11/08/2006

U.S. spokesman refuses to discuss brouhaha in Poland over U.S. diplomat's comment

The State Department's spokesman refused on Tuesday to discuss whether a U.S. diplomat in Poland overstepped his position by complaining about the deputy Polish prime minister's position on Iraq.

"We don't comment on leaked memos or confidential conversations," spokesman Sean McCormack said.

He said the events in Warsaw became known because of the leak to a newspaper of an account of a conversation between the U.S. Embassy's deputy chief of mission, Kenneth Hillas, and an aide to Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

A statement by Hillas was interpreted to have been a suggestion that Deputy Prime Minister Roman Giertych should be fired for promoting a parliamentary debate about civilian casualties of the Iraq war. Poland has about 900 troops in Iraq and commands an international contingent, and Giertych, also the education minister, is a longtime critic of the war.
"We were a bit surprised by the minister of education's comments," McCormack said, "but it's not for us to pick and choose or even comment publicly on the composition of the Polish government."

That was as near as the State Department spokesman came to criticizing Hillas' actions in the episode.

The newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza published a partial transcript of the meeting two weeks ago that quoted Hillas as saying about Giertych's position on an inquiry: "If the deputy prime minister of a country like Germany, France or Denmark made such comments, he would be dismissed."

Embassy spokesman Andrew Schilling denied that implied that Giertych should be fired.

Tuesday night in Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga called U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe to her office to clarify Hillas' comments. Schilling gave no details of their meeting.

"Poland is a good friend and ally; very close friend and ally," the State Department's McCormack said. "As a matter of fact, Iraq was a very small portion of this conversation as I understand it. And we're going to move forward and work together with the Polish government, this Polish government, all members of the Polish government, on issues of mutual concern."

As for the composition of the Polish government, he said, "that's for the Polish political leadership and the Polish people to decide, not for us to decide."



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