Polish president Lech Kaczynski was to offer Russia a "new beginning" at the ceremony he was to attend before this weekend's plane crash killed him and dozens of high-ranking politicians, said a chancellery official on Tuesday.
Kaczynski was regarded by critics as hesitant to build warm relations with Russia and emerged as one of Moscow's most vocal critics during the Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008, DPA reported.
Kaczynski was killed Saturday along with 95 crew and politicians en route to Katyn, Russia, where he was to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-era massacre of Polish officers.
"The president said he wanted to make one gesture towards Russians and Russian officials," said minister Jacek Sasin of the president's chancellery on TVN 24.
"He wanted to propose to Russian officials a new beginning. He wanted to propose that our relations from this moment would be formulated anew and that this new value would be based on truth."
The Katyn massacre has remained one of the most sensitive issues in Polish-Russian relations.
Poland wants Russia to release the documents it holds on the Katyn massacre, which Warsaw says it needs as proof to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice.
Putin said that Russia had already turned over numerous documents on the massacre, and declined to say whether Moscow would open all its archives during a ceremony April 7 marking the massacre.
Polish president planned to offer Russia a "new beginning"
Polish president Lech Kaczynski was to offer Russia a "new beginning" at the ceremony he was to attend before this weekend's plane crash killed him and dozens of high-ranking politicians, said a chancellery official on Tuesday.
