PAC Leaders briefed on new US-Polish travel agreement
September 7, 2004
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland requested a meeting of the National and regional leadership of the PAC with a Polish government delegation which was in the US to sign the Immigration Advisory Program (IAP) agreement with the Department of Homeland Security facilitating travel of Polish citizens to the United States.
The meeting was held at the PAC Washington Office on K Street NW, hosted by its Director, Col. Casimir I. Lenard. The Polish delegation described the terms of the new agreement, and the circumstances of how the two countries arrived at it. The delegation stated that this was but a first step in improving conditions for travel to the U.S. by Polish citizens, and that the goal is the inclusion of Poland in the Visa Waiver Program, which will allow Polish citizens to travel to the U.S. for purposes of tourism or family visits without the necessity to apply for and pay for U.S. visas. The members of the delegation stressed that it is up to Polonia to lobby the U.S. Congress to include Poland in this program, and asked the PAC to lead this effort in the same way that our organization did in the very successful drive for NATO expansion in the late 1990's.
The terms are more fully
described in press releases by:
Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency of the
Department of Homeland Security.
| In the PAC Washington Office: From left: Les Kuczynski, PAC National Executive Director, Chicago; Piotr Mochnaczewski, Ministry of Internal Affairs; Col. Casimir Lenard, Director of the PAC Washington Office; Janusz Skolimowski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bogusław Winid, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Poland; Casimir Musielak, PAC Illinois Division; Wiesław Czyżowicz, Ministry of Finance; Susanne Lotarski, VP of Washington Metro Division; Thaddeus Mirecki, President, Washington Metro Division. |
Participants of the meeting were:
| Polish Government Delegation: | |
 |
Janusz Skolimowski, Director of the Consular and Polonian Affairs Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
|
|
Piotr Mochnaczewski, Director of International Cooperation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration |
|
|
Wiesław Czyżowicz, Undersecretary of State (Vice-Minister) in the Ministry of Finance and Chief of the Customs Service |
|
|
Paweł Dakowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. |
|
|
Min. Bogusław Winid, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the
Republic of Poland. |
| PAC National Office: | |
|
|
Les Kuczynski, National Executive Director, Chicago |
|
|
Pamela Komorowski, Director of the Chicago National Office |
|
|
Casimir I. Lenard, Director of the Washington National Office and VP of the Washington Metropolitan Area Division |
|
|
Casimir Musielak |
| PAC Washington Metropolitan Area Division: | |
|
|
Thaddeus Mirecki, President |
|
|
Dr. Susanne Lotarski, VP |
|
|
Irena Mirecki |
| PAC Maryland Division | |
|
|
Frank Lanocha, President |
|
|
Richard Poremski |
| PAC Eastern Pennsylvania Division (Philadelphia) | |
|
|
Teresa Romanowska |
| PAC New Jersey Division | |
|
|
Ludwik Wnekowicz, President |
The meeting included a delicious lunch catered by the chef of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland (beef tenderloin and poached salmon), for which the PAC sincerely thanks the Embassy.