality of global import". "Holy Father John Paul II had close and friendly ties to Slovakia (...) On behalf of the citizens of the Slovak Republic please accept expressions of my deep and sincere sympathy (...) " - Gasparovic wrote. Koehler reminded that at the outset of the Pope's pontificate Poland and Germany were in two hostile blocs and that the Pope had greatly contributed to European unity. "Do not fear!, was the new Polish Pope's message - and the Poles understood it first. John Paul II made the greatest of all contributions to the fact that today we can live in freedom on a united continent" - Koehler's letter read. In his letter Adamkus voiced sorrow over the loss of "a true defender of peace and freedom, whose devotion to God and ceaseless efforts gave trust and hope to generations of Poles and Lithuanians", and assured that "the Pope's heritage will remain with us forever".

Warsaw, April 4: Poles are mourning John Paul II. White and red, and white and yellow flags with bands of black cloth attached are flying around towns and cities, shows and celebrations are cancelled, thousands of people are signing condolence books. Many people attached black or white bands of cloth to their clothes. State institutions, army, trade unions and higher learning institutions cancelled various events. Theatres and cinemas are closed. Masses are being said in churches. On Monday the prime minister signed an ordinance under which Friday will be a work free day for state administration employees - government spokesman Dariusz Jadowski said. On Tuesday, the prime minister will propose that the cabinet should call on the local government authorities and employers to declare Friday a work free day to "enable everybody to take part in ceremonies accompanying the funeral of the Holy Father" - Jadowski said.

Warsaw, April 4: A monument will be erected in Warsaw to commemorate the late John Paul II and his memorable words: "May the Spirit come and renew the face of this land" - spoken during the pontiff's first visit to Poland on June 2, 1979. The resolution to this effect was adopted on Monday by Warsaw councillors who want the memorial to be unveiled on October 16, the 27th anniversary of Karol Wojtyla's election for the pope, at the latest. "(The pope's) message has played a very special role in the history of our country" - Warsaw Mayor Lech Kaczynski said. The Polish Pope's prophetic sentence spoken in his homily to thousands of faithful gathered at downtown Warsaw Marshal Pilsudski Square 26 years ago will make the inscription on the monument which is to stand at that site.

Warsaw, April 4: President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko will pay an official visit to Poland on April 11-12. The programme of the visit envisions meetings with President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Marek Belka and Senate and Sejm Speakers Longin Pastusiak and Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. Yushchenko's talks in Poland are to focus on bilateral relations, international cooperation and European issues. Apart from Warsaw Yushchenko is to go to the locality of Mlyny, Podkarpackie province, to visit the grave of the composer of the Ukrainian national anthem.

Warsaw, April 4: President of Slovenia Janez Drnovshek will pay an official visit to Poland at the invitation of President Aleksander Kwasniewski on April 13-14, the presidential press office announced on Monday.

London, April 4: Britain's European minister Denis McShane Monday became the first British government member to lay flowers under a memorial to the 1940 Katyn murders of Poles by the Soviets in London's Gunnersbury Park. McShane admitted that the British government at the time had known who was responsible for the killings (for years the blame was put on Poland's German occupants) but did not want to forward accusations against the USSR. In 1940 the Soviets executed around 22,000 Polish officers, clergymen, artists and academics taken prisoner after Russia's September 1939 invasion of east Poland. 4.4 thousand of them were killed in forests near the Ukrainian town Katyn.

Warsaw, April 4: A Polish-Indian extradition agreement will come into effect on Monday. Deputy foreign minister Jakub T. Wolski and India's ambassador to Poland Anwil Wadhwa have exchanged ratification documents. The agreement, signed in New Delhi on February 17, 2003 by Poland's and India's prime minister's, is designed to ensure better cooperation in crime fighting, facilitate cooperation of courts and prosecutors. It allows handing over suspects if they face no less than one year in prison. The agreement bans handing over own citizens, as well as those suspected of political and military crimes. Poland has bilateral extradition agreements with 21 countries. Three agreements are under preparation. Poland is a party to nine multilateral extradition agreements.

Warsaw, April 4: Denmark, Canada and Holland will take over a part of Poland's carbon dioxide emission rights - the Rzeczpospolita daily said. Poland has a surplus of at least 70 million tons in carbon dioxide emission rights that it can offer to other countries in return for air pollution reducing investments in Poland. Many EU countires, and also Canada, Japan and the World Bank want to finance such investments. To-date the environment ministry approved around 20 projects. In three projects foreign partners were given emission right limits. Most projects relate to renewable energy investments. In the future 2 thousand MGW of such energy can be produced in Poland, which means outlays of over USD 2 billion, according to deputy environment minister Tomasz Podgajniak. The biggest part of gas emission rights (about 200 thousand tons of carbon dioxide) will go to the Danes whose Elsam-owned Wolin North company built a wind farm in the Wolin island for PLN 125 million.

Warsaw, April 5: Sejm deputies and senators will pay a tribute to late Pope John Paul II at noon on Wednesday in the same room where the pontiff addressed the Polish parliament for the first time ever on June 11, 1999. Starting his address then John Paul II quoted his own words uttered as an appeal during his first pilgrimage to the homeland in 1979: "Let your Spirit come and renew the face of the soil. This soil! Concluding the speech the pontiff said: "Let the Holy Spirit constantly support the great transformation process which brings about the renewal of the earth. Our own earth!" In his address the Pope underlined that political power "should be a dedicated service to man and society and not a quest for group profits with disregard to the common good of the entire nation." He wished Polish politicians that they "spare no efforts to build a state which would embrace with special care family, human life, young people upbringing, show respect to the right to work, see issues essential to the entire nation and be open to the needs of all people, especially those poor and weak."

Warsaw, April 5: Preparations are underway for a national mourning mass for Pope John Paul II to be celebrated in Warsaw on Tuesday afternoon. Warsaw authorities expect over 200,000 people to attend the mass that is to be celebrated by Poland's Primate Cardinal Jozef Glemp. Poland's top officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of local authorities and of other religions are expected to arrive at Pilsudski Square. A few thousand policemen and city guards will help maintain order.

Warsaw, April 5: Krzysztof Penderecki will write a composition in tribute to Pope John Paul I - the Zycie Warszawy daily wrote. "I decided to write a piece as a conclusion of my 'Polish Requiem,' which is so much connected with Poland and which has never been completed" - Penderecki told the daily. "Polish Requiem" is a requiem mass that Penderecki began writing 25 years ago, one of his most important works. Its history is nearly as long as the pope's pontificate. "Lacrimosa" was written in 1979 for Lech Walesa and the Solidarity trade union in memory of the victims who perished during the rising of the Gdansk dockers.

Brussels, April 5: Poland must see that it appoints adequate candidates for EC posts, EC Vicepresident for Administrative Affairs - Siim Kallas said Tuesday in Brussels commenting Poland's recent protests that its candidates were not selected to high EC posts. Like other countries, Poland must see that it appoints adequate candidates. We have difficulty finding the right people for some posts - Kallas said, reminding that "meritocratic factors" played a primary role in EC staffing. The Estonian commissioner admitted that Poland was underrepresented in the EC's higher echelons but stressed that in manning EC posts skills counted more than "geographical equilibrium". Referring to telephoned attempts to canvass for candidates by members of national governments, Kallas named Britain as a country that needed no such backing as it "always put up good candidates". You'd never get Britain calling anyone to push a candidate. What Britain does is work hard to provide the right people. They always have good candidates - Kallas said. He admitted, however, that the EC's staffing procedures were "bad". No Pole has as yet been appointed to an EC general directorship or vicedirectorship despite 10 such openings allotted to the new EU members until 2010 (Hungary and the Czech Republic each have 2 countrymen in such offices). No candidates have also been found for 16 ordinary directorships, advisorships and office head posts granted Poland. Most controversies in Poland arose after the appointment of Czech NATO envoy Karel Kovanda to the EC's Deputy Director General of External Relations despite efforts for the post by Poland's deputy foreign minister Jan Truszczynski and EU ambassador Marek Grela.

Kiev, April 5: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will meet with Polish participants in the "orange revolution" during his next week visit to Poland - Dmytr Svystkov deputy spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. During the April 11-12 visit Yushchenko wants to discuss with his Polish partners political and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Poland. The Ukrainian president will also visit Warsaw University where he will meet with Polish youth who took part in the Ukrainian "orange revolution." During the visit, President Yushchenko will also inaugurate the Ukrainian Year in Poland.

Warsaw, April 5: Switzerland is opening its job market for Poles - Rzeczpospolita reports on Tuesday adding that first Poles may take advantage of this opportunity this fall. The opening by the Swiss of their labour market is in a sense a revolution for the new members of the European Union. Up till now Switzerland was almost completely closed to Polish workers, only some 200 Poles, usually managers in big concerns, are legally employed, writes the daily. The Swiss government has decided that 900 people from new EU countries will be able to find legal employment in Switzerland for an unspecified period of time, additional nine thousand will be able to work for a period of one year. However, the daily adds that the government decisions have still be accepted in a nationwide referendum scheduled for September 25.

Berlin, April 5: Despite pressure from authorities, German farmers want to continue to employ seasonal workers from Poland and other central European countries instead of unemployed Germans. Gerd Sonnleitner, head of the German Farmers Union, quoting results of recent tests said that majority of German seasonal workers are unreliable and in addition not accustomed to hard work usually quickly go on sick-leave. Some 300 thousand seasonal workers, chiefly from Poland, work in Germany mainly during the harvest of asparagus. The number of unemployed Germans has reached almost 5.2 million.

Warsaw, April 5: There are as many as 38 per cent of Polish families in which its member or members are unemployed, looking for a job or are ready to take up a job, according to the results of a poll conducted by the CBOS polling centre. The number of such families grew by 5 per cent from the last year and is higher by 12 per cent than four years ago. Families with lowest incomes, many children, living in small towns and rural areas are most affected by unemployment. Nearly five million Poles live below poverty line. During the past five years a member of every second Polish family was without a job. The poll has been conducted on March 4-7.

Warsaw, Vatican City, April 8: Hundreds of thousands of Poles all over Poland are praying and bidding farewell to Pope John Paul II and watching his funeral broadcast live on TV or on giant TV screens on Friday morning. John Paul's simple wooden coffin, adorned with a cross and the M for Mary, was brought out into St. Peter's Square from St. Peter's Basilica and placed on a carpet on the ground in front of the altar. Presidents, prime ministers and kings from around the world, including a Polish official delegation with President Aleksander Kwasniewski, joined hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, prelates and religious leaders in paying a final farewell to Pope John Paul II.

Warsaw, Cracow, April 8: Some 300,000 people gathered in the Blonie meadows in Cracow on Friday morning to attend a mass preceding the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Bishop Jozef Guzdek told the faithful that "we should be grateful for nearly 27 years of the Pope's pontificate and hope that the Pope would continue to teach us and shape our conscience." Pope John Paul II celebrated several masses during his visits to Cracow during his pilgrimages to Poland. A mass in the Blonie meadows on Thursday night drew an estimated one million people, who turned the field into a sea of glowing candles. Many people packed Warsaw's Pilsudski Square on Friday where the pope celebrated a mass during his first visit to Poland as pope in 1979 and the Old Town in front of Saint Ann's Church to pay homage to the late Pope and to watch the funeral on huge television screens. In Warsaw, sirens wailed for three minutes to announce the start of the funeral to the capital.

Warsaw, April 7: Pope John Paul II wanted his teaching to be treated seriously, Prime Minister Marek Belka said Thursday while presenting degree certificates to this year's graduates of the National Public Administration School. The prime minister stressed that the quality of Poland's public life largely depended on the quality of the civil service. The only threat Poland is facing is "our incompetence and strife," he added. "The greatest pleasure we could give John Paul II would be to start respecting each other, respecting the state, respecting officials (...) and clients-citizens," Belka said. "John Paul II will certainly smile when he sees the two presidents (Aleksander Kwasniewski and Lech Walesa) sitting close to his coffin in the Vatican tomorrow. He has already smiled when the fans of his favourite football club Cracovia ended their holy war with Wisla," Belka said. The prime minister added that the pope would be very glad if political atmosphere in Poland calmed down.

Warsaw, April 7: Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld said that the late Pope John Paul II should have received a Peace Nobel Prize a long time ago. Rotfeld told that the Pope was the first person who involved himself in the peace transformation of the world. "We often say that the Pope started changes in Poland but in fact we could say that he started transformations not only in Poland and in our region but in the entire world. And it should be stressed that his achievements were really outstanding," Rotfeld added. "The Pope involved himself in solving concrete problems," the minister said and added he had in mind, for instance, the Pope's efforts to avoid a war in Iraq. "Thanks to his engagement the intervention of the U.S and allied forces in Iraq is not perceived by the Islam world as a war between religions. In fact everybody believes that this is a war against Saddam Hussein and his regime but that it is not caused by religion factors," the minister added. According to Rotfeld, the Pope introduced a very significant element of ethics and morality into politics. "Many people believe that politics is dirty and that there is no morality in politics. But I believe that in order to make politics effective in the long run it must be based on ethics and morality", the minister said.

"The Pope was a great champion of peace philosophy," the minister said and stressed that all papal encyclical letters published to mark the Day of Peace on January 1 were presenting a completely new concept of peace philosophy.

Warsaw, April 7: Thousands of Poles took part in masses, vigils and marches to pay tribute to John Paul II on Thursday. 500 thousand Cracow residents took part in the White March of Gratitude for John Paul II's pontificate. They marched from Cracow's main square to the site where the pope held a mass in 2002. All the priests celebrating the mass wore white vestments, symbolising belief in the Resurrection, very rarely used in the funeral liturgy.

Bishop Jozef Guzdek celebrated a mass for ten thousand young people in the Pope's hometown of Wadowice. Worshippers were praying at the town's square long after the mass. Hundreds of candles were lit in front of the pope's monument and the house he had once lived in. Flowers were laid and candles lit in tribute to Pope John Paul II in Oswiecim, where the pope celebrated a mass in the former Nazi death camp of Birkenau in 1979. Hundreds of thousands were expected to take part in an academic mass that was to be held in Warsaw's Pilsudski square late on Thursday. People would pray during the night vigil. At 2137 hrs they would form a "farewell circle." Scouts would pray in the glare of candles. Hundreds of candles, "the lights of hope," were lit in the Zamkowy Square late on Thursday, to symbolize the hearts of those gathered - fired by the faith and hope. Archbishop Damian Zimon celebrated a mass in Katowice for thousands of worshippers. Afterwards they would march to an airport in Muchowiec where the pope prayed with 1.5 million people in 1983. Archbishop Zygmunt Kaminski in the presence of over 300 priests celebrated a mass in which tens of thousands of Szczecin residents were expected to take part. Several thousand Poles will attend a mass in the Old Town Square in Przemysl. The mass would be preceded by vigil during which documentaries on the pope's visits to southern Poland would be shown on large screens. The vigil will be held on the St Anne Mountain, the only place in the southern region of Opole that the Pope had visited, which will last until the pope's funeral. On Thursday night the vigil will be held in a mountain hostel in the Tatra Mountains. It will end with a march to the Morskie Oko lake and a mass that will start at 1000 hrs on Friday.

