Polish overtures
On a visit to Warsaw, Aicha Abdel-Ghaffar interviewed Polish Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Wlodzimierz Cimoszewiez, ahead of the Polish prime minister's visit to Iraq next month
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Polish troops on patrol in Iraq
Polish Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Cimoszewiez
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How would you describe current Polish-Egyptian relations?
Last year we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Polish-Egyptian diplomatic relations. For Poland, Egypt remains the major political power in the Middle East. We are very satisfied with our political dialogue but we would, however, like to develop stronger trade ties with Egypt. We also would like to see a stronger Egyptian economic presence in Poland. We expect a lot for the future of our bilateral relations.
How do you define the objectives of Polish diplomacy in the Middle East?
Historically we have been very active in the Arab world and we see a lot of sense in good relations with North African and Middle Eastern countries. We have excellent relations with Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and we recently visited many countries in the Gulf region. As far as the Arabs are concerned, our major focus with them is to engage in dialogue on the means to combat international terrorism. We believe that the war on terror should be waged with all means available, including the use of preemptive strikes. So there are many, not just theoretical, but also very practical issues on our agenda.
What do you think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and what role can Poland play in the peace process?
Poland has good relations with the Palestinians and with Israel. We have historical connections with the Jewish people that make our relationship with them very complex. This relationship is not only related to the people living in Israel but with the Jews in every part of the world. We have had excellent relations with the Palestinians for many years now. A lot of Palestinians have studied here and Poland has always spoken of the right of Palestinians to have an independent state. At every occasion we have repeated that we are ready to help in the peace process. We know it is very difficult but it is possible. Take for example the change in German-Polish relations in the last years, it shows that it is possible. The idea of cooperation between peoples is important and we will present our ideas if needed.
What exactly is the current initiative to reform the UN and how do you envision it taking place?
We have a feeling that the world is changing faster than the UN can adapt. What seems characteristic for the "new" UN is the fact that NGOs and transnational companies have become major players in shaping international relations.
Our idea is not to change or to revise the UN Charter but rather to adopt a political agreement that reinterprets the charter's provisions and also better regulates areas of UN involvement which cannot be covered by the charter's provisions. We also have to discuss problems regarding the use of force and a country's right to self-defence.
What is your assessment of divisions within the European Union over Iraq?
There were differences between European nations over how to deal with Iraq. In recent months however, the European Union has adopted several statements and declarations concerning Iraq. We managed to move forward thanks to a common understanding on several key issues such as the need for a greater UN role in Iraq. From the very beginning the EU has said that the credibility of the new Iraqi authorities will depend to a large extent on UN support and involvement.
How do you evaluate the situation in Iraq where America continues to have a lot of problems?
There is a need for a much stronger role and involvement of the UN in Iraq. The situation there is complicated. However, we believe that the situation for the average Iraqi is much better than before [the US invasion]. Not only because of political change, but also in terms of overall conditions which have improved.
We understand the criticism leveled against the US, but let us be realistic: just a couple of months ago the country was ruled by a dictator. Unfortunately, the Iraqi people never had any chance to experience any form of democratic process. But now there is an ongoing process of selecting informal representatives at all levels of Iraqi society and so we have to wait until this process is completed. We can only have democratic elections if a kind of democratic infrastructure is established in Iraq.
As you know, Poland is present in Iraq. We are responsible for the military situation in the central southern part of Iraq. Polish military personnel are stationed there. However, Polish civilians are also there such as teachers and health workers. Polish archaeologists recently prepared a project on how to protect and preserve Iraq's historical heritage. This project was then presented to the UNESCO.
We went to Iraq because we believe we should offer our help. We are ready to give humanitarian support to Iraq and help rebuild its infrastructure, but we want to pull out our military personnel as soon as possible. It is not our intention to stay there.
