FILE - In this March 30, 2016 file photo Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz shows a document during a session of a special parliamentary commission. in Warsaw . Several former Polish defense ministers are calling for Macierewicz's dismissal, arguing that he is undermining the image of Poland's military within NATO and in Polish society itself. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Republished May 15, 2016 - 7:37 AM
Original Publication Date May 15, 2016 - 6:40 AM
WARSAW, Poland - Several former Polish defence ministers are calling for the dismissal of the current minister, arguing that he is undermining the image of Poland's military within NATO and Polish society itself.
The letter, made public Sunday, comes several days after Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz accused his predecessors of leaving the country defenceless with mismanagement and allowing Russian agents to influence military training.
The signatories say Macieriewicz's claims aren't true. They said he has discredited the army, undermined the country's image with its allies and encouraged "aggressive activities against our country" by enemies.
A spokesman for the president, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice party, denounced the letter as a "tool of the opposition" being used in a "political fight."
The letter was signed by former Defence Ministers Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Bronislaw Komorowski, Radoslaw Sikorski, Bogdan Klich and Tomasz Siemoniak, and former deputy defence minister Janusz Zemke.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016