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Poland: Pakistan At Fault In Beheading

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The Associated Press

Published: February 10, 2009

WARSAW, Poland - Poland promised Monday to issue international arrest warrants for Taliban militants after the apparent beheading of a Polish engineer in Pakistan, and officials charged that elements within the Pakistan government share blame for the killing.

Pakistan's top diplomat in Poland firmly rejected the accusation that some members of the Islamabad government are sympathetic to Islamic extremists, saying his country is snarled in a bitter and deadly fight with terrorist groups.

Without a body, Polish authorities were not able officially to confirm the death of Piotr Stanczak, but they said a seven-minute video purporting to show the 42-year-old's slaying appears to be authentic. Copies of the video were delivered to journalists in Pakistan on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski condemned the apparent killing as a "bestial execution" and said the government would issue arrest warrants for the culprits.

"A crime was committed, so there has to be an investigation, a search for the culprits, and if possible putting them before the justice system and an exemplary punishment," he said.

It was not immediately clear what effect issuing the warrants might have, because Poland does not have an extradition treaty with Pakistan. Islamabad has refused to extradite Pakistanis suspected of taking part in the November attack in Mumbai, India.

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