NO. 29 WWW.KRAKOWPOST.COM NOVEMBER 22-NOVEMBER 28, 2007 WEEKLY Newly elected Tusk government to face challenges ahead Migrant center opens in Przemysl A detention center for illegal immigrants has opened in Przemysl aiming to deal with Poland’s surge of illegal aliens after joined the EU 4 Polish women give birth in Germany Pregnant Polish women living near the German border are flocking to German hospitals with free delivery and more choice of childbirth procedures 5 Media: Taser death shocks Canadians Canada shamed over shocking death of Pole who was confront- ed by Vancouver airport police with stun gun 5 Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk has formed a government and named a cabinet that, he says proudly, consists of technocrats – or subject-matter experts – instead of politicians. Michal Wojtas Jolandta Fedak as the minister of labor and People’s Party only holds 31. That leaves the Tusk passed up Civic Platform members STAFF JOURNALIST Marek Sawicki as minister of agriculture coalition with 240 seats – nine more than the with national political experience such as and rural development. 231 needed for majority rule. Marek Biernacki, Zbigniew Chlebowski Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government will have a 10-vote The Left and Democrats Alliance, with 53 and Julia Pitera, who were previously part Tusk has formed a government and cabinet majority in the Sejm, Poland’s lower house seats, are also likely to side with the prime of PO’s shadow cabinet. that, he proudly states, consists of techno- of parliament. This suggests that barring minister on multiple issues. The Law and The appointment of Radoslaw Sikorski as crats instead of politicians. Tusk formed unforeseen developments the prime min- Justice party, led by Lech Kaczynski’s twin foreign minister irritated the Law and Jus- Poland’s 13th post-Communist government ister will be able to get most of his agenda brother and former Prime Minister Jaroslaw tice party. Until a falling-out with Kaczyn- Nov. 16 by cobbling together a coalition through parliament. Kaczynski, holds 166 seats. Its members are ski over Antoni Macierewicz’s controversial of his Civic Platform party and the Polish However even legislation which clears likely to be uncooperative since voters oust- role as a reformer of Polish counter-intelli- People’s Party. Civic Platform won the most parliament may not become law as Poland’s ed Law and Justice from government lead- gence units, the Oxford University graduate seats in the Oct. 21 elections. The Polish President Lech Kaczynski of the opposition ership after only two years. Fortunately for was formerly the minister of defense under People’s Party is the smallest of four in the Law and Justice party can veto legislation. Tusk the party does not have the numbers to the Law and Justice government. new parliament. Due to this significant political obstacle, stop most of his agenda. Tusk also offered a seat in the cabinet to Tusk appointed Waldemar Pawlak as Tusk will undoubtedly have difficulty in car- Several technocrats appointed by Tusk Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz who was prime head of the People’s Party, deputy prime rying out his political agenda. His party does have former experience in local politics but minister during the first nine months of the minister and minister of economy. Grzegorz not have the necessary three-fifths Sejm ma- not in national. They include three Civic Law and Justice government. Marcinkiewicz Scetyna was appointed second deputy prime jority (267 seats) to override a veto. To add Platform members – Education Minister declined saying he preferred to concentrate minister and interior minister, secretary gen- to Tusk’s problem Kaczynski has three years Katarzyna Hall, Justice Minister Zbigniew on his current position in the European Bank eral of the Civic Platform party. remaining in office. Cwiakalski and Finance Minister Jacek for Reconstruction and Development as one Another two Polish People’s Party lead- The Civic Platform party holds 209 of Rostowski. of the bank’s directors. ers hold posts in the 19-member cabinet: the Sejm’s 460 seats whereas the Polish Political observers were surprised when See TUSK on Page 9 2 The Krakow Post POLAND NOVEMBER 22-NOVEMBER 28, 2007 R E G I O N A L N E W S Poland to Estonian small-time ex-mayor sentenced for hiring hitman Poland joins Schengen end Iraq The former mayor of a small Estonian town has received a one-year suspended sen- tence for hiring a gunman to kill a councillor mission in after a dispute over land deals, Justice Minis- try authorities said late last week. Zone in December 2008: defense Gennadi Kulkov, who was charged with attempted murder, received such a light sen- tence because the hit did not go ahead, Kris- minister tiina Herode, spokeswoman for the Baltic country’s prosecutor’s office, told AFP. