Verdrag EU-Rusland dichterbij na top in Weimar (en)

The end of the EU's Polish veto row seemed a step closer after French and German leaders gave political backing to a visibly happy Polish president Lech Kaczynski at a Weimar Triangle summit in Mettlach, southwest Germany, on Tuesday (5 December).

"We talked about the meat issue. I feel that we got a certain solidarity, a certain scope of solidarity, when it comes to all of the efforts to change the state of affairs," Mr Kaczynski said, adding he "hopes" EU-Russia treaty talks "will not start a long time from now."

"It's very important the EU-Russia treaty leads to results and real future cooperation not fresh conflicts and tensions," he added, Polish agency PAP reports, after Poland blocked the launch of EU-Russia treaty talks last month over lack of EU help in a Russian ban on Polish food exports.

Senior Polish official Andrzej Krawczyk said France's Jacques Chirac and Germany's Angela Merkel promised to "mediate" between Poland and Russia on any food or energy problems in future, while giving ear to Mr Kaczynski's view that "Gazprom is not a normal company, but a tool of Russian national interests."

"I hope to see this [veto] dispute resolved as soon as possible," French president Jacques Chirac stated, with Paris and Berlin signing up to a joint declaration with Warsaw that used Polish-friendly vocabulary on solidarity and flattered other Polish interests, such as Ukraine.

The statement said a "long-term partnership" with Russia must be "based on equal rights in trade and energy" and that the EU's joint energy policy must have a "spirit of solidarity" while promising to put "special attention" on EU-Ukraine relations next year.

Meanwhile, Mrs Merkel raised the issue of Russian non-cooperation with the British probe into the murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, saying "Everything has to be done to clear up this case. Russia would do well to cooperate on this."

Invitation for 2008 summit

Polish press write that a very smily Mr Kaczynski invited France and Germany to hold the 2008 Weimar summit in Poland, despite the fact German magazine Die Tageszeitung had on Monday run fresh "Polish potato" stories about him in a repetition of jokes that derailed an earlier Weimar meeting this year.

Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza says France hopes to untangle the veto row in time for the 14 December EU summit while Germany is aiming for the new year, but some Polish officials are more sceptical, saying it could still drag out for months if Russia refuses to budge on meat.

Meanwhile, the limited EU sympathy for Poland's stance on Russia is beginning to ebb. "Poland has shown it is determined and has to be reckoned with. But now it is time to show that it is also a good partner and can find a constructive solution to the problem," an EU diplomat said.