President's announcement of Chief of General Staff likely to be surprising

President's announcement of Chief of General Staff likely to be surprising Today President Aleksander Kwasniewski will appoint the new Chief of General Staff. The term of general Henryk Szumski, who holds the position currently expires on Sept. 30. According to the Constitution the President nominates a candidate for the post but on the Prime Minister's advice. Negotiations between Kwasniewski and Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek lasted two days. The President announced yesterday morning that a decision had been made, but he did not disclose the name. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, general Czeslaw Piatas who is a deputy of the current Chief of General Staff, will be selected which would be a surprise because until now the chief of the Polish Navy, admiral Ryszard Lukasik, who has strong support from Defense Minister Bronislaw Komorowski, was mentioned as an almost certain candidate. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 4)