Germany calls for better relations with Poland after election

BERLIN (Xinhua) -- Germany hopes that Poland could seize the chance to improve ties with Germany and Europe under the new government, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

The Polish voters have given their new leaders ""a clear mission to change the political course,"" said Steinmeier in a letter to Donald Tusk, whose pro-business Civic Platform (PO) party had won the election over the weekends.

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said German Chancellor Angela Merkel would call Tusk to congratulate his electoral victory.

Germany ""have an enormous interest in good, close, neighborly ties with Poland,"" said Steg.

The Germany-Poland ties were strained under the outgoing Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his identical twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski who will remain for another three years in office before his presidential term ends.

Poland had threatened to veto the EU reform treaty which was strongly backed by Germany to streamline the political system of the 27-nation bloc.

Eventually Poland managed to persuade EU partners to delay the implementation of a new voting system which some EU nations fear will give too much power to bigger states.

The Germany-Poland ties hit a low point when Polish prime minister said Poland would have a bigger population, which would give Poland a bigger say on European issues by the new voting system, should German Nazis not have killed many of its citizens during the World War II.
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