Walesa, Mazowiecki Meet, Call Truce to Avert Unrest

Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki declared a political truce after a private, five-hour meeting Saturday, pledging to cooperate “for the good of our country.”

A brief statement issued by the PAP news agency after the meeting indicated that the leaders, at odds over the pace of political and economic changes, decided that their disagreements must not lead to social unrest.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Bronislaw Dabrowski was host of the unannounced meeting, which was held at an undisclosed location near Warsaw.

It took place as thousands of farmers who feel their business is being hurt by Poland’s economic policies demonstrated outside the main government building in the capital, Warsaw.

“Differences in political views that appear in our country, as well as different interests of various social groups, should not destabilize the situation in Poland,” the leaders’ communique said.

According to the communique, Walesa and Mazowiecki promised “cooperation for the good of our country and further progress in democratization.”

The statement didn’t say whether Mazowiecki and Walesa made any deals for the other’s cooperation.

Mazowiecki has recently drawn sharp criticism from farmers and the faction of Solidarity loyal to Walesa.

In a bid to deflect the attacks, the prime minister ousted three of the four Communists in his Cabinet on Friday and bowed to Walesa’s demands for elections earlier than next year.

He also appealed to the public, and especially farmers, for patience and self-restraint.

But the moves did not satisfy the farmers demanding guaranteed minimum prices for their produce and threatening a nationwide road blockade on Monday.

About 3,000 farmers marched through Warsaw, then took up a vigil outside the Council of Ministers building for most of the day Saturday. Inside, talks between farmers unions and government officials lasted into the evening before breaking up with no results.