POLAND: Poland had shown its teeth in talks over a European constitution and now must prove able to compromise, the country's probable next prime minister said yesterday.
Poland, helped by Spain, blocked attempts to approve a constitution last year.
"The EU knows very well that Poland will fight for its interests. They should also know that we are a predictable partner, capable of compromise," Mr Marek Belka said.
"We are counting on a compromise over the constitution which will be good for Poland and acceptable for other countries." Mr Belka, a former finance minister and leading official in the US-led temporary administration in Iraq, is the top candidate to replace Mr Leszek Miller, who will resign on May 2nd.
Mr Belka said he opposed the creation of closer links between a group of EU states that did not include all 25 members. But, he said, if a two-speed Europe did emerge, Poland should be at the forefront of European integration to stay relevant.
"We are not only interested in being in Europe but interested in the inner core, if it materialises," he said. "If Europe is determined to develop a joint defence policy, a foreign policy