Re: We should be there, Volume 11, Number 12, March 28 - April 3, 2005
I want to share news of two new developments in connection with the visa issue.
In an April 4th EU communication, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU Commissioner for External Relations, promised to continue pressing the United States to remove the visa requirement for the new EU member states. Whatever the outcome, it is gratifying to see the European Union repeatedly bringing this issue to the forefront of its discussion with the United States.
The second development has to do with two bills that were recently introduced in the US House of Representatives. Both bills seek to include Poland in the United States Visa Waiver Program.
One bill is sponsored by Connecticut Congresswoman Nancy Johnson and the second by Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Both bills stress that Poland has shown itself to be a staunch and true ally of the United States.
While these efforts on the part of United States representatives can only be applauded, it is important to note that the same rationale applies to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and many other new EU and NATO member states that have supported the United States policy in Iraq.
Boris Bakunas,
Chicago, USA
