POLAND: Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski returned home empty-handed from Berlin yesterday after Chancellor Merkel dismissed his demand for a bilateral treaty renouncing outstanding property claims arising from the second World War.
Mr Kaczynski raised the stakes ahead of his first visit to the German capital by announcing via Bild newspaper that only a treaty could resolve the issue of compensation claims of Germans expelled from eastern territories that has caused so much tension in German-Polish relations in recent years.
At the heart of the disagreement is a private organisation called "Prussian Claims Trust", which is preparing a class action lawsuit on behalf of 30 Germans expelled from territories in western Poland who are now seeking compensation for lost property.
From Warsaw's perspective, such a lawsuit is a provocation, considering the millions of Poles murdered by Nazi occupiers.
Berlin sees the "Prussian Claims Trust" as a small, private organisation that enjoys no official support. Mr Kaczynski's megaphone diplomacy has made things difficult for Dr Merkel, who had set aside four hours for talks with her Polish counterpart in an indication of her determination to resolve tensions.
But a press conference intended to demonstrate her new rapport with Mr Kaczynski put her on the spot. Dr Merkel acknowledged how "unsettling" the claims issue was for many Poles, but said a treaty "was not the right solution because it would make things more difficult than they are today".
"We think the matter is resolved . . . by not supporting any such claims in any way," she said. There are fears that any attempt to block compensation claims by a bilateral treaty would leave Berlin open to lawsuits.
Mr Kaczynski made clear he wasn't happy with Dr Merkel's response. "From Poland's point of view this issue is not resolved . . . additional measures are required," he said, after telling Bild that it was "high time" to end the claims issue.
Dr Merkel did make concessions to Mr Kaczynski over the new undersea gas pipeline being built between Russia and Germany. Warsaw fears this would allow Moscow to cut off gas deliveries to central European countries for political reasons without affecting western European supply. She promised that, in the case of gas delivery difficulties, Poland would have access to European supplies. "No project of one EU country can be directed against another," she said. Mr Kaczynski said he felt "a little more secure" after hearing these assurances.