Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06WARSAW1646
2006-08-09 07:10:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Warsaw
Cable title:  

JAROSLAW KACZYNSKI TAKES CHARGE

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR MARR PL 
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Anne W McNeill 10/10/2006 12:04:22 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results

Cable 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 01646

SIPDIS
CXWARSAW:
 ACTION: POL
 INFO: CONS AMB AGRI MGT RSO KRA FCS PASC ORA ECON DAO
 DCM ODC

DISSEMINATION: POLO
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA:KHILLAS
DRAFTED: POL:DTMORRIS,POL:SHA
CLEARED: NONE

VZCZCWRI213
PP RUEHC RUCNMEM RUEKJCS RHEHNSC RUEAIIA
DE RUEHWR #1646/01 2210710
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 090710Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1613
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
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)

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

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