JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI TAKES CHARGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 001646 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2011 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MARR PL SUBJECT: JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI TAKES CHARGE REF: WARSAW 1488 Classified By: Classified By: CDA Kenneth M. Hillas, reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Speaking non-stop for an hour and forty minutes without break, and only rarely looking at his notes, PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski delivered on August 4 an impressive tour d'horizon of Polish government policies, making clear that he is solidly in charge of the government and comfortable in his new role. Speaking at his Chancellery to a packed press room and carried live on all the major news channels, Kaczynski laid out in organized detail all the key programs, goals and objectives of each Ministry and government department over the next three years. The press conference, supposedly called to present the results of Kaczynski's "Review of all Government Ministries," drew heavy coverage media coverage because of rumors that DefMin Radek Sikorski might be sacked or former Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska reinstated or both. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) In contrast to Kaczynski's July 19 "expos" in advance of the vote of confidence to confirm him as PM, this presentation was very substantive and extremely well structured. His delivery was smooth and relaxed, and he appeared to have a complete grasp of both the subject matter and the personalities involved in each ministry. ¶4. (C) Kaczynski opened on a strong and confidant note, assuring that Poland was in an "advantageous situation," with a government ready to undertake the "fundamental restructuring of the state." He asserted that Poland was in an excellent economic situation, with significant EU financial resources available for important public investment in infrastructure. Foreign Affairs and Defense -------------- ¶5. (C) However, he cautioned, external events and "Poland's image abroad" were "complicating" the governments efforts to take advantage of this situation. In this regard, Kaczynski said he was tasking the MFA to defend and promote Poland's image abroad. (N.B. On the same day, FM Anna Fotyga named MFA spokesman and Director for Press and Information Andrzej Sados as her new "plenipotentiary for improving Poland's image abroad, or essentially Special Advisor for Public Diplomacy.) While not directly criticizing FM Fotyga, a close confidante of his brother the president, Kaczynski asserted that MFA's "diplomatic apparatus" needed fixing, including changes to the foreign service laws and personnel reforms. In addition to public diplomacy, Kaczynski listed as key goals for the MFA: an effective EU policy; maintaining the existing good relationships with NATO and the U.S.; and, expanding Polish engagement in Asia and Latin America. . ¶6. (C) Turning to defense, Kaczynski said that the major goal was reform of the armed services, including the command structure of MOD and the General Staff. He acknowledged that there was an ongoing debate on exactly how to do this, "which is not yet resolved," and referred to recent leadership changes at MOD. In this context, he noted the recent resignation of MOD U/S Stanislaw Koziej, who complained that his own views on defense form were being ignored. (N.B. In addition, on August 2 Deputy DefMin Aleksander Szczyglo departed to take over as Head of the President's Chancellery, while two new undersecretaries were named: Boguslaw Winid, until July 28 Polish DCM in Washington, and Antoni Macierewicz a controversial former MOD official whose release of a list of alleged communists in MOD in 1992 brought down the short-live government of Jan Olszewski.) Kaczynski said he expected the greater clarity on defense reform in the autumn, after which the process should move ahead. ¶7. (U) On more concrete matters, Kaczynski stressed the importance of meeting international military commitments. He underscored the importance of Polish defense spending reaching the NATO-mandated level of at least 2% of GDP, noting that a recent change in the method of calculation had only raised defense spending for 2006 to 1.98%. He also committed to meeting Poland's force commitments to NATO, which would involve ensuring that at least 8% of the armed forces were deployable and capable of participating in foreign missions. Intelligence and Law Enforcement -------------- ¶8. (U) The PM also devoted significant time to a discussion of the security services, Interior Ministry (MSWiA) and law enforcement. He pointed to the imminent liquidation of the military intelligence service (WSI) and its replacement with new, separate military intelligence and military counter-intelligence services, as a crucial reform that would finally accomplish the complete removal from the military intelligence function of all "pre-1989" (i.e. Communist-era) personnel. In the same vein, he said, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) was undergoing reform, including a somewhat enigmatic reference to a "change in the relationship between the security services and those supervising them." ¶9. (U) Kaczynski said that both the Polish National Police (PNP) and the Border Guard required reform and modernization, including organizational changes, equipment upgrades and salary increases. He asserted that the PNP in particular had to develop into a more flexible institution that could accommodate short-notice shifts around the country of personnel and resources to deal with emergent situations. ¶10. (C) In order to better direct counter-terrorism efforts, Kaczynski said, he had just designated Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ludwik Dorn as the government's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. ¶11. (C) Echoing the strong law and order agenda of his close friend Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, Kaczynski stressed that the judicial system required significant overhaul. He advocated a toughening of the criminal code and criminal procedure code to deal more harshly with organized crime and violent crimes, including tougher sentences. At the same time, he suggested that the system for dealing with non-violent and white collar crimes should be streamlined and could include alternative penalties such as "weekend detention" and house arrest using electronic bracelets. He also assailed the existing "absolute immunity" enjoyed by members of the judiciary and promised that this unjustified privilege would be corrected. Economy and Finance -------------- ¶12. (C) PM Kaczynski put significant emphasis on the importance of effective financial oversight, the need to use EU development funds more effectively, and the importance of energy security. He singled out Minister for Regional Development Grazyna Gesicka for particular praise in handling of her portfolio, which consists largely of administering EU development funds. However, he criticized the Ministries of Transport and Environment, and associated agencies under their supervision, for failing to take proper advantage of EU monies. He said this was "fair warning for these institutions, and their heads." The media immediately took this to mean that Minister of Transport Jerzy Polaczek and Minister of Environment Jan Szyszko were on probation, despite both being members of Kaczynski's own party. A Strong Performance -------------- ¶12. (C) COMMENT. Many commentators suggest that this was the speech Jaroslaw Kaczynski should have delivered on July 19. He gave every impression of a strong Prime Minister fully in control of every aspect of government policy, and he has completely eclipsed his predecessor Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, whose power never seemed certain. It was always understood that Jaroslaw Kaczynski, as PiS chairman, had been the true power behind Marcinkiewicz and even his brother President Lech Kaczynski; after the August 4 speech there was absolutely no doubt that the politically most powerful person in Poland is now also the head of government. In addition, Jaroslaw Kaczynski has cowed his coalition partners and erstwhile rivals, Andrzej Lepper of Self-Defense (SO) and Roman Giertych of the League of Polish Families (LPR), dominating this coalition to a degree not seen for the last thirteen years. ¶14. (C) The challenge now for the PM is to reassure Poland's partners and repair the GOP's image abroad. However, it is Jaroslaw Kaczynski himself, and not the MFA, who must take the lead in this effort. If Kaczynski conducts his meetings with foreign leaders with the same openness, confidence, intelligence and common sense that he showed during the August 4 press conference, he has a good chance of success. END COMMENT. HILLAS