POLISH HOPES of pushing a coherent position on climate change and Russian policy at today's EU summit have suffered a setback thanks to a feud between the prime minister and president on who should head their delegation.
A long-running tug-of-war over Polish foreign policy descended into high farce this week when prime minister Donald Tusk demanded that Poland's president Lech Kaczynski, his political rival, stay at home.
A spokesman underlined the point by announcing that there would be no room for the president's delegation on the government jet.
That didn't faze Mr Kaczynski: after insisting on exercising his constitutional right to shape foreign policy, the government jet will now make a second trip from Warsaw to Brussels with his entourage. The result: two rival Polish courts playing musical chairs at the summit, depending on the topic being discussed.
Mr Tusk, head of the centre-right pro-EU Civic Platform (PO) has called the situation "absurd". He insists on having his top officials present for talks on the financial crisis and EU plans to cut CO2 emissions.
With a huge energy dependence on coal-burning power stations, Warsaw says it will try and block the plan unless its proposed changes and compromises are taken into account.
Officials working for Mr Tusk are concerned that presidential officials are less well briefed on the issue and could compromise Warsaw's position.
Foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski went as far as to beg Mr Kaczynski "on bended knee" to stay at home. However, Mr Kaczynski will go, representing Poland, if talks turn to Georgia and Russia - issues on which he has taken a strong anti-Moscow line.
He also wants to participate in talks on the Lisbon Treaty, likely to cause more than one discreet groan from Poland's EU partners.
Viewed as considerably more EU-critical than Mr Tusk, Mr Kaczynski has changed his position several time on Lisbon. He has twice threatened to veto the document because of perceived disadvantages to Poland .
Now the president says he has no problems with the document - but he has yet to sign it and has suggested it is irrelevant after Ireland's No vote.
"You don't bring your dirty laundry to Brussels, that's one of the EU rules," said Piotr Kaczynski of the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels.
"Poland has big issues to push with the future of the shipyards and climate change, but will only hamper their own position."