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US Congressmen discuss 'difficult democracy' with Polish ruling party

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 05.04.2016 09:14
A bipartisan group of US Congressmen held talks on Monday in Warsaw with leading representatives of the ruling Law and Justice party, with Poland enmeshed in a constitutional crisis.
Foto: pixabay

The US group was led by Dana Rohrabacher, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.

When asked by journalists what the main subject of the talks had been, Rohrabacher said “how difficult democracy is.”

The six congressmen, accompanied by US Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones, met separately with Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and chairman of Law and Justice Jarosław Kaczyński.

Democracy requires fair negotiation,” Rohrabacher said on Monday, noting the importance ofcompromise.

He reflected that this can sometimes be a frustrating” process, but he argued that there is still no better one.

He noted that Jarosław Kaczyński had expressed his observations on the dynamics of political events in Poland.”

The visit fell on the same day as that of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, amid a European Commission probe into the rule of law in Poland.

In February, three US senators had written to Poland's prime minister, urging the government to respect the rule of law, and adherence to liberal democratic principles.”

Meanwhile, on On 11 March, human rights watchdog the Venice Commission, an arm of the Council of Europe, urged the government and the opposition to “do their utmost to find a solution,” to the deadlock at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal.

The first session of Polish cross-party talks took place on 31 March.

Reassurance of US-Polish alliance

Meanwhile, with a NATO summit due to be held in Warsaw in July, Congressman David Cicilline stressed that that one of the main objectives of the visit was to reaffirm the Polish-American alliance.

We want to say clearly that just as Poland was with us, we are with Poland,” he said, adding that the US wants to hear from Poland what help it needs from Washington.

The Polish government and President Andrzej Duda are currently pressing for a permanent NATO presence in the region, in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. (nh/pk)

Source: PAP

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