Poland’s president has said he believes there were never weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but it would be a mistake to abandon the country now. The remarks on Thursday by President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a key U.S. ally in Europe, were the first by a Polish leader to raise doubts about the reasons for going to war. But he defended the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam, saying it "made sense." Poland has contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition and has offered to expand its responsibilities if Spain carries out a threat to withdraw its troops. "We were informed that weapons of mass destruction are in Iraq, that there is a probability of the existence of such weapons," The Associated Press quoted Kwasniewski as saying. "Today, this information is not confirmed." U.S. President George W. Bush refused to comment on the report during a visit to Fort Campbell, Ky. ...
Interesting. Bush jabs Poland in the ribs, yet the present Polish government continues to give their support. Maybe this is just Kwasniewski’s way of getting back at Bush, without actually betraying their alliance (like Spain). However, also like Spain, it’s certain there will be a change in government in Poland in the next elections. What’s not certain, is whether the current opposition will run an anti-American campaign to appease the anti-American sentiment in Poland, and also what would not be certain is the public’s reaction to a Madrid-style attack just before the elections. The comments I’ve heard from Poland run the entire range of the spectrum.
On a side note, Aznar’s Spain was Poland’s strongest ally in the EU constitution debates. If Zapatero warms up to France & Germany on this issue, then Poland will effectively have to succumb to the EUropeans. |