Poland in verbal assault on energy deal

BRUSSELS - A German-Russian pipeline deal was yesterday compared with the pre-World War II Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, as Poland's hardline nationalist Government mounted a fierce verbal assault on its two larger neighbours.

Russia's political direction and its reliability as an energy supplier and partner emerged as a central issue at the G8 conference in Brussels. The issue is likely to come to a head at a G8 summit in St Petersburg in July.

The Polish Defence Minister, Radek Sikorski, hit out at the new German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for refusing to reverse plans for the project which were agreed by her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder. The pipeline will cut through the Baltic Sea and thereby bypass Polish territory.

Sikorski said the issue was raised with Merkel by the Polish President, Lech Kaczyinski, during a recent visit to Germany. "We asked. She refused."
Sikorsi added: "Poland has a particular sensitivity to corridors and deals above our head. That was the Locarno tradition, that was the Molotov-Ribbentrop tradition. That was the 20th century. We don't want any repetition of that."

The pact between Molotov and Ribbentrop in 1939 allowed Poland to be carved up by the Nazis and the Soviet Union.

Sikorski said Germany's attitude undermined European solidarity and that the project was a bad deal for consumers since it would cost US$6 million more than one built through Poland.

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