Polish newspapers pay tribute to Bronislaw Geremek on the day of his funeral ceremony.
Press reviewed by Michal Kubicki
On the day of the funeral of Bronislaw Geremek several papers carry tributes to the man who in the West, as POLSKA writes, is a symbol of new, democratic Poland. In an editorial headlined ‘Farewell, Professor’ POLSKA says that if it was not for such people as Bronislaw Geremek, Poland would have less victories such as joining NATO and more failures. Poland’s entry into NATO in 1999 was Geremek’s biggest success during his term as foreign minister.
‘The Man with a Pipe who changed Poland’ is the title of a weekly supplement to GAZETA WYBORCZA. It is devoted exclusively to Bronislaw Geremek and includes his reminiscences about the birth of Solidarity, his address to the German Bundestag in 2002 and reports about his childhood in the Warsaw Ghetto, the internment during martial law and his work as a member of the European Parliament.
DZIENNIK wonders whether the Patriot batteries are closer to Poland. According to the daily, this week is likely to bring a breakthrough in the Polish-US negotiations on locating part of the American anti-missile installation on Polish soil. Undersecretary of state Daniel Fried has had talks with the Polish foreign minister and US chief negotiator Stephen Mull arrives in Warsaw on Wednesday. DZIENNIK quotes diplomatic sources suggesting that Washington’s response to Polish demands relating to the permanent stationing of Patriot batteries and to political security guarantees meets the expectations of the Polish side.
How about trying the ‘Prayer Book’ apricot jam or ‘Novice Brothers’ pickled mushrooms? RZECZPOSPOLITA has an article on how some of monasteries in Poland go into business to face the challenges of present-day realities. The Benedictine monks from Tyniec Abbey near Poland’s former capital of Krakow have just opened the 23rd retail outlet offering their jams, marmalades, honey, pickled mushrooms, dried fruit, herbal teas, juices and cheeses, all of them made according to the monastery’s centuries-old recipes. The Cistercians also sell their products, described as a blend of spirituality with ecology. The daily also writes about Sister Aniela, a nun whose cookbooks have entered bestsellers’ lists and who runs a TV programme.
Finally the FAKT tabloid. It has a report on Prime Minister Tusk’s weekend in his home town of Sopot on the Baltic coast. Even though this is the time to be spent with the family, the prime minister never misses early-morning jogging sessions.