Tuesday, April 28, 2009

One of the Best Pianists in the world today Krystian Zimerman of Poland in protest of the US military policies overseas.

One of the Best Pianists in the world today Krystian Zimerman of Poland in protest of the US military policies overseas.

The Polish pianist tells a Disney Hall audience he won't play here again, citing military policies.
By Jessica Garrison and Diane Haithman
April 28, 2009
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, who is widely admired for his virtuosic performances and who famously tours with his own custom-altered Steinway, created a furor at Disney Hall on Sunday night when he stopped his recital to announce that this would be his last American appearance -- in protest of the nation's military policies overseas.

In a low voice that could not be heard throughout the auditorium, Zimerman, universally considered among the world's finest pianists, made reference to Guantanamo Bay and U.S. military policies toward Poland.

"Get your hands off my country," he said.



Then he turned to the piano and played Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Folk Theme" with such passion and intensity that the stunned audience gave him multiple ovations.

Earlier, about 30 or 40 people in the audience had walked out after Zimerman's declaration, some shouting obscenities.

"Yes," the pianist, known in Poland as "King Krystian the Glorious," answered, "some people, when they hear the word military, start marching."

Zimerman then said that America has far finer exports than its military -- and he thanked those who supported democracy. He left the stage without further comment and was unavailable Monday.

His manager, Mary Pat Buerkle, told the Associated Press on Monday that Zimerman has talked for the last couple of years about not coming back to the United States "for a while. . . . I don't think it's appropriate to say it's all political."

Zimerman has had problems in the United States in recent years, but many in the classical music world thought they were logistical.

Just a week ago, before an appearance in Seattle, Zimerman expressed frustration about the hassle and expense of touring the U.S. with his piano.

Shortly after Sept. 11, his instrument was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the Transportation Security Administration decided to take no chances and destroyed the piano. Since then he has shipped his pianos in parts, which he reassembles by hand after he lands. To get from city to city within the U.S., he hires a driver to take the shell of the piano, and he drives another car that holds the precious custom-designed keys and hammers.

Lately, he'd seemed pleased with the direction the United States has taken. During a performance Friday at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, he delighted his Bay Area audience by making sly reference to his approval of Barack Obama in the White House.

But by the time he drove his piano to Los Angeles, Zimerman's mood appeared to have darkened. His remarks, which some in the audience characterized as angry, were the talk of Los Angeles' classical music world and its small Polish community Monday.

Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said that while some patrons were taken aback by Zimerman's comments,she did not believe it would affect attendance or fundraising.

"It was very clear he was speaking for himself," she said. "We obviously can't censor. We believe in freedom of expression. We don't use a hook to drag people off the stage."

In a spirited range of comments on The Times' Culture Monster blog, many praised Zimerman and others said the stage was no place for divisive political speech. "Go Zimerman, and take the Dixie Chicks with you," said one post, referring to the country music group that in 2003 created a ruckus when a member said they were ashamed President Bush was from Texas.

Others noted that though classical music culture in the United States is among the least overtly political of enclaves, Poland has a long tradition of mixing the political and the musical. Composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was Poland's third prime minister and is revered in Poland the way the Founding Fathers are here.

"There is a tradition of Polish pianists being in the middle of political events," said Marek Zebrowski, director of the Polish Music Center at USC.

Though Poland gets comparatively little attention in the U.S., American policy recently has been a hot-button issue in Poland. Poles were upset about allegations that the CIA held suspected Al Qaeda militants in secret prisons in Poland. A Polish newspaper mockingly referred to the country as "the 51st state." Also controversial was a Bush administration proposal to put missile defense facilities there.

Sumi Hahn, a Seattle journalist who interviewed Zimerman earlier this month, said she was not surprised to hear of his outburst. She said he told her that he had "very mixed feelings now about America."

It's been said in many ways by many people that hearing Bach is like hearing God. Last night at Meany Hall, God took things one step further. He walked onto the stage in the form of pianist Krystian Zimerman and declared, "Let there be light."

The edifice that arose in the shape of Bach's Partita No. 2 was constructed entirely of sounds that gleamed like shafts of pure energy. Each note Zimerman shaped seemed surrounded by a halo; chord progressions grew upon the next in crystalline formations. When Bach is played like this, without ego or display, the dazzling mathematics of the composition's mechanics turn invisible, revealing the glowing soul of the music itself.

If the Bach was divine, the Beethoven was divine madness. The Sonata No. 32 is a strange creature whose first half ripples with muscular chords and feathery trills. It lurks and lopes, chasing its tail in a fit of fugue before laying itself to rest. At times, Zimerman, who is a slight figure with silver hair, had to grab his seat to control the beast as it writhed.

There was a bit of grumbling at intermission about the program change announced at the start of the recital. Zimerman was replacing Brahms' "Klavierstücke" with Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz's Second Piano Sonata, an anxious, tattered tapestry of urban clamor that frays away to a wisp.

Alone, the Bacewicz would have been a mere curiosity, but next to compatriot Karol Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Theme," the change made sense. Bacewicz's piece served as a flag of sorts, to mark the Polish landscape Zimerman would create with the "Variations." It also helped answer the question the pianist had posed at the start of the night: "What is the purpose of this music?"

Zimerman conjured the landscape of his homeland with an expat's wistfulness. Out of a bedrock of noise, pointed spires rose melodically then fell; glissandos floated overhead like clouds; a village of cottages was spun out of twinkly folk song. The music had almost tangible mass, sometimes vaporous, other times solid as brick. Zimerman's purpose was clear: To remind us that there are those who will bleed for art, because no life is worth living without it.

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman's political speech during his debut recital at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles shocked his Californian audience. He told the Americans to "Get your hands off my country", before he played Polish composer Karol Szymanowski's Variations on a Polish Theme. But Zimerman has a track record with making political comment part of his concerts. Since 2003 and the war in Iraq, he has spoken out about the war when he was playing in any country that supported it: even, in Tokyo, giving a speech about international geo-politics in Japanese. This time, it's Obama's decision to continue the Bush policy of building a missile defence shield in Poland that has angered him – so much so that he said to the audience in Los Angeles that this would be his last appearance in America.

