"We long talked on the matter," President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland said to the media, afterwards.
President Vladimir Putin informed him about political developments in Chechnya-a presidential poll of August 29, and a parliamentary election due next spring.
The Beslan terror act of September 1-3 also came under discussion, Mr. Kwasniewski went on. "As I have to acknowledge, President Putin said he regretted Polish media coverage of the Beslan events," he said.
Many Polish-based media outlets were alleged to offer a biased coverage of the tragedy. "I have not analysed the issue, and no analyses from elsewhere have come my way," remarked the President when asked to comment.
"The Polish media are free, and so must shoulder the responsibility for what they are saying. Poland has no political centre of influence, which would order whatever materials spearheaded against Russia with the press and the on-line media.
"You media people must be fully responsible for what you are writing. The Polish media are free media," President Kwasniewski emphatically added.
