Polish president welcomes letter from Obama
Source: Agencies |
June 2, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLAND'S President Bronislaw Komorowski welcomed a letter from Barack Obama yesterday in which the US leader expressed regret for upsetting Poles earlier this week by referring to a "Polish death camp."
Poles have called on Obama to apologize for a phrase they have long sought to eliminate from historical and newspaper accounts which suggests Poland, which was occupied by the Nazi Germany during World War Two, was partially responsible for Holocaust atrocities perpetrated on its soil.
Numerous German camps in occupied Poland during the war included the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau, Krakow-Plaszow and Treblinka complexes.
"The correspondence received today is an important and a very necessary gesture by the US President," Komorowski said. "In my view, it's a letter from our important ally and a good friend."
In the letter, Obama said he regretted the error and also saw this as "an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth."
"I inadvertently used a phrase that caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world," Obama said in the letter.
The gaffe caused a storm in the Polish media and angry among politicians.
Poles have called on Obama to apologize for a phrase they have long sought to eliminate from historical and newspaper accounts which suggests Poland, which was occupied by the Nazi Germany during World War Two, was partially responsible for Holocaust atrocities perpetrated on its soil.
Numerous German camps in occupied Poland during the war included the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau, Krakow-Plaszow and Treblinka complexes.
"The correspondence received today is an important and a very necessary gesture by the US President," Komorowski said. "In my view, it's a letter from our important ally and a good friend."
In the letter, Obama said he regretted the error and also saw this as "an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth."
"I inadvertently used a phrase that caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world," Obama said in the letter.
The gaffe caused a storm in the Polish media and angry among politicians.
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