Kaczynski

WARSAW (Reuters):

Poland summoned the United States ambassador yesterday to complain about a senior American diplomat's suggestion that a cabinet member critical of the war in Iraq could be dismissed.

A leaked government memo quoted the deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Warsaw telling Polish officials that, in another country, deputy prime minister Roman Giertych could lose his job if he opposed his government's line.

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said the comments and their publication were "very unfortunate" and foreign powers had no business interfering in Polish government matters.

"These remarks do not conform with what should be the norm in relations between the two countries, and therefore the ambassador has been summoned and we will present our position in this case," Kaczynski told a news briefing.

"In no circumstances will any outsider interfere in the Polish government's line-up."

Us surprised by comments

Giertych, whose party has opposed deployment of Polish troops in Iraq, last month called for a parliamentary debate on civilian casualties there.

The proposal and his comments on Iraq worried Washington, according to U.S. deputy chief of mission Kenneth Hillas, who was cited in the leaked document.

"He pointed out that if a deputy prime minister, for example in Germany, France or Denmark, made such comments, he would be dismissed," a Polish official, who met Hillas, wrote in the memo, according to excerpts published by the PAP news agency.

In the United States, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said U.S. officials were "a bit surprised" at the deputy prime minister's comments.

"But it's not for us to pick and choose or even comment publicly on the composition of the Polish government," he said, adding Poland is "a very close friend and ally". He declined to comment on the contents of the leaked memo.