When I met Zimerman last year to interview him for Music Matters, I asked him if he really thought this kind of protest was the best way of making a point. His answer was that he couldn't in good conscience play to an audience in a country whose political leaders he disagreed with, without making some kind of stand. Zimerman isn't naïve enough to think that his way of speaking out is going to change US policy in Eastern Europe. But he feels his music making can only speak to listeners who understand where he's coming from.

It may have been clumsy – the Los Angeles Times's critic Mark Swed said that Zimerman's voice was "quiet but angry" and "did not project well" – but I admire Zimerman's convictions. Gumbel says that "classical musicians are not exactly famous for political ranting". I don't agree: from Paderewski, Poland's piano virtuoso prime minister, to Hanns Eisler, from Cornelius Cardew to Kurt Masur, countless classical composers and performers have been just as vocal and committed in their political beliefs as have any other musicians. It's probable Zimerman only made his speech because of the Polish music he was about to play. Playing Bach and Beethoven is one thing, but performing Szymanowski's virtuosic Polish Variations for the exotic East-European delectation of a Los Angeles audience must have stuck in Zimerman's craw. Which is why he exploded, in his "quiet but angry" way.

The reaction of the audience, from cheering to walk-outs, showed that Zimerman touched a nerve, both in potentially offending his Californian hosts, and in breaking the invisible wall that often separates classical musicians from their audiences. I'm glad Zimerman isn't afraid to shatter that barrier, and to show that however cut off from the world a celebrity recital in a glitzy hall might seem to be, it's not. In Berkeley, an earlier leg of Zimerman's US tour, he asked the audience to appreciate how Bach's music could be heard as political: the Second Partita was composed in a minor key, perhaps, Zimerman said, because there was a leader that Bach didn't like. Zimerman ended the piece in C major, instead of the C minor that Bach writes, a sly indication that Zimerman approves of Obama more than Bush. But not enough, apparently, to play in America again. I hope, for the US, that he changes his mind (he's made the same promise about never playing in the States before, but then returned). Performers have every right to remind us of the political and social systems that connect us all, and to confront audiences with the difficult musical meanings that are latent in any concert programme. More power to your elbow, Krystian.

What led to Krystian Zimerman's surprising comments, walkouts
6:03 AM, April 28, 2009
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, who is widely admired for his virtuosic performances and who famously tours with his own custom-altered Steinway, created a furor at Disney Hall on Sunday night when he stopped his recital to announce that this would be his last American appearance -- in protest of the nation's military policies overseas.

In a low voice that could not be heard throughout the auditorium, Zimerman, universally considered among the world's finest pianists, made reference to Guantanamo Bay and U.S. military policies toward Poland.

"Get your hands off my country," he said.

Then he turned to the piano and played Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Folk Theme" with such passion and intensity that the stunned audience gave him multiple ovations.

Earlier, about 30 or 40 people in the audience had walked out after Zimerman's declaration, some shouting obscenities.

"Yes," the pianist, known in Poland as "King Krystian the Glorious," answered, "some people, when they hear the word military, start marching."

Zimerman then said that America has far finer exports than its military -- and he thanked those who supported democracy. He left the stage without further comment and was unavailable Monday.

His manager, Mary Pat Buerkle, told the Associated Press on Monday that Zimerman has talked for the last couple of years about not coming back to the United States "for a while. . . . I don't think it's appropriate to say it's all political."

Zimerman has had problems in the United States in recent years, but many in the classical music world thought they were logistical.



Just a week ago, before an appearance in Seattle, Zimerman expressed frustration about the hassle and expense of touring the U.S. with his piano.

Shortly after Sept. 11, his instrument was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the Transportation Security Administration decided to take no chances and destroyed the piano. Since then he has shipped his pianos in parts, which he reassembles by hand after he lands. To get from city to city within the U.S., he hires a driver to take the shell of the piano, and he drives another car that holds the precious custom-designed keys and hammers.

Lately, he'd seemed pleased with the direction the United States has taken. During a performance Friday at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, he delighted his Bay Area audience by making sly reference to his approval of Barack Obama in the White House.

But by the time he drove his piano to Los Angeles, Zimerman's mood appeared to have darkened. His remarks, which some in the audience characterized as angry, were the talk of Los Angeles' classical music world and its small Polish community Monday.

Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said that while some patrons were taken aback by Zimerman's comments,she did not believe it would affect attendance or fundraising.

"It was very clear he was speaking for himself," she said. "We obviously can't censor. We believe in freedom of expression. We don't use a hook to drag people off the stage."

In a spirited range of comments on The Times' Culture Monster blog, many praised Zimerman and others said the stage was no place for divisive political speech. "Go Zimerman, and take the Dixie Chicks with you," said one post, referring to the country music group that in 2003 created a ruckus when a member said they were ashamed President Bush was from Texas.

Others noted that though classical music culture in the United States is among the least overtly political of enclaves, Poland has a long tradition of mixing the political and the musical. Composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was Poland's third prime minister and is revered in Poland the way the Founding Fathers are here.

"There is a tradition of Polish pianists being in the middle of political events," said Marek Zebrowski, director of the Polish Music Center at USC.

Though Poland gets comparatively little attention in the U.S., American policy recently has been a hot-button issue in Poland. Poles were upset about allegations that the CIA held suspected Al Qaeda militants in secret prisons in Poland. A Polish newspaper mockingly referred to the country as "the 51st state." Also controversial was a Bush administration proposal to put missile defense facilities there.

Sumi Hahn, a Seattle journalist who interviewed Zimerman earlier this month, said she was not surprised to hear of his outburst. She said he told her that he had "very mixed feelings now about America."

In the past five years," she quoted him as saying, "something happened here that changed the world: a war based on lies. . . . So much damage was done worldwide ... and Americans are so unaware."

On the other hand, Robert Cole, director of Cal Performances in Berkeley, said he was surprised to hear of Zimerman's L.A. comments -- especially because of the lightness that characterized his performance in Berkeley.

