Justice Minister Kaczynski sacked in dispute over secret service arrest

Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek yesterday dismissed Justice Minister Lech Kaczynski and submitted a recommendation to the president that Stanislaw Iwanicki, a former deputy prosecutor and legal adviser to former president Lech Walesa, be appointed to replace him. Speaking at a press conference, Buzek explained his reasons for the dismissal, saying, "It is absolutely inadmissible that a minister falsely accuses his prime minister of supporting actions that bring into question the rules of law of order." According to Kaczynski, however, the decision was an indication of the influence the special forces exert over the prime minister. He suggested that a letter he sent to Buzek on Tuesday, which he described as "very polite", was in fact the real reason for his dismissal. The letter was released to the media by the press office of the justice ministry just after Kaczynski had announced that he would publish it "at an appropriate time". The popular Justice Minister clashed last month with the State Security Office (UOP) over the arrest of a senior UOP officer. The officer was backed by both Buzek and the UOP. According to Adam Bielan, spokesman for Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party (PiS), the prime minister merely used the dispute with the UOP as an excuse for dismissing Kaczynski. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A5, Reuters) P.W.