Interview with Lech Walesa «Poland has turned a page" THE INTERVIEW below with Lech Walesa was published in the April 20 issue of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on the occasion of the Solidarnosc leader's visit to Italy. J UST BEFORE you came to Italy, you met General Jaruzelski, the man who outlawed Solidarnosc in 1981. What did you feel as you shook his hand?
Since I became a politician — and I did Since 1 became a politician — and I did so against my will — my feelings have no longer had any importance. I can tell you, in any case, that I went to the meeting with Jaruzelski with a very clear idea, with the certainty that Poland has turned a page, that the time of struggle and confrontation among us is over, and that a new period -undoubtedly a still more difficult one — is opening up. It is the era of dialogue to build the future of our society.
We know that Solidarnose has won a great political victory, but we would be irresponsible if we rested on our laurels. The hardest road, both for us and for the government, remains ahead. And I am not sure if I did the right thing in changing methods. The future will tell whether I was wrong. • Would the round-table's success have been possible without the moderating role of the Church? Will this role be sufficient to guarantee the continuation of the democratization process?
It has to be remembered that in Poland there is a perfect symbiosis, unique in the world, between the society and the Catholic Church. This is why the relations between Solidarnosc and the bishops become tighter in difficult moments, but the union movement retains its indepen-