Clinton Vows Poland Will ‘Never Again’ Be Conquered

At a buoyant rally near the birthplace of the former Warsaw Pact, President Clinton on Thursday saluted Poland for becoming America’s prospective military ally and vowed that “never again” will its citizens be conquered by outsiders.

“Poland is taking its place in the community of democracies,” Clinton proclaimed in an outdoor celebration, just two days after NATO invited three former adversaries--Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic--to join the Western alliance.

“Never again will your fate be decided by others,” the president continued. “Never again will the birthright of freedom be denied you. Poland is coming home.”

Earlier, Clinton was formally greeted by Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski at the presidential palace, where in 1955 a treaty was signed establishing the Warsaw Pact, a pro-Soviet military alliance of East Bloc nations that was the nemesis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for decades. “This is a great day for the Polish people,” a beaming Kwasniewski told Clinton.

In the afternoon, an enthusiastic crowd of about 5,000 poured into the capital’s cobblestoned Castle Square for Clinton’s address. It is a district bristling with patriotic meaning for the Poles, who often have been dominated by their powerful neighbors, Germany and Russia.

The president delivered his remarks in front of the baroque tower of the Royal Castle, a cherished symbol of Polish nationhood. The ornate building dates to the 14th century but was blown up by retreating Nazis in 1944 and not renovated for 40 years, a project financed in part by Polish Americans.

Twice in his speech, Clinton made a point of mentioning Russia in a friendly light, perhaps seeking to assuage Moscow’s deep discomfort at the expansion of NATO near its borders. “You must continue to build in tolerance what others destroyed in hate,” Clinton told his listeners, whom he advised to “reach out” to all their neighbors, including Russia.

But the remark prompted few cheers in a nation that fell under the control of Russia after World War II and stayed there for decades.

Clinton also sought to ease hurt feelings caused by the U.S. demand that only three nations at first be invited to join an expanding NATO. Clinton today is scheduled to visit Romania, a country that had hoped to be admitted.

“You did not walk through NATO’s door to see it shut behind you,” Clinton said to applause. “That door will stay open.”

In the crowd, some held Polish flags and some, American flags. One banner read “Thanks, Bill!” Another simply declared “America!”

Marian Jurkiewicz, a Solidarity union member from a tractor factory in Warsaw, waved Polish and American flags and a photocopied picture of Clinton.

Jurkiewicz, 41, who speaks little English, shouted over the crowd as best he could, “Thank you very much!” as the president promised never to abandon Polish security interests or Poland’s nascent democracy.

“Finally, with NATO, there will be no more interference from Russia and the east,” Jurkiewicz said. “Right here, we are creating history--and it is democratic and peaceful.”

The day’s noisiest ovation may have gone to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity founder and former Polish president, who was thanked by Kwasniewski--a former Commmunist--for his contribution to Poland’s successful NATO bid.

At the same time, the gradual fading of the Cold War into history may have muted the passions of the day, at least for a few in the crowd.

For all the Cold War symbolism of expanding NATO and the pro-West frontier, many increasingly affluent Poles have other concerns. Last year, for example, Poland was the fastest-growing auto market in all of Europe; the credit industry has grown so fast that some commentators fret that too many households are in hock to pay for vacations, stereos and other consumer desires.

Earlier this week, Polish television treated news of a punishing flood in the nation’s south as a bigger story than the invitation to Poland to join NATO.

“I’m not interested in politics,” said Justyna Domaqala, 17, a high school student who said she gravitated to the rally because she wanted to see Clinton.

Times staff writer Dean E. Murphy of The Times’ Warsaw Bureau contributed to this report.