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]