President Kaczyński went against government strategy at the Nato summit last weekend and gave a premature endorsement of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next secretary-general, government sources say.

Gazeta Wyborcza reports that President Kaczynski endorsed the Danish candidate at the NATO dinner on Friday, much to the annoyance of Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who was also present.

Apparently, a plan had been agreed beforehand not to endorse the Dane until Poland had negotiated some concessions to its benefit from Nato leaders. But President Kaczynski ignored the agreement made with Prime Minister Tusk last week and went ahead and gave his blessing.

President Kaczynski claims that Rasmussen, Denmark’s prime minister, would have got the job anyway, so the whole matter was a forgone conclusion.

At the weekend, Prime Minister Tusk had told parliament that Minister Sikorski, speculated to in the running for the post of secretary-general, which will become vacant in July, would not be the Polish government’s candidate.  (pg)