Vatican City, April 7: Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek said the decision about Pope John Paul II's burial had been made and the pontiff will be buried in the vaults of the Vatican Friday. In this situation the decision could hardly be changed, he said Thursday. Pieronek was answering journalists' questions whether the Pope's last will speaks about who should decide about the Pope's resting place. He added that the Polish Episcopate did not know the contents of the will before it was made public Thursday. John Paul II's testament was published in the Polish and Italian versions on Thursday. The 15-page testament contains notes from various periods of John Paul II's pontificate, the first written as early as in 1979. Some notes are only several lines long and some other fill half a page

The Vatican, April 8: The Friday funeral of the late Pope John Paul II is one of the biggest ever funeral ceremonies. It is attended by four kings, five queens, over 70 presidents and prime ministers. Official delegations counted an estimated 2,500 VIPs. Among state leaders is Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. 3.5 thousand Vatican-accredited journalists are covering the event. Some two million pilgrims who travelled to Rome, including 300 thousand Poles, are taking part in the ceremonies. Several hundred thousand are in and around St. Peter's Square. Twenty-seven giant TV screens were placed in streets and squares near the Vatican allowing the faithful to follow the funeral ceremony.

Warsaw, April 7: Prime minister Marek Belka and finance minister Miroslaw Gronicki Thursday discussed the finance ministry's preparations to unify excise rates on diesel and heating oil and introduce excise tax on liquid heating gas. Belka ordered a halt on the new regulation until the completion of a programme to compensate for the raised oil costs.

Warsaw, April 7: Lotos Group and Polish Gas and Oil Company (PGNiG) hope they will be approved for public trading at the end of April, sources close to both companies told.A source close to Lotos said that the company is ready to issue its prospectus within a week after receiving such approval. Earlier, both companies said they wanted to make their debuts in June. The value of the two offers could reach 2.5 billion zlotys (786 million USD). Spokesman for the Treasury said a week ago that "when both companies are approved, then a market analysis will be conducted to check whether the market can absorb two such big offers at the same time or will it be necessary to chose one of them."

Washington, April 7: The U.S. Senate committee has approved 260 million USD for foreign assistance for countries, including Poland, involved in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This sum is by 140 million USD smaller than it was planned by President Goerge W. Bush.

For operations in Iraq and Afghanistan the Senate committee okayed 80.4 billion USD, or 1.5 billion USD less than required by the president.

Warsaw, April 8: "In 1999 I had the honour to attend a private audience granted by Pope John Paul II. The Pope was interested in Russia and eastern churches" - Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld said. According to the minister, the Pope did not manage to visit Russia because of the position of the Russian Orthodox Church which felt weak whereas the Catholic Church was strong, organized and attractive for young people. "I think that this is the main reason which makes the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Chuch be afraid of opening to ecumenism." The minister stressed that the election of Pope John Paul II was the beginning of the role he played for Poland's integration with the EU. The most significant were the words of the Pope in Gniezno in 1997 about "a Europe breathing with two lungs - East and West".

Warsaw, April 9: Rzeczpospolita daily appealed on Saturday to the President of the Republic of Poland, Sejm and Senate and Prime Minister to proclaim October 16 as national holiday and the Day of John Paul II. The daily said that on October 16, 1978 cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope. The pontificate of John Paul II began to renew the face of the earth and change the course of the history of the world in its all dimensions; from the religious and spiritual one through cultural, economic and political to the purely human dimension of each Christian - the paper said adding that Pope John Paul II's work was of the utmost importance not only for Christians but also for other religions.

Warsaw, April 8: The phenomenon of the farewell bidden to John Paul II exceeded the imagination of globalisation theoreticians - Jacek Zalewski wrote in Puls Biznesu. Masses paying homage to the Pope across the world had nothing to do with religious fanaticism, although his death most deeply affected Catholics. The powerful of this world gathered in St Peter's Square are ordinary mortals today. They are only the decoration of the scene where He is the only actor - Zalewski wrote. In the personality of John Paul II the attributes of the heart and character combined with the openness of mind. He worked hard on himself which bore fruit later. Paradoxically the reasons of his biggest advancements were often ... contrasting - Zalewski wrote. After his election John Paul II set the hierarchy of values of his pontificate and took a strategic decision to devote the least time to the administration of the Vatican, more to the tasks of the bishop of the Vatican, and most to the universal church. He excellently took advantage of the development of the media, new PR techniques and "religious marketing". He gave comprehensive form to difficult religious instructions. The media became the Pope's pulpit - Zalewski wrote.

Warsaw, April 10: A monument to Pope John Paul II was unveiled at Rakowicki Cemetery in Cracow on Saturday to commemorate the Pope's prayers at graves of his family members during his seven pilgrimages to Cracow. The monument was located in the military part the Cemetery in a lane leading to the grave of Karol Wojtyla's parents and brother. The 160 centimetre tall statue presents John Paul II with a rosary in hands propped on a kneeler. The statue was placed at a granite plinth. "We decided to erect this modest monument recalling His prayers at the entrance to the cemetery gate. As John Paul II said prayer is the most important task of the pope. So the monument is dedicated to this prayer - Cracow President Jacek Majchrowski said during the ceremony.

Vatican/Warsaw, April 8: A handshake between Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski and Solidarity founder Lech Walesa during Friday's funeral of Pope John Paul II signalled a breakthrough in the long-year antagonism between both politicians. Yesterday this would have been unthinkable, and today president Kwasniewski and I have exchanged a sign of peace. We concluded that the Holy Father's memory obliged us to certain behaviour modes, and we want to show the world that the strength he gives can work wonders - Walesa said after the funeral. Walesa's dislike of Kwasniewski has been a known fact for years.

Warsaw, April 8: Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko will pay an official visit to Poland on April 11 and 12 to discuss economic cooperation and relations between Ukraine and the European Union - the PM's chancellery has reported. On Monday the Ukrainian president will meet President Aleksander Kwasniewski and PM Marek Belka. The three politicians will attend a concert marking the inauguration of the Year of Ukraine in Poland held under the patronage of the presidents of the two countries.

Olsztyn, April 10: Miron Kertyczak has been reelected heads of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland during the organization's 5th congress held in Olsztyn over the weekend. Kertyczak said the union will continue to strengthen Ukrainian national identity among its minority through the promotion of Ukrainian culture and language. He stressed that relations between Polish and Ukrainian nations have improved after Poles' support for the orange revolution. Kertyczak added that young Poles played a special part here, who so actively backed democratic transformations in Ukraine.

Warsaw, April 10: Jerzy Grzegorzewski, one of the most outstanding Polish stagers died at the age of 66. Grzegorzewski graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz and from the Faculty of Stage Direction of the National Academy of Theatre in Warsaw. In 1867 Jerzy Grzegorzewski began collaboration with theatres in Cracow, Lodz and Wroclaw to become later the artistic director of the National Theatre in Warsaw. Grzegorzewski's theatre was characterised by deconstructing great cultural myths, including Polish romantic myths, toying with the theatrical tradition. For a long time, the favourite mean applied by Grzegorzewski was collage, both on the textual level and in the set design. Most of the stagings created based on his own scripts are compilations of plays by Lowry, Shakespeare and Polish artists like Wyspianski, Witkiewicz and Mickiewicz.

Warsaw, April 12: President Aleksander Kwasniewski counts on a positive conclusion of the issue of the Polish military cemetery in Lvov. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday he added he hopes that "declarations will be followed by concrete moves." Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko ending his two-day visit to Poland has declared that Ukraine will solve the problem by the end of June. Kwasniewski added that President Yushchenko has promised he would go from Poland directly to Lvov to discuss the problem with Lvov city authorities. The opening of the military part of the cemetery has been blocked by Lvov city councillors disagreeing with the text proposed by the Polish side of an inscription on the main commemorative plaque. The cemetery is the resting place of Poles fallen while defending Lvov against Ukrainians in 1919-1921.

Warsaw, April 12: The stabilization mission in Iraq should end by the end of 2005 together with the expiration of the U.N. Security Council resolution - Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said after the Tuesday government meeting. Szmajdzinski said there is a possibility of leaving a "small training component" in Iraq in case the Security Council passes a new resolution or the Iraqi government asks the Polish side for the prolongation of its military presence.

Warsaw, April 12: President Aleksander Kwasniewski is ready to accept an invitation to attend ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the Solidarity trade union. On Monday former president and head of the honorary committee for the commemoration of Solidarity foundation Lech Walesa said he was ready to invite the president. "I think it is an extremely important anniversary for Poland, for Europe, for changes, that have taken place. It should be marked as beautifully as possible for Poland's benefit" - Walesa said. "We should use this opportunity to remind that it began in Poland since many people associate changes with, for instance, the Berlin Wall or velvet revolution in the Czech Republic" - the president noted.

Gdansk, April 12: Former leader of the Solidarity trade union Lech Walesa said he will most likely resign from union membership after the conclusion of ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the setting up of the Solidarity union. He added he also may not attend a special union congress scheduled for August 30. "The generation exchange in the union is becoming more visible...I feel less and less needed in the union" - the former Polish president said on Tuesday.

Warsaw, April 12: President Aleksander Kwasniewski received the Socialist International Secretary General, Luis Ayala, on Tuesday - the Presidential Chancellery reported. Kwasniewski acquainted the guest with the current situation on the Polish political scene, including the condition in which the Polish left operates at present. In the discussion the two referred to the role of Pope John Paul II in the European integration process. They stressed Poland's to-date active role in the European policy, including this country's role in solving the Ukrainian crisis last year, and discussed the current political situation in Europe with particular attention to the problem of referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty. Kwasniewski and Ayala pointed to Poland's considerable political potential which should be used in the process of building the new Europe.

Warsaw, April 12: NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Jean Fournet met with leaders of the defence ministry press services to discuss to-date cooperation between press services of the Polish defence ministry and NATO and prospects for these relations for the coming months. The sides exchanged experience in the field of informing society about issues related to the military affairs and defence as well as on cooperation with press services of countries participating in the Partnership for Peace programme.

Warsaw, April 12: Poland will send four officers who will join a U.N. mission to Sudan - Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Tuesday. He added that the officers will be included in the headquarters of a SHIRBRIG special brigade. The mission is aimed to help reach an agreement between the government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Army to end 23-year-old civil war.

Brussels, April 12: Poland is most likely to become a seat of the new EU border agency, designed to boost the control of exterior borders of the 25-state bloc. According to an EU diplomat the decision in question is to be made on Thursday, but the formal approval has to be made at a nearest EU Council summit. Poland's competitor, Hungary will probably house a new European Institute for Gender Equality - the source added.

Warsaw, April 12: Food processing plants have submitted more than 400 motions for 800 million zlotys (242 mn USD) subsidies for plants modernisation and production adjustment to EU requirements - deputy Agriculture Minister Stanislaw Kowalczyk said Tuesday. According to Kowalczyk, the EU assigned for the purpose 1.9 million zlotys between 2004 and 2006. In total 35,000 motions for some 4 billion zloty worth assistance have been submitted as part of the EU Sectorial Operational Programme. Between 2004 and 2006 Poland may use 7.3 billion zlotys for the purpose.

Warsaw, April 12: Belorus's economic achievement will be presented at the first National Exhibition to be held in Warsaw between April 27 and 30. "The principal aim of the exhibition is to boost cooperation between Belarus and Poland" - Ambassador of Belarus to Poland Pavel Latushka told journalists here. This will be the biggest exhibition of this kind in Western Europe, with 131 Belarussian enterprises taking part. Firms representing various branches, among others, building and motor industries will take part in the event - the ambasador said. Some sectors of the Belarussian economy - building, banking, tourism, scientific cooperation - will be presented at seminars. Latushka stressed that Poland is an important economic partner for Belarus, placing fourth as regards turnover, after Russia, Germany and Great Britain.

Warsaw, April 13: President Aleksander Kwasniewski has maintained his earlier decision on taking part in ceremonies marking the conclusion of WW2 held in Moscow on May 9. Wednesday Rzeczpospolita daily wrote that Moscow ceremonies on May 9 will see "apart from the Polish president dictators isolated by the world," namely the leader of North Korea, the president of Belarus and the ruler of Turkmenistan. Referring to the paper report the president said that "invitations are distributed by the host." "So it would be difficult to meddle with them" - he added. Kwasniewski stressed that the event in Moscow is not meant to be a meeting between the presidents but to celebrate the anniversary of the end of WW2 and victory over fascism. "I want to be there as a representative of the Republic of Poland" - the president stressed.

Warsaw, April 13: President Aleksander Kwasniewski on Wednesday stressed that Poland allies were familiar with the idea of concluding the Polish stabilisation mission to Iraq by the end of the year. As he stressed, in line with earlier plans, known to and agreed upon with the United States, Great Britain and partners of the Multinational Division the Polish contingent in Iraq has been gradually decreased in number and transformed into a training mission.

Warsaw, April 13: President of Slovenia Janez Drnovsek started an official two-day visit to Poland on Wednesday greeted by his Polish counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski. Poland and Slovenia want the best possible cooperation as well as that within the European Union -declared both presidents after the talks. Kwasniewski said that relations between the two countries reached the highest level with expanded economic and trade cooperation. "Our countries have implemented their strategic goals including our presence in the EU and NATO" - he said. The two presidents also discussed international questions including Ukraine.

Warsaw, April 13: The Russian authorities have not disclosed the whole truth about the Katyn crime - chairman of the Katyn Committee Stefan Melak said opening the exhibition "Crime and Treachery" in Warsaw on Wednesday, the 62th anniversary of disclosure by Germans of the information about graves of Polish POVs found in the Katyn forest. "We expect Russia to convey to the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) all secret documents and declare the Katyn crime genocide" - Melak said. The committee also wants the Russian side to make public 2,000 name of the crime culprits. The committee demands from Russia to tell where more burial sites unknown to the Polish side are situated. The committee believes that the sites in question, where over 7,000 Poles murdered by the NKVD in the spring of 1940 may be found at Bykovnia and Kuropaty, but the committee has no documents to prove it - Melak said. The exhibition "Crime and Treachery" presenting memorabilia and photographs preserved by families of victims will be opened in the vaults of the Holy Cross church in Warsaw for two weeks to follow. Polish historians have established that about 22 thousand Polish POVs were murdered on the order of the then Soviet authorities at Katyn, Kharkov, Mednoye and other still unknown sites in the spring of 1940.

Warsaw, April 13: The rejection of the European Constitution would be a painful failure for Europe - Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said Wednesday asked about the consequences of a negative result of a referendum in France next month. If some French citizens are planning to vote against the EU Constitution as they do not want Turkey to join the EU, then this does not make any sense. There is no logical connection between the two issue - Cimoszewicz told the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland. According to Cimoszewicz, France would pay a political price for a "no" vote as every country that rejects the EU constitutions will be accused of helping this failure. The rejection of the EU Constitution would be a signal for the world and ourselves that we are not able to modernize the Union, that we not ready for joint actions and that differences between us are still too big - Cimoszewicz stressed. A recent poll shows that a solid majority of French voters plan to reject the EU constitution during a May 29 referendum. All 25 EU members must approve the document for the constitution to take effect.

