POLISH TANGLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25717, 13 December 1944, Page 5

POLISH TANGLE

THE LUBLIN COMMITTEE QUESTION OF RECOGNITION (N.Z.P.X. Special Correspondent) (Rec. 0.15 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 12. The latest development in the Polish position is that the Committee of National Liberation in Lublin is expected soon to be transformed into the Polish Provisional Government. The Observer states, that the Russian Government favours the change and will presumably approach the other Allied Governments with a proposal that they too should recognise the new provisional Government.

The newspaper adds: “The leaders of the Lublin committee are now in conference at Moscow with the Russian leaders. They arrived there last week when the campaign staged in Poland to support the demand for the transformation was in full blast. The committee leaders were accorded official honours second only to those given to General de Gaulle.” The Observer continues: “In the meantime in London M. Arciszewski maintains an attitude of expectancy. While the British Government continues to recognise his Administration it has not escaped noticp that neither Mr Churchill nor Mr Eden has established personal contact with the members of the new Government. M. Mikolajczyk and the Socialist opposition are still trying to retrieve the position and forestall the disastrous end to which Polish politics seem to be drifting. M. Mikolajczyk’s peasant party has denied its support to M. Arciszewski’s Cabinet in any way.” The Economist, commenting on the foreshadowed transformation of the Lublin committee into a Provisional Government, says: “It is to be hoped that the Soviet Government will not now commit itself to any rash action that would bring to a head the differences between the policies of the Allied Governments on the Polish issue.” The Economist expresses the opinion that recognition of the Lublin committee by the Russians a provisional Government,would 1 clearly make the prospect of settlement more remote than, ever. The present Polish Government, on the other v 'hand. offers no hope at all of any resumption of the Russian-Polish discussions initiated by M. Mikolajczyk. which were not without some chance of success. The Economist thinks it would be disastrous for the Poles if the. present Government were to remain in power for any length of time. <