Poland to press EU for Mideast fairness
From the article: "Poland's former ambassador to Israel said this week that when his country becomes a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004, it will press for a more balanced approach to the Middle East conflict.
"I hope we will be able to persuade our partners in the European Union that their attitude toward Israel, and the way they perceive the Middle East conflict, is not necessarily reflecting reality," ambassador Maciej Kozlowski, who just completed four years of service in Tel Aviv, told the American Jewish Committee (AJC) on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, the existing 15 members don't have a friendly relationship with Israel, and that will put us in a very awkward situation if we aren't able to influence the union to change its policy," he said."
jpost.com
Also from the article: "Kozlowski said he hopes to see a resurgence of Polish tourism to Israel, which saw a dropoff as violence in the region increased, while Peleg said that construction of a $63 million Jewish museum at the site of the Warsaw Ghetto will bring more Israeli tourists to Poland.
The museum is scheduled to open within five years.
"We cannot treat Israel as a foreign country, because it was founded by people from Poland," said Kozlowski. "When I arrived in Israel as an ambassador, I felt at home."
Poland's long history of anti-Semitism hasn't disappeared completely, but attitudes are changing thanks to the government's official stance against it, said Kozlowski.
"To think that you can eradicate all anti-Semitism from society is unrealistic," he said. "What is important is the reaction to it."
He noted that in joining the EU, Poland plans to oppose a push by France to fashion the group as an alternative to the US." |
