Warsaw  - US president-elect Barack Obama's victory means "a new image for America across the world," and seems "like a fairy tale," Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said Wednesday.

But an opposition leader had doubts Obama could be tough enough with Russia.

"It's a joyful moment, because Americans feel that something very important has taken place," Sikorski told a radio station, calling Obama "charismatic" and "unbelievably intelligent."

Warsaw - US president-elect Barack Obama will create "a new image for America across the world," building on an election victory that seems "like a fairy tale," Poland's foreign minister said Wednesday.

"It's a joyful moment, because Americans feel that something very important has taken place," Radek Sikorski told Polish Radio, calling Obama "charismatic" and "unbelievably intelligent."

"That opens a new chapter in their history, and something that makes them feel they can again feel proud as Americans."

Warsaw - Americans, Europeans and Poles alike stayed out late Tuesday during an "Election Night Warsaw" event to cheer on the US presidential candidates and watch the results come in on big-screen CNN monitors.

The crowd - mostly supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama - mingled and cast their votes in mock booths, arguing politics and the importance of this year's American elections across the world.

Warsaw- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Tuesday criticised President Lech Kaczysnki over a joint statement with Lithuania opposing a resumption of EU negotiations with Russia.

Sikorski said Kaczynski's joint statement issued late Monday with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus had not been cleared with the Polish government beforehand. Sikorski said he had only learned about the document from his Lithuanian colleague at the current EU foreign ministers' meeting in Marseille.

Warsaw - The Polish president will attend an upcoming European Union summit alone, TOK FM radio reported, after the prime minister said he would yield his place at the Brussels negotiating table in the latest round of their tense power struggle.

"I will inform the president if he's decided he must go to Brussels, then I will yield," Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said, adding he would inform President Lech Kaczynski about the government's stance on issues to be discussed at the November 7 meeting.

New Delhi, Nov 3 : Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich arrives here on Tuesday on a three-day visit to India to explore possibilities of tie-ups with Public Sector Undertakings for joint production as New Delhi looks for partners in the realm of military hardware.

Besides a delegation level meeting with Defence Minister AK Antony, Klich will hold talks with the chairmen of top Defence Public Sector Undertakings including HAL, BEL, BEML and Ordnance Factories Board (OFB).