Poland seeks to fill key positions after accident

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland began on Monday to fill key positions in government after President Lech Kaczynski and other officials were killed in a plane crash over the weekend, plunging the country into mourning.

Russian investigators identified the body of Kaczynski”s wife, Maria, after the coffin with the remains of President was taken to his country on Sunday to a packed Warsaw flowers, candles and red-white national flags .

logged only one quarter of the 96 victims of the accident.

Former Russian Tupolev plane fell in the middle of a dense fog after hitting tips of trees near Smolensk Airport on Saturday after the pilot ignored warnings from air traffic controllers not to land, according to reports.

Some media have speculated that the actual Kaczynski was able to order the pilot to land at Smolensk despite the poor visibility, but Poland”s chief prosecutor said there was no information as yet to support that theory.

The deaths are a huge hit for political and military elite, but do not pose a threat to the stability of the country, 38 million people and is firmly anchored in the European Union and the NATO alliance, led by the United States.

Although the president has the power to veto laws, is the Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who determines policy. Only three deputy ministers of government were on the plane.

CABIN RECORDINGS

Acting Chair, Bronislaw Komorowski, a member of Civic Platform (PO) Tusk who was favored to defeat the right Kaczynski in elections planned for October, said Monday that filled important positions left vacant after the fatal accident.

“The first task set for the new head of the National Security Bureau (BBN) is a revision of the standards of travel of senio1000r military officers, “he told reporters.

Kaczynski and its surroundings were traveling to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the slaughter of Polish officers at the hands of the Soviet secret police NKVD in the Katyn forest near.

Speculation that Kaczynski may have ordered the landing seemed to come from an incident in 2008, when Georgia had a brief war with Russia.

Back then, when Kaczynski traveled to Georgia to show solidarity, was furious when its pilot refused to land in the capital Tbilisi because of security issues.

Russian Vice Premier Sergei Ivanov said the two voice recorders have been recovered the cockpit from the fuselage and are being decoded.

“It is confirmed that time the crew received a warning about adverse weather conditions and a recommendation to land at another airport,” said Ivanov.

Komorowski said do not rush their decision on who will replace Slawomir Skrzypek, the president of the Central Bank.

However, the Monetary Policy Council met on Monday the bank and agreed that the second died , Piotr Wiesiolek which has taken over daily operations, will chair meetings of the organism with the authority to set interest rates, until a new president is appointed.

The Polish economy was the only one of the 27 nations comprising the European Union not contracted in 2009.

On Tuesday, there will be a joint session of the Polish parliament and is expected to start Komorowski negotiations with the country”s political parties to set the date for presidential elections.

(Additional reporting by Conor Sweeney in Moscow, Chris Borowski in Warsaw; Written by Gareth Jones and Noah Barkin, editing by Gabriela Donoso Spanish /Juana Casas)