Poland: Government sets up intelligence information group 

   Text of report by Polish news agency PAP -- October 23, 2002 

   Warsaw, 23 October: Government Information Community [Wspolnota 
Informacyjna Rzadu -WIR] which prepares reports on state security for the 
country's most important people, will deal with the issue of selling 
arms, Zbigniew Siemiatkowski, head of the organization, has said on 
Wednesday [23 October]. 
   On Wednesday, WIR held its first meeting. Zbigniew Siemiatkowski, head 
of the [Internal] Security Agency [ABW], is the chief of the community. 
WIR also includes representatives of the National Security Bureau [BBN], 
MSZ [Foreign Affairs Ministry], MSWiA [Ministry of Internal Affairs and 
Administration], the prime minister's chancellery, [MON] National Defence 
Ministry, the economy and finance ministries, ABW and Military 
Intelligence Service [WSI]. 
   "For the first time in Poland a body was set up which is responsible 
for intelligence information," Siemiatkowski told journalists after the 
meeting. He stressed that during WIR's meetings, information provided by 
the ABW and other operational services would be "put together" with 
information from ministries which do not carry out operational work. 
After comparing and analysing this information, it will be consolidated 
and submitted, most of all, to the president, Speakers of Sejm [lower 
house of parliament] and Senate and to the prime minister. 
   Replying to journalist's questions, Siemiatkowski said that during 
meetings, which will always be held behind closed doors, WIR would also 
deal with the issue of the so-called special trade, that is, among other 
things, arms sale. 
   On Tuesday, Rzeczpospolita [daily] published an article about an 
alleged participation of the WSI in illegal arms trade. Siemiatkowski 
said that WIR would, among other things, find ways of selling arms "which 
will not threaten Poland's international obligations". He did not 
disclose any details. 
   The idea of setting up WIR emerged during work on the reform of the 
special services. The authors of the reform, politicians of the SLD 
[Democratic Left Alliance], stressed repeatedly, that WIR was to prevent 
a situation, in which reports, often contradictory, from various services 
reach the authorities' representatives. 


[Description of Source: Warsaw PAP in Polish -- independent Polish press 
agency]