Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party I extend my deepest sympathies to the Polish people on the death of President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria and 94 other people in the Smolensk air crash on 10 April. For any country, the death of so many of its citizens would be a terrible disaster but the loss of such a body of distinguished leaders of political, civic and military society in Poland is a particularly devastating blow.

It is probable that no other country has had to experience the loss of so many key national figures in one accident. Apart from President Kaczynski and his wife, the victims also included the chief of the Polish general staff and other senior military officers, the president of the national bank of Poland, the deputy foreign ministers and 12 members of the Polish Parliament, including Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the deputy speaker of the Polish Parliament who would also have been the Democratic Left Alliance candidate in the presidential elections due this autumn. Also in the plane crash were the head of the Polish Olympic Committee, the Polish ombudsman, many key government officials and relatives of the victims of the Katyn massacre.

It is a particularly poignant aspect of this disaster that these people died on their way to what was intended to be effectively a ceremony of reconciliation between the Polish and Russian people in a shared commemoration of the Katyn massacre of 22,000 soldiers and other Polish citizens by the Soviets in 1940. If any small crumb of comfort can be drawn from this terrible disaster, it is perhaps that the shared sense of shock and loss has brought the two peoples closer.

The Polish people have had a difficult history, having had to endure occupation and oppression on many occasions. In the past 20 years, Poland has blossomed; its democracy is firmly established, its economy has grown and it has become a respected member of the European Union. The loss of so many key political, military and economic figures will be a significant setback but I have no doubt the Polish people will recover from this disaster with the courage and determination that has characterised their long history.

Our two countries have some shared experience in terms of history but the links between Ireland and Poland have developed significantly since it joined the European Union. We have seen significant Polish immigration to this country and many of us now have Polish friends, neighbours and workmates. A disaster like this must be even more difficult to cope with when away from one's own home, neighbours and community. I particularly extend my deepest sympathy to the members of the Polish community in Ireland. Thar ceann an Lucht Oibre, déanaim comhbhrón le Rialtas na Polainne agus le pobal na Polainne, go háirithe iad atá ina gcónaí anseo in Éirinn.

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