POLAND SAYS NATO MEMBERSHIP NO THREAT TO RUSSIA.

Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski told participants of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland over the weekend that Poland’s bid to join NATO was directed neither at Russia nor Ukraine. Instead, the Polish leader — a former Communist — described the inclusion of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in NATO as a necessary element in the construction of a "new security system in Europe." (13) Meanwhile, a Polish Foreign Ministry delegation gave similar assurances in Moscow over the weekend, where Poland’s desire to join NATO was a major topic of discussion. The Polish-Russian talks followed the resignation of Polish prime minister Jozef Oleksy amid allegations that he had spied for Moscow. Both sides emphasized their hope that the incident would not be an impediment to improved relations, and Polish foreign minister Dariusz Rosati invited his Russian counterpart Yevgeny Primakov to visit Poland. (14) There has been speculation that Russian intelligence orchestrated the Oleksy incident in order to undermine Poland’s efforts to win admission to NATO.

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