President Kuczma snubs Warsaw conference attended by senior dignitaries

Ukrainian politicians, government officials and representatives of opposition groups will meet today in Warsaw to discuss the future of their country. The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuczma, who will be in the capital of Poland for a few hours, will not take part in the "Ukraine in Europe" conference, which will be hosted by President Aleksander Kwasniewski and the EU High Representative for Security, Javier Solana. "The conference will center around breaking the barriers of ignorance and help make all the sides aware of each others opinions so they can find a common language," said Marek Siwiec, the head of the National Security Bureau, during a press conference yesterday. President Aleksander Kwasniewski announced that Poland is ready to do anything to help break the impasse between the Ukrainian government and opposition and believes Kuczma's visit to Warsaw on the same day, proves that the Ukrainian President wants to cooperate. The Prime Minister of Sweden, Goran Persson as well as politicians from neighboring Slovakia, Hungary and Rumania will participate in the conference. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A6) A.K.