Poland Government Officials

Marian Zacharski, the newly appointed chief of Polish intelligence, stepped down Thursday after an international outcry arose over his past as a top Cold War spy who stole military secrets from the United States. "Throughout my life, I was always led by what was good for Poland," he said in a resignation letter. "I do not want to be the cause of conflict among Poles at a moment when Poland most needs agreement and harmony."

Polish lawmakers stripped outspoken anti-establishment politician Andrzej Lepper of parliamentary immunity Friday, opening the door to his prosecution on slander charges and a possible prison term of up to two years. The leader of Self-Defense, a farmers union and populist party that holds the third-largest number of seats in Parliament, Lepper is seen by some Poles as a hero who combats corruption and the sellout of Polish national interests. Others view him as a threat to democracy.

A federal grand jury has indicted six former high-ranking Polish officials, two Orange County men and two others for allegedly trying to sell millions of dollars' worth of MIG fighter planes, assault rifles, grenade launchers and missile systems to Iraq, federal officials said Thursday. In a six-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn, N.Y., the 10 suspects are charged with conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a license and illegally transferring AK-47 automatic assault rifles, said Andrew J.

Former Communist Leszek Miller was sworn in as Poland's prime minister Friday, pledging that his left-wing government will fight to create more jobs, reinvigorate the faltering economy and win acceptance into the European Union. "We do not intend to start any new revolution or to put an end to one," Miller said. "We want to give a boost to the economy and limit the dramatic unemployment. We want to do everything so there are as few people as possible who feel rejected in their homeland.

The Polish Communist Party announced its choice for a new premier Monday, selecting Mieczyslaw Rakowski, a former newspaper editor known for his mixture of liberal views and his tough stance against the banned Solidarity union. Rakowski, 61, the party's chief of propaganda, was recommended after a daylong meeting of the Central Committee. The choice will get the rubber-stamp approval of the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, today.

President Lech Walesa asked Parliament on Wednesday to approve Hanna Suchocka as Poland's first woman prime minister after she ended weeks of political deadlock by mustering a new majority coalition. In a letter to the Sejm, or lower house, Walesa also asked for the dismissal of Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak, who had earlier offered to step down after his failure to form a government, the presidential office said in a statement.

As speculation on the choice for Poland's prime minister shifted like the clouds of cigarette smoke in the gallery behind the floor of the Polish Parliament, a longtime observer of opposition politics saw little hope for the prospects of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the editor of Solidarity's weekly newspaper, who had risen to sudden prominence virtually out of nowhere. "I don't think so," she said. "He's a moralist, not a politician."

Former Communist Leszek Miller was sworn in as Poland's prime minister Friday, pledging that his left-wing government will fight to create more jobs, reinvigorate the faltering economy and win acceptance into the European Union. "We do not intend to start any new revolution or to put an end to one," Miller said. "We want to give a boost to the economy and limit the dramatic unemployment. We want to do everything so there are as few people as possible who feel rejected in their homeland.

For a moment it looked like a flashback from the 1980s, a dramatic televised scene of Poland's struggle to overthrow communism, featuring top players in the Solidarity reform movement. Solidarity strategist Bronislaw Geremek issued a stern warning about the sanctity of democracy. Solidarity journalist Tadeusz Mazowiecki lectured about civilian control of the military. And Solidarity activist Wladyslaw Frasyniuk accused the Polish president of authoritarian tendencies.

Polish lawmakers stripped outspoken anti-establishment politician Andrzej Lepper of parliamentary immunity Friday, opening the door to his prosecution on slander charges and a possible prison term of up to two years. The leader of Self-Defense, a farmers union and populist party that holds the third-largest number of seats in Parliament, Lepper is seen by some Poles as a hero who combats corruption and the sellout of Polish national interests. Others view him as a threat to democracy.

Former Communist leader Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, facing murder charges in the crushing of 1970 labor strikes, suffered two legal setbacks Thursday when a judge rejected efforts to delay the trial and refused to allow defense attorneys to quit. The judge ordered the formal trial to begin today and barred Jaruzelski's lawyers from stepping down until new attorneys are in place.

The recent revelation that an alleged gang leader on the lam once received a pardon from former President Lech Walesa has triggered a wave of controversy in Poland about this common presidential prerogative. No one has accused Walesa of wrongdoing. But there have been allegations that one or more of his aides might have been bribed to prepare the paperwork for the 1993 pardon of Andrzej Zielinski.

After he won reelection in a first-round knockout, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and his popular wife, Jolanta Kwasniewska, appeared at a victory rally with jubilant supporters, some of whom shouted out hopes that she will be his successor five years from now. "The presidency in this country is democratic, not dynastic," Kwasniewski, 45, responded at the event earlier this month, while going on to thank his wife as "a great support in difficult moments."

A Polish court ruled Thursday that President Aleksander Kwasniewski did not work for the Communist-era secret police, freeing him to run for reelection in October. The court issued its verdict a day after hearing testimony from former officers of the secret police who disputed suggestions in old police files that Kwasniewski, an ex-Communist, worked as an agent code-named Alek in the early 1980s. "I am very pleased.

Poland's prime minister rejected the resignations of five Cabinet ministers, demanding new talks to keep his government from collapsing and facing elections it would probably lose. The ministers are from the Freedom Union, the Solidarity-led government's junior coalition partner, which wants Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek to step down. They resigned Sunday.

Yemeni tribesmen released Poland's ambassador unharmed early today after holding him captive for nearly four days. Krzysztof Suprowicz's wife, Nina, said he arrived this morning at the embassy here in the capital. Suprowicz was abducted Wednesday by members of the Yamaneyatain tribe after dropping his wife and daughter off at the dentist in downtown Sana. The abductors demanded that the Yemeni government free fellow tribesmen arrested recently in exchange for the envoy's release.

A Polish court ruled Thursday that President Aleksander Kwasniewski did not work for the Communist-era secret police, freeing him to run for reelection in October. The court issued its verdict a day after hearing testimony from former officers of the secret police who disputed suggestions in old police files that Kwasniewski, an ex-Communist, worked as an agent code-named Alek in the early 1980s. "I am very pleased.

The deputy prime minister resigned Thursday after a probe was launched into whether he lied in denying collaboration with Poland's former communist secret police. Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek had earlier in the day ordered the dismissal of Janusz Tomaszewski, who also is the interior minister. Tomaszewski, considered one of the most powerful people in the almost 2-year-old government, resigned when a special court confirmed Thursday that it was investigating him.

The Polish ambassador has been kidnapped in Yemen, the latest act of lawlessness by tribesmen who abduct foreigners in hopes of forcing the government to release detainees or build hospitals and better roads. Krzysztof Suprowicz was abducted in Sana, the capital, Wednesday evening by members of the Yamaneyatain tribe, who are demanding the release of a fellow tribesman arrested last week, security officials said.

The deputy prime minister resigned Thursday after a probe was launched into whether he lied in denying collaboration with Poland's former communist secret police. Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek had earlier in the day ordered the dismissal of Janusz Tomaszewski, who also is the interior minister. Tomaszewski, considered one of the most powerful people in the almost 2-year-old government, resigned when a special court confirmed Thursday that it was investigating him.