SLD becomes increasingly critical of PM Belka

Prime Minister Marek Belka, who has been widely criticized for his personnel decisions, continues to defy the expectations of his former political allies. "Marek Belka's goal is to open doors for President Aleksander Kwaśniewski to return to political life and to lead the new leftist party, free from sins of Leszek Miller's Democratic Left Alliance [SLD]," claims an anonymous politician. Currently the government announced that it will not support the SLD draft bill concerning the amendment to the Combatant bill. "This will bring the poor relations between the SLD parliamentary club and the Prime Minister to a new low," announced SLD Secretary General Marek Dyduch. The amendment would in special cases allow the restoration of benefits to former soldiers which was taken away for cooperating with communist leaders. Such an amendment is strongly opposed by the Civic Platform (PO), Law and Justice (PiS) and the Polish Family League (LPR). (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4; Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) A.K.