UPDATE - Five days before the commemoration ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Poland, Washington has yet to announce who is going to represent the US administration.
Polish officials had been led to believe the US would be represented by Vice-President Joe Biden or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But Prime Minister Donald Tusk seems to have lost all hope that the Obama administration will be sending a high-level official to the ceremony - to be attended by Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Putin and other heads of government and state at Gdansk - on September 1.
Talking to reporters after a cabinet session, Tuesday, PM Tusk said: ‘Some countries are not sending high-level delegations. This is true of the United States as well.’
Andrzej Przewoznik, Head of the Council for the Protection of the Memory of Struggle and Martyrdom, who is in charge of the organization of the commemoration ceremony, has said: ‘All foreign delegations have informed us who is to lead their delegations. The United States is the only exception. I am astonished,” he said.
Long way from Washington to Gdansk
A government spokesman, Wednesday, tried to play down the importance of a high level delegation from the US being present at the celebrations.
“I would not attach a great importance to the fact that one country will not be represented by a member of the current administration,” said Slawomir Nowak, head of the prime minister's office told TOK FM radio
“We should not fall into Polish complexes because on this issue. There is a very long way from Washington to Poland,” Nowak said.
He added, however, that because of the low level of the US delegation, none of the American guests will be asked to make a speech, as was originally planned.
(mk/pg/jg)
Udated 13.25 CET