Warsaw, April 13: The Confederation of Polish Employers KPP receives an increasing number of signals about the European Union discrimination against Polish businessmen and workers - reads a statement issued by the KPP leaders on Wednesday. KPP representatives wrote in a statement that "Polish businessmen are often unjustly viewed as the reason of unemployment on local markets in the 15 "old" EU members and that very often they take jobs previously rejected by the locals." Additionally, the KPP draws the attention to the fact that in view of the forthcoming referendum on the Constitutional Treaty and growing unemployment the 15 countries use questions related to free flow of services and workers to achieve their political gains." The KPP believes all those problems have its source in the fact that Polish employers and workers are competitive and offer lower price for higher quality services and products. They are also viewed as honest and reliable workers. "Despite "the internal market freedom" actions of Polish businessmen and workers are often undermined by overly zealous white collars" - KPP representatives stressed in the statement.

Brussels, April 13: The Polish government and NATO signed here on Wednesday an agreement on setting up NATO's Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz, northern Poland. The agreement creates legal and financial grounds for the centre operations and for all necessary investments. It will also provide the Centre with the status of the Allied Forces Command and include it into NATO joint financing system. Deputy Defence Minister Janusz Zemke explained Bydgoszcz had been chosen for its proper infrastructure and logistic base as nearby training grounds will be used, on a commercial basis, for manoeuvres and exercises supporting the training programme.

Warsaw, April 13: The mountain resort of Krynica Zdroj will be the venue of a Europe-Russia Forum on April 14-16. Prime Minister Marek Belka will be the forum's guest on the first day of debates. The PM is scheduled to attend a plenary session on "Russia-EU: membership, partnership or competition?" The forum, organized by the Eastern Institute, is devoted to new challenges facing the European Union, especially the dialogue with Russia. Participants in the forum are to discuss the development of EU's economic, political and cultural relations with Russia.

Warsaw, April 15: Prime Minister Marek Belka praised the Sejm decision not to dismiss Treasury Minister Jacek Socha and once again called on deputies to focus on work and not on political games. "The rejection of a no-confidence motion in Socha means that the government can work normally," the prime minister said . On Tuesday Belka threatened to call a vote of confidence in his government should his treasury minister be sacked by parliament. Next the PM stressed he believed that on May 5 the Sejm would pass a decision on its self-dissolution but added that irrespective of the election date "work was our common duty".

Warsaw, April 15: "If the ratification of the EU Constitution remains the most significant task for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), I do not see why SLD should change its position concerning the date of parliamentary elections," SLD caucus head Krzysztof Janik said Friday. "SLD wants parliamentary elections to be held on a constitutional date, that is in the autumn," Janik said. Next he stressed that one presidential candidate of the left could still be a chance of a victory in the presidential election and added that Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz was the best candidate.

Warsaw, April 15: General Wojciech Jaruzelski told Radio Zet on Friday that he had discussed his visit to Moscow to attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two with President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "And the president said that I should go," he stressed. Meanwhile President Kwasniewski said Friday morning that the Polish delegation was composed of only one person, that is the Polish president. "The Russian side has also invited a group of war veterans who fought on the eastern front. General Jaruzelski who is a member of this group is undoubtedly a soldier of World War Two," the president said. "Our absence in Moscow would be treated in Moscow as eccentric or phobic behaviour," Jaruzelski added. The general stressed he had been invited to Moscow as the highest- rank war veteran in Poland. General Jaruzelski said it was Poland's priority to have good relations with all its neighbours, including Russia.

Warsaw, April 15: The Visegrad Group ministers responsible for regional policy signed in Warsaw on Friday a declaration on joint activities in shaping regional policy by their countries. The Group includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The declaration envisions joint undertakings in such fields as towns revitalisation, housing, territorial cooperation and development of north-south transport corridors. Undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Economy and Labour Irena Herbst, who represented the Polish side at the signing of the declaration, told newsmen that the document will constitute a basis for the joint formulating of needs and negotiating settlements that are most appropriate for the Group in the course of shaping the EU policy.

Warsaw, April 13: After it has been approved by France, Poland will repay 60 percent of its debt to the Paris Club, Finance Minister Mirolsaw Gronicki said. The remaining debt amounts to 40 percent of the total of 12.3 bn euros, that is less than 5 bn euros. In April Poland will make an early repayment of another tranche of its debt in the Paris Club towards United States, Sweden and Spain and in late June towards Switzerland. The total value of the debt towards the four countries, affiliated in the Paris Club, stands at 1 billion euros. Negotiations with France on the early repayment of 2.6 billion euros are under way. We will surely have to wait for an agreement, Gronicki stressed. In late March Poland repaid the first tranche of 3.3 bn euros and 900 million euros of interest. In this way it repaid its debts towards Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain and one-third of the debt towards Canada.

Berlin, April 15: The Polish-German trade turnover grew by 8 percent in 2004, the first year of Poland's EU membership, as compared to 2003 figures, Jozef Olszynski of Poland's embassy in Berlin has said. Poland's export to Germany grew over 2004 by 0.9 percent to 15.9 billion euros while import went up by 14.8 percent to 18.8 billion euros. Poland placed 12th on the list of Germany's trade partners. Three top partners are France, the U.S. and Great Britain. Polish firms have already invested around 540 million euros in Germany, with Orlen Deutschland being the top investor with 140 million euros spent on a chain of petrol stations in Northern Germany. The embassy has quoted the data released by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.

Warsaw, April 14: An agreement with the Ukrainian Avto ZAZ corporation on the sale of shares in the Warsaw FSO car plant should be ready next week, Treasury Minister Jacek Socha told Radio PiN on Friday. The agreement is still negotiated. (. . . ) The Treasury Ministry wants the agreement to include clauses protecting the interest of the state treasury, Socha said. If everything is agreed upon, we will probably have the agreement next week, Socha added. The minister said the State Treasury would not get any money for the 20-percent stake as FSO was in debt. If it is not sold now it will have to go bankrupt, Socha added. The treasury owns 20 percent of FSO shares. The remaining 80 pc of shares in FSO are in the hands of Korean Daewoo which, however, gave up operational control of the Polish company.

Warsaw, April 15: Law nad Justice (PiS) would win parliamentary elections if they were held in April as its support rose to 24 percent, according to a recent CBOS poll. Last month PiS got 16 percent of the votes. The todate leader, the Citizens' Platform (PO), placed second with 20 percent of votes, down by two percentage points from March. Next came Samoobrona with 14 percent of votes, unchanged from March. The League of Polish Families (LPR) got 10 percent of votes, one percentage point less than last month. The Social Democracy for Poland (SdPl) got 5 percent of votes, up by two percentage points from March. The Polish Peasant Party (PS), the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and the Freedom Union (UW) would not win seats in the Sejm as they fell short of the five percent of the vote required for parliamentary representation. CBOS asked Poles about their attitude concerning the Democratic Party (PD) but did not include it in its final ranking as PD had not been registered so far. PD could count on 9 percent of votes, down by three percentage points from March.

Warsaw, April 15: Poland's involvement in Iraq brought political and military advantages, Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski told the Sejm. Presenting a government-prepared report, Szmajdzinski recalled that the stabilisation mission of Polish troops will be completed at the end of the year, along with the expiry of a mandate under a UN resolution. The gov't did not take any decisions on further presence of the Polish troops after that date. Participation in the stabilisation operation showed that Poland is an active member of international community, it consolidated strategic ties with the United States, the minister said. He added that the mission brought new experiences to Polish troops and provided training benefits. Democratic Left Allaince's Waclaw Martyniuk said that the operation overthrew Saddam Husein which was its unquestionable achievement. "This war was not waged for oil but for the dignity of the Iraqis," Pawel Gras of the Citizens' Platform noted. Marek Jurek of the Law and Justice said that the decision to send Polish troops to Iraq was correct and that it raised Poland importance in Europe. Until recently the Polish contingent in Iraq was 2,500 strong, now it is reduced to 1,700 troops.

Warsaw, April 15: Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak attended the International Parliamentary Conference on the 60th anniversary of the victory of the anti-Nazi coalition in World War II that was held in Sankt Petersburg on Friday. Pastusiak said that the conference had a symbolic significance. "We are paying tribute to the heroism of the defenders of this city who resisted the invaders for close to 900 days. The fights took at least 650 lives of its inhabitants and soldiers."While in Sankt Petersburg Pastusiak met his counterpart from the Kazakh Republic Nurtay Abykayev to discuss cooperation, and in particular parliamentary contacts. Pastusiak also talked with head of the Council of Federation of Russia's Federal Assembly Sergey Mironov about unresolved problems in Polish-Russian contacts, including Russia's failure to hand over Katyn documents to Poland.

Bialystok, April 18: Only a joint list of left-wing candidates gives it a chance for a good result in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz told Radio Bialystok on Monday.He explained that support at some 5 percent in popularity polls indicate that the party may not exceed this threshold in true elections.According to Cimoszewicz, a sensible, credible and reliable list of left-wing candidates should be drafted. The list should be free from people linked to "fatal errors made by the left-wing when it was in power."The Sejm Speaker warned that the left-wing was running out of time in view of the possibility of early elections.

Warsaw, April 15: If the Law and Justice wins parliamentary elections it would like to fill in the post of the PM and most ministerial posts. If if falls behind another party it would surely want to take over the internal affairs and administration ministry, and ministries of justice, foreign affairs and defence.According to the first scenario PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski is an unquestioned candidate for the post of the future PM. In the second case he would be deputy PM and Justice Minister.The PiS would not give up the said posts as it would be accountable to the society for security. According to unofficial sources, head of the party parliamentary floor group Ludwik Dorn would become the interior affairs and administration minister. Kazimierz Ujazdowski would become the foreign minister and Radek Sikorski would be Defence Minister (Sikorski is now an expert of the conservative American Enterprise Institute).

Warsaw, April 17: The Socialdemocracy of Poland (SdPl) is ready for the June 19 elections that will take place if the Sejm resolves to dissolve itself, SdPl leader Marek Borowski said. He presented SdPl's electoral strategy and platform, and announced that SdPl's campaign will be based on contacts with people that "have to result in SdPl's electoral success."Borowski stressed that his party supported itself on membership fees and received no subvention. "We cannot afford such excesses and financial debauchery, as observed in other parties,". Borowski mentioned the Law and Justice (PiS) and Citizens' Platform as SdPl's chief opponents in the election. In his opinion the PiS has a most radical programme among the major parties that contest the elections. He criticised the PiS proposal to build the 4th Republic of Poland. The SdPl believes that the 3rd Republic of Poland should be repaired rather than destroyed. "All those decommunisations, vettings are designed to bring about internal divisions, stir up hatred,".The leading motive of SdPl's electoral campaign will be giving equal chances and creating the atmosphere of optimism. Borowski recalled main tenets of SdPl's platform, among them: education, "honest state" and administration depoliticisation, equal rights for women, fight against discrimination of socially weaker groups and fight with unemployment.

Warsaw, April 15: Deputy head of the Polish Peasant Party PSL Janusz Piechocinski believes that parliament should appoint an interim gov't that would work until new elections if the present Sejm fails to cut short its term of office on May 5. The PSL called on all parliamentary floor groups and circles to start related talks. Under the constitution, the ruling gov't can be changed after the Sejm approves a constructive no-confidence vote. A motion to this effect has to be supported by at least 46 MPs and the PM. To be effective the motion has to win the approval of the absolute majority that means 231 MPs. According to the PSL such interim gov't should be made up by representatives of all "responsible parties in the gov't " except for presently leading politicians. Piechocinski believes the PM of this gov't may even not be an MP. Further operations of the Marek Belka gov't pose a threat to the state and the economy, Piechocinski told a news conference in Warsaw on Friday. In his opinion this gov't would help finish work of enquiry parliamentary committees for examining the privatisation of PZU insurer and PKN Orlen fuel concern in a more effective way. On Friday the PSL main executive committee decided the party would support the motion of the Sejm self-dissolution on May 5. "Cutting short this Sejm tenure and early elections in June are the best solution for Poland," Bury stressed.

Warsaw, April 17: The rejection of the EU constitution will bring about a crisis in the European Union, Prime Minister Marek Belka said during a convention that marked the beginning of a EU campaign launched by the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). SLD leaders sought to boost support for the EU constitution. The campaign will be held under the slogan "Strong Poland in Strong Europe" to promote advantages from Poland's EU membership and will be later transformed into a EU constitution referendum campaign. The prime minister stressed that the rejection of the EU constitution would bring about a crisis and disadvantages for Poland, such as a failure to get access to the market of services. That is why Poland should "keep its fingers crossed" for the French to ratify the EU constitution. According to the prime minister, the EU is not a confrontation place for 25 countries but a "home of friends" in which a compromise should be reached. Belka termed the first year of Poland's membership in the EU as a "completely advantageous year." "We are achieving successes in the EU," he stressed. Belka added that the gov't fully supported the SLD-launched campaign. "We are 100-percent together in this case," he said.

Gdansk, April 15: Lech Walesa met on Friday with head of Kazakh opposition party the Democratic Choice of Kazakstan Asylbyek Kozhakhmyetov. The guest told that for the Kazakh opposition, Lech Walesa is a symbol of democratic transformations that took place in Poland and that the Kazakh opposition would like to see taking place in their country. He added that during the visit he would also like to offer their condolences in connection with the death of Pope John Paul II. Kozhakhmyetov told PAP he had invited Lech Walesa to pay a visit to his country.

Warsaw, April 17: Representatives of the Federation of Katyn Families, state and local government authorities, scouts, laid wreaths on the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw to mark the 65th anniversary of the mass murder of Polish POWs in the Katyn forest near Smolensk in western Russia. The ceremony was attended by President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Marek Belka, Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak, and other high ranking officials. "The Katyn murder represents unparalleled genocide on defenceless POWs that must not be forgotten," Polish Army field bishop Tadeusz Ploski said during a mass celebrated in Warsaw to mark the anniversary. He added that it was "with pain and surprise" that the Poles learned about the fact that Katyn is questioned as the crime of genocide "on Poland's eastern and also western side." President Aleksander Kwasniewski presented orders and decorations to 48 persons, including 31 Russians and Ukrainians, for their "outstanding services in disclosing and documenting the truth about the Katyn murder" during a ceremony held in the presidential palace. Among those decorated were members of the Federation of Katyn Families, Russian academics, authors of publications about Katyn, participants in the exhumation work. "We expect the authorities of the Russian Federation to recognise the Katyn murder to be the crime of genocide," Kwasniewski stressed. He said it was of utmost importance to identify the burial place of 7,000 of those murdered whose graves had not been found.

Warsaw, April 17: Around 200 people attended an ecumenical prayer for the Warsaw ghetto insurgents. The prayer began at the monument to Ghetto Heroes and continued at the Umschlagplatz, from where Warsaw Jews had been deported to the Treblinka death camp in 1942. "The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was conceived as self-defence against passive deportation to gas chambers," professor Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said on Sunday. He stressed that it was "one of the greatest acts of resistance." "They wanted to die fighting, to draw the world's attention to those events; they knew they would not survive," he added.The prayers were organised by the Polish Council of Christians and Jews. The Warsaw ghetto uprising began on April 19, 1943, after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. When the rising broke out, there were 70 thousand Jews in the ghetto; close to 14 thousand were killed, the remainder were deported to death camps.

Warsaw, April 15: Hewlett Packard will invest 50 million USD in a financial and accounting consulting services centre in Wroclaw, south-western Poland in the coming five years under two agreements signed in Warsaw on Friday. Hewlett-Packard Polska CEO Andrzej Dopierala told PAP gov't and local gov't assistance for the investments totals 2 million euros and its amount in connected with the number of empoloyees. If the number of employees goes up the amount of assistance will also be higher, he explained. The centre plans to employ some one thousand people. He added Wroclaw was selected because of its location as the company expects a considerable number of customers from the German market. The agreements were signed in the presence of President Aleksander Kwasniewski.

