Candidates for presidency in Poland: Situation in Belarus is a real challenge
- 28.06.2010, 16:04
During the debates Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Bronislaw Komorowski came to an understanding that the Belarusian problem should be resolved as soon as possible.
Yesterday evening TV debate took place in Poland. Presidential candidates Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Bronislaw Komorowski met face-to-face for the first time in this election campaign. They are the candidates who reached the second round. Representatives of the election headquarters of the both candidates have agreed upon the form of the debates, in accordance with which candidates were asked by journalists. Questions touched upon the three spheres: social, economic and foreign policy issues.
One of the issues to which Kaczynski and Komorowski were to answer within three minutes concerned the policy towards Belarus. Journalists reminded that according to the official data, 400,000 Poles live in Belarus, and Lukashenka’s regime persecutes the Poles. Which policy towards the Belarusian regime would be chosen in this situation by the new president: the policy of negotiations, a visit at the governmental level, or the policy of isolation and sanctions?
Jaroslaw Kaczynski was the first who answered the question. He underlined that the situation in Belarus is a serious problem, as attempts of following the both lines had taken place, and the both of them have not been met with any considerable success.
“A certain combination of these two methods is needed here,” Kaczynski said. “But in no case decisions should be adopted which could create an impression that harshness on the part of the Belarusian authorities would be met by the Poles as an effective form of pressure”. Kaczynski added that he is concerned by Anzelika Borys’ leaving the position of the chairperson of the Union of Poles in Belarus.
The former Prime Minister of Poland stated: “I know that to talk with the regimes like Lukashenka’s regime, is worthwhile only when argument of pressure and all kinds of incentives are also present. Law and Order Party had been carrying out the policy exactly like that. And unofficially, totally unofficially, we carried out negotiations with some representatives of this regime”.
Kaczynski underlined that the Polish authorities must defend Poles abroad, and at the moment exactly the Poles in Belarus need as wide defense as possible, and any president must do that.
And finally Jaroslaw Kaczynski stated: “This is the issue which is also to be discussed with Moscow, and when President Medvedev would visit us, and I would be a president, I will raise this question certainly. Though Belarus is a separate state, this question could be discussed”.
Bronislaw Komorowski immediately responded to the concluding words of his opponent. “It is an unprecedented idea to talk with Moscow about Belarus. I totally disagree with that. It contradicts Polish interests completely, and in general it is not accepted in the international policy. It is the same thing as if Belarusians would plan to talk about Poland’s problems with Moscow or Berlin,” Komorowski stated.
He stressed that Belarus’ problem is a real challenge which the West cannot meet too. “We must primarily influence on the policy of Europe, to speak in a louder voice in the negotiations with Lukashenka,” believes the candidate for presidency of the currently leading party of Poland.
Bronislaw Komorowski also noted that not only Polish organizations which are among the one largest organization in Belarus should be supported, but other non-governmental organizations of Belarus, as they are the foundation of the democratic society, which should be created gradually. Mass media that broadcast from Poland to Belarus contribute to that, according to Komorowski, and also the recently signed agreement on near-border movement which would allow Poles from Belarus and Belarusians from Poland divided by the border contact with each other.
“It is the way of changing the mentality of people in Belarus. In a certain sense, like we travelled to the West in the 1970ies, Poles returned looking at the free market and democracy in the different way. Step by step we would bring Belarus to democratic standards,” Bronislaw Komorowski optimistically stated.