Will anything worthwhile emerge from Secretary of State Kerry’s brief visit to Poland today? Even if little of value can be gleaned from the Polish Foreign Ministry’s official press release, Gazeta Wyborcza columnist Mariusz Zawadzki jests that Poles hankering for visa-free travel to America may receive an unexpected bonus for having all of their phone calls spied upon by the NSA.
For Gazeta Wyborcza, Mariusz Zawadzki starts out this way:
Why is Secretary of State John Kerry arriving in Warsaw on Tuesday? The Foreign Ministry press release speaks of “the development of bilateral cooperation,” but gives no further details, doubtless hoping to pleasantly surprise us.
The Foreign Ministry also informs that, “during the visit, discussions will focus on the direction of bilateral cooperation between Poland and the United States.” That is an incredibly valuable revelation, as some expected that the topic would be India’s plans for a Mars expedition!
The communication also states that, “both chief diplomats will discuss the prospects for joint projects in the area of security” and “exchange views on the current international situation.”
Such statements are very much needed. Indeed, they are of a rich tradition, the beginnings of which could first be seen in the 1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev, first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, arrived in Poland for a friendly visit. Party and state authorities reported in advance on what would be discussed with the honored guest, which was praised as “the manifestation of a new information policy and the transparency of socio-political life.” It was noted with satisfaction that “time has run out for the instrumental treatment of the public, of misleading it and informing it only after the fact.”
It’s a real blessing that the Foreign Ministry is continuing on this course and doesn’t mislead us Poles, and as in the case with Kerry’s visit, informs us about everything in such a clear manner.
Of course, there will always be malcontents and obsessive seekers of criticism. They will point out to the Ministry that the statement says not a word about those two to four million telephone calls which, according to Der Spiegel, are redirected from Poland to the NSA’s databases every day, i.e.: as part of U.S. surveillance.
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