Polish FM to ‘spread democracy’ in North Africa

The move comes as the Polish government has decided that its peaceful revolution of 1989, when communists and opposition Solidarity leaders reached an agreement as a result of the Round Table talks, has become one of the country’s ‘exports’.

Following a visit to Tunisia by Solidarity leader and former president Lech Walesa at the end of April, as well as Senate Speaker Bogdan Borusewicz in May, Radoslaw Sikorski is the third Polish high-ranking official to visit the two North African countries which underwent revolutions at the beginning of the year, sparking off what pundits have called the ‘Arab Spring’.

Minister Sikorski will be the first Polish official to visit Egypt since the demise of President Hosni Mubarak, however.

“Poland wants to show that is it capable of taking responsibility for the whole of Europe,” Sikorski told Polish Radio, commenting on the upcoming visit and ahead of Poland’s rotating EU Council presidency which begins on 1 July.

Radoslaw Sikorski is to meet with Egypt’s prime minister and head of diplomacy, and is expected to sign a tourism cooperation agreement. He is also to open an exhibition entitled “Decade of Solidarity” at the American University in Cairo as well as meet with representatives of the Coptic Church.

Three MPs from across the political spectrum will accompany Sikorski on his visit to North Africa: Andrzej Halicki from the ruling Civic Platform, social democrat Marek Borowski as well as Pawel Poncyljusz from the Poland Comes First centre-right splinter group. (jb)

Source: IAR