Word: walesa
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Rather than joining the Communists, Walesa said, he told Jaruzelski that Solidarity should be permitted to form its own government. The trade-union movement earned that right, the union leader declared, with its dramatic June 4 election victory, in which its candidates captured all 161 seats that were open to it in the 460-seat Sejm, or lower house, and 99 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Said he: "The only sensible decision would be to give power to those forces that have the support of the majority of the electorate...
Jaruzelski offered Walesa seven of 21 Cabinet posts, including Deputy Prime Minister and the ministries of health, industry, environment and housing. Again Walesa refused, on the grounds that only a Solidarity government would have enough support to carry out the tough austerity measures needed to ease Poland's economic crisis. A junior role in a coalition government would implicate Solidarity in that crisis without giving it the means to bring about significant change. "By remaining in opposition," said Walesa, "we can make sure that the government doesn't leave the road to reform...
Jaruzelski did not reject outright the idea of a Solidarity government, but, according to Walesa, preferred to press ahead with a plan to form a Communist- led coalition. Jaruzelski "must take on all the responsibility for the formation of a new government," said Walesa. "For my part, I intend to form a shadow cabinet to prepare for the measures that sooner or later will become inevitable." In fact, Walesa created a 15-member shadow cabinet last December; its role then was to formulate the trade union's position in preparation for so-called round-table talks that...
There is some indication that Bush's visit to Eastern Europe last month helped resolve the deadlock over the Polish presidency; General Wojciech Jaruzelski agreed to run and narrowly won with the tolerance of Solidarity's Lech Walesa. The diplomatic and intelligence assessments of the President's personal diplomacy have generally been good, emphasizing that a network embracing Washington, Warsaw, Budapest and Moscow is a going concern...
Bush's relationship with the somber, shaded Jaruzelski is probably as open as that with reformer Walesa. "I told Jaruzelski that he seemed closer to Gorbachev than any of the other leaders," Bush related. "Jaruzelski smiled and said that was probably so. He told me that he had just talked to Gorbachev before our meeting. Jaruzelski now is more willing to speak out, has more confidence to accept different opinions...