Warsaw, April 15: The average gross wage in March 2005 totalled 2,480.50 zlotys (780 USD) and was 2.2 percent higher than in March 2004 and 2.9 percent higher than in February 2005, the Central Statistical Office GUS said Friday. The average wage without payments on earned profits totalled 2,474.38 zlotys, up 2.2 percent on March 2004 figure and 2.6 percent on February 2005 figure. Corporate units in March employed 4 million and 742.5 thousand people or 1.6 percent more than in March 2004. Compared to February 2005 the level remained unchanged.

Warsaw, April 19: The cabinet met on Tuesday to discuss draft amendments to the law on cooperation between the government and the Sejm and Senate in issues concerning the EU. Later in the day the ministers are to examine a report on implementation of tasks at the first stage of Poland's EU membership

Astana, April 19: Kazakhstan is Poland's fourth economic partner among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the most important in Central Asia, Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak said in Kazkhstan's capital Astana. Pastusiak attended a Polish-Kazakh businessmen forum. The Senate Speaker admitted that Polish-Kazakh trade turnover is on the rise. In 2004 the trade value was over USD 600 million when 73 firms with Polish capital were registered in Kazkstan. "Poland's investments in Kazakhstan are growing, they were estimated at USD 1.8 million late in 2003," he said. Pastusiak said Poles pinned big hopes for boosting cooperation on an Odessa-Brody-Gdansk oil pipeline project.

Lodz, April 18: PM Marek Belka said that he did not believe in the opposition parties to win the constructive vote of no-confidence in the government. Referring to a conversation with leader of the ruling Democratic Left Alliance SLD Jozef Oleksy the PM stressed that they discussed mainly the European campaign started by the party. He explained that the Polish parliament should start the ratification of the EU Constitutional Treaty as soon as possible. However, he added, the SLD leader tried to persuade me that autumn was a better date for elections. The PM upheld its earlier announcement that he would submit his government resignation on May 5 but recalled that the president had said he would not accept it.

Bialystok, April 18: Only a joint list of left-wing candidates gives it a chance for a good result in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said.

He explained that support at some 5 percent in popularity polls indicate that the party may not exceed this threshold in true elections. According to Cimoszewicz, a sensible, credible and reliable list of left-wing candidates should be drafted. The list should be free from people linked to "fatal errors made by the left-wing when it was in power." The Sejm Speaker warned that the left-wing was running out of time in view of the possibility of early elections.

Warsaw, April 18: The Law and Justice (PiS) is still interested in forming a coalition with the Citizens' Platform (PO) and not with the League of Polish Families (LPR), Warsaw President and one of PiS leaders Lech Kaczynski said. The Monday issue of Gazeta Wyborcza daily wrote that mass media run by Catholic priest Father Tadeusz Rydzyk plan to bloc the possible coalition between the PO and PiS which is likely to lead it to power. Instead, Rydzyk wants Poland to be ruled by the ultra- conservative League of Polish Families (LPR), PiS and few other ultra-conservative groupings. "This is untrue. After a recent popularity poll in which PiS has for the first time outdone PO we have been flooded with untrue information, not to say lies," Kaczynski said. He added that the idea of a coalition with LPR has so far failed to find support among PiS leaders. Kaczynski underlined that PiS was strongly for the coalition with PO despite differences between the two parties. "We would have a single, strong party had it not been for the difference in vision, he explained.

Katowice, April 18: The Citizens' Platform (PO) or the Law and Justice (PiS) should field a candidate for the prime minister that would replace Marek Belka and would stay in office until the autumn general elections, leader of the Self-defence farmers' party Andrzej Lepper said. "We want PO and PiS to take over power," Lepper said.He made it clear that the Self-defence wanted to take over power after the autumn elections but would not field its candidate for an "interim" prime minister, as it has no such aspirations and chances for the Sejm to accept him.

Warsaw, April 18: Zbigniew Religa will run for president. "I have made a decision to run," he told newsmen after ceremony of granting him a h.c. doctorate of the Medical Academy of Warsaw. He will make an official announcement once the date of the presidential elections is fixed. "I will then start my campaign," he added. "Today is the crowning of my medical career. From now on I will devote the greater part of my time to politics, hoping that I will manage to achieve something good in that field," Religa, a leading Polish cardiosurgeon, declared during the ceremony.

Lodz, April 18: Poland has entered a few year time of fast economic growth, believes PM Marek Belka. In his opinion, in few years Poland will lack people for new jobs. He justified his predictions recalling EU funds that have started to be transferred to Poland, public works and that fact that Poland has become an attractive site for foreign investments. Speaking to the participants in a debate on Poland and Lodz he added that the said factors ensure a five percent economic growth for Poland for a number of years to come. Registered unemployment, according to Belka, may stand even at the level of 10 percent. According to the PM a 5 percent economic growth annually with the observance of the principle that budget spending cannot exceed 1 percent above the inflation level should produce a few percent budget surplus at the end of the present decade.

Warsaw, April 19: Foreign direct investments in Poland grew in 2004 to 7.86 billion USD from 6.42 billion USD in 2003, the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ) reported. "According to PAIiIZ data, 7.86 billion USD flew in to Poland in 2004 in the form of foreign direct investments which translates into a 23-percent growth and the highest in years level of investments," the PAIiIZ report said.

"Foreign investors created nearly 15,000 new jobs in 2004," it said. The cumulative value of foreign capital stood at 84.48 billion USD at the end of 2004.

Warsaw, April 18: The European Consumer Centre began operations in Poland to inform consumers about their rights in individual EU countries and provide legal assistance, the Competition and Consumer Protection Office (UOKiK) said. The Centre will help the consumers who shopped abroad or on the internet. There are 27 European Consumer Centres in EU countries. The Polish Centre was set up on the strength of an agreement between UOKiK and the European Commission.

Warsaw, April 18: The Lower Silesian chapter of the Solidarity trade union wrote a letter to the French prime minister demanding that a meeting of TP SA, France Telecom and trade union officials chart a strategy of development of TP SA. "We cannot put up with the policy pursued by the (TP SA's) French investor (i.e. France Telecom) which adds to unemployment and lack of investments that would create new jobs," the letter says in part. France Telecom owns 47.5 pc of shares in TP SA. The Lower Silesian Solidarity declared it supported the protest staged by TP SA's trade unions over the announced layoff of close to 3,000 employees.

Warsaw, April 18: 20 names of people who might have been involved in turning over hiding Jews to the Nazis or in pogroms were reported by callers on the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's special infoline established in Poland in June, 2004. The reports concern 18 Poles, one Belarussian and one Jew, the Centre's officials said at a press conference held in Warsaw's synagogue. The reports will be verified by the Centre in the next 2-3 months and then referred to the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). Efraim Zuroff of the Centre declined to reveal any names. He said the events described by callers had taken place in Warsaw, Lodz, Radom, Vilnius, Zelechow, Dabrowa Gornicza and the vicinity of Pultusk, Siedlce and Zamosc. Zuroff also said that so far some 50 persons had made calls over the special phone line in Poland. The line and financial rewards promised to callers for reporting unknown world war two crimes against Jews stirred controversy in Poland. Bronislaw Geremek and Wladyslaw Bartoszewski were highly critical of the initiative, while Marek Edelman was strongly in favour.

Bielsko-Biala, April 18: Maria Rogozinska, who harboured Jews during World War II and was murdered for it by the Germans, was decorated posthumously with the Righteous Among the Nations of the World medal and diploma. The medal was presented to her daughter, Helana Karczewska, by Israeli ambassador David Peleg at the Jewish Educational Centre.

Among over 19 thousand people honoured with the Righteous Among the Nations of the World medal, there are close to 6 thousand Poles.

Bialystok, April 18: Only a joint list of left-wing candidates gives it a chance for a good result in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said.

"Foreign investors created nearly 15,000 new jobs in 2004," it said. The cumulative value of foreign capital stood at 84.48 billion USD at the end of 2004.

Among over 19 thousand people honoured with the Righteous Among the Nations of the World medal, there are close to 6 thousand Poles.

Warsaw, April 20: "On behalf of the highest Polish authorities, the Polish nation and my own I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to the Holy Father in connection with the election of Pope Benedict XVI as the leader of the general church," President Aleksander Kwasniewski has written in a letter to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. "In the election of Your Holiness we see the will to continue work of great popes of last scores of years who have been strengthening such values as justice, peace and reconciliation," reads a statement. Directly after the election of the new pope Aleksander Kwasniewski held a phone talk with German President Horst Koehler to congratulate him in connection with Cardinal Ratzinger having been elected the new pontiff.

Warsaw, April 19: The Polish Sejm paused its debates for 20 minutes to honour the election of cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to the papacy, who took the name Benedict XVI.

Warsaw, April 19: Foreign ministers of NATO will hold an informal meeting in Vilnius to discuss ways of fostering cooperation between NATO and Ukraine, cooperation with Russia, proposals aimed at the alliance strengthening and NATO's role in the Middle East peace process. Poland will be represented by Foreign Minister A. D. Rotfeld. The ministers of 26 countries of the alliance will for the first time meet at the territory of a country which once belonged to the Soviet Union.

Warsaw, April 20: Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz termed a statement to the nation made by Belarussian President Aleksandr Lukashenka on Tuesday "scandalous in its form, and pointless." "The form was scandalous, the wording devoid of any sense, speaking rudely. This is a statement of an irate dictator, displeased with the fact that not everyone in his country is scared," Cimoszewicz told. In his statement Lukashenka criticised the Polish embassy for taking care of Poles living in Belarus. He encouraged Polish diplomats to follow the example of ambassadors of Russia and Turkmenistan who "like Belarus." The Sejm speaker stressed that the Polish authorities have been monitoring mounting repression against the Union of Poles in Belarus in recent weeks. Cimoszewicz said Poland should reply to Lukashenka's statement in a dignified, unequivocal and clear way rejecting this type of absurd charges but not in a way which would be hostile to the Belarussian nation. "Like most democratic countries of Europe we have never concealed our condemnation of the political practice in Belarus," Cimoszewicz stressed.

Warsaw, April 19: President Kwasniewski met with left-wing politicians to discuss the future of the Polish left-wing and the possibilities of fielding a single presidential candidate. Secretary General of the Democratic Left Alliance SLD Marek Dyduch said that the meeting started with all the present watching a life broadcast on the election of new Pope Benedict XVI. Oleksy said that SLD proposals envisaging the left-wing unification before elections were flippantly treated by the Social Democracy of Poland (SdPl). Oleksy put the blame for a possible split in the left-wing on the SdPl and its leader Marek Borowski, who in turn, said that he would repeat to the president that true unity should be build on common values. As long as the SLD fails to carry out purges we can't talk about a joint ticket, he explained. Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz says that common sense orders the left-wing to become united now.

Warsaw, April 19: The gov't approved a report on the state of the implementation of tasks in the first period of Poland's membership of the EU, the gov't information centre reported. The gov't also adopted a draft amendment to the law on cooperation between the Council of Ministers and the Sejm and Senate in questions related to Poland's membership of the EU.

Warsaw, April 19: General Harald Kujat was received in Warsaw by Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski. It was a farewell visit as Kujat concludes his mission at the post of the Chair of the NATO Executive Committee. The talk centred on NATO transformation, its ability to adapt to changing security conditions and the ability to react to new challenges related to the collective defence system. Participants discussed ISAF operation and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. General Harald Kujat highly assessed the Polish Armed Forces and thanked for their involvement in peace missions

Warsaw, April 19: Trade unions of LOT Polish national air carrier will start preparations for a warming strike if talks between LOT board with trade unions fail, leader of LOT flying staff trade union said Elwira Niemiec.The unionists protest against cutting the number of their days-off. LOT plans to introduce a new by-rules therefore cutting the number of flying staff days off. The trade union fears it may lead to layoffs. Talsk are to start on April 20. Negotiations will be held in the presence of a mediator from a list of economy ministry mediators.

Gliwice, April 19: NGK Ceramics Polska, which is part of Japan's NGK Insulators, opened a Diesel engine ceramic filter factory in Gliwice. The factory will give jobs to over 1,000 people early next year, now it employs 400 persons. "We intend to more than triple the to-date investment outlays and gradually increase employment. We expect total spending on all investment stages to reach 150 million euros," head of NGK Ceramics Polska Toshiyuki Hamanaka said. So far the investment, located in the Katowice Special Economic Zone, cost 170 million zlotys. It is one of the most state-of-the- art factories of this type in the world.

Warsaw, April 19: Privatisation revenues reached 473.73 mln zlotys on April 15, or 8.36 % of the annual plan, the state treasury ministry said. 2005 gross privatisation revenues were projected at 5.67 bln zlotys. At the end of March privatisation revenues were at 450.21 mln zlotys, or 7.94 % of the annual plan. Net revenues were at 329.39 mln zlotys, or 7.42 % of the plan.

Warsaw, April 19: President Kwasniewski has accepted an official invitation from Solidarity founder Lech Walesa to attend the union's 25th anniversary celebrations, Bogdan Lis from the event's organizing committee said after delivering the invitation to Kwasniewski. Presidential minister Waldemar Dubaniowski said Kwasniewski's and Walesa's presence at the gala was intended to give the celebrations "European and global rank". Walesa and Kwasniewski, known to be in personal conflict for years, publicly made up with a handshake at the recent funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Warsaw, April 19: The Polish Sejm unanimously passed a resolution honouring the 90th anniversary of a 1915 massacre of Armenians by Turkey. In 1915 the Turkish gov't ordered mass deporations of Armenians from the province Anatolia. A large part of the deportees were subsequently slaughtered by the Turkish army. "Remembrance about the victims of this crime and its condemnation are the moral duty of all humanity, all countries and all people of good will", the resolution reads. The EU is pressing Turkey to recognize the killings as genocide committed on Armenians as part of its European integration process.

Warsaw, April 19: Few hundred of people, Poles and Jews paid homage to Ghetto heroes fallen in the Uprising that broke out against Nazis 62 years ago in Warsaw. "The rising in the Warsaw Ghetto was not a struggle for survival it was a struggle for freedom and dignified death," Poland's chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told PAP. Together with the gathered at the foot of the monument to the Ghetto Heroes he prayed a prayer for the dead. Also representatives of the state and local authorities, representatives of Jewish organisations and a numerous group of youth from Israel paid the tribute to the memory of the fallen. Present was only a handful of surviving raising leaders among them Marek Edelman. In the evening a gala song evening was held in the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw.

Warsaw, April 19: The new Democratic Party will officially come into being at a May 7 founding congress in Warsaw's Hotel Grand. Its most likely head is Freedom Union (UW) leader Wladyslaw Frasyniuk. Around 13,000 Poles have voiced access to the new party. Prime minister Marek Belka, expected to dissolve his gov't on May 5 or 6 simultaneously with the dissolution of parliament, will probably join the Democratic Party at the congress.

Warsaw, April 19: Switzerland will be guest of honour at this year's jubilee 50th International Book Fair in Warsaw on May 19- 22. 550 publishers from 27 countries have voiced access to the event. On display among this year's new titles will be The Queen's Peacock, a new book by Polish young-generation author Dorota Maslowska, as well as the latest from Israeli writer Amos Oz and Brasilian star author Paulo Coelho. Possible guests at the fair include British bestselling author Nick Hornby, Swedish mystery writer Henning Mankell and U.S. author Steve Yarbrough.

