P.M. BRIEFING : Illinois Opens Polish Trade Office

WARSAW — The state of Illinois, home to a large Polish-American community, opened a trade office in Poland today to promote business, cultural and tourist ties with the formerly Communist-ruled country.

Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson, who opened the office in central Warsaw, said Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki had personally encouraged the venture.

“We expect Illinois’ presence will assist in creating a framework for Polish businesses wishing export to the United States,” Thompson said at the dedication ceremony.

The Warsaw facility is Illinois’ 10th foreign trade office and the first in post-Communist Eastern Europe outside the Soviet Union. Illinois opened an office in Moscow last year and is due to open another in Budapest, Hungary, shortly.