Quick resumption of EU-Russia treaty talks unlikely - ambassador
Portugal`s ambassador to Russia said the victory of the Polish opposition Sunday`s elections indicated that Warsaw was unlikely to mandate the European Commission to resume talks on a partnership deal with Russia soon.
Manuel Marcelo Curto made the comments ahead of a Russia-EU summit in Mafra, Portugal, October 26, which he does not expect to lead to any progress for the Russia-EU partnership and cooperation agreement expiring in December 2007. Poland has vetoed the agreement over Russia`s meat ban.
"I have no right to comment on the elections in Poland but, honestly and realistically speaking, the mandate is unlikely to be provided," the ambassador of Portugal, which is currently presiding over the EU, told a news conference in Moscow, but added his country was working to change the situation.
Preliminary election results in Poland suggest the liberal opposition party Civic Platform is set to win, defeating the conservative prime minister`s ruling Law and Justice Party.
Russian politicians are more optimistic than the Portuguese ambassador. Vasily Likhachyov of the international committee of the upper house said Warsaw had been sending positive signals recently that the critical situation in bilateral relations must be overcome and Poland would stop antagonizing Russia and the EU.
"European solidarity must mean being friends together and addressing problems jointly," he said.
Another parliamentarian is also pinning his hopes on the new Polish leadership. "The focus on narrowly-defined nationalistic interests will shift to collective efforts, both inside the EU and NATO, and indirectly in relation to Russia," said Konstantin Kosachev, who heads the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of Russia`s parliament, the State Duma.
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