UKRAINE: Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Ukraine as Polish officials said they would block new EU partnership agreement with Russia

Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski met Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovich in Kiev on Wednesday (November 15) for talks on trade, closer economic ties, and cooperation in the energy sector. Kaczynski, who is due to hold talks with President Viktor Yushchenko later on Wednesday, arrived in Kiev, as Poland said it would stick to its guns in blocking a negotiating mandate for a new partnership agreement between the European Union and Russia, due to a dispute over food trade and energy policy. At a joint news conference with Yanukovich in Kiev, Kaczynski called for normal relations between Russia and new EU members in eastern Europe. "They (Russians) imposed sanctions against Poland without any grounds and justifications. And European Union rules envisage a certain reaction in this case. Nothing extraordinary is taking place. Poland wants no more than to have Russia treat it in the same way it does any other EU member. We want to be sure that any future agreement between the EU and Russia also apply equally to Poland. The tactics chosen by the Russian Federation under which Russia does not fully recognise Poland and other countries as EU members should be abandoned," he said. Warsaw is holding up consensus in the 25-nation bloc on terms for opening the talks at a November 24 EU-Russia summit and insisting that Brussels demands commitments from Moscow to allow Polish food imports and guarantee secure energy supplies. EU foreign ministers were unable to agree on a mandate on Monday (November 13) and referred the issue back to their ambassadors, but when the envoys met on Wednesday the Polish representative said his country's position had not changed. A deal was still possible before the Helsinki summit with President Vladimir Putin, due to launch broad negotiations on energy, trade and political cooperation, but it would be difficult, the diplomat said. Russia charged on Tuesday (November 14) that the Polish stance amounted to unacceptable blackmail. Kaczynski said on Tuesday that EU sanctions against Russia were a possible solution if Moscow did not lift its ban on imports of Polish meat and some other foods. Russia banned the imports last year after finding that some veterinary certificates had been forged. Poland and the EU said the move was unjustified, as Polish products are accepted across the continent. Warsaw has also demanded that Russia ratify a European Energy Charter Treaty that would force it to liberalise its oil and gas sector. Moscow has refused to implement the document and is seeking changes. But EU diplomats said the meat and vegetable exports seemed to be the chief Polish concern and Warsaw was likely to drop its insistence on the energy charter if it obtained assurances on the food issue.

ITN Source | November 16, 2006

Tags:. .eastern. .closer. .liberalise. .fully. .amounted