Paris and Warsaw must move on from splits over the war in Iraq and learn to work together in the expanded European Union, focusing on their common interests, French President Jacques Chirac said in an interview on Monday.
But Poland must also avoid policies that might hurt ties with Russia, as good relations with Moscow were vital, the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper quoted him as saying ahead of Monday's summit with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
"If it happens that our positions are not always the same, and that happens between countries with a strong identity, we should be constantly looking to cooperate in a climate of full and complete confidence," he told the paper.
The two leaders will meet in the northern French town of Arras.
Chirac has in the past criticized Poland and other east European states for siding with the United States over the war in Iraq, saying they "missed a good opportunity to shut up." The two countries have also clashed over voting rights in the newly expanded EU.
The French leader acknowledged in the interview that the EU's expansion to 25 members could make agreement difficult but said progress was being made.
He responded sharply when asked if he agreed with President Bush's recent criticism of Russia's record on democracy.
"We must build a stable relationship between the Union and Russia. Poland knows that it has everything to gain from confident and constructive links with this country," Chirac said in comments released by his office.
"I want to warn you, as a European, against anything that could lead to misunderstandings between Russia and the European Union ... It is vital for Europe, and for Russia moreover, that relations between Europe and Russia are excellent."
Poland borders Russia's western-most territory, the Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad which is wedged between EU new members Poland and Lithuania.
Chirac said he understood restrictions on Polish workers' access to the French labor market rankled, but French unemployment -- at a five-year high of 10 percent -- meant France could not allow Polish workers to seek jobs in France from May 1, 2006, like some other EU states.
Poland and France should, however, work together to defend their interests inside the European Union, notably over agriculture, he added.
|