Friday February 19, 8:39 pm Eastern Time
Spokesman says Turner apology to Poland likely
(Adds CNN comments, pvs WARSAW)
ATLANTA, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A spokesman for CNN founder Ted Turner, who
apologized earlier this week for remarks demeaning to Pope John Paul II, said on Friday Turner will likely also apologize to
Poland for an ethnic slur.
Poland demanded an apology on Friday and backed it up with an economic threat against CNN's parent company. Poland
said Turner had shown ''racism'' and ''bigotry'' toward the Polish people. The demand capped a furor that began when Turner
addressed the National Family Planning and Reproductive Center in Washington on Tuesday.
During a speech that advocated contraception, Turner suggested that the Ten Commandments be rewritten to eliminate the
prohibition against adultery and that the pope should ''get with it. Welcome to the 20th century.''
When Turner was asked what he would say to the pontiff, who is Polish, Turner replied by kicking his foot in the air and saying,
''Ever seen a Polish mine detector?''
Poland perceived the response as an ethnic slur that suggested its soldiers are stupid, implying they cleared land mines with their
feet.
''This is racism and bigotry. Would Turner make the same sort of joke about other minorities such as blacks, homosexuals or
Jews?'' Radek Sikorski, Poland's deputy foreign minister, asked.
The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church opposes artificial forms of birth control. By Wednesday, the New York-based
Catholic League, a civil rights group that defends U.S. Catholics against defamation and discrimination, demanded and received
an apology from Turner. The league posted the apology -- and Turner's remarks -- on its Internet web site.
Turner spokesman Phillip Evans said late on Friday that Turner had apologized to Catholics, but an immediate apology to
Poland was unlikely because Turner learned of the demand through the media.
Evans said Turner was exploring what form such an apology should take and to whom it should be addressed. Evans said
something could be forthcoming next week.
''We're in touch with the State Department to find out who made the comments in Poland and to get more information about
it,'' Evans told Reuters.
''We're waiting to gain some more feedback from the State Department and will know more on how we should proceed next
week,'' he said. ''No one has contacted us personally, so when we know whom we need to talk with, we will go from there.''
Sikorski said Turner must apologize within one week or Poland will withdraw $200,000 in support for an April Time magazine
issue on Poland. Time is owned by Time-Warner Corp. (NYSE:TWX - news), which bought CNN and other Turner holdings
two years ago. Turner is now vice chairman of Time-Warner.
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