As Bush Salutes Visiting Walesa, Democrats Press for Decisive Action on East Bloc

On the day that Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa was greeted here by President Bush as a man who has “inspired the nation and the world in the cause of liberty,” Democrats on Monday stepped up pressure on the White House to respond more decisively to the dramatic changes sweeping Eastern Europe.

Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell called on Bush to visit West Berlin to personally acknowledge “the tremendous significance of the symbolic destruction of the Berlin Wall.”

Mitchell’s appeal, echoed by other Democrats on and off the Hill on Monday, came as Senate leaders announced a bipartisan compromise on a $738-million aid package for Poland and Hungary. The Senate expects to pass the legislation before Walesa addresses Congress on Wednesday.

Walesa, a symbol of Poland’s democratic rebirth, arrived in the United States on Monday and was received in the East Room of the White House. He blinked back tears as Bush praised him and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the ceremonial opening of a weeklong U.S. visit.

As an audience of several hundred members of Congress, labor leaders and Polish-American dignitaries cheered, Walesa said, “One of the greatest dreams of my life is thus being fulfilled.

“I’m full of admiration for this country, not because it’s a big power and not because it’s rich,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “I admire America as a country of freedom.”

Poland “has entered the road of freedom,” Walesa continued. “I’m sure we will not get away from that road.”

The visit, Bush said, was one the United States has been anticipating for eight years, since the day in 1981 that Poland’s Communist government jailed Walesa in the midst of a martial-law crackdown on Solidarity.

“For eight years,” he said, “the American people have waited for you to come.” As Walesa appeared on the brink of losing his composure, Bush continued: “We waited because we believe in freedom. We waited because we believe in Poland. We waited because we believe in you.”

Bush also used the reception as an opportunity to speak emotionally about last week’s events.

“What’s happening in Berlin, and on our television screens, is astounding,” he said. “A century that was born in war and revolution may bequeath a legacy of peace unthinkable only a few years ago.”

But on the Hill on Monday, Bush continued to be criticized for what many see as a cautious approach towards events in Eastern Europe.

Mitchell told the Senate that a “new order is about to commence across the continent of Europe” and urged Bush to:

Convene a meeting of the Western allies as soon as possible to plan a coordinated economic and political response to the “monumental changes” taking place in Poland, Hungary and now, most dramatically, in East Germany.

Suspend trade barriers against the Soviet Union and grant Moscow observer status at international economic organizations, thus recognizing Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s pivotal role in affecting the changes.

Visit West Berlin to “acknowledge the tremendous significance of the symbolic destruction of the Berlin Wall” following East Germany’s decision last week to lift emigration restrictions and permit free travel through the wall.

Monday’s compromise on the Polish aid package resolves a long legislative battle as Republicans sought to cut back the more than $1-billion aid package proposed by Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.).

A rival package sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) would have provided $484.5 million in aid to Poland and Hungary over three years.