Opposition publishes ‘alternative’ Smolensk report

Antoni Macierewicz (left) and Jaroslaw Kaczynsk at report launch; photo - PAP

Law and Justice has been highly critical of both the Russian and Polish investigations into the tragedy which killed 96 politicians and top military brass, among others.

Shortly after the air crash in western Russia, the opposition party, closely associated with the late President Kaczynski, set up its own parliamentary committee headed by MP Antoni Macierewicz. The report represents the conclusions of the committee.

The White Book on Smolensk comprises 20 chapters and contains over 100 additional documents gathered and compiled by the team of Law and Justice MP investigators.

The first part of the report released today deals with alleged shortcomings of the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee’s (MAK) report released last year, though all of the criticisms have been made before by Law and Justice.

The second part of the document will be issued tomorrow and will detail criticisms of the Polish government’s investigation, the report of which is currently being translated into English and Russian and will be released shortly, possibly on Friday.

One of the conclusions of the first part of the Law and Justice report is that Russian protocol envisaged only the attendance of Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the 70th anniversary commemorations of the 1940 Katyn Massacre. Because of this, says the report, President Kaczynski’s arrival three days later in western Russia had been given the status of a private and not official state visit.

This had the consequence of downgrading security arrangements for the party led by Lech Kaczynski, says the report.

“The decision had been taken by the Russian side but it was approved by representatives of Mr. Tusk’s government,” MP Antoni Macierewicz said today as he launched the report.

“Nevertheless, the decision itself had been in Russian hands. Polish diplomats were informed openly that only Prime Minister Tusk will be guaranteed security, while the President’s visit remains of no interest to the Russian side,” he said.

Antoni Macierewicz also stressed that the doomed presidential Tupolev 154 had undergone a general overhaul barely a year before the crash at the Aviakor plant in Russian Samara.

Law and Justice reject the conclusions of the Russian report, which blamed pilot error for the crash. Antoni Macierewicz emphasises that air traffic control at the Smolensk airport did not give clear guidance to the pilots as they approached landing. (ss/pg)