A Proud and Special Moment

Paunchier, but stubborn as ever, Walesa meets his seventh child

When Maria Victoria Walesa was christened in Gdansk on March 21, more than 10,000 people gathered in the bright sunny weather at the Church of God's Providence to commemorate the occasion. But in the sanctuary there was one conspicuously empty chair. It symbolized the absence of the baby's father, who had never seen his seventh child. Last week, as shown by photographs obtained exclusively by ABC's World News Tonight, Solidarity Leader Lech Walesa finally got to hold his two-month-old daughter in his arms. His wife Danuta and Maria Victoria were allowed a two-day visit at a villa in Otwock, about 14 miles southeast of Warsaw, where Walesa was brought from another house in which he has been interned.

Since martial law was proclaimed last December, Walesa's walrus mustache has been engulfed by a full beard, which he promised his wife he would shave off when he was allowed to resume a normal life. Otherwise, she has been telling friends, he has suffered no ill effects except for occasional insomnia. He keeps busy by reading and, to Danuta's distress, continues to smoke heavily. The lack of activity has given him a bit of a paunch.

Walesa is under constant pressure to cooperate with the authorities. One tactic they use is to imply that he is imposing hardship on his family by refusing to cooperate and thereby win his release. Still he remains adamant: he will not negotiate anything but the complete restoration of Solidarity. The government wants to reconstitute trade unions in Poland, though only on its terms. Walesa has also rejected the government's offer to allow him and his family to leave Poland. As Danuta said in an interview published in the London Sunday Times: "He replied by yelling at Vice Premier [Mieczyslaw] Rakowski, who ran from the room."

Meanwhile, Warsaw is slowly reducing the number of less illustrious prisoners held in camps throughout the country. A holiday resort in Jaworze that has served as an internment camp is now taking reservations from prospective vacationers for June. Wladyslaw Loranc, the head of Polish radio and television, told staffers who survived the purge that freed detainees should not be viewed as heroes, but should "return with heads bowed." Walesa himself has pledged not to bow to military authorities. Says Danuta: "He will not bend. I am certain of this because I know him well."

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