Warsaw, April 19: According to the results of a recent CBOS poll carried out on a representative sample of 1,025 adult Poles on March 4-7, 43 percent of Poles believe they will find a party worth supporting in the coming parliamentary elections. 41 percent of the respondents think opposite while 16 percent have no opinion on the matter. Asked if any new party should be formed in Poland, 58 percent of the polled said "no" and 28 percent said "yes." The remaining 14 percent had no opinion whatsoever.

Warsaw, April 21: Ms. Helen Clark Prime Minister of New Zealand was received by President Aleksander Kwasniewski in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on Thursday. In the discussion the two pointed to very good political and promising economic relations, which was confirmed by the opening of the Embassy of New Zealand in Warsaw on Friday. Poland as a European Union member is an attractive partner for New Zealand, it can also be an importer of advanced technologies for agriculture, Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz told PAP after his meeting with Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand on Thursday. "We are becoming a market for that country's technologies and equipment for the agricultural sector. New Zealand represents the world highest quality standards in food processing," he added. Cimoszewicz and Helen Clark discussed boosting contacts, especially among young people. The speaker had in mind creating opportunities for youth to work and learn English at one time. The agreement on avoiding double taxation will encourage enterprises to invest. Cimoszewicz noted that mutual trade exchange amounts to a mere 30 million USD. "We have started exporting cars to New Zealand and if this progresses it will be an economic success," he said. Mutual contacts will be facilitated by abolishing as from April 1 the visa duty for Poles going to New Zealand as tourists or for scientific purposes if the visit lasts no more than 90 days. Though Poland and New Zealand are not neighbouring countries they are mutually attractive partners, said both countries PMs Marek Belka and Helen Clark in Warsaw on Thursday. Poland is perceived by New Zealand as a bridge to the European Union and eastern Europe while Poland sees New Zealand as a very important partner in south eastern Asia and the Pacific region, both PMs stressed at a news conference. According to Clark her country authorities will encourage local businessmen to invest in Poland.

Warsaw, April 21: President Aleksander Kwasniewski will not attend a GUUAM group summit starting in Kishyniev on Friday, the Presidential Chancellery's Information Office reported on Thursday in response to questions by journalists. The Polish President informed Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin about the decision, caused by earlier scheduled obligations, on April 15, the Office said.

Warsaw, April 22: Head of the Presidential Chancellery Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz told Radio One on Friday that President Aleksander Kwasniewski will lead the official delegation to the Vatican City to take part in the inauguration of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday.

Kwasniewski will be accompanied by Foreing Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, deputy Sejm Speaker Jozef Zych, Senate Speaker Longin Pastusiak and Poland's Ambassador to the Vatican City Hanna Suchocka.

Warsaw, April 21: The Sejm resolution marking the 90th anniversary of genocide on Turkish Armenians has no anti-Turkish bias; Turkey still finds it difficult to reconcile with historical truth, but we considered paying homage to the victims an obvious thing - is how Sejm speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz reacted Thursday to Turkish official protest of Wednesday. The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday criticised Tuesday's resolution by the Polish Sejm condemning and recognising as genocide the mass killing of Armenians during World War I.

Warsaw, April 21: We have no information on any irregularities in the work of WSI (military intelligence and counterintelligence agency) in the so-called eastern direction, says the head of Sejm committee for the special services Konstanty Miodowicz. "I am glad to know that the area (to the east of Poland) so unstable and full of conflicts and tensions has been adequately monitored by WSI, in good cooperation with our allies," he said after a meeting of the Sejm committee Thursday. The MPs heard a report from WSI head general Marek Dukaczewski on the work of military intelligence and counterintelligence in the so-called eastern direction. One topic was collaboration of former WSI officers with foreign intelligence services. Defense minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski who attended the committee meeting told newsmen afterwards that "threats are correctly recognized and all decisions are made correctly and effectively." The minister declined to say whether foreign intelligence activity in Poland was on the rise arguing that his opinion would be a worthy piece of information for these services.

Bialystok/Szczecin, April 21: Former deputy PM Jerzy Hausner will not head of the newly-formed Democratic Party and will back current Freedom Union (UW) leader Wladyslaw Frasyniuk for the post. I'm not running for the post. I will rather opt for Wladyslaw Frasyniuk taking the party chair, Hausner said. The Democratic Party congress is scheduled for May 7-8. The new party will introduce a "new quality" to political life and will not be a "Freedom Union reprise", ex-PM Tadeusz Mazowiecki said Thursday in Szczecin at a meeting with the new group's supporters. According to Mazowiecki the new party did not have many leftwing sympathisers and would certainly not function as "a refuge for former Democratic Left Alliance activists". Most of the members are young people who as yet have not worked in politics, he said. Mazowiecki also criticised appeals for the foundation of a 4th Polish Republic. This is inherently tied in with dismantling the Third Republic. We mustn't forget that the Round Table (whose talks led to the 1989 overthrow of Poland's communist regime - PAP) sparked off changes throughout central Europe, which is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, he said.

Warsaw, April 21: Over 30 strong group of Polish scholars, doctors, lawyers and journalists appealed to heads of the EU governing bodies Thursday for inclusion of a reference to Europe's Christian roots in the preamble to the EU constitution. The appeal has been addressed to presidents of the EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, EU parliament Josep Borrell and European Council Jean Claude Juncker.

Kieres: Extreme caution in revealing SB collaborators names

Warsaw, April 21: Personal data of a priest who fed the communist security services SB with activities of Karol Wojtyla may be released after being verified, believes President of the National Remembrance Institute Leon Kieres. He added that the case required extreme caution as the data could be falsified. On Tuesday Kieres said the IPN had two tapes with recorded conversations between two SB officers with a "clerical person who divulged information about the Roman Catholic Church and Karol Wojtyla."

Warsaw, April 21: Szczecin councillors would like to establish a special economic zone but the city hall has voiced certain reservations. The consent however depends on the economy ministry, writes Kurier Szczecidski daily. A related motion has been submitted by Huta Szczecin SA steelworks to the city hall. Huta asked for a separation of a special sub-zone from two already existing zones. If established the sub-zone would cover some 30 hectares of premises belonging to the steelworks and Szczecin commune situated on the bank of Odra river, the paper explained. The motion followed an initiative of Krospan, the main steelworks' shareholder.

Szczecin, April 21: Fishermen organisations grouped in the Crisis Hq. of the Polish Fishery want the code fishing quota for Baltic Sea for 2006 to be at 180,000 tons, or nearly three times more than this year. A proposal to this effect will be presented to the EU Commissioner responsible for Fishery and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg at a meeting in Gdynia on Friday. "We want the commissioner to present our proposal to the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission and the EU fishery commission. The amount of the quota will not deplete natural resources and will let fishermen live a dignified life," chairman of the Kolobrzeg-based fishing boat owners' association (SAR) Bogdan Waniewski told PAP news agency. In line with a related EC decision Poland's code fishing quota for 2005 was set at 13.2 thousand tons while in 2004 the fishermen were allowed 15.8 thousand tons of code. The total quota for code fishing from Baltic Sea waters was set at 63.7 thousand tons.

Warsaw, April 21: Twenty five percent of Poles believe that the situation in the country has improved while 62 percent say it has deteriorated, a recent CBOS poll has shown. Still 26 percent of Poles are satisfied with their living conditions, 23 percent are unsatisfied and 51 percent believe their situation neither deteriorated nor improved. Seventeen percent count on improvement in the political situation and the same number predict it will deteriorate. 50 percent say it won't change. Twenty one percent of the polled expect economic conditions to improve, 14 percent believe it will deteriorate and 53 percent predict no changes. The poll was run on April 1-2 and 9-10 on a representative sample of 1,100 adult Poles.

Warsaw, April 21: The Law nad Justice (PiS) would win parliamentary elections if they were held in April and its support would be 20 percent (up three percentage points compared to March), according to a recent Ipsos poll. The Citizens' Platform (PO) would place second with 19 percent of votes, down by six percentage points from March. Next would come Samoobrona with 16 percent of votes, down by three percentage points from March. The League of Polish Families (LPR) would get 11 percent of potential votes, the Polish Peasant Party (PSL) - eight percent, the ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) - seven percent, the Freedom Union (UW) - seven percent and the Social Democracy for Poland (SdPl) - three percent.

Torun, Rome, April 24: The best time for new pope Benedict XVI's Polish visit would be before the Solidarity union's August- scheduled 25th anniversary celebrations, preferably in July or even June, PM Marek Belka said Friday in Torun. Bogdan Lis, head of the Solidarity Centre Foundation co-organizing the Solidarity celebrations, said the pope's presence at the festivities was "a possibility". He added that the matter will be discussed early next month.

Episcopate secretary general bishop Piotr Libera reported that the Episcopate had already issued a letter to the Vatican stating that the new pope was "awaited in Poland". A formal invitation would follow should the pope express his wish to visit Poland. Munich archbishop cardinal Friedrich Wetter in Friday's Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Poland would probably be the first country to be visited by the new pope. Gazeta Wyborcza wrote that during his visit Benedict XVI may visit Cracow, celebrate a mass in the Gdansk Shipyard and visit Westerplatte near Gdansk, site of the first battles of world war two. Meanwhile, according to unofficial sources at the Vatican, the new Pope would visit Poland only after the elections. As the date of elections is unknown so far, it would be difficult and premature to speak about a pilgrimage, the sources said.

Warsaw, April 25: EU special representative in Afghanistan Francesco Vendrell will pay a visit to Poland on April 28-29 at the invitation from undersecretary of state at the Foreign Ministry Boguslaw Zaleski, the Foreign Ministry reported on Monday. The visit will be paid within the tour of states engaged in stabilisation missions in Afghanistan. During his stay in Warsaw Francesco Vendrell will meet with representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Sejm.

Warsaw, April 24: Samoobrona leader Andrzej Lepper Saturday officially announced to his party that he would run in the coming presidential election. Speaking to 3,000 Samoobrona delegates at a party congress in Warsaw's Palace of Culture, Lepper stated that "Poland and the Poles are counting on my victory". We have a clear-cut programme for Poland and all its social groups. We plan to boost the economy, help small and medium businesses and try to save the remains of our industry and agriculture, Lepper said, noting that the country's present situation was "tragic".Lepper reaped standing ovations for his decision to run.

Gdansk, April 24: Social-democracy for Poland (SdPl) leader Marek Borowski will be announced as the party's presidential candidate at an April 30 SdPl convention in Warsaw, SdPl Gdansk head Wladyslaw Szkop informed Sunday. Our candidate is Marek Borowski. (...) He's who we want and we know he can make it to the second round, Szkop said.

Last Thursday the SdPl Council backed Borowski as the party's presidential candidate.

Warsaw, April 24: The May 15-scheduled 11th Congress of the Union of Labour (UP) will elect a new party leader to replace to-date head Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, who has left the party, the UP National Council announced on Friday. Until then UP's acting head will be Marek Pol, who announced he would definitely not run for the the post at the congress.

Warsaw, April 25: It's been a year since Poland's integration with the European recalls Glos Wielkopolski daily. Poland has negotiated the biggest number of the transition periods but the time has come to start introducing all EU regulations turned out to be a problem for the country, the daily writes. Poland will soon learn how much delays in EU laws implementation will cost. For high fines will probably be put on Poland for the lack of phone alarm number 112 fact that the Polish law still does not allow for changing the phone operator wi the phone number. Will we have to pay for delays in other fields? - the daily asks.

Warsaw, April 25: Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Warsaw Mr Yehia El Ramlawy has informed that a delegation of high rank representatives of the Egyptian official investment sector is expected to visit European countries and Poland, among others, regarding a new initiative giving great opportunity for the Polish companies to promote duty-free export to the US market by investing in Egypt through QIZ (qualifying industrial zones) agreement concluded in 2004 by American and Egyptian governments. The delegation is to discuss the investment policy with Polish companies interested in investing in three QIZ Zones in Egypt: Cairo QIZ, Alexandria QIZ and Suez Canal QIZ and according to this agreement to export their products on duty-free bases to US market. All the companies interested in the above mentioned initiative can contact the Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Egypt to arrange for a meeting with the representatives of the Egyptian delegation.

Warsaw, April 25: The GDP growth will be slower in the first quarter of 2005 vis a vis the one recorded in the fourth quarter of 2004, vice-president of the Central Statistical Office GUS Halina Dmochowska told a press conference on Monday. "According to expectations, the GDP growth was slower in the first quarter of 2005 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2004. The precise figures will be known in late May or early June," Dmochowska said. So far the economists have expected the economic growth at 3.35 percent of GDP in the first quarter.

Kielce, April 24: A monument commemorating legendary Polish wartime courier Jan was unveiled Saturday in Kielce, southeast Poland. Karski, a courier for the Polish wartime underground who first alarmed the world exterminations of Jews, was holder of a Just Among the World's Nations award and honorary citizen of Israel.

Berlin, April 24: Germany's unemployed teaching staff could conduct German courses in Poland, the Polish foreign ministry's commissioner for Polish-German relations Irena Lipowicz suggested in a Saturday interview for the Leipziger Volkszeitung. According to Lipowicz the employment of Germans in Poland could help to a better understanding between both nations. Our local governments need German teachers, she said.

Warsaw, April 25: President Aleksander Kwasniewski on Monday recalled Jerzy Swaton from the post of minister of natural environment. Swaton held the post since last May. Earlier he was president of the National Fund for Protection of Environment and Water Management.

The ministerial vacancy will not be replaced, prime minister Marek Belka said Monday. The ministry will be overseen by Belka helped by secretary of state at the ministry Tomasz Podgajniak.

Lodz, April 25: The last 15 years were the best time in Poland's history, prime minister Marek Belka said Monday in Lodz at a meeting with students and teachers of a local management college. Speaking at the city's Higher School of Enterprise and Management, Belka recalled that the past 15 year had brought "more changes than we could have dreamed of". Our awareness has changed, as has Polish economy and our country's international position. Never before have we experienced such civilizational advancement. Let's not allow this to go under in the sea of pessimism that is deluging Poland today, Belka said. Poland was at the outset of a several-year economic boom, mainly thanks to the inflow of EU funds and forthcoming national projects, he added. According to the PM the coming years should see a 50-percent unemployment drop. Asked about his post-election plans, Belka assured he was not interested in opposition work. The opposition is always four times as bad as the stupidest government. Just look what they do - destroy! It's a nightmare (...) and I think I couldn't do something like that. I'd rather cut my wrists, Belka remarked.

Warsaw, April 25: Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld, current Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will address the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on Thursday, April 28, the Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. Rotfeld will present a report on the activities of the Committee and his chairmanship since the recent session of the Parliamentary Assembly in January this year. It is a tradition that the current Chairman of the Committee of Ministers presents such report at each session of the Assembly in Strasbourg and answers deputies' questions concerning current activities of the organisation. This will be the last sitting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly before the Polish chairmanship term comes to an end and before the 3rd Summit of the 46 Council of Europe member-countries due in Warsaw on May 16 and 17. Minister Rotfeld will discuss fundamental and organisational aspects of the preparations for the summit, he will sum up Poland's to-date achievements as the Committee's chair and will report on his visit to the Republic of Moldova on March 31, held within the political programme of the Polish chairmanship.

