Agriculture Minister Kalinowski accuses EU of forcing Poles to "capitulate"

Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski accused the EU yesterday of strong- arm tactics in entry talks and urged Polish negotiators to take a tough line at the bloc's Copenhagen summit. "You cannot describe recent relations betwe en Poland and the EU as negotiations. I think the (European) Commission is t rying to force Poland to surrender totally to its demands, even to capitulat e," Kalinowski said. The agriculture minister, who also heads the co-ruling Peasants Party (PSL), lashed out as EU leaders continued to publicly dismiss Polish demands for more generous farming subsidies, fatter output quotas and bigger budget rebates. "I gave the Cabinet certain negotiating minimums. If they are breached, I will have to say 'no' to European integration," he told reporters. (Reuters) A.Z.