Between the fronts or, as one might say, in no-man's land
WROCLAW Germany and France are strengthening their pressure on Poland. This is aimed at increasing the country's subordination to Berlin and Paris. In preceding months Poland had aligned itself with the war policy of the USA and thereby incurred the displeasure of the duped hegemonial power - Berlin.
Schroeder and Chirac used the joint press communique at the German-French-Polish summit in Wroclaw to make their demands clear. They ,,expressed" how greatly Poland's ,,return to the European family after all the historical divisions" was anticipated. It has been decided to hold regular, trilateral consultations in future. By these Warsaw would be bound into the German-European foreign, security and defence policy. So Poland would be distanced from its new patron-state, the USA.
,,Annexe of the USA" or ,,partner" in the EU
There were, in the meantime, unconcealed threats that Poland must decide for Berlin and the EU, if it did not wish to be torn apart between these rivals for world power. The Berlin Foundation for Research & Policy (SWP) had already pointed to the economic pressures available and declared ,,The reality of Poland's new political life as an EU member, and its fear of losing influence in Europe through crude pro-Americanism will (...) add weight to the view that Poland should not behave as America's 'Trojan Ass"'.1)
The tageszeitung (which is close to the government) now demands that the Polish government must ,,finally say clearly what sort of Europe it really wants and what restrictions on national sovereignty it is prepared to accept". The political elites in Poland have, for a long time, carefully avoided taking a position on this. Now Poland would have to allay the fear that it was attempting to influence the EU only as ,,an annexe of the USA". The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung remarked threateningly that Poland had ,,every interest, including material interests" in accepting in earnest the role proferred to it by Berlin and Paris.
,,The stones speak German"
In the event of non-compliance by the Polsih government, further possible consequences are being mentioned. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung asserts that the district of Poland where the summit meeting took place is not basically (urspruenglich) Polish: ,,The stones speak German". With reference to the conference venue, Wroclaw, which was called Breslau ,,when Silesia still belonged to the Reich", it remarked ,,In Breslau a Pole can only feel at home if he feels as much European as Polish".
In the Polish border areas adjoining Germany, regional and separatist organisations have been active for a long time which cooperate with the ,,German minorities" in Poland. The whole border area is taken over by ,,Euro-Regions" which are slowly bringing about a continual dissolution of loyalty from the periphery to the centre. The summit meeting in Wroclaw is, for the first time, to be flanked by a meeting of ,,regional politicians from Alsace, Saxony and Silesia".
1) See earlier article ,,America's Trojan Ass"
See also earlier articles ,,Haende hoch!" (Hands up!) and ,,Annexation of Poland"
Sources:
Press communique on the future of cooperation in the framework of the Weimar Triangle; www.bundesregierung.de 09.05.2003
Polish foreign policy must become clearer; Tageszeitung 10.05.2003
In the Triangle; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 10.05.2003
Poland's New Strength; Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung 11.05.2003