“We remember those who did not want to die for Gdańsk…”
From President Kwaśniewski’s Statement to send Polish troops to Iraq

“…We are part of a grand anti-terrorist coalition formed in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. I recall those events because the memory of not only people, but also states turns out to be short. We remember our pain and the shared tragedy, also associated with the death of our compatriots buried under the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City. We recall a deep conviction we all held at that time that war against terrorism had to be fought as consistently as possible until the very end. Today, many months later, I would like to repeat these words: War against terrorism must be fought as consistently as possible until the very end and until it brings positive effects to all of us.

Poland has never been and will never be in favor of war. We are a nation and a state that cherishes peace because in the past we were too often victims of wars, partitions, misfortunes, violence, and terrorism in different forms. Of all nations, the Polish people should not be lectured about the meaning of peace. We know it very well. But we also know the meaning of failure to act. We know perfectly well the meaning of indifference. We have bitter experience of many wars. And we know the meaning of indifference at the time of threat, like the indifference Poland experienced in 1939. We remember those who, then, did not want to die for Gdańsk, and we remember the consequences of those decisions. Having been tried so severely in the past, today we appeal to the international community for peace, but not at the cost of accepting crime, violence, and terrorism. We say yes to peace if we can ensure it to all people across the world…”