Posted on 03/02/2011 6:03:20 AM PST by lizol
Poland honours Senator McCain
02.03.2011 08:14
Former US presidential candidate Senator John McCain (right) was awarded with Poland’s Commander's Cross with the Star of the Order of Merit by Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski in Washington, Tuesday, for his extraordinary contribution to Polish-US relations.
The republican senator was given the honours at the Atlantic Council's annual Bronislaw Geremek Lecture, named after a former foreign minister of Poland who died in a road accident in 2008.
McCain was one of the US’s strongest supporters of Poland’s eventually successful bid to join NATO in the 1990s.
"I am honoured and moved,” McCain said after receiving the awards, emphasising that this will mobilize him to work even harder for democracy, this time in the Middle East and North Africa.
"Just as we did after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we should help these countries which are in transition to democracy," he added.
Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski was at the Atlantic Council to deliver a lecture where he recalled Poland’s road to democracy.
He noted the parallels between the anti-communist revolts in Central and Eastern European in the 1980s and the uprisings currently sweeping the Middle East.
He also stressed the need to aid insurgents in Libya.
“This year's events in the Middle East will be a great theme and challenge during Poland’s presidency of the EU [starting 1 July],” Sikorski told the American audience.
Senator McCain called for a no-fly zone to be put in place over Libya to prevent Col. Gaddafi using aircraft to put down the rebellion.
On Thursday, Radek Sikorski is scheduled for talks with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
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That is all.
Putting this on my short list of good things McCain did after 1980.
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As to mclame...even a broken clock is right twice each day.
This he deserves.
I will add my praise to McCain. Deeds are what matter and I like the deeds of McCain.
I have even here heard the voices, that that Eastern European countries should not have been allowed to NATO as not to “offend” Russia.
For Russia not “offending” means giving them carte blance for bullying these countries. And it is not like hollywood teen-movie bullying. Looking at numbers, my native Estonia has to stand up in a bar fight of 120 others against the 1 as this is the population difference.
I know many do not care about my country. Let the Russians have it! The same logic would go if Russians take one square mile of USA ... are you going to have a Carl Sagan nuclear winter for one square mile ... then comes the second square mile and third.
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