Bush keeps Poland off visa list

The Washington Times ^ | October 17, 2008 | Nicholas Kralev

[lizol]

Bush keeps Poland off visa list

Nicholas Kralev Friday, October 17, 2008

President Bush angered staunch ally Poland Friday by excluding it from a group of newcomers to a program that allows citizens of certain countries to visit the United States without entry visas.

At a Rose Garden ceremony, Mr. Bush announced rescinding visa requirements for six other former communist countries -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- as well as South Korea, effective in about a month.

"For years, the leaders of these nations have explained to me how frustrating it is for their citizens to wait in lines, pay visa fees to take a vacation or make a business trip or visit their families here in the United States," Mr. Bush said.

"These close friends of America told me that it was unfair that their people had to jump through bureaucratic hoops that other allies can walk around," he added. "I told them I agree with them."

But Poland, the Bush administration's strongest ally in Central and Eastern Europe, which was the most vocal supporter of the Iraq war and sent troops early on, was absent from the ceremony.

"There is a sense of disappointment on our part," said Pawel Kotowski, counselor at the Polish Embassy in Washington. "We hope the next administration will take up this issue as a top priority. We have signals from both [the Obama and McCain] campaigns that they will look at Poland's membership in the program favorably."

[Hostage]

I know for a fact that the Baltics must send their people to the US Embassy in Warsaw to get their biometric and green card interviews.

I doubt that those countries are yet equipped to meet the new passport standards.

[kabar]

The Department of Homeland Security recently signed the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Malta, and Korea government representatives. These MOU's do not admit these countries into the Visa Waiver Program; they are agreements for further cooperation on the security provisions that are required under the new VWP law. They are only a first step in working out details for the entire array of security and information sharing commitments found in VWP law. Important Note: At the present time, citizens of the above countries continue to require a U.S. Visa for travel to the United States

Visa Waiver Program - How a Country Qualifies

[Hostage]

Thank you. That clears up the subject immensely.

[Kozel89]

The Polish press got it right and reported just the facts about the Congressional mandate. Too bad, the Wash Times fell into the same old “Blame Bush”game.

http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/foreign-affairs/?id=93578

[warsaw44]

This is a friggin joke. Thanks Bush.

[Freelance Warrior]

I read on the Internet Poland holds next turn together with several other Eastern-Europeans countries. If it’s true, no reason to moan here.