President elect Lech Kaczynski said he would soon give up his membership of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and PiS' honorary chairmanship. "In my opinion the duties of the president of Poland cannot be combined with membership of a political party," he explained.
Speaking at a press conference immediately after the announcement of the official results of the presidential elections Kaczynski also declared that he was "the president of all Poland", not just of those who had voted for him. "We remain faithful to the programme of building the 4th Polish Republic, a republic bound by solidarity," he said. "In my campaign speeches I reiterated many times that as president I will not implement the programme directly, but can be its guarantor," Kaczynski explained.
He declined to reveal names of his future collaborators, citing the fact that the cabinet had not been formed yet. He said he would meet president Aleksander Kwasniewski to discuss international policy issues and those concerning classified information. Speaking about a telephone call from US president George Walker Bush earlier Monday, the president elect said: "He congratulated me, said that Poland was an important ally of the USA and expressed the hope that I will soon arrive to Washington for a visit." Talking to Bush Kaczynski had emphasized the strategic importance of the alliance for Poland, he told newsmen. "We spoke about a meeting soon after the New Year," he added.
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Kaczynski also declared his "good will" in relations with Germany and Russia. "We want good relations with both Russia and Germany," he stressed. The first stage of an improvement in relations with Russia should be a visit to Warsaw by president Vladimir Putin, Kaczynski opined. Germany was "a double ally" of Poland, he went on, "in the framework of NATO and the EU. "Certain recent actions by Germany disregard this obvious fact. The point is to say clearly that we do not agree in some questions." |