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WORLD NEWS Friday 4 august 2017

Poland questions EU’s Tusk for hours in case seen as revenge

By VANESSA GERA Tusk was the Polish prime
Associated Press minister at the time of the
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — 2010 crash, which occurred
Polish investigators ques- in Russia and killed 96 peo-
tioned Donald Tusk, presi- ple, many of them top Pol-
dent of the European ish state and military offi-
Council, for more than cials.
eight hours Thursday as a Prosecutors said they are
witness in an investigation trying to determine why
into the 2010 plane crash Polish authorities of the
that killed President Lech time did not take part in
Kaczynski — a case widely the autopsies, which were
seen as an attempt to dis- performed by Russians and
credit and humiliate the EU later shown to be sloppy.
leader by his longtime rival. Exhumations have re-
Ahead of the interrogation, vealed that some body
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the parts got mixed up and
country’s ruling party lead- were buried in the wrong
er and the brother of the graves.
former president, said Tusk Tusk’s Polish supporters see
“should be afraid.” the questioning as part of
But Tusk emerged from the a bitter feud going back
questioning by Polish prose- years that pits him against
cutors saying he would not Kaczynski, the man who di-
be intimated by the pro- rects most government de-
ceedings, which his lawyer cisions now.
described as politically mo- Kaczynski’s latest steps in- President of the European Council Donald Tusk leaves the prosecutor’s office in Warsaw, Poland,
tivated. clude the conservative rul- Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. Polish investigators questioned Donald Tusk as a witness Thursday in an
“I do not have anything to ing party’s attempts to put investigation into the 2010 plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski — a case widely seen
fear. And Mr. Kaczynski will the justice system under his as a politically-driven attempt to discredit the EU leader.
not scare me, no matter party’s control. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
how badly he wants to get The European Union says Tusk spoke out Thursday the rulers, the justice system group.”
me,” Tusk told reporters af- the planned judicial against the ruling party’s is also to serve as an organ Grzegorz Schetyna, head
ter the questioning ended. changes erode the rule of moves. against competitors, op- of the Civic Platform party
He said for legal reasons he law and has opened an “The systemic actions we position or people whom that Tusk once led, called
could not comment on the infringement procedure are witnessing leave no they do not like,” he said. Thursday’s questioning part
content of the questioning. against Poland. doubt that, in the minds of “I’m afraid I belong to this of a “witch hunt.” q

Merkel rival Schulz suggests he’d deal better with Trump

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor cial Democrats struggling try and the whole world.” chilled his relations with but the duty to do that.”
Angela Merkel’s challenger to gain traction, trailing Asked how he would deal then-U.S. President George Schulz said, while it isn’t akin
in Germany’s Sept. 24 elec- Merkel’s conservatives by with Trump as chancellor, W. Bush. to boxing, “politics some-
tion is suggesting that he 12 to 18 percentage points. Schulz pointed to the ex- “Men like Trump ultimately times needs clear words. I
would be better at standing Schulz criticized Trump for ample of former Chancel- need what they spread think I am better here than
up to U.S. President Donald “merciless nepotism” and lor Gerhard Schroeder, a themselves: clear messag- Ms. Merkel.”
Trump than the longtime for his habit of conducting Social Democrat, who “un- es,” said Schulz, a longtime Merkel has taken a diplo-
German leader. politics via Twitter. ambiguously said no to a president of the European matic approach toward
Martin Schulz’s comments “I think reducing politics to U.S. president” on the inva- Parliament. “I would coun- Trump but also has dis-
in an interview with Der a tweet is really dangerous sion of Iraq. ter him as clearly as pos- tanced herself from the
Spiegel magazine pub- for a U.S. president,” he was Schroeder’s stance helped sible. president by suggesting Eu-
lished Thursday came as quoted as saying. him win a tight re-election A German head of govern- rope can no longer entirely
polls show his center-left So- “Trump is a risk for his coun- campaign in 2002, but ment has not only the right rely on the United States.q