Just before playing a Bach partita, Zimerman told his audience it was important to consider the political purpose of a piece of music. Bach, he told his audience, "had made a decision to put his piece in a minor key rather than a major one." Perhaps, he said, according to audience members who were there, he did that because there was a leader Bach didn't like.


Zimerman made an approving reference to Obama and then played the piece, but ended it in a joyful C major instead of amelancholy C minor.

"The audience loved it," said Christina Kellogg, director of public relations at Cal Performances. "His playing was brilliant and they broke into huge applause, and he was clearly pleased that the audience was completely with him."

Cole said he had breakfast with the pianist last week at a music-themed cafe across the street from the campus. Zimerman spoke mainly of how exhausting it was to travel with a Steinway.

"I'm sorry he's not coming back," Cole said. "He reminds me of Don Quixote. He's on a quest for perfection."

Cole added that, from a public relations perspective, it's too bad Zimerman hadn't offered his comments about Bach to Los Angeles and saved his fiery political rhetoric for Berkeley.

"I think he maybe picked the wrong place," he said. "It would have been less of an uproar here."

--Jessica Garrison and Diane Haithman with Mark Swed contributing.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

To Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan who killed Polish Scientist in Pakistan

To Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan who killed Polish Scientist in Pakistan

Calling You Taliban do not kill Polish People the great People

Calling You Taliban do not kill Polish People the great People

Egzekucja Polskiego Geologa ostatnie chwile przed (execution of polish engineer) Piotr Stańczak

I do not know what to say? It is to late now and why you had to kill my Polish brother?
Only one country in the western word knows Islam well is Poland. Polish Islamic history for 1000 years.
why? they did to the Polish Man Scientist Man of Poland and Geologist ? ask your masters?Alex Lech Bajan Washington DC

TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI

TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI

TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI PART1
Pan prof. dr hab. Piotr Jaroszyński - TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI (4/4). Wykład został wygłoszony na VIII Międzynarodowym Sympozjum z cyklu «PRZYSZŁOŚĆ CYWILIZACJI ZACHODU», Terroryzm dawniej i dziś, który odbył się 21 kwietnia 2009 na Katolickim Uniwersytecie Lubelskim.
Plik dźwiękowy pochodzi ze stron Radia Maryja


TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI (2/4)


TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI (3/4)


TERRORYZM A WOJNA CYWILIZACJI (4/4)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

List protestacyjny Profesora Jerzego Roberta Nowaka w obronie Polonii

List protestacyjny Profesora Jerzego Roberta Nowaka w obronie Polonii



List protestacyjny Profesora Jerzego Roberta Nowaka w obronie Polonii

List protestacyjny Profesora Jerzego Roberta Nowaka, od lat popierającego i broniącego patriotycznych organizacji polskich na całym świecie w obronie prawdy o Prezesie Janie Kobylańskim -wybitnym działaczu polonijnym w Ameryce Łacińskiej przeciwko nieprawdziwym oszczerstwom i zmasowanym atakom na jego osobę
i USOPAŁ.

