Poland's defense minister resigns
By RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
WARSAW, Poland - Polish Defense Minister Radek Sikorski, who has strong ties to the United States, has resigned after the country's prime minister expressed "reservations" about his work, a government spokesman said Monday.
Sikorski's departure deprives Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski's weak government of an internationally respected figure, just as Warsaw begins negotiations with Washington over whether to host a missile defense base.
Poland also is in the process of building up its contingent in
Afghanistan from 100 to about 1,000, and is a strong U.S. ally in
Iraq.
Government spokesman Jan Dziedziczak said that Sikorski had resigned after speaking with Kaczynski. The prime minister had "reservations" about Sikorski's work, Dziedziczak said. He did not elaborate.
The United States is hoping to set up missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. The system would combine long-range radar and ballistic rockets, with the aim of detecting and shooting down missiles fired from the Middle East.
Jacek Kucharczyk, the deputy head of a Warsaw think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, said Sikorski's departure was unlikely to affect Warsaw's general stance on missile defense, or its support for U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kaczynski and his twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, support strong ties with Washington.
However, Kucharczyk said the resignation could hurt Warsaw as it opens talks with the U.S. on missile defense.
"Sikorski would have been well-placed to negotiate good conditions for Poland," he said. "I think his resignation may make it easier for the Americans to get what they want without giving so much in exchange."
There was no immediate word on who would succeed Sikorski.
His resignation highlights the weakness of the coalition government led by Kaczynski and his Law and Justice party.
Since taking power in October 2005, the Law and Justice-led government has had two premiers, five finance ministers, two treasury ministers and two foreign ministers.
The Oxford-educated Sikorski, 43, was a deputy defense and deputy foreign minister in previous conservative governments. He worked as a resident fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington immediately before becoming defense minister in October 2005.
Sikorski is married to Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum.