No expelling the ghosts

The meeting of an organization which openly lobbies for the return of Polish land to Germans who were expelled from Central and Eastern Europe in the wake of World War II has deepened the chill in Polish-German relations. The annual meeting of the Federation of Expellees (BdV) was attended by the president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, which irked many in Poland.

PiS MEP Marcin Libicki said that by attending the meeting Pöttering was giving the expellees undeserved credibility. Other Polish politicians were more emphatic. Rightist party the League of Polish Families posted a statement on its website which read, "Pöttering's decision to take part in these celebrations shows a lack of respect towards Poland." The party also said that Pöttering had lost the "moral right" to carry out his office.

At the event, Pöttering diplomatically spoke of Polish-German reconciliation and Polish input into the destruction of communism. But Pöttering was also there to witness BdV president Erica Steinbach's speech, in which she criticized former Soviet countries for expelling Germans after World War II.

"Using the terrible Nazi rule to justify the expulsions and rejecting compassion is a terrible mistake," she said.

High profile

Political analysts in Poland criticized the increased profile lent to the meeting by Pöttering's presence. "From the Polish point of view, this is just unnecessary giving of prestige to this event," said Dr Sławomir Dębski from the Polish Institute of Foreign Affairs (PISM), adding that Pöttering's presence could be understood as a move to solidify support among his conservative base in Germany.

The expert said Poland need not worry about claims brought against it by such groups in the European Court of Human Rights. Dębski noted that the Germans were expelled by the decision of the four powers in Potsdam in 1945 following Germany's unconditional surrender. The land was later nationalized in Poland, a move which was accepted by the international community.

"They don't have a chance, but they provoke unnecessary tensions," Dębski said.

Dębski added that it would be a good time for some kind of declaration from the German side, distancing itself from the claims of the expellees. "Perhaps even a bilateral political declaration," he added.

A center commemorating the expulsion of ethnic Germans from the former Soviet bloc is due to be built in the near future.