AMBASSADOR ASHE'S COURTESTY CALL ON NEW MINISTER

UNCLAS WARSAW 000146

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DKOSTELANCIK AND MSESSUMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SENV PREL PL
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ASHE'S COURTESTY CALL ON NEW MINISTER
OF ENVIRONMENT SZYSZKO



1. Ambassador Ashe paid a courtesy call to Poland's Minister
of the Environment Jan Szyszko on January 27. Ambassador
Ashe began by talking of his admiration of Poland's national
parks systems and his dedication to increasing the green
spaces of Knoxville during his tenure as Mayor of the city.
Ambassador Ashe also enthusiastically recounted his recent
visit to Kampinos National Park and plans to visit parks in
Northeast Poland this spring. Minister Szyszko and the
Ambassador also discussed the sister park relationship
between Kampinos and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Minister Szyszko was aware of the relationship from his time
as National Parks Director.


2. The conversation turned to the excellent condition and
maintenance of many Polish national parks, and the fact that
Poland has not overdeveloped its rural areas. Minister
Szyszko attributed this, in part, to the traditional Polish
philosophy that states national park land should be utilized
for its inherent wealth, such as hunting or honey production.
When asked by Ambassador Ashe about his chief goals as
Minister, Szyszko continued on this theme, stating that he
hoped to use national resources to create jobs. He is, in
fact, a specialist in this field, and stated that Poland
produces very high quality natural foods, and in addition,
has some of the best soil conditions of any country in
Europe. Szyszko hopes to make Polish food products
competitive across Europe, and will ask the EU to help in
this endeavor by recognizing the link between environmental
conservation and the utilization of environmental resources.


3. Ambassador Ashe mentioned that U.S. national parks and
local parks are economically beneficial because they promote
tourism and lead to secondary business opportunities in the
surrounding areas. He mentioned the poor state of Poland's
road system, and stated that if the GOP could improve this
infrastructure the same opportunities would eventually
materialize in the Polish countryside. Szyszko agreed
wholeheartedly with this comment and cited GOP plans to
invest heavily in road construction, but also stated that the
GOP wanted to avoid building roads that could lead to
environmental degradation.


4. Ambassador Ashe asked Szyszko if he had any plans to
visit the U.S. and offered help in setting up meetings with
the appropriate USG agencies. Szyszko was grateful but did
not foresee having enough time to travel to the U.S. in the
near future due to his busy schedule. He did mention that as
a long-time reader of Jack London's works he would someday
like to see the Yukon River in Alaska.
ASHE