Word: kania
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...crisis atmosphere eased somewhat at week's end, after leaders of the Warsaw Pact nations, including Polish Party Boss Stanislaw Kania, were summoned to Moscow for a secret summit. They later issued a rambling communiqué expressing confidence that Poles "will be able to overcome the present difficulties." The statement also noted that Poland "can firmly count on" the support of its East bloc brethren, meaning that the Soviets were still ready to step in if need...
...Kania can keep the Soviets calm, the West is poised to help with loans and other aid. The Common Market nations agreed last week to make available surplus beef and butter at discount prices, provided Poland asks for them. It was a fairly timid gesture designed not to offend the Soviets, but it could be a very wel come one to Poland if severe food shortages develop this winter...
...Kania needs time to reassert the party's authority. And to gain time, he needs cooperation from the workers...
Meantime, the government continued its sporadic purge of corrupt or overly hard-line officials. Party Boss Stanislaw Kania has replaced 19 of the 49 provincial first secretaries. Several provincial governors have been sacked, including one who was under fire from Solidarity. A Roman Catholic member of Parliament, Jerzy Ozdowski, 55, was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister. Although Ozdowski is not active in church affairs, his appointment should impress Poland's enormous Catholic community...
...this maneuvering had one overriding purpose: self-preservation. To stay in power, Kania must prove to Moscow that his regime is in control. Right now he is playing for time, solidifying his power base while appeasing the workers with friendly appointments and economic concessions. At some point, he knows, he will have to draw the line. That decisive moment may be hastened if severe consumer shortages develop this winter, as some experts fear. Hamstrung by a $21 billion debt to the West, the Polish economy is in dire straits-and getting worse every...