List protestacyjny

Sygnatariusze tego listu, wywodzący się z Kraju i z Polonii oraz ze środowisk polskich w krajach sąsiednich, gorąco protestują przeciwko skrajnym przykładom lekceważenia, dyskryminowania,
a nawet prób poniżania zasłużonych przywódców polonijnych przez wpływowe osoby z kręgów dziś rządzących w Polsce.
Jak najmocniejsza pozycja Polonii w krajach jej zamieszkania leży
w interesie ich Ojczyzny, przyczynia się do wzmocnienia autorytetu Polski na arenie międzynarodowej. Uważamy, że istnienie tak licznej, liczącej prawie 20 milionów Polonii w świecie, jest ogromnie cennym atutem dla Polski, choć ciągle jeszcze za mało wykorzystywanym. Opowiadamy się za dużo mocniejszym zacieśnieniem więzi Polaków
w kraju i za granicą we wspólnej walce o dobre imię Polski i jej przyszłe sukcesy na iwie krajowej i międzynarodowej. Uważamy, że przedstawiciele władz RP powinni na każdym kroku wspierać działania Polonii, zamiast tak często zauważanego ostatnio sabotowania i bojkotowania tych działań oraz szkalowania poszczególnych przywódców polonijnych.
Z tym większym oburzeniem protestujemy więc przeciwko niesłychanym, wręcz bezprzykładnym, atakom obecnego ministra spraw zagranicznych Radosława Sikorskiego na postać najpopularniejszego dziś w świecie przywódcy polonijnego, prezesa USOPAŁ, Jana Kobylańskiego. Przypomnijmy tu konkretne przykłady niedopuszczalnych kłamstw i oszczerstw pod adresem prezesa Jana Kobylańskiego, sformułowanych na piśmie przez obecnego ministra spraw zagranicznych R. Sikorskiego. 19 lutego 2008 minister spraw zagranicznych RP R. Sikorski posunął się do jawnego kłamstwa w swym urzędowym piśmie do marszałka Senatu Bogdana Borusewicza. W liście tym stwierdził: „(…) Według mojej wiedzy, Jan Paweł II nigdy nie zgodził się przyjąć Jana Kobylańskiego (…)”. Twierdzenie to dowodzi, że wiedza pana ministra spraw zagranicznych jest bardzo ograniczona. Pan Prezes Kobylański spotykał się z Janem Pawłem II wiele razy (w Argentynie w kwietniu 1987 roku, w Montevideo w Urugwaju w maju 1988 r., na specjalnej audiencji wraz z delegacją USOPAŁ w czerwcu 1996 r. w Watykanie oraz 3 czerwca 1997 r. w Gnieźnie, gdzie uczestniczył w rozmowie z Papieżem wraz z delegacją USOPAŁ). Istnieją liczne zdjęcia, dokumentujące powyższe spotkania prezesa J. Kobylańskiego z wielkim Papieżem-Polakiem.
Na półkach księgarskich w Polsce ciągle dostępny jest, wydany przez obecnego ministra spraw zagranicznych R. Sikorskiego w 2007 r., wywiad – rzeka pt. „Strefa zdekomunizowana”. Na s. 128 tej publikacji Sikorski pisze dosłownie w stylu ordynarnych wyzwisk, iż Geremek „(…) nie lubi konfrontacji i pewnie dlatego nie uwzględnił mojego wniosku o odwołanie z funkcji konsula honorowego RP niejakiego Jana Kobylańskiego , samozwańczego przywódcy Polonii latynoamerykańskiej, antysemity i typa spod ciemnej gwiazdy. Dopiero Bartoszewski miał dość jaj, aby mój ponowny wniosek zaakceptować”. Trudno pojąć tak niedopuszczalne próby sponiewierania czołowego przywódcy polonijnego, prezesa J. Kobylańskiego, we wszędzie dostępnych w Polsce egzemplarzach ksiązki aktualnego ministra spraw zagranicznych. Zamiast oskarżać prezesa USOPAŁ o rzekome „samozwańcze przywództwo Polonii latynoamerykańskiej”, minister spraw zagranicznych RP powinien maksymalnie docenić ogromne wysiłki prezesa USOPAŁ dla zjednoczenia Polaków w Ameryce Południowej, wysiłki, które przyniosły tak wielkie zwiększenie prestiżu Polonii na tym kontynencie. Odwołujemy się w tym kontekście do szczególnie cennego świadectwa, opinii takiego autorytetu jak niedawno zmarły prezes Wspólnoty Polskiej prof. Andrzeja Stelmachowskiego, osoby chyba najbardziej kompetentnej w sprawach oceny roli prezesa USOPAŁ.
Prezes A. Stelmachowski niejednokrotnie występował publicznie z postulatami właściwego docenienia zasług prezesa USOPAŁ J. Kobylańskiego dla Polonii. M.in. w liście do redakcji „Wprost” z 5 sierpnia 1997 r., prof. Stelmachowski pisał: „Uważam za konieczne upomnienie się o nie szarganie dobrego imienia p. prezesa Kobylańskiego. Jest to człowiek o ogromnych zasługach dla Polonii południowoamerykańskiej. Jako prezes Związku Polaków Argentyny (także Urugwaju) potrafił doprowadzić do rzeczy niezwykłej: do powstania wspomnianego wyżej USOPAŁ, przy czym pierwszy Kongres sfinansował z własnych środków, a drugi (jaki się odbył w ub. roku w Brazylii), poważnie wspomógł (…)”. Z kolei, w liście do redakcji „Rzeczpospolitej” z 13 listopada 2000 r., prezes Stelmachowski pisał m.in.: Prezes J. Kobylański jest jedną z najbardziej liczących się postaci światowego życia polonijnego, człowiekiem, którego zasługi w odrodzeniu polskości w krajach Ameryki Południowej są niepodważalne, a nawet – nie waham się użyć tego określenia – nieporównywalne. Dzięki jego wysiłkom powstała Unia Stowarzyszeń i Organizacji Polskich Ameryki Łacińskiej, której istnienie ożywiło życie polonijne w krajach Ameryki Południowej. USOPAŁ, jako organizator zjazdów Polonii tego kontynentu, stał się modernizatorem życia kulturalnego, a także odrodzenia oświaty polskiej w krajach latynoskich”.
Warto tu dodać, że zasługi prezesa J. Kobylańskiego dla Polonii i dla Polski zostały docenione przez czołowych przedstawicieli władz Polski. Znalazło to m.in. wyraz w jego uhonorowaniu Krzyżem Kawalerskim Orderu Odrodzenia – przyznanym przez władze RP na uchodźstwie, Krzyżem Komandorskim Odrodzenia z Gwiazdą, przyznanym przez prezydenta Wałęsę, Krzyżem Kawalerskim Orderu Odrodzenia z Gwiazdą – przyznanym przez prezydenta A. Kwaśniewskiego, Krzyżem Oświęcimskim, Honorowym Krzyżem Weteranów Walki o Niepodległość, i inne. Tym bardziej oburza fakt, że tak zasłużonego Polaka z zagranicy obecny minister RP nazwał „typem spod ciemnej gwiazdy”. Przypomnijmy przy tym o ogromnym znaczeniu sponsorskich działań prezesa Kobylańskiego na rzecz Polonii (jego wydatki na ten cel ocenia się na ok. miliona dolarów rocznie !). Nie ma dziś Polaka w świecie, który dałby tak wiele przykładów hojności na polskie cele. Wśród epitetów, rzuconych przeciwko prezesowi Kobylańskiemu, jest określenie „antysemita”, od lat używane jako dogodna „maczuga” dla niszczenia ludzi, reprezentujących inne, „niepoprawne” poglądy polityczne.
Zdając sobie sprawę z ogromnych, niepowtarzalnych zasług prezesa Jana Kobylańskiego dla Polonii i Polski, występujemy z żądaniem jak najszybszego odwołania przez ministra R. Sikorskiego oszczerstw i kłamstw, godzących w dobre imię prezesa USOPAŁ. R. Sikorski powinien jak najszybciej przeprosić prezesa Kobylańskiego za swe niewybredne, agresywne określenia, rzucone pod jego adresem. Tego wymagają interesy Polski.

Prosze pisac i dzwonic i protestowac

Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów
Centrum Informacyjne Rządu
00-583 Warszawa, Al. Ujazdowskie 1/3
telefon: 022 8413832; 6946983
faks: 022 6252872; 6284821
e-mail: cirinfo@kprm.gov.pl
Rzecznik Prasowy Rządu
Paweł Graś
tel. 022 694 75 29, 022 694 61 51
faks: 022 694 65 91

Kontakt dla dziennikarzy zajmujących się tematyką krajową:
tel. 022 694 65 06,
tel. kom. 601 375 012
Kontakt dla dziennikarzy zajmujących się tematyką gospodarczą:
tel. 022 694 66 13,
tel. kom. 607 497 342
Kontakt dla dziennikarzy zajmujących się polityką zagraniczną:
tel. 022 694 68 11,
tel. kom. 601 989 503

Sekretariat akredytacyjny CIR
tel. 022 6946102
tel. 022 6947072
faks: 022 6284821
faks: 022 6252872

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych
Al. J. Ch. Szucha 23, 00-580 Warszawa tel. (+4822) 523 9000





Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych / Ministry of Foreign Affairs



•Biuro Rzecznika Prasowego MSZ / MFA Press Spokesman
Rzecznik Prasowy: Piotr Paszkowski
Dyrektor Biura: Alicja Rakowska

Kontakty z mediami.

