The forthcoming visit by the French president has re-ignited conflict between President Kaczynski and Prime Minister Tusk, claims newspaper.
President Sarkozy will visit Poland 28 May, announced Mariusz Handzlik, head of the Foreign Affairs Bureau in the Chancellery of the President.
During the visit Sarkozy will meet Polish President Lech Kaczynski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and he will deliver a speech at the Polish parliament.
The two heads of state will also sign a declaration on Polish-French strategic partnership.
The visit has already managed to renew conflict between President Kaczynski and PM Tusk, as the Chancellery of the President did not consult either the dates or the programme with Prime Minister Tusk, press reports suggest.
The visit was initially to take place on 23 April. But according to sources close to the president, Tusk's advisers were against holding all the meetings and press conferences at the Presidential Palace, since President Kaczynski would then get all the credit for receiving such an illustrious guest, reports Rzeczpospolita.
The official reason for the delay was the death of one of France’s much loved poets, Aime Cesaire, the funeral of whom President Sarkozy had to travel to Martinique to attend on April 24.
Civic Platform (PO) politicians deny the allegations, assuring that they always recognized the president's primacy in organizing the visit. They also pointed out that some international agreements require the signatures of both the president and prime minister, especially as planned on the original trip, Sarkozy was to be accompanied by the French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
Nevertheless, the French side did not wish to hold a joint meeting of presidents and prime ministers, which PM Tusk's office deeply resented.
Ultimately, however, Fillion will not come to Warsaw, reports Rzeczpospolita, which will result in the Polish-French summit being less prestigious.
Sarkozy and Kaczynski will primarily be talking about a strategic partnership in which seven countries form Eastern and Central Europe are to participate. For some time now, Paris has been making it clear that it is not about to leave Germany ‘exclusively in charge of Eastern Europe politics’.
The former government led by Law and Justice (PiS) and President Lech Kaczynski were keen on tightening relations to France, which was to compensate for poorer relations with Germany. However, the present cabinet claims that Easter Europe politics, in the domain of which Poland aspires to be an expert, will be unsuccessful without the support of Germany. (mn)