Polish President Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski apologised today for the World War Two killing of hundreds of Jews by their neighbours.
"For this crime we should beg the souls of the dead and their families for forgiveness," Mr Kwasniewski told a ceremony in Jedwabne to mark the 60th anniversary of the massacre.
"This is why today, as a citizen and as the president of the Republic of Poland, I beg pardon.
"I beg pardon in my own name and in the name of those Poles whose conscience is shattered by that crime".
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Recent research found local Poles in the northeastern town of Jedwabne were involved in killing as many as 1,600 Jews. The slaughter had earlier been blamed on Nazi occupation forces.