Thorny issue of U.S. visas continue to dog Polish-American relations

Yesterday, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski touched upon this issue during his telephone discussion with U.S. President George Bush. It will also be one of the key issues which he will discuss with Bush during his visit to Washington later this month. "Since May 1 we will become a member of the European Union, and I see no reasons why our citizens should continue to need visas, as citizens of other EU countries do not," said Kwaśniewski. Poland is treated as one of the most significant European allies for the United States, but this does not influence the way visas are obtained and the way Poles on their visits to the US are treated. The Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that while U.S. "security measures" make it look like unequal treatment, there is no reason why Poland should introduce visas for Americans. "This is because most people coming from the U.S. are those with Polish roots," said Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bogusław Majewski. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1) A.Z.