Poland to lift its EU talks veto on Russia

POLAND:Poland said yesterday that improving ties with Russia had prompted it to lift its veto on talks over a new partnership deal between the EU and Moscow, writes Daniel McLaughlin.

In unusually cordial comments from the foreign ministers of two countries with a long history of animosity, Russia's top diplomat praised Poland's new government and said Moscow would not push Warsaw to drop plans to host a US missile base.

Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski said Warsaw would lift its block on discussion of a new EU-Russia treaty, in response to Moscow's removal of a ban on Polish food imports. That embargo was seen as a riposte to the tough stance towards Russia taken by Polish president Lech Kaczynski and the government of his twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which was ousted last October.

"I am happy that this trade ban is already history," Mr Sikorski said alongside Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. "I think this allows us to unblock negotiations in order to obtain a mandate for contacts on an EU-Russia treaty."

President Kaczynski has bemoaned the softer line towards the Kremlin adopted by new prime minister Donald Tusk, who plans to visit Moscow next month and has lifted Warsaw's veto on Russian membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The thaw in relations comes as Warsaw negotiates with Washington to host a US rocket base, as part of a missile defence system that the Kremlin believes will target Russia.

"We aren't going to exert any pressure on Poland or others; we simply want our specific concerns to be heard and understood," said Mr Lavrov, adding that Moscow "appreciates the new Polish government's willingness to conduct consultations on the issue" and the "numerous positive changes [ that] have occurred in Russian-Polish relations".