Poland hopes Russia to lift food ban -farm minister

WARSAW, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Poland's new government hopes Russia would lift a ban on its food products after Warsaw decided to stop blocking Moscow's entry to the OECD, the Polish farm minister said on Wednesday.

Donald Tusk's cabinet, in power since last week, vows to improve relations with Moscow and lifting of the veto to Moscow's talks with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was the first gesture towards the eastern neighbour.

Farm Minister Marek Sawicki said he hoped that Poland's conciliatory move would prompt the Kremlin to lift a two-year long embargo on Polish food products.

"It would be good if there would be a gesture from the Russian side now ... like readiness to lift the ban," Sawicki told a news conference.

Moscow imposed the ban on Polish agricultural imports blaming forged certificates, but Warsaw repeatedly said it was politically motivated.

Relations strained by rows over historical and trade issues reached a low under the rule of Poland's conservative twin brothers, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and President Lech Kaczynski.

The prime minister lost power last month but the president does not face re-election contest until 2010.

The president, who has a key role in shaping foreign relations, criticised Tusk's move to lift the veto on the OECD talks.

Source: By Gabriela Baczynska, Michael Roddy,