The Belarusian parliamentary elections have shown that any deals with President Lukashenko are pointless, writes GAZETA WYBORCZA.

Press reviewed by Michal Kubicki

On the Belarus elections, GAZETA WYBORCZA describes their outcome as a defeat for European diplomacy, the Polish Foreign Ministry and Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who on EU’s behalf negotiated with his Belarusian counterpart. They have all been taught a bitter lesson, which demonstrated that any deals with the ‘dictator’ do not make any sense. The daily stresses that efforts have to be stepped up to bring the people of Belarus close to Europe, by easing the visa regime and supporting the opposition.
 
DZIENNIK quotes finance minister Jacek Rostowski as saying that Poland should lose no time in amending its constitution, an indispensable move in joining the euro zone. According to experts, this is not possible without amending the constitutionally-guaranteed role of the National Bank of Poland in shaping monetary policies. If the constitution is not changed by the middle of next year, Poland has no chance to join the EU’s Exchange Rate Mechanism. DZIENNIK writes that the firm tone of Mr Rostkowski’s remarks is surprising and has its political consequences, considering that in the opinion of the opposition Law and Justice Poland won’t be ready to adopt the euro before 2020. In an editorial, DZIENNIK writes that it would be a good idea to hold a national referendum on joining the euro zone. Opinion polls suggest that despite the fears that price increases will be inevitable, most Poles support the euro.
 
Lech Walesa’s 65th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize are given extensive coverage in all the papers, though not necessarily on their frontpages. RZECZPOSPOLITA quotes one of Solidarity leaders who’s been close to Walesa for all those years as saying that the Prize was an inspiring dose of optimism for Solidarity as a time when the union was outlawed. According to the Senate Speaker Bogdan Borusewicz, quoted by the tabloid SUPER EXPRESS, the Nobel Peace Prize for Walesa showed in 1983 that Poland was not alone. In the same daily, Joanna Gwiazda, a critic of Walesa, says that the Nobel Peace Prize should have been awarded to the Solidarity movement and not to Walesa alone. The Warsaw city daily ZYCIE WARSZAWY writes that the speakers at yesterday’s event in tribute to Walesa focused on defending him against his political opponents and DZIENNIK stresses that president Kaczynski and prime minister Tusk did not attend the Walesa gala.
 
POLSKA writes that Poland’s veteran film director Andrzej Wajda would like to make a film presenting Solidarity founder Lech Walesa in the most beautiful moments of his life.  The film’s closing scene could be Walesa’s address to the US Congress on 15 November 1989 which opened with the words ‘We, the people’ and ended with ‘God Bless You, America’ , an address which is described by many historians as the greatest triumph of a Polish politician on the international arena.