The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier continues to wreak havoc on air travel to and from many European nations. The ash cloud and resulting disruption in air travel has forced many world leaders to cancel plans to attend the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski. Kaczynski, along with his wife Maria, were among 96 people killed in a plane crash in Russia last Saturday.
State Funeral to be Held Sunday
A state funeral will be held Sunday, April 18, 2010, in Krakow for Kaczynski and his wife, after a week of intense mourning in Poland. Over 180,000 mourners have reportedly viewed the remains of the President and his wife since they went on public display in the presidential palace last Tuesday. The week of mourning culminated on Saturday with a commemoration of the dead ceremony including a Roman Catholic Requiem mass in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square. A crowd of 100,000 mourners gathered to pay their last respects.
Obama, Harper, Prince Charles Send Regrets
The unprecedented air traffic cancellations left many world leaders with no option but to cancel plans to attend the state funeral. President Obama issued a statement of regret about not going to Krakow. He stated that, "President Kaczynski was a patriot and close ally of the United States, as were those who died alongside him, and the American people will never forget the lives they led."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, expressed regret that a window of opportunity to fly did not open up. Soudas called the flight "not advisable and not possible." Canada will be represented at the funeral by Dan Costello, Canada's ambassador to Poland.
President Obama and the United States will be represented by U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein.
President's Twin Brother Insisted the Funeral go Ahead
Despite the absence of many world leaders, Kaczynski's twin brother Jaroslaw, a former Prime Minister, insisted that the state funeral went ahead as planned. Kaczynski will be buried in the Wawel crypt along with Poland's kings, and other national heroes. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the plane crash the "greatest tragedy in Poland since the war."
The outpouring of grief over the tragic death of Kaczynski, his wife and many other of Poland's important officials has been tempered by some protests about the burial site. Kaczynski's popularity had dropped prior to his death and he was not expected to win re-election in the fall vote. Some Poles feel his final resting place should not be at such a sacred spot.
The protests however have not interfered with the state funeral, and with France's President Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in attendance, Kaczynski will be laid to rest on Sunday.
References
"Poland to Bury President as Ash Cloud Threatens". Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters, April 18, 2010
"Polish president buried Sunday". Vancouver Sun, April 17, 2010
Lorah Delaney - Lorah is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a degree in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia and a ...