Luxembourg, April 25: The disintegration of the Soviet Union was the biggest event of the past century and the crowning of national liberation ambitions, not its biggest disaster, Polish foreign minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld said Monday in Luxembourg. Rotfeld's words came in response to Russian president Vladimir Putin's address to the nation earlier today, in which he called the USSR's demise "the 20th century's biggest catastrophe and a true drama for Russians". According to the minister Russia needed to "redefine its position" and Putin's words were "a phase in this process." Most important for him (Putin - PAP) is the building of statehood. We're already far enough to rather focus on human issues and human rights. If I'd been among the speech's authors I'd have formulated it differently, Rotfeld said.

Luxembourg, April 25: Poland defended the existing 4 pc of GDP limit of EU cohesion fund absorption during budget talks held here Monday, European affairs minister Jaroslaw Pietras told here PAP. "It is unacceptable to cut funds for the poor EU countries and transfer the savings to richer countries," he declared when commenting on the proposals tabled by Luxembourg. The proposals gradually lower the absorption limits in the course of the budget for 2007-2013. According to the existing rules a country can absorb in EU funds not more than the equivalent of 4 pc of its GDP. Luxembourg has proposed to retain that limit for Romania and Bulgaria only and to lower it for the remaining states, including Poland. Pietras claimed that Poland could lose "billions of euro" if the proposals went through. The minister added, however, that a fight over the 4 pc limit would be pointless if the EU adopted also "another solution that will compensate" Poland for losses resulting from lowering the 4 pc limit.

Brussels, April 25: Poland has profited from its EU membership and feels it is listened to, says Danuta Huebner, EU commissioner in charge of regional policy. In her opinion Polish expectations pinned on EU membership did materialise. "We feel we are inside, are listened to and take part in decision making," she told PAP on the eve of the first anniversary of Poland's joining the Union. The Polish EU commissioner said the first year was marked by active role of Poland in EU decision making and "great activeness" of Polish euroMPs. "Poland exerted an influence on the EU's foreign policy - I refer to Ukraine. This was Poland's positive presence. Poland managed to show its positive face to Europe and to play a constructive role," Huebner said."There were fears in Poland (before the EU admission) that the country would be flooded by cheap food and other products, would fail to take advantage of EU structural funds, and that it will not funds from the CAP. It turned out, however, that everything worked well," Huebner recalled. She opined that Poland was among the countries which adjusted their legal systems to the EU system most efficiently. The first year of membership brought Poland a high rate of economic growth and exports growth, Huebner noted. The country proved well prepared for tapping EU structural funds. Huebner was critical of the EU institutions and politicians who, she said, failed to do everything they could to persuade all citizens of the EU countries that the enlargement was a good thing. However, "it is too early to draw up plan B" for the contingency of rejecting the EU constitutional treaty by one of the EU member states, Huebner said. We must demonstrate that the enlarged EU works, that we are able to reach agreement. One sign of this would be the adoption of the constitution.

Cracow, April 25: Evaluation of the EU directive concerning personal data protection adopted 10 years ago is the main topic of the Spring Conference of European Data Protection Authorities which started in Cracow Monday. This is the first meeting of heads of the European Data Protection organs after the EU enlargement a year ago. The conference will also discuss personal data protection for the needs of cooperation with police and courts in penal and civil cases. Poland's Inspector General for Personal Data Protection (GIODO) Ewa Kulesza believes that the fact that the conference is held in Cracow symbolically accentuates the role of the EU new member states.

Warsaw, April 25: The Citizens Platform (PO) would have won the elections had they been held in the first week of April, winning 26 pc of the popular vote, according to the latest Pentor poll. The Law and Justice (PiS) would have come second, winning 20 pc of the votes.

Support for PO decreased by 2 percentage points compared with March, while support for PiS went up 6 points. In February the ratings were 28 and 11 pc, respectively. The next places in April poll went to LPR (14 pc), Samoobrona (11), SLD-UP (7), PSL (6), and UW (5). SdPl failed to clear the 5 pc treshold, winning only 4 pc. The poll was taken on April 11-16 on a representative sample of 1,002 Poles. The error is +/- 3.1 pc.

Warsaw, April 25-26: Poland's most famous heart surgeon Zbigniew Religa tops the presidential rating survey run by CBOS with a 22- percent support. He is followed by leader of the Law and Justice PiS Lech Kaczynski with 21 percent support while Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz enjoys a 15-percent support. The three are followed by: Samoobrona leader Andrzej Lepper (13 percent), leader of the Social Democracy of Poland SdPl Marek Borowski and leader of the Citizens' Platform PO Donald Tusk (each with 9 percent of support). 66 percent of the polled said they would go to the polls. 18 percent were undecided and 16 percent would not take part in elections.The poll was run on April 1-2 and April 9-10 on a representative 1,100-person group of adult Poles. Meawhile, according to a Rzeczpospolita poll of April 22, elections would be won by Lech Kaczynski who would gain 26 percent of votes in April. Religa would get 16 percent, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz - 14 percent, Marek Borowski - 12 percent and Donald Tusk and Andrzej Lepper - 11 percent each. Professor Zbigniew Religa told Radio Three on Tuesday that he did not attach much attention to popularity polls and that his approach to their results is "devoid of emotions."

Religa, who aspires to run as a supra-party candidate, does not, however, exclude the possibility of being supported by a political party that would demand nothing in exchange.

Warsaw, April 25: The Polish Peasant Party (PSL), the league of Polish Families (LPR) and Samoobrona Monday launched talks on a possible election alliance to the Senate. PSL vicepresident Jan Bury told PAP that the three parties had reached initial agreement on the alliance. We plan to field joint lists to the Senate as a counterweight to the Citizens Platform's (PO's) and Law and Justice's (PiS's) liberal-rightwing coalition, Bury said. Samoobrona head Andrzej Lepper told PAP that alliance talks were underway but voiced skepticism as to their success. This will be difficult, Lepper opined. LPR leader Marek Kotlinowski stated that his party planned to run for the Senate alone but did not exclude "informal cooperation" and "consultations" with other groups.

Warsaw, April 25: The Agency for Agricultural Market (ARR) collected information on sugar and farm produce stock held by Polish firms on May 1, 2004, and did not establish excessive stocks in Poland as a whole, ARR press spokesman Radoslaw Iwanski said Monday. According to EU Commission figures excessive stocks of agricultural and food products can cost the new member states almost 460 million euros in special fees established by the EU Commission prior to the enlargement on May 1, 2004. Poland would have to pay 164.7 million euros of that total. The EU Commission figures show that Poland stocked too much poultry meat (cost of 56 m euros) and beef (38 m euros), cheese (21 m), rice (17 m), butter (11 m), garlic (9 m), packaged mushrooms (7 m), and some other items. The Treaty of Accession obligated the new member states to eliminate surplus stocks of agricultural products at their own cost.

Warsaw, April 25: Inflation expectations have not changed in April as compared to March, IPSOS reported on Monday but did not specify the indicator. "The inflation expectations have not changed from a very low level recorded in March," IPSOS said. The inflation expected over the coming 12 months by private persons fell in March to 3.4 percent from 3.9 percent in February.

Consumer confidence index up in April

Warsaw, April 25: The consumer confidence index went up in April to exceed 90 points, IPSOS consumer sentiment monitoring company reported on Monday. The evaluation of economic conditions went up by 12 points. The inclination to do shopping went up by 3 points and the fear of losing job went considerably down. Inflation expectations did not change keeping the very low level reported last month, IPSOS experts wrote in a commentary. IPSOS attributes better results to lack of reports on politics in any form in a week when the survey was conducted due to mass media being dominated by reports on Pope John Paul II last moments, his death and funeral.

IPSOS does not expect that improvement based on such uncertain foundation will be a durable tendency.

Warsaw, April 25: In 2004 the number of passengers cleared at 12 Polish airports servicing international flights went up by more than 25 percent on the 2003 figure, the Civil Aviation Office reported Monday. Spokeswoman for Polish Airports Edyta Mikolajczyk attributed the rise to Poland's integration with the European Union, the liberalisation of the market e.g. consent for low-rate carriers to use the airports. In 2003 Polish airports cleared 7.1 million of passengers and in 2004 the number of cleared passengers went up to nearly 9 million with the record being hit by Warsaw airport which cleared more than 6 million passengers in 2004. According to unofficial data the F. Chopin airport in Warsaw cleared more than 509,000 passengers in March 2005 alone against some 333,000 in March 2004. Since Poland's integration with the EU on May 1, 2004 close to 20 home and foreign carriers opened more than 70 new air connections serviced also by low-rate airlines Wizz Air, SkyEurope, Easy Jet, Ryanair, Germanwigs, Centralwings.

Warsaw, April 25: Budget revenues on dividends from the state treasury companies may exceed 2 billion zlotys (623.05 million USD), Treasury Minister Jacek Socha said Monday.

He added that according to the ministry's analysis company dividends and the treasury revenues will be higher than in previous years. In the budget law the government planned to earn 961.7 million zlotys on dividend. "The amount will considerably exceed 2 billion zlotys," Socha told journalists.

President signs health reform law

Warsaw, April 27: President Aleksander Kwasniewski Tuesday signed into law an act reforming Poland's public health service in spite of his right to a 21-day respite on the decision. Presidential spokesmen said the haste was dictated by the act's urgency. "In light of this act's importance for the health service (...) the president has resigned his right to a 21-day respite period and has signed it earlier", presidential press officials informed PAP.Under the new law public hospitals will receive government loans to cover overdue wage hikes guaranteed by a special act and debts to suppliers. They will not be transformable into public utility units, as foreseen in a presidential health reform project.Health minister Marek Balicki said today that he was "happy" the president had not waited with the move. It's a good thing we have the law. This will enable public aid for (...) hospitals and help stop the wave of seizures, Balicki said.

Warsaw, April 27: Only 46 percent of Poles were satisfied in April with Aleksander Kwasniewski as the president of Poland which was the worst result scored by Kwasniewski since the beginning of his presidency 10 years ago, writes CBOS polling centre. Eleven percent positively assessed the Sejm (up 3 percentage points) but 77 percent of the polled (7 percentage points less than in March) were still dissatisfied. The Senate's rating was better than the Sejm's just because people in general know less about the work of senators, CBOS wrote without providing details.

Warsaw, April 27: The assessment of the Polish administration, local government and businessmen is very good but the coming year will be more difficult, said PM Marek Belka at a press conference summing up Poland's year-long membership of the EU. "In 2006 more EU money will be transferred to Poland and efforts will have to be made to allocate it wisely," he added. According to the PM during the coming 12 months Poland should fight to dispel myths about its citizens posing a threat to the EU labour market. The PM underlined that the balance of the 1st year of membership is favourable for Poland. Minister for European Affairs Jaroslaw Pietras stressed that integration was a huge logistic undertaking, fortunately successful even in such fields as direct subsidies for farmers. Prior to the press conference Pietras presented a report commissioned by the Office of the Committee for European Integration (UKIE) on experience on the 1st year of Poland's membership of the EU. Pietras stressed. After a year in the EU, Poland is a net beneficiary. The country received from the EU budget 1 billion 554 million euros more than it had contributed. The pace of growth of exports to "old" EU members grew by 60 per cent after May 1. Direct foreign investments in 2004 reached 7.86 billion USD, up 23 per cent on the previous year. The general balance is positive, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski said summing up Poland's first year in the EU. Saryusz-Wolski, vice-president of the European Parliament, said that "from the economic point of view none of the negative predictions have materialised." However, he did confirm that Poland experienced a slight post-accession shock in form of price adjustments which contributed to short-lived, according to him, inflation rise. also higher than expected price growth.

Socha: Lotos to be floated at WSE before PGNiG

Warsaw, April 27: Lotos Group will be floated at the Warsaw Stock Exchange WSE before PGNiG and the refinery public trading is likely in May, Treasury Minister Jacek Socha told PAP on Wednesday. Socha counts on the Stock Exchanges and Securities Committee (KPWiG) to admit shares in Grupa Lotos to public trading which would pave the way for floating the Gdansk-based petroleum company in May. The value of Lotos Group offer is estimated at 900 mn zlotys (28.2 million USD). Socha predicts that PGNiG will be admitted to public trading at a KPWiG meeting on May 18. He said that KPWiG subcommittee will deal with amendments to the PGNiG issue prospectus still this Friday. PGNiG submitted its prospectus to KPWIG at the end of March. The company plans to make a debut on the WSE in June. The value of PGNiG issue is estimated at 1.5 billion zlotys.

Warsaw, April 27: At 81 percent, Polish support of NATO membership in a recent CBOS survey was highest among the Visegrad states. 79 percent backed Poland's EU accession.Sister surveys in the other Visegrad countries the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary showed respectively 61, 55 and 68 percent in favour of NATO. The biggest EU supporters were the Slovaks (83 percent), followed by the Poles (79 percent), Hungarians (73

percent) and Czechs (70 percent). 22 percent of Poles wanted to work in other EU countries. Most eager to work abroad were the Slovaks (28 percent). CBOS ran the survey on March 4-7 on a random group of 1,052 adult Poles in cooperation with Czech, Slovak and Hungarian polling centres.

Warsaw, April 27: Polish food exporters to non-EU countries have received 225 million zlotys (7.7 million USD) in export refunds from the Agriculture Market Agency (ARR) since May 1, 2004.ARR deputy head Krzysztof Salwach said Union subsidies are a significant support for exporters improving the profitability of their operations.The biggest sums have been paid out for the export of sugar, milk and dairy products, meat, processed goods, poultry, fruit and vegetables.

Warsaw, April 27: Extraditions of Poles to other countries under European Arrest Warrants (EAW) are unconstitutional, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled Wednesday. The Polish constitution forbids extraditions of Poles to other countries. The tribunal also informed that EAW rulings would be waived from the Polish criminal code within 18 months. The 2004-introduced European Arrest Warrant has replaced all previous EU extradition rulings.

Warsaw, April 27: Last year 6,000 Polish students enrolled in foreign universities under the popular Socrates Erasmus scholarship scheme, also more and more foreigners are coming to study in Poland, informed Boguslaw Szymanski from the Office for Academic Endorsement and International Exchange. Over 1,800 graduate and post-graduate students took government

scholarships, 300 more than in the previous year.According to Warsaw University officials EU accession raised scholarship funding in Poland and made Poland more attractive for foreign students.

Warsaw, April 27: Products of over 130 Belorussian producers are on show at the first National Exhibition opened in Warsaw Wednesday. The exhibition will run till April 30 and is expected to help boosting Polish-Belarussian economic cooperation. Ambassador of Belarus to Poland Pavel Latushka told journalists that this is the biggest exhibition of this kind outside Belarus and one of the most important events for the Belarussian economy in recent years. Presented are Belarussian furniture, clothes, foodstuffs, architecture, tourist offers, and other products. The aim is to demonstrate economic potential of Belarus and encourage Poland to cooperate with Belarussian firms. According to the ambassador tourism may be an attractive field for contacts. Belarus sees the need to open new border crossings such as the recently opened Bialowieza-Pererov border pass at Bialowieza Forest. Polish-Belarussian economic contracts are expected to be signed during the exhibition, for example on deliveries of Polish steel to Belarus. Ambassador Latushka said politics should not interfere with economic cooperation and encouraged Polish diplomats to show, like ambassadors of Russia or Turkestan, sympathy to Belarus.

