Poland’s Walesa wants to reconcile with foes before death

WARSAW, Poland – Poland’s democracy icon and Nobel Peace laureate Lech Walesa says he wants to “reconcile with foes” before death.

He expressed that sentiment in a tweet late Wednesday addressed to his longtime political foe, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is Poland’s ruling party leader.

The 74-year-old Walesa, who has a heart pacemaker, said they should both expect to move soon “into eternity” and that he wanted to leave his affairs in order.

He tweeted to ask “Brother Kaczynski” for forgiveness for any past wrongs and offered his own forgiveness. But he touched a raw nerve saying he will forgive Kaczynski’s “greatest meanness” in portraying him as a communist-era collaborator. Walesa denies the allegations.