US-Polish relations suffer a setback...

Ashe was also called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Fotyga yesterday. The US ambassador has to face the consequences of a statement made by his deputy, Kenneth Hillas, suggesting that Deputy Prime Minister Roman Giertych should be dismissed for his criticism of the war in Iraq. Polish authorities have fiercely criticized the diplomat. "Such a statement is not within the standards of relations between two independent states," declared Prime Minister Kaczynski, "Nobody from the outside is allowed to interfere with the activities of the Polish government." Some former Polish Foreign Affairs Ministers, however, also criticized the fact that the memorandum from the meeting was disclosed. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) E.B.