US President George W. Bush signed a
congressional act waiving visas for certain
countries, but not for Poland.
The new legislation, aimed at reducing
the threat of terrorism, allows visa waivers
only for those countries whose citizens
enjoy a rejection rate of less than 10 percent.
But while the new guidelines open the
door to visa-free travel for Czechs and
Estonians, Poland’s rejection rate of 26 percent
disqualifies its citizens. The Bush
administration had reportedly supported
waiving visas for Poles due to the country’s
strong support in the US-led wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, but failed to win congressional
backing for the move.
The news came as a blow to Polish hopes
of having visas lifted following a visit to
Washington by Polish President Lech
Kaczyñski in July during which the visa
issue was discussed during talks over the
US’s planned missile defense shield.