Poland Clears Way for U.S. Official to See Walesa and Other Dissidents

Polish authorities opened the way Thursday for Under Secretary of State John C. Whitehead to meet with opposition figures in the course of an official visit that may lead to a lifting of economic sanctions imposed after the Solidarity labor union was crushed.

Previous official visitors were discouraged from meeting with Solidarity activists, but government spokesman Jerzy Urban said in an interview that no objections were raised to Whitehead’s scheduled dinner today with Lech Walesa and other well-known figures.

“These meetings we consider to be his private contacts, of a private nature, which do not interest us,” Urban said.

Whitehead, the No. 2 official in the State Department, said: “We’re seeing all the people we hoped to see. We found the way was cleared.”

Change in Attitude

According to Western diplomats here, the Polish attitude represents a marked change. They said it reflects an apparent eagerness to meet with Whitehead, even on his own terms, in order to nurture the gradual improvement in relations with the United States that began in September after the release of political prisoners.

Speaking briefly with reporters after meeting Cardinal Josef Glemp, the Roman Catholic primate of Poland, Whitehead said his visit was part of a “step-by-step” approach.

“Hopefully, in the long run, this will bring our two countries together,” he said. “We’re moving gradually, slowly, in positive directions.”

Walesa, arriving from Gdansk, said he feels that sanctions are no longer appropriate because of their restrictive effect on the Polish economy.

“It’s not up to me to ask for it,” Walesa said. “Governments lift sanctions, but I’ll express my opinion.”

Others invited to the dinner, at the residence of Charge d’Affaires John R. Davis Jr., include Adam Michnik and Jacek Kuron, formerly active in the workers’ rights group known as KOR, its initials in Polish, and Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the former national spokesman for Solidarity.

Informal Meeting

U.S. diplomats said the meeting will be as informal as possible in order not to offend the Polish authorities.

Whitehead said that in the course of a three-hour talk with Foreign Minister Henryk Orzechowski, he asked whether all political prisoners have been released. Opposition sources have charged that some political prisoners are still in prison, but a government spokesman said that they are being held on criminal charges, including arson.

Whitehead said he received “good, complete answers,” although he declined to characterize the Polish response as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.