Weeklies look back on the Round Table talks between the then communist authorities and the democratic opposition held in 1989.

Press reviewed by Krystyna Kolosowska

Tygodnik Powszechny carries a special supplement on the Round Table talks of twenty years ago, between the then communist authorities and representatives of the democratic opposition. It says that Poles still argue about the date, when communism ended in Poland. But the beginning of its end is undisputable. It was on the 5th of February, 1989, the day when the Round Table debate began. Tygodnik Powszechny hopes that perhaps now that twenty years have elapsed, Poles will at last free themselves from the masochistic drive to destroy the memory about one of the most important events in their contemporary history and the history of Europe. The effects of the Round Table exceeded the expectations and plans of both sides: the Solidarity trade union movement and the government. Though today the collapse of the Berlin Wall has become a universally accepted symbol of the end of communism, historically the process started at the Round Table debate. This and the 1989 partially free parliamentary elections, pave the way for a gradual change of the system.

Newsweek tries to uncover the mysteries of the Round Table: did the opposition and the communists strike a deal then? The weekly talks to president Lech Kaczynski, a participant in the Round Table talks, who says communism in Poland would perhaps fall anyway, because it would collapse sooner or later in the Soviet Union. But as a tactical move, the Round Table was a clever undertaking. Kaczynski, former opposition activist, claims there were no secret deals with the authorities. The communists tried to befriend us, the president recalls. General Czeslaw Kiszczak, the then interior minister, says the Polish Round Table was like a detonator, which caused explosions throughout the communist bloc.

Polityka writes that critics of the Round Table describe it as deplorable negotiations with the communists, something unacceptable and immoral. The trend of opposition and trend of conciliation have been clashing in Poland since the end of the 1980s. The former often dominates in public debate, causes the worsening of conflicts. Fortunately, the latter wins the upper hand at times when the most important, strategic decisions are taken.

Gazeta Polska recalls that the communist secret police continued its criminal activity until the very end of communist rule. In the watershed year of 1989 three priests were murdered. The evidence of crime was covered up, the probe was badly botched. This was done much more efficiently than after the murder of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, the charismatic Solidarity priest, five years earlier. The names of the victims hardly ring a bell to most Poles today. Father Stanislaw Suchowolec was 31 years old, when he died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a fire, which is said to have broken out accidentally in his apartment. But there are signs, showing that it was a ruthless political murder of a man, who was an outspoken anti-communist campaigner. Ten days earlier, Father Stefan Niedzielak, another priest known for his support for the opposition, was found massacred at his parish. The authorities claimed he was killed by robbers or had an accident after heavy drinking. The third young opposition priest was killed in July 1989. The Institute of National Remembrance, investigating communist crime, has re-opened the three murder cases recently.

Wprost has named Prime Minister Donald Tusk the Man of the Year 2008. The title is awarded to people, who made the strongest impact on the political;, social and economic scene in Poland. The weekly calls Tusk super-chancellor, because of his readiness to take up risk, political intuition but also ruthlessness and bossiness. These features are the makings of a good leader, who is not afraid of responsibility and moving upstream. Editorially, the weekly praises Tusk for his declaration that he will not listen to blackmailers and lobbyists demanding anti-crisis packages, worth billions of zlotys,  from the government. Those who are clamouring for them will not pay their cost but ordinary people, says the weekly.

How to improve local infrastructure before the Euro 2012 championships, without depleting city coffers? According to Przekroj – it is simple. Wroclaw, in southern Poland, is preparing for the construction of the first private street in Poland. When it is ready, the city, and perhaps drivers will pay the owner a fee for its use. The owner may also sell the right to place billboards along his street. The cost of the project in Wroclaw is estimated at 500 million zlotys, or over 101 million euros – which may be a snag at the time of crisis.