Warsaw, April 27: City councillors of the Citizens' Platform PO will vote against approving the financial results for 2004 achieved by Warsaw President Lech Kaczynski (Law and Justice PiS), said Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the head of Mazowsze PO branch on Wednesday. The Citizens' Platform PO is jealous of our good results in the polls, Warsaw President and one of Law and Justice PiS leaders Lech Kaczynski told Zycie Warszawy daily while commenting on the PO's appeal for a no-confidence vote in him. The PO decided not to support Kaczynski during a vote of approval of financial results for 2004 despite the fact that the two parties are likely to form a future coalition government. Lech Kaczynski terms as untrue accusations brought against him by Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, head of Warsaw's PO branch. The charges concern mainly a growth of spending on administration, the lack of spatial development plans that hampers houses construction, a small number of constructed municipal flats and the falling number of municipal investments. "This is not a personal attack, this is our protest against Warsaw being strictly centrally managed. We have quite a different vision of managing the city," Gronkiewicz-Waltz told Radio Three. According to her the vote can be perceived as a "yellow card" for Kaczynski because he failed to fully use the EU funds and the number of new investments was 50 percent lower than between 2000 and 2002.

Warsaw, April 27: The rightwing Patriotic Movement believes Poland's right, especially Law and Justice (PiS) and the League of Polish Families (LPR), should put up a joint list for the parliamentary elections. Patriotic Movement and Catholic-National Movement (RKN) leader

Antoni Macierewicz said. Failure to field a rightwing list "seriously threatened with the continuation of the present political alignment". Macierewicz stressed that the Patriotic Movement's main objective was fighting unemployment and denied the group's patronage by the ultra-Catholic Radio Maryja broadcaster.

Warsaw, April 27: The Monetary Policy Council (RPP) commenting its Tuesday's decision on cutting interest rates, said that it assess that inflation, starting from the 3rd quarter of 2005, may stay below the inflation target for a period of several quarters. The RPP in its communique added that in a longer perspective it sees a risk of building inflation pressure linked with the revision of oil prices forecast. The council wrote that the risk balance for future inflation is shaping more favourably than it has been presented in the February inflation projection. Central bank governor Leszek Balcerowicz addressing a press conference on Tuesday afternoon did not exclude a transitional deflation in respective months, but without influence on the monetary policy. Marian Noga of the RPP said the council estimates 2005 inflation to reach 2.5 per cent and will stay below 2.5 per cent by the end of 2007.

Warsaw, April 27: In March Poles willingly invested via investment funds. New payments exceeded write-offs by 1.4 billion zlotys (437.5 mn USD) which is twice as much as in February. It was also the 2nd best result since July 2003, indicate Analizy Online.The company data show that in the 1st quarter of 2005 customers "brought" more than 2.3 billion zlotys to national investment funds. The value of bank deposits rose by 2.6 percent and the surplus of new retail bonds' sales over the previous issues totalled 760 mn zlotys. "This gives us a total of some 8 billion zlotys in savings which Poles wanted to invest in the 1st quarter," the company's statement reads.

Cracow, April 27: Low-rate Centralwings airlines belonging to PLL LOT will launch a new Cracow-Rome connection on Saturday, April 30. Centralwings planes will fly on the route three times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Centralwings CEO P. Kociolek said that the new connection is the 2nd one opened by the carrier from Cracow's Balice airport after Cracow-London air connection that have been launched a few months ago. The carrier is satisfied with the number of passengers the route serviced six times a week.

Warsaw, April 27: Mittal Steel, which has the exclusive negotiation rights for the purchase of Huta Czestochowa steel works, offered 1.251 billion zlotys (390.9 million USD) whereas the Ukrainian Donbas industrial union proposed 1.108 billion zlotys, Treasury Minister Jacek Socha said Wednesday. "That is why we picked up Mittal Steel for negotiations," Socha

told PAP.April 29 is the deadline for the exclusive negotiation rights and the concern has so far failed to reach an agreement with trade unions on a welfare package. However, the concern representatives say the agreement is not vital for concluding the deal.

Warsaw, April 28: Fuels' sales at Orlen gas stations have drastically fallen down since the start of the year, writes Parkiet daily. According to the paper customers prefer to buy fuels at foreign gas stations networks or unaffiliated stations. Experts unanimously say that fuels from Plock are too expensive. Spokesman for the company Dawid Piekarz did not want to comment on the information. Parkiet has found however an e-mail sent by Orlen's director for logistics confirming sales' fall by 12 percent and more since the start of the year which poses a threat that the stations may fail to get rid of winter fuel by May 1. Thus, the director has asked for "an analysis of the level of prices or urgent consideration of a system of promotion so as to avoid reservations of the State Commercial Inspection."

Konin, April 27: Polish western city of Konin is to receive 42 million euros from EU funds for the construction of a second bridge on Warta river and for the modernization, in city

boundaries, of the Konin-Gorzow Wielkopolski national road. The total cost of the two investments is estimated to reach some 200 million zlotys (47.6 million euros). 75 per cent of that sum will come from the European Regional Development Fund.First construction works should start in the second half of the year and be concluded in 2007.

Rome/Gdansk, April 27: Pope Benedict XVI greeted Polish faithful participating in the general audience in Polish. Addressing the Poles Benedict XVI said: "I am greeting the pilgrims of the Polish language. I would like to thank you for your goodness and prayers. I bless you from all my heart." Earlier the Pope greeted the faithful in Italian, French, English, German and Spanish. Polish pilgrims were presented to the pontiff in Polish by Father Pawel Ptasznik who later read out the translation of the pope's teaching, as he used to do it during the pontificate of John Paul II. The Polish language remained one of the main languages of general audiences. - Former president Lech Walesa, Gdansk mayor Pawel Adamowicz, Solidarity union leader Janusz Sniadek and head of the Pomorskie province assembly Jan Kozlowski addressed an invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to pay visit to Gdansk.Gdansk mayor press spokesman Maciej Turnowiecki said Wednesday the related letter was conveyed to the papal nuncio in Poland, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk. The authors of the letter recalled that the Second World War started in Gdansk's Westerplatte peninsula on September 1, 1939.

Warsaw, April 27: As many as 94 percent of Poles watched the funeral of John Paul II on tv, according to a poll run by OBOP and sent to PAP Tuesday. Nearly a half of those questioned (47 percent) think that people will become better after the pope's death and every fourth believes that public life in Poland will improve. Ninety-three percent of Poles watched the funeral on tv at home as many firms made that day free.

Warsawa, April 27: Dominican priest Konrad Hejmo was a secret police agent who informed on recently deceased pope John Paul II in his days as Karol Wojtyla, National Remembrance Institute (IPN) head Leon Kieres disclosed on Wednesday. Kieres said IPN possessed a 700-page dossier on Hejmo. Hejmo's superior, Dominican provincial Maciej Zieba, said he had seen the files, which he described as, "shocking and convincing". Kieres said the file dossier on Hejmo would be made public in May. Hejmo, 69, for years co-organiser of Polish pilgrimages to the Vatican and head of the Corda Cordi Polish pilgrim hostel in Rome, entered the Dominican Order in 1959.

Warsaw, April 27: "Symmetry," a movie by Konrad Niewolski, won two awards at the RiverRun International Film Festival in the U.S., Anna Hoodle representing SPI Polska company said Wednesday. Jury prized Konrad Niewolski the Best Director and Arkadiusz

Detmer the Best Actor in a Feature Film. "Symmetry" tells a story of 26-year old Lukasz, who, charged with an assault against an old lady, is sentenced for a prison term and has to adjust to the tough world. In 2003 Symmetry" won the Journalists Award at the Gdynia Film

Warsaw, April 28: Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski is urging PM Marek Belka to call off his planned May 5 resignation if parliament refuses to dissolve on the same day. In a Thursday interview for PAP Kwasniewski said Belka himself had not yet decided what he would do. Belka's resignation, planned for May 5 of this year, was to be accompanied by the dissolution of the Polish Sejm, which later decided to put the issue to a vote on the same day. The present parliament's full term ends in autumn. Belka has said that he and his government would resign regardless of the Sejm's decisions. Kwasniewski admitted that he had tried to change Belka's mind about leaving and that the PM was "still unsure" on the matter. I am decidedly against the government's resignation. And if the PM decides to hand in his notice, I'll be against accepting it unless I hear some very convincing argumentation, Kwasniewski said. He added that he planned to talk with Belka again before May 5. Kwasniewski also named Sejm speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz as the best leftwing presidential candidate. I'm urging him to run because he's a good candidate and well-suited for the job. He's very well-versed in international matters, and that's where the president has a lot to say, the president said.

Warsaw, April 28: Poland's first EU year was a success with none of its "black scenarios" materialising, Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski said in a Thursday interview for PAP. Poland was not deluged with cheap western food, neither was there a mass outflow of skilled labor from Poland. Our administration proved quite able to cooperate with the EU, best proof of which are the direct subsidies paid out to almost 1.4 million farmers, the president said. Kwasniewski stressed that Poland had prepared itself well for EU accession. Poland really did its accession homework, which has translated into the effective use of EU funding and various other financial aid, he pointed out. Asked about tussles around the EU constitution, the president voiced hope that France ratifies the act. France's no to the Constitution Treaty would certainly force the EU to reorient its further steps, he remarked, adding that the decision would also have political consequences in France. However, Kwasniewski warned against excessive dependence on France's decisions and reminded that France's rejection of the constitution did not mean Poland could "wash its hands" of the issue. Poland is a too important EU country to keep silent on the constitution, Kwasniewski said.

Warsaw, April 28: Forty-six percent of Poles think that President Aleksander Kwasniewski poorly performs his duties, and 44 percent think the opposite, according to a poll run by TNS OBOP in April. It is for the first time that Kwasniewski scored more negative opinions than positive, OBOP stressed. In the previous poll in March Kwasniewski got 47 percent positive opinions and 45 percent negative. Eighty-three percent of respondents, four points down on March, were dissatisfied with the government of Marek Belka, and 11 percent were rather pleased with its work. Belka as prime minister was negatively assessed by 60 percent of those polled (57 pct in March). Positive opinions were voiced by24 percent (23 pct in March).

Strasbourg, April 28: Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld summed up Poland's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at the Parliamentary Assembly Session on Thursday. Poland has been chairing the committee, grouping 46 European countries since November last year. After addressing the parliamentary assembly Rotfeld told a press conference that Poland was likely to approve the European Union's embattled constitution in a national referendum adding he was keeping his fingers crossed that France will also vote "yes" in a crucial May 29 referendum. "We hope it'll be adopted in France," he said. Rotfeld also said that the Polish Sejm resolution marking the 90th anniversary of genocide on Turkish Armenians had no anti-Turkish bias. We have no wish to undertake decisions against anyone. We have positive and friendly approach to Turkey, the minister stressed. However, in a democratic country the parliament has the right to adopt such resolutions, he added. Referring to recent developments in Ukraine Rotfeld stressed the role of Ukrainians themselves in the process. Also from the very beginning, the Polish Chairmanship was involved very deeply in the process of democratic change - or to be more precise - in the process of conflict prevention in Ukraine, he said. Earlier Rotfeld spoke about priorities of the Polish Chairmanship especially the preparations for the Third Summit and enhanced cooperation with other international organisations. He stressed that in three weeks Poland will host the Third Summit of the Council of Europe. In this context the main attention of the Polish Presidency has been concentrated on preparations for this important event. The purpose of convening the Summit was to prepare our Organisation for redefining its role in the 21st century. With this in mind, we will gather in Warsaw in order to confirm the mission of the Council of Europe, the oldest European organisation, capable of facing challenges and threats of our present world in an effective way, Rotfeld said.

Warsaw, April 28: The number of supporters of the EU constitution fell between February and April from 64 to 56 percent while the number of opponents rose from seven to 15 percent, according to a recent poll run by CBOS. Fewer people want to take part in a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty (58 percent in April compared to 66 percent in February). 32 percent of the respondents are sure to take part in the vote (42 percent in February). In April 77 percent of those polled supported Poland's membership of EU while 15 percent were against. - The right to life from conception to natural death, state aid for families, curbing unemployment, protection for the Polish market and rejection of the EU Constitution are the main political goals of the newly-formed Patriotic Movement formed by five rightwing groupings. In the alliance are the Catholic-National Movement (RKN) under Antoni Macierewicz, the Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland (ROP) under Jan Olszewski, the Alliance for Poland (Gabriel Janowski) and two other conservative factions. In a declaration published Thursday the new leaders spoke out for rejection of the EU Constitution unless it contained reference to "Christian principles" and "was based on the EU members' inviolability and sovereignty as an expression of their equal status".

Warsaw, April 29: The Citizens' Platform PO and the Law and Justice PiS would jointly count on 39 to 46 percent of votes in April elections, according to polls run by different polling centres. In March the two parties were supported by 35 to 42 percent of voters. In April two polling centres pointed to PiS as election winner and another two to PO. In March PO was a winner in all the four centres, while in February in three of them. The list of polling centres included OBOP, CBOS, Ipsos and Pentor.

Vilnus, April 28: Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine plan to set up a joint battalion which could take part in peace mission in Kosovo as of next year, Lithuanian Defence Minister Gediminas Kirkilas said on Thursday. Kirkilas made the statement following talks on Polish-Lithuanian military cooperation with visiting head of the Polish General Staff, general Czeslaw Piatas. The planned battalion is to count 140 Lithuanian soldiers and 200-300 soldiers from Poland and Ukraine.

Vilnius, April 29: A declaration on founding a trilateral inter-parliamentary assembly will be signed in Kiev in mid May by parliamentary speakers of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine, confirmed a representative of the Lithuanian Sejm on Friday. According to the Baltic Agency BNS, the countries hope that the new assembly will reinforce tripartite relations and ease Ukraine's integration into Euro-Atlantic organisations. An idea of the tripartite assembly emerged in January during a visit in Vilnius by Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. During a Vinius meeting in March the foreign committees of Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian parliaments harmonised the draft regulations and declaration of the joint assembly numbering 30 MPs.

Warsaw, April 28: The role our country played in recent levelopments in Ukraine is the biggest success of the first 12 months of Poland's membership of the EU, Freedom Union UW leader Wladyslaw Frasyniuk said on Thursday. It was precisely during the "Orange Revolution" that Poland, as the first country ever, forced the European Union to take a clear position on international issues, Frasyniuk told PAP. "Never before the EU spoke with one voice on international issues," he added. According to Frasyniuk, Poland has a chance to play a leading role in EU contacts with the east. We should stake our future on being the leader in this part of Europe but we often forget about this. The Ukrainians have reminded us about this role, he said.

Warsaw, April 28: The International Monetary Fund estimates that GDP may grow in Poland by some 4 percent in 2005 but, as it writes in its report, there is a risk of not achieving this goal. The government envisaged that GDP in 2005 will grow by 4.5 - 5.0 percent. According to head of IMF mission to Poland Susan Schadler, inflation in the 2H of 2005 will fall below 2.5 percent and by the end of 2006 will be close to the target set by the Monetary Policy Council RPP. Inflation by the end of 2006 should come close to the target of 2.5 percent. In this context we support the RPP decision to cut interest rates and change the bias, she said. Considering low inflation and the adopted direction of the monetary policy we do not predict any threats on financial markets, she explained.

