Polish president honours communist
From:The daily telegraph
POLAND'S staunchly anti-communist President Lech Kaczynski has mistakenly awarded a prestigious medal for patriotism to former communist strongman Wojciech Jaruzelski.
Mr Kaczynski, a conservative with roots in the Solidarity movement which overthrew Polish communism, once tried to strip General Jaruzelski of his rank and pension because of the communist's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 1981.
"Someone at the presidential chancellery made a mistake," spokesman Maciej Lopinski bluntly told private television TVN24 overnight when asked about the gaffe, widely covered by the Polish media.
"The president does not read everything he signs."
General Jaruzelski, Poland's last communist leader, received the medal for patriotism shown during and after his family's expulsion to Siberia by the Soviet Union during World War II.
In Siberia, General Jaruzelski signed up for the Polish army which fought alongside the Red Army in liberating western Russia, Poland and parts of Germany from Nazi rule, starting the career that took him to the top job in communist-era Poland.
"I really appreciate Kaczynski's gesture," General Jaruzelski, 82, told TVN, proudly showing off his medal.
"It shows that President Kaczynski has risen above (political) divides."
From:The daily telegraph
POLAND'S staunchly anti-communist President Lech Kaczynski has mistakenly awarded a prestigious medal for patriotism to former communist strongman Wojciech Jaruzelski.
Mr Kaczynski, a conservative with roots in the Solidarity movement which overthrew Polish communism, once tried to strip General Jaruzelski of his rank and pension because of the communist's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 1981.
"Someone at the presidential chancellery made a mistake," spokesman Maciej Lopinski bluntly told private television TVN24 overnight when asked about the gaffe, widely covered by the Polish media.
"The president does not read everything he signs."
General Jaruzelski, Poland's last communist leader, received the medal for patriotism shown during and after his family's expulsion to Siberia by the Soviet Union during World War II.
In Siberia, General Jaruzelski signed up for the Polish army which fought alongside the Red Army in liberating western Russia, Poland and parts of Germany from Nazi rule, starting the career that took him to the top job in communist-era Poland.
"I really appreciate Kaczynski's gesture," General Jaruzelski, 82, told TVN, proudly showing off his medal.
"It shows that President Kaczynski has risen above (political) divides."
posted by BEING HAD at 2:39 AM
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