Spokesman for the Minister.

rzecznik@msz.gov.pl
brp.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48-22) 5239356
fax. (+48-22) 5239099

•Informacja konsularna / Consular Information
Praktyczne informacje dla wyjeżdżających lub przebywających za granicą.

Information for Polish citizens abroad.

tel. (+48-22) 5239451

•Departament Afryki i Bliskiego Wschodu / Department of Africa and the Middle East
Dyrektor: Jacek Chodorowicz
Zastępca Dyrektora: Juliusz Gojło
Zastępca Dyrektora: Maciej Kozłowski

Sprawy dotyczące państw regionu Afryki i Bliskiego Wschodu (z wyłączeniem kwestii wizowych i konsularnych) oraz międzynarodowych organizacji regionalnych: LPA, DA, OKI, SADC, RWPZ, UMA, COMESSA, ECOWAS, COMESA.

Is engaged in Poland ’s policy towards nations of Africa and the Middle East and its cooperation with the said nations, collects information on the political, economic, scientific and cultural situation in particular nations of Africa and the Middle East , is in charge of bilateral consultations and official visits, exercises supervision of the work of Polish diplomatic missions in Africa and the Middle East.

dabw.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239583
fax (+48 22) 6287819

•Departament Ameryki / Department of the Americas
Dyrektor: Artur Orzechowski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Ewa Kinast

Sprawy dotyczące państw kontynentu amerykańskiego (Ameryka Północna i Południowa z wyłączeniem kwestii wizowych i konsularnych) oraz organizacji regionalnych : OPA, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, FTAA.

Is engaged in Poland ’s policy towards nations of the Americas (South and North America) and its cooperation with the said nations, collects information on the political, economic, scientific and cultural situation in particular American nations, is in charge of bilateral consultations and official visits, exercises supervision of the work of Polish diplomatic missions in the Americas.

da.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239270
fax (+48 22) 6226462

•Departament Azji i Pacyfiku / Department of Asia and Pacific Region
Dyrektor: Tadeusz Chomicki
Zastępca Dyrektora: Krzysztof Dobrowolski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Krzysztof Majka

Sprawy dotyczące państw regionu Azji i Pacyfiku (z wyłączeniem kwestii wizowych i konsularnych) oraz międzynarodowych organizacji regionalnych: ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, ARF, KNPN, KEDO i innych.

Is engaged in Poland ’s policy towards nations of Asia and the Pacific region and its cooperation with the said nations, collects information on the political, economic, scientific and cultural situation in particular nations of Asia and the Pacific region, is in charge of bilateral consultations and official visits, exercises supervision of the work of Polish diplomatic missions in Asia and the Pacific region

dap.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel.: (+48 22) 5239302
fax (+48 22) 5239599

•Departament Europy Środkowej i Południowej / Department of Central and Southern Europe
Dyrektor: Adam Hałaciński
Zastępca Dyrektora: Zbigniew Krużyński

Sprawy dotyczące państw Europy środkowej i południowo-wschodniej.

Is engaged in Poland's policy towards nations of Central and Southern Europe.

desp.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239251
fax (+48 22) 5239369

•Departament Europy Zachodniej i Północnej / Department of Western and Northern Europe
Zastępca Dyrektora, Kierujący Departamentem: Jacek Bazański
Zastępca Dyrektora: Romuald Szoka

Sprawy dotyczące państw i podmiotów prawa międzynarodowego na obszarze Europy Zachodniej i Północnej.

Is engaged in Poland's policy towards nations and international organisations of Western and Northern Europe.

dezp.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239757
fax (+48 22) 5239817

•Departament Wschodni / Eastern Department
Dyrektor: Jarosław Bratkiewicz
Zastępca Dyrektora: Anna Kostrzewa
Zastępca Dyrektora: Michał Łabenda

Sprawy dotyczące państw Europy Wschodniej, Azji Środkowej i Kaukazu Południowego oraz Partnerstwa Wschodniego i polityki wschodniej Unii Europejskiej.

Responsible for questions concerning nations of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Southern Caucasus as well as Eastern Partnership and eastern policy of European Union.

dw.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238264
fax (+48 22) 5238232



•Departament Dyplomacji Publicznej i Kulturalnej / Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy
Dyrektor: Aleksandra Piątkowska
Zastępca Dyrektora: Joanna Stachyra
Zastępca Dyrektora: Jacek Multanowski

Realizuje działania mające na celu kształtowanie pozytywnego wizerunku Polski z wykorzystaniem instrumentów dyplomacji publicznej. Zarządza serwisami internetowymi MSZ.

Is in charge of promotion of the Republic of Poland abroad and elaborates appropriate strategies serving that end, encourages contacts with various social groups in foreign countries, focusing on opinion-forming circles, is responsible for creating a positive image of Poland abroad. Manages the MFA's websites.

dprom@msz.gov.pl
ddpk.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239975
fax (+48 22) 5239898

•Departament Konsularny / Department of Consular Affairs
Dyrektor: Jarosław Czubiński
Zastępca Dyrektora: Joanna Kozińska-Frybes
Zastępca Dyrektora: Włodzimierz Zdunowski

Sprawy konsularne (opieka konsularna, wizy).

