After 2010 Smolensk catastrophe, Donald Tusk cared more for his PR image than Polish interests

Never-before-aired talks revealed by public television station TVP remind Poles of Donald Tusk’s severe negligence regarding the 2010 Smolensk catastrophe, writes Marcin Wikło for Polish portal wpolityce.pl
editor: REMIX NEWS
author: Marcin Wikło

Tusk achieved one thing. Years after the disaster, many people are covering their ears and blocking out the term “Smolensk”. Meanwhile, Tusk can present himself as a statesman without any baggage. This is why we must tell the story of the greatest Polish tragedy since the Second World War anew. In this context, the material revealed in Polish public television channel TVP1 by Anita Gargas is priceless.

I don’t entirely understand the accusations towards Gargas that her newest material did not produce anything that we previously hadn’t known. We, of course, already know that Tusk and his government were idle during the first days following the catastrophe and let the Russians take control of the investigation. Yes, this is all true. But how many people are there after all these years who still remember the actual details?

These details are incredibly important. Gargas has been a part of the Smoleńsk issue for years. She has been investigating, revealing new information and educating the public while belonging to a very small group of journalists.

The recording of a secret conference between Tusk and Edmund Klich, is now another piece of the puzzle that serves as a rock-solid piece of evidence. The meeting shows the chaos in which Klich, the Polish representative to the Russian MAK commission investigating the catastrophe, had to work in. He complained how hard it was for him to get a direct line to the prime minister. He also complained that he was left on his own in Moscow and had not been given a translator to assist him. He also had to pay out of his own pocket for the return flight to Poland from Russia.

All of this is proof that Tusk, who was prime minister at the time of the disaster, was more interested in whether there was too much suspicion among Poles concerning Russian involvement than in fighting for better investigation conditions. Tusk would most likely have never met with Klich if not for Klich’s interview with TVN, which was not to Tusk’s liking.


.

tend: 1711718940.0571