President Barack Obama on Saturday threw his weight behind efforts in Congress to ease visa restrictions on Poles traveling to the United States, seeking to remove an ongoing irritant with a close NATO ally.
Obama announced his support for changing the visa waiver program during a trip to Warsaw, where he praised the eastern European country as an important partner on the world stage.Poles have found the visa restrictions to be at variance with that partnership, and the issue remains one thorn in an otherwise mostly cordial relationship. Obama said he wanted to change existing U.S. law to ease the restrictions, and the White House released a letter he sent to lawmakers expressing that wish. "We very much want you to shop on Fifth Avenue and anywhere else in the United States," Obama said at a press conference, responding to a questioner who said the rules were preventing Poles from buying goods on that famous New York shopping street. "Our expectation is...that by this change in the law, we can be in a position to resolve this issue in a way that is satisfactory to Poland but also meets the security concerns of the United States," Obama said. Obama will need the support of Congress to make the change.
Relaxing the visa requirement would improve Polish perceptions of the United States and could help Prime Minister Donald Tusk's center-right government before October elections. Tusk thanked Obama for his "personal engagement" in the issue and said it was in the interest of the United States to make more money from Polish tourists. "What is and what should be important in Poland is that more and more Polish people make enough money to be able to afford shopping on Fifth Avenue," Tusk said, according to a translation of his remarks. Poles have long fumed over having to queue outside the U.S. embassy for hours to buy a visa, especially after Warsaw sent troops to serve alongside U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We have been repeatedly told that we are America's most loyal ally, but when it comes down to things, we have to queue for visas along with tourists from high-risk countries," said Agata Widera, 21, a history student. "I hope this matter will finally be solved." In his May 28 letter to U.S. lawmakers, Obama said Poland deserved to be part of the Visa Waiver Program. "Countries that are willing to cooperate with the United States on our global priorities, including on counterterrorism initiatives, information sharing, and prevention of terrorist travel, deserve the opportunity to become part of our VWP. I also share your support for Poland and disappointment that this close NATO ally has been excluded from the VWP to date."
Relaxing the visa requirement would improve Polish perceptions of the United States and could help Prime Minister Donald Tusk's center-right government before October elections. Tusk thanked Obama for his "personal engagement" in the issue and said it was in the interest of the United States to make more money from Polish tourists. "What is and what should be important in Poland is that more and more Polish people make enough money to be able to afford shopping on Fifth Avenue," Tusk said, according to a translation of his remarks. Poles have long fumed over having to queue outside the U.S. embassy for hours to buy a visa, especially after Warsaw sent troops to serve alongside U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We have been repeatedly told that we are America's most loyal ally, but when it comes down to things, we have to queue for visas along with tourists from high-risk countries," said Agata Widera, 21, a history student. "I hope this matter will finally be solved." In his May 28 letter to U.S. lawmakers, Obama said Poland deserved to be part of the Visa Waiver Program. "Countries that are willing to cooperate with the United States on our global priorities, including on counterterrorism initiatives, information sharing, and prevention of terrorist travel, deserve the opportunity to become part of our VWP. I also share your support for Poland and disappointment that this close NATO ally has been excluded from the VWP to date."
Source: Reuters
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