On the occasion of the anniversary of the May 3, 1791 Constitution, Sejm Marshal Józef Zych met with Warsaw's diplomatic corps at the Sejm's Hall of Columns on May 7, 1997.
In an address to the ambassadors, Marshal Zych referred to the new Constitution adopted by the National Assembly on April 2 and said that, knowing its value, he was convinced that it would be endorsed by the nation in the May 25 referendum.
Zych also referred to the forthcoming Papal visit to Poland and said that the effectiveness of the Polish road in the political, civilisational and spiritual sense become particularly evident and understandable precisely in the context of John Paul II's pontificate. He also emphasised the significance of the Pope's planned meeting with the presidents of East-Central European countries in Gniezno.
Pointing out that Poland's admission to the EU and NATO requires the consent of the parliaments of the member countries, he said that Poland highly valued its cooperation with all European parliaments and also the parliaments of countries outside Europe. The frequent visits of Sejm and Senate representatives abroad and return visits by delegations from many countries attest to the role of the Polish parliament, especially in the consolidation of democracy.
Zych also reminded the diplomats that in July 1997 the Sejm will be hosting the 6th Sitting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and the 6th Parliamentary Conference on Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region will convene in Gdansk in September.
On behalf of the diplomatic corps, the floor was taken by its deputy doyen, the Albanian ambassador to Poland, Enver Faja, who emphasised the responsibility and concern of the Sejm to make Polish legislation "a good roadsign for the people and a strong foundation of harmonious cooperation of all citizens in building common and individual good." The Ambassador pointed the contribution of the Sejm to the new Constitution of the Republic of Poland and, on behalf of fellow diplomats, voiced the hope that the Polish nation, faithful to the constitutional tradition, will be able to adjust suitably to the new basic law.
Suleyman Demirel, the President of Turkey, visiting Poland at the invitation of President Kwaśniewski, called at the Sejm on May 8.
He met with Sejm Marshal Józef Zych. They talked about cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries and Poland's efforts to obtain admission to NATO and the EU. Demirel declared that Turkey supported Poland's aspirations for membership of the Euro-Atlantic structures. Zych emphasised after the meeting that the President appreciated the role of parliaments in consolidating democracy.
Suleyman Demirel renewed the invitation for the Sejm Marshal to pay a visit to Turkey in July 1997. During this visit, Zych would meet representatives of all the caucuses of the Turkish parliament.
Demirel also talked to Senate Marshal Adam Struzik about the enlargement of NATO and EU and about problems connected with economic relations.
The Turkish President attended a joint meeting of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Affairs and International Economic Relations Committee.
He said in his address to the committees that his visit to Poland provided an opportunity for "sowing new seeds" of a strategic alliance between the two countries. He reiterated Turkey's support for the enlargement of NATO and that this process should proceed simultaneously with the expansion of the European Union and the Western European Union. Poland, he declared, can be sure that when it comes to deciding about the admission of new members to NATO, it will receive full support from Turkey. He stressed that the enlargement of NATO and the EU was a natural part of building a new Europe. He added that Poland and Turkey had convergent goals as regards EU membership.
In the context of bilateral relations, the Turkish President referred to historic ties between the two countries. In his opinion, Polish-Turkish relations are very good at present, although both countries should intensify their contacts, both at the government and parliamentary level, through the development of trade and promotion of tourism.
Polish parliamentarians were also interested in the problems of the Kurdish minority in Turkey and of respect for human rights in that country. Demirel replied that there were some Turkish citizens who declare to be of Kurdish descent and that they were guarantees full rights; some of them sat in parliament or were members of government. On the other hand, there is the problem of Kurdish terrorism, with the people engaging in it often coming from outside Turkey.
Laos Matyas Szabo, chairman of the Hungarian-Polish Parliamentary Group, was in Poland from May 7 to 8, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation.
The Hungarian visitors were received by Sejm Deputy Marshal Olga Krzyżanowska. They spoke about cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries, the self-government reform, the Polish political scene on the eve of parliamentary elections and foreign policies of both nations. Olga Krzyżanowska referred to the fine tradition of Polish-Hungarian friendship and pointed to the shared goals of the two countries also at present, in the context of their efforts to obtain admission to NATO and the EU.
Chairman Szabo emphasised the significance of direct cooperation between the two parliaments and said that "even in as big a family as the European Union, every country needs a close partner."
L.M. Szabo was received by Senate Marshal Adam Struzik.
During the visit to the Sejm, the Hungarian delegation met with the Polish-Hungarian Parliamentary Group and with the Presidium of the Sejm Legislative Committee and also the Presidium of the Constitutional Committee of the National Assembly and the Presidium of the Senate Legislative Initiatives and Procedures Committee.
The delegation was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Grela.
The Hungarian delegation also visited Poznan, where it met with town authorities.
Representatives of the Sejm Defence Committee were in Prague from May 12 to 13 to hold talks with representatives of the Czech ministries of defence and foreign affairs and the Chamber of Deputies.
After the talks, Committee Chairman Jerzy Szmajdziński (SLD) said: "We are entering into a new stage of enlargement of NATO: the year of ratification and negotiations regarding the Alliance's expectations toward the new members." In his opinion, the main burden of efforts to obtain admission to NATO will now fall on parliaments, whose members should campaign for support in legislative bodies of the member states of the Alliance. In these circumstances, there is a need of coordinating the actions of the parliaments of the states which can count on NATO membership. During the talks, including a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Karl Kovanda, parliamentarians from both countries proposed to hold joint meetings of foreign affairs and defence committees of the parliaments of the two countries, following the pattern of similar meetings of foreign and defence ministers.
Representatives of the Sejm Health Committee met on May 12 with the visiting delegation from the Public Health Committee of the House of Representatives of Thailand, led by its chairman Boonpun Kaevatana. Deputy Jan Kopczyk (PSL), chairman of the Sejm committee, informed the visitors about the acts dealing with health care adopted by the 2nd Sejm and answered numerous questions concerning the health insurance system, the prevention and treatment of occupational diseases and the volume of state expenditures on health.
The Thai delegation studied the work of the Central Labour Protection Institute and the Institute of Psychiatrics and Neurology in Warsaw.
Jerzy Pomianowski, the newly appointed Polish ambassador to Japan, paid a courtesy call to Sejm Marshal Józef Zych on May 8.