Customs officials pull out of talks with the gov't

Both sides blame each other for the failure to reach a compromise. Attention has now turned to the plight of truck drivers who have been waiting in queues for a week. "We cut the negotiations short as the government did not show goodwill and hardened its stance," said Arkadiusz Pytlak the head of the customs officials union. Truck drivers, who withdrew from the idea to block the main roads leading to the largest cities at the beginning of the week, are again considering a protest. "We are hostages of the conflict between the government and the customs officials. We would like to know who is responsible for our plight," said Bronisław Milewski, the head of the Road Transportation Employers Union. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 5; Dziennik, p. 10; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.K.