PSL threatens to quit coalition in dispute over EU land concessions

The Polish Peasants Party (PSL) announced yesterday that it would immediately leave the governing coalition if the government agrees to allow foreigners to purchase farmland in Poland after three years of leasing it. In a statement, the PSL added that it could not agree to any further concessions on land issues by Poland in its negotiations on joining the European Union (EU). The party has been angered by the provisional agreement given by Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz to a three-year period before land can be purchased by foreigners. "A 12-year transition period is an optimal concession for us," said one PSL deputy. "We are in favor of Poland entering the alliance, but not by all means," PSL leader Jaroslaw Kalinowski commented. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) A.Z.