SLD proposes intelligence services reform, minister deems Czech model a failure

Leaders of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) proposed a reform plan for Poland' s intelligence services, under which the State Protection Office (UOP) and Military Intelligence Service (WSI) would be abolished and two new agencies would be formed, one delaying with intelligence and the other with internal security. The two agencies would be supervised by civilians, rather than the military and would report directly to the Prime Minister, not a separate minister. Representatives of Solidarity Election Action (AWS) and Freedom Union (UW) claim that SLD wants to destabilize the intelligence service as well as to staff the new formations with its own people. According to Janusz Palubicki, Minister in charge of intelligence services, a few years ago the Czech Republic carried out similar reforms as those proposed by SLD, and they entirely paralyzed the work of intelligence services in the country. (Zycie, p. 5) A.Z.