Supervises the work of Polish consular offices and officers, ensures protection of Poland ’s rights and interests abroad as well as of those of Polish nationals and legal persons in foreign countries, elaborates guidelines for cooperation with other nations in the field of movement of persons as well as visa, migration and asylum policies, authenticates Polish documents meant for use abroad.

dkp.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239444
fax (+48 22) 5238872

•Departament Narodów Zjednoczonych i Praw Człowieka / Department of United Nations and Human Rights
Dyrektor: Marcin Nawrot
Zastępca Dyrektora: Marek Kuberski

Współpraca Polski z organizacjami i organami Narodów Zjednoczonych.

Poland ’s cooperation with organizations and organs of the United Nations’ system, ensures assistance to Poland ’s representatives in the disarmament-related work of UN bodies and organizations, handles the issue of Poland ’s participation in peacekeeping operations of the United Nations, coordinates establishment of Poland ’s positions with regard to global problems, deals with cooperation for development.

dsnz@msz.gov.pl
dnzpc.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239400
fax (+48 22) 6210217

•Departament Polityki Bezpieczeństwa / Department of Security Policy
Dyrektor: Adam Kobieracki
Zastępca Dyrektora: Tomasz Łękarski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Marek Szczygieł

Kwestie dotyczące bezpieczeństwa i obronności Polski.

Deals with security and defense-related issues, with due account of threats posed to security of Poland , attends on the cooperation of the Republic of Poland with NATO, WEU and OSCE, as well as with the European Union with regard to the Common European Security and Defense Policy, assists Poland ’s representatives working on NATO projects, is involved in conventional arms control, assists representatives of the Republic of Poland engaged in pursuit of disarmament initiatives, is responsible for the international cooperation of defense industries

dpb@msz.gov.pl
dpb.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239205
fax (+48 22) 5238049

•Departament Prawno-Traktatowy / Department of Legal and Treaty Issues
Dyrektor: Remigiusz Henczel
Zastępca Dyrektora: Janusz Łącki
Zastępca Dyrektora: Jacek Such

Umowy międzynarodowe, dla których ministrem właściwym jest Minister Spraw Zagranicznych.

Watches over performance of the minister’s responsibilities ensuing from provisions on international agreements, exercises supervision over the implementation of international agreements concluded by the Republic of Poland , in respect of the minister’s area of responsibility, participates in negotiating international agreements, opines on issues related to public and private international law, keeps an archive of all texts of international agreements and related documents, deals with human rights and ethnic minority-related issues, provides extensive assistance to persons representing Poland before international human rights protection bodies.

dpt@msz.gov.pl
dpt.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239424
fax (+48 22) 5238329

•Departament Strategii i Planowania Polityki Zagranicznej / Department of Strategy and Foreign Policy Planning
Zastępca Dyrektora: Maciej Pisarski

Otoczenie międzynarodowe, stosunki międzynarodowe oraz główne kierunki aktywności międzynarodowej Polski.

Analyses the international environment of the Republic of Poland, elaborates strategies of Poland ’s activities on the international forum, cooperates with scientific institutions, drafts the minister’s exposés as well as reports setting out main Polish foreign policy objectives for the next year.

dsip@msz.gov.pl
dsppz.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239051
fax (+48 22) 5238051

•Departament Unii Europejskiej / Department of the European Union
Dyrektor: Artur Harazim
Zastępca Dyrektora: Cyryl Kozaczewski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Arkadiusz Michoński

Kwestie dotyczące Unii Europejskiej.

Poland ’s policy towards European Union.

due@msz.gov.pl
due.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239175
fax (+48 22) 6210213

•Departament Współpracy Rozwojowej / Department of the Development Co-operation
Dyrektor: Marek Ziółkowski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Mirosław Sycz

Problematyka międzynarodowej współpracy na rzecz rozwoju, obsługa narodowego programu współpracy rozwojowej, współpraca z instytucjami pomocowymi Unii Europejskiej, OECD (DAC) i Systemu Narodów Zjednoczonych.

Foreign assistance that includes development assistance and support for the process of building democracy and a civil society.

dwr@msz.gov.pl
dwr.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238073
fax (+48 22) 5238074

•Departament Współpracy z Polonią / Department of the Co-operation with Polish Diaspora
Dyrektor: Wojciech Tyciński
Zastępca Dyrektora: Marta Sęk-Spirydowicz

Polityka wobec Polonii i Polaków za granicą oraz ochrona praw mniejszości polskich i Polonii. Koordynacja realizacji Rządowego Programu Współpracy z Polonią i Polakami za Granicą oraz Ustawy o Karcie Polaka

Policy towards the Polish Diaspora and Poles abroad as well as protection of the rights of Polish Diaspora and Polish minorities. Co-ordination of the Polish Diaspora Programme and the implementation of the Card of the Pole Act.

•Departament Zagranicznej Polityki Ekonomicznej / Department of Foreign Economic Policy
Dyrektor: Wojciech Ponikiewski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Grzegorz Gawin

Tworzenie założeń zagranicznej polityki ekonomicznej RP oraz sprawy związane z członkostwem RP w OECD, Światowej Organizacji Handlu, Banku Światowym, Międzynarodowym Funduszu Walutowym, Europejskim Banku Inwestycyjnym i Europejskim Banku Odbudowy i Rozwoju.

Works out guidelines for Poland ’s external economic policy, analyses main problems and trends in international economic relations, evaluates the economic security of the Republic of Poland, participates in projects undertaken in connection with Poland ’s membership of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and of the World Trade Organization.

dzpe@msz.gov.pl
dzpe.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238522
fax (+48 22) 5239149

•Protokół Dyplomatyczny / Diplomatic Protocol
Dyrektor: Mariusz Kazana
Zastępca Dyrektora: Małgorzata Łatkiewicz-Pawlak
Zastępca Dyrektora: Janusz Niesyto

Sprawy dotyczące korpusu dyplomatycznego akredytowanego w Polsce.

