Translated material
PR on rockets
Polish politicians are jealous of each other towards the US
The dates of this event have been postponed more than once, but today in Warsaw they will most likely sign a Polish-American agreement on the deployment of ten interceptor missiles on Polish territory. They will become part of the US missile defense system (ABM). The preliminary agreement was concluded on August 14 in Warsaw by the deputy heads of foreign affairs agencies. Now Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who flew to Warsaw from Brussels last night after the NATO meeting, will put their signatures.The signing ceremony will take place at the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Until the last moment, there was a sharp dispute between the government and the presidential administration - this time not about the essence of the agreement with the United States, but about the place of the solemn act. The Prime Minister's office wanted to emphasize its role in the negotiations that had lasted for almost two years by offering a reception house for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The presidential administration, calling Lech Kaczynski the “father of success,” insisted on his Belvedere residence. The Americans made the decision by proposing the Government House. The explanation satisfied everyone: there it would be easier for Rice’s guards to ensure her safety.
The program of the Secretary of State's stay was drawn up taking into account the jealousy of Polish leaders towards each other and the observance of subordination. Late last night Condoleezza Rice was supposed to have dinner with her colleague Radoslaw Sikorski. She will start this morning with breakfast with President Kaczynski and end her visit with lunch with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
After the agreement is signed, Rice and Tusk are expected to make statements. President Kaczynski was invited to the ceremony. But the official invitation took a long time. The presidential administration has already accused the government of “a PR game around the missile shield.” Finally, the invitation reached the recipient, and the president will take part in the ceremony, but whether he will speak has not yet been decided.
But the president will address the people from the television screen. Both he and the prime minister initially both wanted to do this on the first state channel at the same time - immediately after the main news broadcast. On television they decided to give the floor to both. The order is according to the constitutional order - the president will start, the prime minister will continue. But yesterday Tusk refused to appear on television and announced that he would hold a press conference.
According to an agreement with the Americans at the end of 2008, in the town of Redzikowo in northern Poland, construction of a base for missile silos will begin on the site of an air unit that was once stationed. They are expected to be ready by 2016. The agreement also provides for the deployment on Polish territory of a battery of Patriot complexes with 96 missiles, which was the most important condition for Prime Minister Tusk’s consent.
For now, the Americans will bring Patriots to Poland from their base in Ramstein, Germany, and by 2012 they will build a garrison for them, having trained Polish personnel by this time. The US wants the Patriot battery to be located in the same place as the missile defense shield. Poland insists on “strategic cover” and names a place in the northeast of Warsaw. If everyone inertia repeats about missile defense that this system is not directed against Russia, then this cannot be said for sure about the Patriots. “We are defending ourselves from Russia, which is becoming dangerous,” that’s what they say in Warsaw.
Along with the treaty, a political declaration is expected to be adopted, in which the Americans and Poles will undertake "the obligations of close cooperation in the event of a threat from a third party - military or any other kind." Once again, only Russia appears to be the “third party” in Poland.
The agreement signed today will still be sent to the Polish parliament, where the ratification procedure is expected. The final link will be the president's signature. The Polish government already recognizes that there is no need to rush into ratification before the results of the US presidential elections. After all, if Democratic candidate Barack Obama wins, the treaty may still end up in the trash.