Prime minister discusses spelling of Polish names during visit to Lithuania

On a one-day working visit to Lithuania yesterday, Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek received assurances about the use of Polish spellings. Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas told him, "We are ready to sign an agreement on the writing of Polish names in Lithuania." Up until now, Polish first and last names have officially been spelt in the Lithuanian style, while the Polish community in the country has preferred to spell them as they are in Poland. Yesterday's talks between the two prime ministers also covered a long-term strategy for the education of the Polish minority in Lithuania and of the Lithuanian community in Poland. Other matters they discussed related to the construction of a gas pipeline between Denmark and Poland, a project that Lithuania is keen to participate in. The disappointing state of trade between the two countries was another issue discussed by Buzek and Brazauskas. According to Prime Minister Buzek's assessment, Lithuania is in the second rank of Poland's partners. "This cannot be satisfactory for us," he said. The Polish prime minister invited his Lithuanian counterpart to visit Poland next month for the 10th anniversary of the renewal of bilateral relations. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A6) P.W.