Is in charge of visits by heads of state and government as well as those by ministers of foreign affairs, makes arrangements for audiences of foreign diplomats accredited to Poland with Polish top-level state officials, makes arrangements for and provides catering services to diplomatic functions, handles accreditation and exequatur of representatives of foreign states to Poland , watches over the observance of diplomatic and consular privileges and immunities.

protokol@msz.gov.pl
pd.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239220
fax (+48 22) 5239617



•Biuro Archiwum i Zarządzania Informacją / Bureau of Archives and Information Managment
Dyrektor: Łukasz Lutostański
Zastępca Dyrektora: Małgorzata Mroczkowska

Klasyfikacja, gromadzenie, ewidencjonowanie, opracowywanie, przechowywanie i udostępnianie materiałów archiwalnych MSZ. Gromadzenie, analiza, zarządzanie informacją.

Keeps and allows access to the ministry’s archival resources, prepares historical documentation for the ministry, establishes principles governing circulation of unclassified documents, makes subscriptions for foreign press. Is in charge of the system of storing, processing and circulating information within the Ministry and in Polish diplomatic missions, prepares and disseminates information on Poland ’s foreign policy.

bazi.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238633
fax (+48 22) 5239823

•Biuro Bezpieczeństwa Dyplomatycznego / Bureau of Diplomatic Security
Dyrektor: Grzegorz Poznański
Zastępca Dyrektora: Artur Nowak

bbd.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239487
fax (+48 22) 5239819

•Biuro Dyrektora Generalnego / Bureau of the Director-General
Dyrektor: Marzena Krulak
Pełnomocnik Ministra ds. Informatyzacji MSZ: Marek Michalewski

Obsługa Dyrektora Generalnego, organizacja pracy w Ministerstwie oraz na placówkach zagranicznych.

Attends on the Director-General of the foreign service, supervises organization and functioning of both the ministry and Poland ’s foreign missions.

bdg@msz.gov.pl
bdg.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239787
fax (+48 22) 5238139

•Biuro Finansów / Bureau of Finances
Dyrektor: Michał Radlicki
Zastępca Dyrektora: Elżbieta Kalbarczyk-Chochół
Zastępca Dyrektora: Bogusław Nowakowski

Budżet resortu oraz sprawy finansowe placówek zagranicznych.

Manages the finances of the MFA and Polish missions abroad.

bf.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel.: (+48 22) 523 9700
fax (+48 22) 621 0317

•Biuro Informatyki i Telekomunikacji / Information Technology and Telecommunication Bureau
Dyrektor: Zbigniew Powałka
Zastępca Dyrektora: Dariusz Matysek
Zastępca Dyrektora: Grzegorz Pachulski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Dariusz Toruń

bit.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239471
fax (+48 22) 6290287

•Biuro Infrastruktury / Bureau of Infrastructure
Koordynator: Andrzej Niedźwiecki

Infrastruktura i inwestycje Ministerstwa oraz placówek zagranicznych.

Infrastructure and investments of the MFA and Polish missions abroad.

bi.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 523 8462
fax (+48 22) 523 9789, 621 0317

•Biuro Kontroli i Audytu / Bureau of Control and Audit
Dyrektor: Witold Spirydowicz
Zastępca Dyrektora: Ewa Pietruszko

bka.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238543
fax (+48 22) 5238545

•Biuro Pełnomocnika do spraw postępowań przed międzynarodowymi organami ochrony praw człowieka
Dyrektor: Jakub Wołąsiewicz

Postępowania przed Europejskim Trybunałem Praw Człowieka, Komitetem Praw Człowieka, Komitetem Przeciwko Torturom, Komitetem do spraw Likwidacji Dyskryminacji, prawne aspekty międzynarodowej ochrony praw człowieka oraz upowszechnianie wiedzy dotyczącej międzynarodowych systemów ochrony praw człowieka.

bpopc.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5238164
fax (+48 22) 5239512

•Biuro Pełnomocnika do spraw Ochrony Informacji Niejawnych
Dyrektor: Monika Sudar
Zastępca Dyrektora: Maciej Kozakiewicz

bpoin.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239216
fax (+48 22) 6286313

•Biuro Prawne i Zamówień Publicznych / Bureau of Legal Affairs and Public Tender
Dyrektor: Przemysław Czyż
Zastępca Dyrektora: Sebastian Szaładziński

Prace legislacyjne, obsługa prawna Ministerstwa oraz postępowania o udzielenie zamówień publicznych w MSZ.

bpzp.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239787
fax (+48 22) 5238139

•Biuro Spraw Osobowych i Szkolenia / Bureau of Human Resources and Training
Dyrektor: Beata Brzywczy
Zastępca Dyrektora: Ilona Węgłowska
Zastępca Dyrektora: Małgorzata Banat-Adamiuk
Zastępca Dyrektora: Roman Kowalski
Zastępca Dyrektora: Mariusz Tomaszewski

Sprawy dotyczące kwestii kadrowych (aplikacje, praktyki) oraz szkoleniowych.

biuro.szkolenia@msz.gov.pl
bsos.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239231
fax (+48 22) 5239763

•Sekretariat Ministra / Secretariat of the Minister
Dyrektor: Cezary Król
Zastępca Dyrektora: Michał Miarka

Powadzi sprawy związane z działalnością MSZ, zapewnia obsługę Ministra w zakresie jego współpracy z Prezydentem RP, Sejmem i Senatem, Prezesem i członkami Rady Ministrów, Najwyższą Izba Kontroli oraz innymi organami administracji rządowej, samorzadu terytorialnego, partiami politycznymi, instytucjami, stowarzyszeniami i innymi organizacjami; prowadzi sprawy dotyczące patronatów i zaproszeń skierowanych do Ministra Spraw Zagranicznych.

