NATO Tour for Polish Parliamentarians Focuses on Missile Defense

18 April 2008

Left to right: U.S. Embassy Press Attache Andrew Schilling, Tomasz Kaminski (LiD), Waldemar Andzel (PiS), Michal Marcinkiewicz (PO), Cezary Tomczyk (PO), Mariusz Kaminski (PiS), Bronislaw Dutka (PSL), Andrzej Rossa (Embassy interpreter) (more photos)

The U.S. Embassy's Press Attaché Andrew Schilling accompanied six Polish parliamentarians to Brussels and the United Kingdom on a four-day tour of NATO offices and facilities from April 14 to 17. The focus of the trip was to provide background on the European missile defense basing proposal and its relation to NATO. The stop in the UK allowed members to visit the U.S. military facility at RAF Alconbury and hear briefings from local officials about the impact of such a facility on the community. Other briefings at JCF Headquarters in Brunnsum provided an overview of NATO’s command and operating structure and details of NATO’s ISAF operations in Afghanistan.
  
The members of Poland’s sejm (parliament) who participated in the trip represented a broad spectrum of political parties:  Waldemar Andzel (PiS), Mariusz Kaminski (PiS), Michal Marcinkiewicz (PO), Cezary Tomczyk (PO), Bronislaw Dutka (PSL) and Tomasz Kaminski (LiD).

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Victoria Nuland met with the delegation at NATO headquarters and discussed the recent NATO Summit in Bucharest, NATO’s role in Afghanistan, and NATO policy on missile defense.   While in London, the group met with officials in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and was joined by 1st Secretary at the British Embassy in Warsaw Jane Cordell, who helped facilitate briefings at parliament and the Foreign Office.