Warsaw, April 28: Member of the Monetary Policy Council RPP Andrzej Wojtyna wrote that economic animation visible in 2004 may not be of lasting nature due to political risk and poor

consumption with low investments' level. The maintenance of the annual average pace of GDP growth above 4 percent would require a double dynamics of investments recorded in

2004, Wojtyna wrote in a commentary to a report prepared by the Polish Academy of Science PAN on the Polish economy. In the 4Q of 2004 investments rose by 7.2 percent against a 4.1

percent in the 3Q of 2004, and a 0.4 percent rise in the 4Q of 2003.According to Wojtyna firms may halt investments if it turns out that the growth of consumer demand fails to accelerate in the 1Q of 2005. In the 4Q of 2005 private consumption rose by 1.8 percent

Strzelce Opolskie, April 28: Iraqi army will receive a total of 100 medical ambulances from a plant in Strzelce Opolskie. The delivery, part of a bigger contract signed by Bumar, will start

and end in May. The ambulances, based on Honker chassis, are equipped with the very basic medical equipment and are chiefly meant for transporting wounded soldiers.

Warsaw, April 28: Ryszard Niemczyk, Wednesday-arrested main suspect in the killings of former police chief Marek Papala and underworld boss Andrzej "Pershing" Kolikowski, will be extradited to Poland within the next two weeks, Polish justice minister Andrzej Kalwas told PAP Thursday. Kalwas said Poland would ask Germany, where Niemczyk was detained,

Warsaw, April 28: Polish media on Thursday launched an anti-drug campaign under the slogan "Into Yourself, Away From Drugs, prepared by the National Drug Prevention Office.According to the organisers drugtaking among the young is usually a response to bad home relations, especially parents without time for their children. This is why the campaign's main theme is "talking with your child", they said. According to the Office one in five Polish elementary schoolers and one in three teenagers have tried soft drugs at least once. It's time to stop scaring parents with the drug issue and provide them with some sound information.

Warsaw, April 28: The Donbas Industrial Union (DIU) wants to join exclusive negotiations on the privatization of Czestochowa steel mill, Aleksander Filipenko, DIU investment director said at a Thursday press conference. He said Donbas is ready to join the negotiation on its conditions. The deadline for Mittal Steel exclusive negotiations on the purchase of the steel mill falls on April 29. On Wednesday, the Treasury Minister announced that Mittal offered 1.251 billion zlotys for the mill, while DIU 1.108 billion zlotys. However, Filipenko added that together with the social and investment packages, DIU's offer is higher by 140 million.

Warsaw, April 28: First quarter beer sales grew 4.4 per cent compared to the same period of 2004 and reached 5.66 million hectolitres, representatives of the Union of the Brewery Industry Employers announced on Thursday. Nico Nusmeier, Zywiec Group CEO said that the continuation of the upward tendency shows that "the Polish consumer continues to be interested in beer."Sales in the first quarter of 2004 closed at 5.42 million hectolitres. While total 2004 beer sales in Poland reached 26.8 million hectolitres. Kompania Piwowarska recorded the highest increase in sales - up 20 per cent to 2.05 million hectolitres. Carlsberg saw its sales go up by 7 per cent rise to 772 thousand hectolitres.

Warsaw, April 28: Canal+ Digital is planning to invest in one or two television channels in countries of Central and Eastern Europe still this year, company's CEO Arnaud de Villeneuve told newsmen Thursday. He did not say what countries he had in mind. The company held a press conference on the 10th anniversary of Canal+ in Poland. Last year, after 9 year in Poland the company recorded net profit of 32.6 million zlotys (about 9.9 million USD.) De Villeneuve hopes this year's profit will be three- or fourfold higher. In 2005 Canal+ will invest about 15 million zlotys in 17 feature films made in coproduction with Polish public television TVP, and over 150 million zlotys in Polish soccer over the nearest three years.

Warsaw, April 28: Henkel Polska will invest 4.5 million euros in the development of production of a detergent base at its Raciborz factory. The base is used in the production of washing powders. The company said that thanks to the new investment it will become the sole supplier of detergent base to all production plants of the group in the central and east european region. Currently, 35 per cent of production of the Raciborz plant is exported, mainly to the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Spain, Romania and Ukraine.Over the last 15 years Henkel invested in Poland some 107 million USD.

Poznan, April 28: Nearly 200 best press photographs from all over the globe sent to the World Press Photo 2005 competition are on show at an exhibition opened in Poznan on Thursday. Poznan hosts the exhibition four days after its world premiere in Amsterdam. A photograph of a woman mourning a relative killed in tsunami in December, 2004, won the title of the Photo of the Year of the 48th edition of World Press Photo. Its author is Arko Datta of India working for Reuters. Photographs from the tsunami-hit region dominate the exhibition, but there are also pictures of the war in Iraq and the Olympic Games 2004. The exhibition will stay in Poznan till May 20, and will go next to Warsaw, Katowice and Opole.

Warsaw, April 28: The first book on Pope Benedict XVI has come out in Poland. "Benedict XVI - The Story of Election" was written by journalist and expert in the Vatican affairs, Grzegorz Polak. The book brings biography of Joseph Ratziger, depicts the circumstances of his elevation to the papal throne, carries detailed description of church procedures related to the election of pope, and an essay on the history of Papacy from St. Peter to John Paul II.

Warsaw, Rome, Poznan, April 28: The National Remembrance Institute IPN did not want to contact Father Konrad Hejmo prior to the revealing of reports on his cooperation with the communist Poland security services SB. Father Hejmo told Radio Zet on Thursday that he had learnt about the case from "friends" and asked IPN representatives for a meeting. Speaking to the radio the priest denied reports about being secret services collaborator and accepting money for the revealed information. He admitted he had been approached to as a possible collaborator. Later in in the day Father Hejmo told PAP that allegations of his cooperation with secret services are "an element of a bigger operation aimed at tarnishing the memory of John Paul II and his close associates." He also said the IPN had violated earlier settlement according to which he was to be granted access to his files before they are made public.

Wilkanow, April 29: Sejm Speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz on Friday confirmed that the vote on cutting short the tenure of the present Sejm will be held on May 5 just after a debate on resolutions calling on MPs to cut their term of office. He explained that next week's Sejm meeting will start on May 4 with a draft resolution on the 60th anniversary of the end of WW2. The speaker said he would not like to foretell the result of the vote. He believes that the shorter parliament tenure and early elections, still before the summer break are in the interest of Poland.

Kwasniewski on EU membership: no black scenario

Poll: More negative opinions about president's performance

CBOS: falling support for EU constitution

Warsaw, April 28: The number of supporters of the EU constitution fell between February and April from 64 to 56 percent while the number of opponents rose from seven to 15 percent, according to a recent poll run by CBOS. Fewer people want to take part in a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty (58 percent in April compared to 66 percent in February). 32 percent of the respondents are sure to take part in the vote (42 percent in February). In April 77 percent of those polled supported Poland's membership of EU while 15 percent were against . - The right to life from conception to natural death, state aid for families, curbing unemployment, protection for the Polish market and rejection of the EU Constitution are the main political goals of the newly-formed Patriotic Movement formed by five rightwing groupings. In the alliance are the Catholic-National Movement (RKN) under Antoni Macierewicz, the Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland (ROP) under Jan Olszewski, the Alliance for Poland (Gabriel Janowski) and two other conservative factions. In a declaration published Thursday the new leaders spoke out for rejection of the EU Constitution unless it contained reference to "Christian principles" and "was based on the EU members' inviolability and sovereignty as an expression of their equal status".

PO with PiS can count on 39-46 percent support in April

Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine want to set up joint battalion

Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian assembly to be formed in May

Frasyniuk: Ukraine - Poland's biggest success in EU

IMF: Poland's GDP may grow by some 4 pct in 2005

Politics may hamper economic development

Warsaw, April 28: Member of the Monetary Policy Council RPP Andrzej Wojtyna wrote that economic animation visible in 2004 may not be of lasting nature due to political risk and poor

consumption with low investments' level. The maintenance of the annual average pace of GDP growth above 4 percent would require a double dynamics of investments recorded in

2004, Wojtyna wrote in a commentary to a report prepared by the Polish Academy of Science PAN on the Polish economy. In the 4Q of 2004 investments rose by 7.2 percent against a 4.1

Ambulances for Iraq

Strzelce Opolskie, April 28: Iraqi army will receive a total of 100 medical ambulances from a plant in Strzelce Opolskie. The delivery, part of a bigger contract signed by Bumar, will start

and end in May. The ambulances, based on Honker chassis, are equipped with the very basic medical equipment and are chiefly meant for transporting wounded soldiers.

Papala hitman suspect for extradition

Media launch drug campaign

Donbas wants exclusive negotiations on Czestochowa mill

Canal+ Digital to invest in Central and Eastern Europe

Henkel to invest 4.5 million euros in detergent base production

World Press Photo 2005 opens in Poznan

Book on new pope published in Poland

Father Hejmo: IPN did not want to contact me

Warsaw, April 29: Poland has the highest corruption among the new EU members, Polish Transparency International (TI) head Julia Pitera and Grazyna Kopinska, head of the Batory Foundation's Against Corruption programme, told PAP Friday commenting the results of TI's Corruption Perception Index. Neither government strategies not Poland's ratification of international conventions have done anything to bring corruption down, Pitera and Kopinska said, adding that EU accession also did little to change the situation.The adoption of new laws alone will not make them work even if they are international acts, Pitera remarked, stressing that in order to curb corruption Poland had to "cure" itself of corruptive social habits. Kopinska blamed the government for its delayed and superficial introduction of anticorruption policies. This was unaccompanied by a true understanding of the problem, she said, recalling that anticorruptive legislation was often introduced together with corruption-furthering laws. Pitera accused Polish politicians of displaying no will to fight corruption. If we don't do something about this we will for ever remain a "poor relative" of the EU, she warned.

Warsaw, April 29: Andrzej Aumiller of the Union of Labour has been elected head of the Sejm special committee for PKN Orlen on Friday. Aumiller replaces Jozef Gruszka who after suffering a stroke on April 10 remains in a coma. Aumiller's candidacy was backed by five committee members, three voted against, one abstained and one member did not take part in the vote.

Warsaw, May 1: Bringing to account those responsible for the 1989 round table alignment and those responsible for various scandals and privatization processes is the start of a road leading to the 4th Republic of Poland which the League of Polish Families (LPR) wants to build. The party held its congress in Warsaw on Saturday. Party leaders presented a draft of a new Polish constitution prepared by the LPR and a "team" ready to take over power in Polandafter elections. LPR plans that party head Roman Giertych would become the new prime minister if it wins the forthcoming general elections and head a government which, according to Giertych, would be an alternative to the proposed coalition government of the Citizens Platform and the Law and Justice. Maciej Giertych, eurodeputy and father of Roman, is widely expected to be the party's candidate in the fall presidential race although no official declarations have been made yet. Roman Giertych in his speech criticized the results and effects of the 1989 historic round table talks between Solidarity and communist government representatives. He argued that Poles were given freedom, but the biggest wealth remained in the hands of the round table people.

Warsaw, April 29: Sixty-seven percent of Poles in a CBOS ranking pointed to surgeon and presidential candidate Zbigniew Religa as the most trusted politician. Runners-up were current president Aleksander Kwasniewski (54 pct) and Law and Justice (PiS) leader Lech Kaczynski (53 pct).Religa's and Kaczynski's confidence index rose respectively 5 and 7 points and Kwasniewski's fell 2 points against a similar poll in March. 50 percent placed trust in Jaroslaw Kaczynski (up 5 pts from March), 49 percent in Democratic Party (PD) leader Tadeusz Mazowiecki (49 pct, up 3 pts), 44 percent in Sejm speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz (up 5 pts), 44 percent in former president Lech Walesa.

Most mistrusted were Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) leader Jozef Oleksy (49 pct), National Bank of Poland (NBP) president Leszek Balcerowicz (48 percent) and prime minister Marek Belka (45 pct). 44 percent mistrusted former deputy PM Jerzy Hausner, 42 percent Samoobrona leader Andrzej Lepper, 31 percent Kwasniewski, Lech Walesa and Catholic-National Movement (RKN) head Antoni Macierewicz. CBOR ran the survey on April 1-2 and 9-10 on a random group of adult Poles.

Warsaw, April 29: Some 20,000 people from all parts of the world are expected to take part in the March of the Living due to take place at the site of the former Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim, southern Poland, on May 5, to commemorate the Holocaust victims. According to director of the event Aaron Tamir, delegations from 50 countries have confirmed their participation. Prime Minister Marek Belka and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon will address those gathered for the ceremonies. Marches of the Living have been organised since 1988 by the Israeli Ministry of Education in cooperation with the March of the Living organisation on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah.)

Szczecin, April 29: 1.5 thousand Italian soldiers will take in May military manoeuvres at the Drawsko military range. A small group of Italians has already arrived in Drawsko to prepare the exercise. The main group of soldiers will gradually arrive in Poland between May 2 and 7. The exercise is to end on May 9, Drawsko range press office Ireneusz Twarowski said Friday.

Next exercises at the range are planned in July when Drawsko will host British soldiers.

Warsaw, April 29: The net profit of the banking sector in the first quarter of 2005 grew to 2 billion and 124 million zlotys (374 million USD) from 1.8 billion in the same period of 2004,

Chief Inspectore of Banking Supervision Wojciech Kwasniak told PAP Friday.In the entire 2004 the net profit amounted to 7.29 billion zlotys. Gross profits posted by the banking sector in the 1st quarter reached 2 billion and 736.4 million zlotys. ROE was at 19.3 per cent at the end of the quarter, vs. 17.6 per cent at the end of 2004. Net ROA was at 1.6 per cent in the 1st quarter 2005, vs. 1.5 per cent at the end of 2004. Irregular credits accounted for 14.4 per cent of the portfolio at the end of March, compared with 14.8 per cent at the end of 2004.

Warsaw, May 2: Ninety-seven percent of Polish internauts know about online shopping possibilities, 35 percent buy online at least once a month, according to the Gemius agency's 2005 report on e-commerce. One in four online shoppers complained about delivery delays and product errors. 50 percent said they paid for internet-purchased goods on receipt, this payment form was also preferred by 48 percent of online auction buyers. Over half of Poland's online shops are less than a year old, only one in ten are on the market for longer than 5 years. 47 percent of online shopowners believed the future of e-commerce lay in specialised portals, 25 percent opted for "online shopping malls" with access to a variety of shops and products. The most sought-after online products are construction materials, medicines, household appliances, sanitary products and car parts. On the rise are sales of electronics, clothes, footwear, jewellery, furniture and flowers.

Warsaw, April 29: Fifteen theatre companies from 10 European countries, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland will perform during the 15th International Theatre Festival "Contact" in Torun, north-west Poland, between May 21 and 27. The idea of the festival is to present and promote the most interesting theatre productions from Central and Eastern Europe and their confrontation with the theatre in Western Europe. This year Deutsches Theater company with stage director Michael Thalheimer will come from Berlin, and Victoria theatre from Belgium. Torun's Wilam Horzyca company will stage the play "Ja" written specially for the festival and directed by Ivan Vyrapayev of Russia. Swiss dance group "Metzger/ Zimmermann/ Deperrot" will come with the show "Janei". Companies from Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, Romania and Hungary will also be present. The Contact festival has been organised by Torun's Wilam Horzyca theatre as from 1991, at first with the view to presenting theatres from Central and Eastern Europe and gradually attracting companies from Western Europe - Germany, Great Britain, Holland, and also other continents - Australia and Asia.