Another Pole Wounded in Iraq
On the evening of Feb. 29 a Polish soldier was seriously wounded during an attack on a checkpoint situated in the Polish stabilization zone, 15 kilometers from Karbala. The soldier underwent two operations-one in a Polish field hospital in Karbala and another in an American hospital in Baghdad. His general condition is serious, yet stable. General Mieczys豉w Bieniek, commander-in-chief of the international division, confirmed that several Iraqi soldiers of the civil defense service and some policemen were injured in the attack as well. One of them lost both legs. Also injured were several civilians, including Iranian citizens passing through the checkpoint when the attack took place. A speeding bus driven by a suicide bomber tried to crush the checkpoint near Karbala. The driver did not react to any warnings made by the soldiers; he was probably intending to detonate explosives hidden in the bus. Iraqi police and soldiers opened fire and killed the driver. The bus, with no other passengers on board, drove into a crowd of Iraqi pilgrims on their way to Karbala to take part in the most important Shiite holiday, Ashur. According to General Bieniek, because of the holiday extraordinary measures have been taken to secure the pilgrims' safety. The streets of Karbala and Najaf will be patrolled by Iraqi police and Poles will check the pilgrims at checkpoints situated in city suburbs.

About 3 million Shiites are expected to visit Karbala, where Mohammed's grandson, imam Hussein, died in a battle 1,300 years ago. Ashur has not been celebrated so ceremoniously for over 30 years. During Saddam Hussein's rule, pilgrimages to the hero's grave on Ashur were prohibited.


Cimoszewicz in Slovakia
During his Feb. 25 visit to Slovakia, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister W這dzimierz Cimoszewicz (pictured above, with Eduard Kukan, right) said that cooperation among Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and hungary had not been satisfactory. "The coming months will show how much the Visehrad Group is worth," said Cimoszewicz. "I would like us to speak as one voice during debates on eastern policy and the European Union budget." His opinion was not shared by Slovakian Foreign Affairs Minster Eduard Kukan. "We do not want to transform Visehrad into an alliance," said Kukan after talks with the Polish minister. "We want to treat it as a well-functioning mechanism of interstate cooperation." Both politicians view Polish/Slovakian relations as very good. Trade between the countries is constantly increasing-last year's growth was 30 percent. Slovakia supports the Polish "one state-one commissioner" in regard to the Constitutional Treaty. However, it is not interested in the introduction of the Nice system of voting in the European Union Council-a bone of contention between Poland and key players in the European Union.


Army Against Romany
The biggest joint campaign by the police and army in Slovakian history took place on the same day as the Polish minister's visit. The Slovakian authorities are clamping down on organized gangs of Romany responsible for looting grocery stores. The last robbery took place Feb. 24 in Czeklova. A total of 2,000 policemen were sent to eastern Slovakia, where the riots took place. According to the recent census, 91,000 Romany live in Slovakia. The true size of their population is several times bigger-according to government data: 380,000. The vast majority of Romany live in extreme poverty in settlements situated near cities, towns and bigger villages. Most of these settlements are situated in eastern Slovakia. Nearly all are deprived of water, electricity and sewage systems. The rate of unemployment among Romany reaches 100 percent. They survive on welfare which, due to a recent decision by the Slovakian government, is to be substantially reduced. This decision caused an outbreak of Romany discontent.


Ma造sz Falls
Feb. 27 Adam Ma造sz had a serious accident during training before a World Cup competition in Salt Lake City. Landing at a distance of 115.5 meters, Ma造sz fell, hitting the snow with the back of his head at a speed of 110 kilometers per hour. He remained unconscious for 20 seconds. "No ordinary man would have survived such an accident," said coach Apoloniusz Tajner. Ma造sz's helmet collapsed completely when he fell. The Polish jumper was immediately transported to a local university hospital, where examinations revealed concussion. After several hours the patient was sent home with a prescription for a considerable dose of medicine. Ma造sz could hardly remember the episode and was unable to say anything about the cause of the accident. "He has headaches, he can't move freely and he has pains in the nape of his neck and back. He also vomited several times," says coach Jan Szturc. It is not certain whether Ma造sz will be able to take part in the remaining World Cup competitions. According to the doctors he may have to cease jumping until next season.