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE cc:sa:Swinoujscie Kulkov, who admitted his crime, was found guilty of paying a gunman almost Poland will end its mission in Iraq 2,000 euro ($2,900) to kill Fjodor Maspanov, next year where it currently has 900 a local journalist and councilor. soldiers deployed, said new Polish The would-be gunman decided to go to Defense Minister Bogdan Klich late the authorities. last week. Kulkov ordered the hit after a quarrel “I can confirm that in 2008 the Pol- about land deals in his town, Mustvee, a ish military contingent in Iraq will be 2,000-strong community on the shore of withdrawn,” the minister, who took up Lake Peipsi in eastern Estonia where, like his post in the new liberal government the mayor and his intended victim, most of Prime Minister Donald Tusk last residents are members of the ethnic Russian week, told public radio Jedynma. minority. (AFP) He said the details of the withdraw- al would be announced next week as Russian fleet must leave Tusk outlines his government’s poli- Ukraine by 2017 cies in parliament. Warsaw has been one of the closest U.S. allies over Iraq. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which is based Polish troops took part in the 2003 in- in southern Ukraine, must leave the country vasion, sparking a bitter verbal battle by the end of 2017, Ukraine’s deputy prime with anti-war EU members, notably minister said late last week. France. U.S.-Polish ties strengthened Olexander Kuzmuk’s announcement after the election in 2005 of the previ- seemed to invalidate an earlier statement by ous Law and Justice party administra- pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanu- tion. Last December, President Lech kovych, who said last year he believed the Kaczynski extended the deployment Russian fleet could stay after a present agree- of its 900-strong force until the end of ment expires in 2017. this year, and the conservative govern- “The Russian Black Sea Fleet must leave ment had said it was planning to send a [its Sevastopol base in Crimea] by the end of new group of soldiers in 2008. 2017, in line with the agreement,” Kuzmuk, Tusk’s Civic Platform, which won who is considered pro-Russian, told Interfax last month’s snap general elections, news agency. has pledged a swift pull-out of Polish Under a 1997 deal the Russian fleet can armed forces from Iraq. continue to use its base at Sevastopol until Speaking to the daily Gazeta Wybor- 2017. What happens after that is a source of Poland’s Swinoujscie border point with Germany. cza earlier in the month, Tusk said it tension. (AFP) was important that Washington rec- Joanna Zabierek ropean Parliament) supported the inclusion change information on persons and proper- ognized that his Civic Platform party Czech anti-missile radar STAFF JOURNALIST of the nine countries in the zone, while only ty, and give mutual operational assistance. would win power making a pledge to protesters call for U.S. boycott 21 were opposed. When the zone expansion takes place on “end the mission in Iraq, at least in its The European Parliament has approved, The decision extends the passport-free Dec. 21, Jose Sokrates, the prime minister current form, in 2008.” Protesters against Washington’s plans by a large majority, a resolution to expand travel system to Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, of Portugal, will symbolically cross the bor- Last month, Polish Ambassador to site its anti-missile shield in the Czech the Schengen Zone to nine new countries, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slova- der with Slovenia, the country which will Edward Pietrzyk was seriously injured Republic called for a boycott of U.S. goods including Poland. kia and the Czech Republic. take the chair of the EU next year. and his driver killed by a roadside and firms at a rally late last week for a ref- This means internal land and sea bor- The Schengen system allows citizens Another enlargement of the Schengen bomb in Baghdad. A total of 22 Polish erendum on the matter. der checks will be abolished as of Dec. 21, of participating states to move freely within Zone will occur at the end of 2008, when soldiers have been killed in Iraq since “Our politicians do not listen to us, they 2007 while restrictions on air borders will the area and allows foreigners to travel Switzerland and Lichtenstein are expected 2003. The current 900-strong Polish do not respect the opinions of the major- be lifted by March 2008 providing that the throughout the zone on a single visa. to become full members. continent is stationed in the Diwani- ity in the country ... The only word that new member states fulfill all the Schengen It doesn’t mean, however, a lack of pro- They already have signed an association yah region of Iraq, where 2,600 were they understand is the word money,” said requirements.