Warsaw - A Polish awards ceremony sparked debate Tuesday when the
president honoured a controversial institute accused of lying about
Solidarity icon Lech Walesa.

President Lech Kaczynski honored historians and the chief of the
Institute of National Remembrance, which prosecutes Nazi and communist
crimes.

But the honours come amid criticism that the institute slandered Walesa and should be called the institute of "national lies."

The former anti-communist leader has even threatened to leave
Poland after a new biography - by an institute employee citing
anonymous sources - claimed Walesa worked with the communist secret
police and had a child out of wedlock.

The book "Lech Walesa: The Idea and History" by Pawel Zyzak, was
the second recent publication from the institute that has sparked
Walesa's anger.

This time, the allegations came as Poland marked the 20th
anniversary of the fall of communism. Walesa has said he would boycott
the celebrations unless the head of the institute resigns and
prosecutors investigate the matter.

On Tuesday Kaczynski hung medals around some 20 institute workers
during the ceremony at the presidential palace, awarding them for
"services in documenting most recent Polish history."
(dpa)

"In Poland, unfortunately, uncovering the truth is ... a battle
demanding great courage," Kaczynski said at the ceremony, adding that
the institute is needed for truth "even when this truth isn't the most
pleasant."

Walesa confronted communist rule in 1980 by leading shipyard
strikes in the coastal city of Gdansk. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in
1983 and went on to become Poland's president and an international
symbol of democracy.

He won in 2000 the first of several court cases that proved his
innocence, but critics - including President Lech Kaczynski - have said
they know Walesa was a spy.

Surveys in Poland regularly show Walesa is seen as a national hero
and trusted by Poland's majority, despite a flawed presidency.

Many see the accusations against Walesa as political or jealousy-
driven. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he is not afraid of the books,
but of people "who want to make this into a clear weapon for a
political battle."

But others have warned against placing Walesa on a pedestal, and
say examining the historical figure is part of intellectual freedom.