Renders services to the minister pertaining to his cooperation with public administration bodies, provides secretarial and clerical attendance on the ministry’s leadership, is in charge of the minister’s agenda, coordinating his visits and appointments.

sekretariat.ministra@msz.gov.pl
sm.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel. (+48 22) 5239201
fax (+48 22) 6257652

•Zarząd Obsługi
Dyrektor: Artur Szczepaniec
Zastępca Dyrektora: Krzysztof Cieślak
Zastępca Dyrektora: Małgorzata Tyszkiewicz-Adamczyk

zo.sekretariat@msz.gov.pl
tel.: (+48 22) 5239659
fax: (+48 22) 6283363

Friday, April 10, 2009

The Israel Lobby (Marije Meerman, VPRO Backlight 2007)

The Israel Lobby (Marije Meerman, VPRO Backlight 2007)




For many years now the American foreign policy has been characterized by the strong tie between the United States and Israel. Does the United States in fact keep Israel on its feet? And how long will it continue to do so? In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel, and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became 'victims' of the lobby. The question arises to what extend the pro-Israel lobby ultimately determines the military and political importance of Israel itself. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (Colin Powell's former chief-of-staff) explains how the lobby's influence affects the decision-making structure in the White House.
With political scientist John Mearsheimer, neocon Richard Perle, lobby organization AIPAC, televangelist John Hagee, historian Tony Judt, Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth, colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Democrat Earl Hilliard, Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy and investigative journalist Michael Massing.

Research: William de Bruijn
Director: Marije Meerman

Monday, April 6, 2009

Dziekanski of Poland brutally killed by Canadian airport security Inquiry reveals more of Dziekanski's life in Poland Updated Sun. Apr. 5 2009 3

Dziekanski of Poland brutally killed by Canadian airport security




Inquiry reveals more of Dziekanski's life in Poland
Updated Sun. Apr. 5 2009 3:45 PM ET

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER -- If most Canadians remember Robert Dziekanski as the panicked, out-of-control figure who died in RCMP hands at Vancouver's airport, Wojciech Dibon might tell them about the Dziekanski who acted as a father to him, taking him camping and teaching him about geography.

But Dibon wasn't able to tell the inquiry into Dziekanski's death about the man he knew.

Dibon, the son of a woman Dziekanski was living with, was 17 when he died and he remains so distraught over the man's death that he was unable to testify at the inquiry sorting out what happened at the airport early on Oct. 14, 2007.

"He and Mr. Dziekanski were very close," says Walter Kosteckyj, the lawyer for Dziekanski's mother.

"This young man didn't have a father figure, Mr. Dziekanski took him camping, taught him the skills of manhood, spent time with him."

Dibon was one of the last people Dziekanski saw before he made his fateful trip to Canada, coming along for the two-hour ride to the airport on Oct. 13, 2007.

Upon arriving in Vancouver more than 20 hours later, Dziekanski spent hours lost in the airport, unable to connect with his mother who was frantically searching for him in another area of the facility.

RCMP were called after Dziekanski, sweating and exhausted, started throwing furniture in the international terminal. Within seconds of arriving, the four officers stunned the man several times with a Taser, and Dziekanski died on the airport floor in the minutes that followed.

The amateur video of Dziekanski's chilling screams and his encounter with police will be the epitaph left for most Canadians, but his friends and neighbours recall a different man, kind and friendly but also with his own share of flaws, eager to start a new life.

Dibon was hospitalized shortly after Dziekanski's death.

"He's had a hard time dealing with that," says Kosteckyj.

Dibon's absence, along with the inquiry testimony last week of others who knew Dziekanski in Gliwice, Poland, adds depth to the man Dziekanski's supporters have angrily accused government and police lawyers of trying to vilify.

He loved geography and read many books about the country that was to be his new home, the inquiry heard.

He played chess and gardened.

He may have had some trouble with the law as a teenager. He smoked and drank.

He was terrified of flying.

"Like a normal person," says Iwona Kosowska, offering a simple explanation when asked to describe her former neighbour.

"He was a very, very good man."

Dziekanski was born in the town of Pieszyce in southern Poland and later moved with his mother to Gliwice, a small industrial city not far from the borders with Slokavia and Czech Republic.

He lived in the same apartment with his mother, Zofia Cisowski, for much of his life, until she moved in 1999 to Kamloops, B.C., where she found work as a janitor.

After Cisowski left, Dziekanski lived with Dibon's mother, Elzbieta, although it's still not clear whether they were romantically involved, and if so for how long.

While he was trained to typeset in a print shop, by the time he left for Canada he was mostly doing odd jobs, heavy labour or handy work. Without a full-time job or much money, his mother would send home cash from B.C.

He planned to learn English when he arrived and find a job, possibly working with his mother.

And he also wanted to travel across Canada to see a place he had only read about in the many books and atlases he had collected about the country.

His hobbies included playing chess and bridge with friends and working at a nearby garden plot given to him by a family member.

"I would play quite often chess with him and just before he left he gave me a gift of portable chess board," said Ryszard Krasinski, Dziekanski's friend of eight years.

"He had a huge collection of atlases and other geographical material and he had very deep knowledge of geography."

When he left for Canada, Dziekanski, who only spoke Polish, had barely been outside the country and never overseas.

His long trip to Vancouver was his first time flying, and the thought of being on a plane terrified him.

When a friend arrived to drive him to the airport, Dziekanski was in a panic, clutching a radiator, vomiting and refusing to leave.

The scene brings to mind the video of Dziekanski's final moments the next day in Vancouver, the would-be immigrant pacing around the international terminal, throwing furniture and rambling in Polish about smashing the area around him but also asking for help.

Dziekanski's neighbours insisted he didn't anger easily and was never aggressive -- a description echoed by border agents and airline staff who said he was calm and co-operative when they dealt with him.

RCMP lawyers at the inquiry have made much of Dziekanski's apparent legal troubles stretching back to an incident more than two decades earlier.

Dziekanski may have spent time in a reformatory school following a robbery when he was 17, but details have been foggy because it didn't result in a criminal record.

Police and prosecutors in Canada have also suggested Dziekanski was an alcoholic, but his neighbours say he was only a social drinker and had rarely, if ever, seen him drunk.

Whatever his problems, they weren't too much for Canadian immigration officials, who approved him to enter the country.

"He was talking about it quite often -- he told me he was going to Canada, where there is milk and honey," says neighbour and family friend Magda Czelwinska.

"He was very happy because he loved his mother very much and he couldn't wait to meet her."