Euro constitution summit causes cabinet quarrel over Belka's official status

The government is quarreling amongst itself concerning the June 17-18 European constitution summit in Brussels, as deputies can not decide on what Marek Belka's status should be, which itself brings into question the date of when the next vote of confidence in his government should be. As Krzysztof Janik, the leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), put it, the question is whether Belka should go to the summit as a prime minister still awaiting a vote of confidence or as a prime minister who has already got one. It is not yet clear whether the vote will take place on June 15-16 or on June 19. However, Janik claimed that it does not really matter either way. "Our Western partners are not interested in the crisis in Poland or what kind of mandate our prime minister has," he said. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) A.F.